Grammar and Usage Archives

A graphic showing three variations of the phrase "to follow up:" Follow Up, Follow-Up, and Followup

Following Up on Follow Up, Follow-Up, and Followup

Ever got stuck scratching your head about whether its follow up, follow-up or followup? Let’s shed some light here: “Follow up” is a verb form meaning the act of checking on something or pursuing further examination on a topic. “Follow-up” is a noun form describing… continue reading

Is Payed a Word? Or Is it Paid?

What is the proper way to talk about the verb “to pay” in the past tense? Is it paid or payed? The infinitive “to pay” has many meanings, most relating to offering something (most commonly money) to someone else, commonly in return for services or… continue reading

Infer Vs. Imply: The Secrets to Understanding Their Usage

Let’s have a close look at infer vs. imply. Is there a difference, and how do we use them? Here is the short answer: When you infer, you are using context clues to make an educated guess about the meaning of something. On the other… continue reading

Picture of various historical items (roman helmet, Egyptian vase, Greek pilar, etc.) to signify history with the text: "Capitalising Historical Events"

Grammar and Usage

Are World War II and Other Historical Events Capitalized?

Is World War, either I or II, capitalized? What about other historical events? Let’s find out. First, here is the quick answer: Historical events such as World War II will be capitalized as proper nouns, as they are specific names rather than general references. These… continue reading

A graphic with a house and text: "All About the Noun"

Grammar and Usage

All About the Noun: from the Common to Beyond

Nouns are the most common parts of speech you will encounter in your writing; however, many people need help identifying these vital pieces of sentence structure. They are a foundation for strong and grammatically correct sentences because nouns function as subjects and serve other important… continue reading

Graphic with a definition of Nomalizations: turning nouns and adjectives into verbs

From Verb to Noun and Back: Nominalizations

In this post we will discuss nominalization, or the process of turning verbs and adjectives into nouns, through the prism of two distinct styles that literate, communicating adults encounter every day. I refer to the difference between the Impersonal (or I) style and the Personal (or… continue reading

Coordinating Conjunctions | A Note on the Use of “And”

And now, a note on the use of and. And is what some traditional linguists would call the “unmarked form”: other than connection or association, it carries no additional meaning. Of course, we have other coordinating conjunctions, i.e., words that join two elements of equal… continue reading

A Google Ngram graph showing the usage of "data are" vs. "data is"

Is “Data” Singular or Plural? Does It Matter?

Let’s tackle a hotly contested topic in the English language: “Is data singular or plural?” Data: Singular or Plural? The answer to this question comes down to a few points of contention. As a foreign word, people argue whether “data” should follow English plurality rules or… continue reading

A two-toned graphic with the words "To Many" and "Too Many"

Grammar and Usage

When Should You Use Too Many vs. To Many?

Let’s face it: English leaves plenty of opportunities to mix up words and spellings. One great example is deciding between using “too many” or “to many.” They both sound the same and look the same except for one little letter – how can you tell… continue reading

A man sitting in front of a typewriter, pondering, with a caption: "can I start a sentence with "or?" Or is it better not to?

Grammar and Usage

Can You Start A Sentence With “Or?” Or Not?

Nearly all of us were taught from a very young age that beginning a sentence with a conjunction (a word used to connect clauses or sentences) was wrong. Even today, that negative connotation still rings true, with writers struggling over whether starting with “or” is… continue reading