Grammar and Usage Archives

Rules on Writing Numbers

This week my 11-year-old daughter had an assignment on writing numbers. One of the rules on her assignment sheet stated, "Numbers that are expressed in fewer than four words are spelled out." That rule sounded like trouble to me. After all, do we really want… continue reading

An Error, A Mistake: “A” & “An”

This morning I received an email from a friend who knows a lot about grammar and punctuation. I was surprised that her message included the phrase "a MS word specialist." It should have been "an MS word specialist" because "MS" is pronounced "em ess." Words… continue reading

Bad or Badly?

"I would feel bad if I treated you badly." That’s an illustration of the correct use of the words bad and badly. Bad/badly is a grammar point that trips up many of us. Even people who are very careful about their speech and writing are… continue reading

Errors, Erors Everywhere!

Many visitors to this site have been searching for everyday examples of mistakes in grammar, punctuation, and spelling. I have a Best Pick blog to recommend to you: Grammar Hell. In the spirit of Eats, Shoots & Leaves author Lynne Truss, Grammar Hell’s creator, Jack,… continue reading

“That” or “Which”?

In business writing classes, people often ask about the difference between that and which. Where should each word be used? What’s the difference between them? It can be a tricky question, and I don’t look forward to talking about it in classes. That’s because the… continue reading

Can “And” or “But” Start a Sentence?

In our business writing classes, people often want an answer to this burning question: Is it acceptable to begin a sentence with the word and or but? The answer is yes. It is perfectly acceptable to start sentences with the conjunctions and and but. However,… continue reading

The Principal Principle

Here’s a test. Which forms of the word pair principal/principle fit in these examples? This dollar figure covers just interest–not interest plus ______. The ______ reason for our visit is to meet the new director. Which ______ did you follow to solve this problem? Easy?… continue reading

Compliment or Complement?

In a writing class last week, a participant was surprised to learn of the existence of the word complement. Like many professionals, she had thought compliment was the only form. But often the word we want is complement. Details: Complement and complementary relate to completing.… continue reading

To Lie or Lay–That’s the Test Question

A client wrote recently asking me to explain the difference between lie and lay. The question brought back fond memories. Although those fearsome verbs used to come up often in classes, no one asks about lie and lay anymore. In fact, my client was asking… continue reading

I? Me? Oh, My!

Driving from Portland to Seattle today, I heard an on-air radio apology about–of all things–grammar. Steve Scher, host of KUOW’s Weekday, had said something like this on air: “Call in with your questions for Carl or I.” A listener then emailed Steve a strongly worded… continue reading