Grammar and Usage

Is it persons, people or peoples?  In most cases, people is the correct term to use as a plural for the word person. The word persons is considered archaic, so unless you’re doing some legal writing, it’s best to avoid it. Meanwhile, peoples is only used to refer to distinct ethnic groups,… continue reading

The English language is full of words that look and sound similar, making it tricky to choose the right one. This is certainly true for “preventative” and “preventive.” Both words are often used interchangeably, but it’s worth knowing if and when they differ. Definitions First… continue reading

One of our readers recently wrote in with a question about the difference between the words empathic and empathetic. They mentioned that they recently read a book where the adjective empathic was frequently used to describe people who possess empathy. However, they were used to using the word empathetic,… continue reading

There, their, they’re. When it comes to commonly confused words, this trio is at the top of the list. It doesn’t help that all three words are pronounced exactly the same, and many people can’t keep their spellings straight. In this article, we’ll go over… continue reading

The English language has many words with multiple spellings, especially those that differ between American English and British English. However, sometimes misspellings can be mistaken for alternative spellings, and this is the case with verbage and verbiage. Although the two seem like they could be alternative spellings of… continue reading

Many are curious which is grammatically correct: between or in between. A recent message from a reader posed the question: “From time to time I hear the term “in between.”  Is there a need to add the “in” to say that something is between two things?  Should it be… continue reading

If you’re wondering about the difference between program and programme, it’s really quite simple! Program is the correct spelling in American English, as well as Canadian and Australian English. However, British English uses programme as its preferred spelling. In computing contexts, though, British people often… continue reading