Patrice Riley, Author at BusinessWritingBlog

A graphic of a game of marbles to show the origin of the phrase "playing for keeps"

Expressions and Phrases

What does “Playing For Keeps” mean?

The meaning of the phrase “playing for keeps” is that someone is serious about what they’re doing. People will often use this phrase if they’ve been playing around previously but are now ready to get serious. For example: Jacob lost the game because he wasn’t… continue reading

Picture of a hare and a turtle with the caption "slow and steady wins the race"

Expressions and Phrases

Understanding the Phrase: “Slow And Steady Wins The Race”

What does it mean? Taking a slower, more consistent approach to a problem often leads to a better outcome. For example: I tried to change everything about my diet in one day but only ended up feeling sick and cranky. If I want to make a… continue reading

picture of spilled milk to showcase the phrase "crying over spilled milk"

Expressions and Phrases

Crying Over Spilled Milk – History and Meaning

Have you ever gotten upset over something small, and someone said you shouldn’t be “crying over spilled milk”? This saying has an interesting history and meaning. “Don’t cry over spilled milk” means there’s no point in being upset over something that already happened and cannot… continue reading

Vocabulary

Sheer vs. Shear

Let’s discuss homophones sheer vs. shear. Homophones are words that sound the same but have different spellings and meanings. Shear and sheer are homophones. Shear can be used as both a noun and a verb. Sheer can be used as an adverb, adjective, or verb. … continue reading

A graphic of a paper, a red pen and the words "run-on sentence"

Grammar and Usage

Run-on Sentences

Definition: A run-on sentence is a grammatically incorrect sentence that has two or more complete sentences connected without any punctuation. Identifying Run-on Sentences: Look for more than one independent clause in a sentence. If there is no punctuation joining them together, then this is likely… continue reading

A graphic with a question mark and the words Fare and Fair

Vocabulary

Correct use of fare

Is it “fair” or “fare? Well, how would you write this sentence? A) People with high energy fair well in sports. B) People with high energy fare well in sports. The correct choice is B! Why? The word fare is a verb from the Old English word faran,… continue reading

Graphic with a piggy bank and the words: "Loan, Loaned, Lent and Lend"

Grammar and Usage

Understanding Lend, Loan, Lent, and Loaned

Here are four words that sound similar and are often confused: loan, loaned, lend, lent. Proper use of “loan” Loan is usually used as a noun. It means an amount of money that will be paid back with interest. It is something given for temporary… continue reading

Spelling

How to Shorten “Synchronize”

Synchronizing is a way of connecting programs and machines. It is usually used in reference to computers. The official definition is “to occur at the same time.” However, the word is usually shortened in common use to either synch or sync. The shorter form is… continue reading

Etiquette

Using “Care of” in an Address

What does “care of” mean in a letter address? Let’s have a closer look. Meaning “Care of” means by the way of someone or through someone. It is often abbreviated “c/o.” This is used when something is being delivered to an address where they don’t… continue reading

Featured image for "Is it correct to say "and also"?

Grammar and Usage

Is It Correct to Use “And Also”?

Have you ever heard someone say “and also”? Is it grammatically correct? Don’t those words mean the same thing? Definitions While “and” and “also” may seem similar, they have slightly different meanings: And is a conjunction. Conjunctions join clauses, words, and phrases. Also is an… continue reading

Author Archives: Patrice Riley