Beyond the Rhetoric

Standard English on its own can be very difficult to master, even for native speakers. There are so many rules and then there are even more exceptions to those rules. English idioms can be more confusing, especially when they get significantly detached from their respective origins. One phrase that I see misused not uncommonly is [...]

Writing with good grammar is only one part of the equation. It’s great when you’re spelling is just right and you use the right kind of punctuation in the right places, but you also want your writing to be interesting to read. With that challenge comes the possibility of bending the grammar rules and you [...]

In the last week or so, I’ve encountered more than one instance where these word pairs were misused. More specifically, I read sentences where the author paired “either” with “nor,” which really isn’t the way you should go about using these words. If you are making a comparison and you start with using “either,” then [...]

A lot of confusion can arise when certain words aren’t used very often, but are still within the common vernacular. People mistakenly say “exercise regime“, for instance, when they really mean to say “exercise regimen.” Similarly, “predecessor” and “successor” are two words that are oftentimes confused for one another. Ironically enough, “predecessor” and “successor” have [...]

It’s that time of year again. While many other people are concerning themselves with mistletoe and fruitcake, freelancers and other small business owners need to concern themselves with many other year-end responsibilities. Of course, that’s in addition to the usual holiday cheer and eggnog lattes. As a freelance writer, there are certain tasks and questions [...]