I’ve heard some people confusing the words “gaff” and “gaffe”. Here’s the difference between the two.
Category: Writing
Logical fallacies: post hoc ergo propter hoc
A post hoc ergo propter hoc argument is when the speaker’s conclusion assumes that because one event occurred after another event, the latter must have caused the former.
What is the plural of octopus? Octopuses? Octopi?
If there’s one word in the English language that lacks consensus, it’s likely the plural form of octopus.
Difference between raise and rise
I recently saw someone confusing the words “raise” and “rise”. Here’s the difference between the two.
Which one is correct: “my wife and me” or “my wife and I”?
This question is actually tricky, as either could potentially correct, depending on how the phrase is used in the sentence.
“Grandnibling”: your sibling’s grandchildren
Normally, we might say “grandnephew” to refer to our sibling’s grandson or “grandniece” to refer to their granddaughter. But what if you want to refer to all of them?
My 10 most popular grammar posts of 2019
About 6 years ago, I made a list of my 10 most popular grammar posts. I’ve written hundreds more posts since then, a few of which have displaced some of the older ones. It made sense to update the list.
The 5 common culprits of wordiness
Editing hundreds of documents during the 20 years since that experience has helped me recognize 5 common culprits that creep into our writing.
Are you using “literally” correctly?
Are you one of the people who criticizes others’ figurative uses of literally.
When “in ________ ways” is too wordy
One writing issue I find myself editing frequently, particularly in academic writing, is the usage of “in ______________ ways”.