While editing a document for a client last week, I noticed the word gage. This is a valid word, but given the context of the sentence, I was confident the client meant gauge. This sounded like a topic for another difference between post. Gage is a real word, which is why spellcheckers won’t flag it.
Category: Grammar
Writing tip: capitalizing headlines
A popular writing convention is to use liberally capitalization in headings. I see this blog posts, but I see it on news sites, too. According to The Canadian Style, published by the Translation Bureau, has this to say on the matter: In headings that begin at the margin, capitalize only the first word and any other… Continue reading Writing tip: capitalizing headlines
Difference between advise and advice
A local media outlet recently published a news article with the word “advise” incorrectly used. It reminded me of the common misuse of “advise” and “advice”, so I thought I’d write a short post about it. Telling the difference between the two is easy: advice is a noun, advise is a verb. Compare: He gave… Continue reading Difference between advise and advice
Why nothing peaks your interest
Does this statement look familiar? What I overheard peaked my interest. The important thing to remember about this phrasing is that it’s wrong.
Difference between continuously and continually
These two words sound the same and their meanings differ only slightly, which may explain why people regularly confuse them. Here’s my take on the difference between continuously and continually. Continuously Continuous indicates a duration without interruption, so continuously means something occurred for a duration uninterrupted. That whippersnapper played her drums continuously all night long, not… Continue reading Difference between continuously and continually
9 reasons to avoid the passive voice
I worked for 9 years at a university, and for much of that time, I edited a lot of content written by academics. One of the habits rampant in academic writing is the tendency to write in the passive voice. The passive voice isn’t bad grammar per se, but it is often a sign of… Continue reading 9 reasons to avoid the passive voice
Industries best warranty
I recently had a client ask me about a phrase their company wanted to start using: Industries best warranty. The company wasn’t sure where to put an apostrophe, or for that matter, whether to use one at all. In this case, the warranty is regarding a single industry not multiple industries. “Industries” would refer to multiple… Continue reading Industries best warranty
Difference between seen and saw
Another common error I see English speakers sometimes make is misusing seen and saw. Here’s the difference: “Saw” is the simple past tense form of “to see.” “Seen” is also a past tense form of “to see,” but it the past participle. You can’t use past participles on their own in a sentence like you can… Continue reading Difference between seen and saw
7 words that keep confusing the Internet
Seven little words seem to be the most difficult to understand among English speakers online. It seems pointless to even write this blog post because countless others already have. As I thought about it, however, I realized my difference between series would remain incomplete without them. Here are the 7 words that keep confusing the Internet:… Continue reading 7 words that keep confusing the Internet
Difference between hanged and hung
I had someone ask me on Facebook what the difference is between hanged and hung. It can be confusing, so I hope I can set the record straight. Grammarists generally recommend using hanged to refer to the process of killing by rope and hung for everything else. That being said hung and hanged are technically… Continue reading Difference between hanged and hung