Category: Grammar & Writing Tips
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“Out of an Abundance of Caution”: a Tired, Hypocritical Phrase
When I hear someone state they acted out of “an abundance of caution,” my ears prick up and then my eyes roll.
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Ron Desanctimonious Sends People to the Dictionary
The issue is, frankly, many people don’t know what “sanctimonious” means.
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No, Merriam Webster, “irregardless” is Not a Word
The weasel word Merriam Webster uses to describe irregardless is “nonstandard.”
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How to use “Resonated” Correctly
“Resonated” is joining the ranks of the most misused words in the English language. The word is common in intellectual conversation, as one speaks of ideas and concepts resonating. In this context of elevated discourse, misusing the word is especially cringeworthy. Its precise usage and position in a sentence have become fraught. Allow me to…
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“I Appreciate You”: A Sentimental and Misguided Phrase
Over the last decade or so, people have increasingly used the phrase “I appreciate you”; as opposed to “I appreciate it.” It could be a southern thing, or it could be nationwide. Wherever this abominable phrase began, it needs to be discarded as unsentimentally as possible. I know, people are just trying to be nice…
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“Definitely Possible”: a Contradiction in Terms
And if an eventuality is possible, by definition it is not definite, when after all it might not happen. In other words, the phrase is an oxymoron.
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“Twang”: an Onomatopoeia?
When you hear a nice southern accent, especially from a female speaker, you hear that twang. When men speak, I suppose it’s more of a drawl. Twang is considered an onomatopoeia. That Twang is an onomatopoeia might seem straightforward enough. But upon further reflection, it became a much more fraught topic. Twang is characterized as…
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Diction & Tone: Striking the Right Balance
For a student in high school or college, the struggle when writing an essay is to use more formal diction and tone than they are accustomed to using. Students nowadays write “kinda” and “gunna” as though they were texting, not to mention “2” for to (or two even). The pressing issue for students, then, is…
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Adjectives Shouldn’t Modify Verbs
One of the most common errors in spoken English, made even by educated people, is the misuse of adjectives in the place of adverbs: “They need to push forward much quicker.” I’ll give you a moment to try to figure out the grammar issue, and then I’ll reveal it in the next paragraph… The problem…
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When to Stop Revising: How to Avoid Overediting
‘ Are you a perfectionist? Perfectionism can be maddening. Imagine rereading and rewriting a piece until you can no longer even understand how it will be perceived by other people. Yet this type of revision is essential to creating a creditable piece of writing, whether it’s fiction, expository writing, or an essay for class. Perfectionism…