Grammar and Usage for the Non-Expert

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~~Index of NEW Articles~~

(Since 13 April 2001)

~~ANOTHER Article Index (Arranged by Topic)~~

Why Does She Keep Saying "Grammar and Usage"?

Who Am I to Tell You How to Write Correctly?

It Is Usually Not Wrong to End a Sentence with a Preposition

Prepositions: Further Explanation of Why the 'Rule' Is Wrong

You Feel BAD--You Don't Feel BADLY, Unless Your Hands Are Damaged

Introductory Adverbial Elements (I): What Is an Introductory Adverbial Element?

Introductory Adverbial Elements II.a.: Words

Introductory Adverbial Elements: II.b. Phrases

Learn the Difference Between AFFECT and EFFECT

It's Never "Could Of"!

Colons, and Semicolons, and Bears!

Is It Wrong to Split an Infinitive?

Are Those Dots Just for Decoration?

It's My Participle, and I'll Dangle it if I Want To!

There's a Problem with "There's"--Actually, There ARE Two

American vs. British Usage

What Words Do I Capitalize in a Title?

What Is a Comma Splice, and How Do I Fix It?

When Is a Comma Splice NOT an Error?

Learn the Difference Between "Imply" and "Infer"

The Proper Use of "Lie" and "Lay"

Who, Which, That

The Case for Pronouns

Grammarians Are SUCH a Hoot!

Why Bother with Spelling and Grammar Rules?

Single vs. Double Quotation Marks: Once Again British and American Usage Differ

On Capitalizing "Mom" and "Dad" and "Great-Aunt Betty"

Into/In To; Onto/On To

Which Titles Are Italicized and Which Are Enclosed in Quotation Marks?

Ten Common but Easily Corrected Errors

Son of Ten Common Errors

Problematic Word Pairs: Part I

Problematic Word Pairs: Part II

Problematic Word Pairs: Part III

Quotation Marks: A General Explanation of How They Are Used

Commas with Coordinate Modifiers

Correcting Mechanical Errors in Your Writing

Is There an Easy Way to Correct My Own Mechanical Errors?

Hyphenation: Part I (Hyphenated Compounds)

Hyphenation: Part II (Prefixes)

Hyphenation: Part III (Suspensive Hyphens)

More on The Suspensive Hyphen

(guest article by Thomas J. Scott)

Another Pair of Problematic Word Pairs

A Historical Reference? AN Historical Reference?

The Loyal Apposition

Commas with Introductory Adverbial Elements II.c: Adverb Clauses

Control Your "Self": The Proper Use of Reflexive and Intensive Pronouns

All Right! All Right! I'll Write About Why It's "Alwrong"!

How to Correct a Fused Sentence

Commas with Compound Sentences

Quotation Marks: Where Do the Periods and Commas Go--And Why?

Faulty Parallelism with Coordinate Elements: Short, Simple Version

Prefer Simple Tenses over Progressive Tenses

A Hyphen Is NOT a Dash

It Is NOT "All of THE Sudden"

Nonfinite Verb Forms (Verbals)

If You Can't Decide Whether to Choose "Whether" or "If"--Read This Article

Active vs. Passive Voice

(This link will take you to my "Essay, I Say" website.)

Mrs. Malaprop Lives

Don't Use "Him" or "Her" as the Subject of a Clause

Commas with Contrasted Coordinate Elements

Learn the Difference Between "Than" and "Then"

What Is an Interjection, and How Do I Punctuate It?

Compound (Coordinate) Sentence Elements Usually Are NOT Separated by a Comma

Shibboleth Alert: Use "Like" Only as a Preposition, NOT as a Conjunction

Using "A" or "An" with Acronyms

Hardly Anything You Will Ever Need to Speak or Write about Is Measured in Tons

THE Number IS; A Number ARE

"TOE the Line," NOT "TOW the Line"

What Does "Begging the Question" Really Mean?

Suffrage GOOD; Suffering BAD

Possessives Precede Gerunds

Learn the Difference between "Populace" and "Populous"

More on When to Use "Who" and "Whom"

Get the Lead Out!

Punctuating Words Used as Words, or Words Used in a Special Way

Using Commas with Direct Address

"Empirical" vs. "Imperial": A Pair of Words That Really Should NOT Be Confused

Don't Confuse "Utmost" with "Upmost"

Learn the Difference between "Ascribe" and "Subscribe"

You've Got Another THINK Coming!

Don't Use "So" as a Vague Intensifier

The Last Verb in a Verb Phrase Must Be a Participle

Don't Use the Past Participle as the Predicate of a Clause

Avoid "Anyways"

Comma Usage: Restrictive vs. Nonrestrictive Relative Clauses

Parenthetical Elements: Use a COMPLETE SET of Commas or Dashes

to Enclose an Interrupter

Another Confusing Word Pair: You DEFUSE a Situation--You Don't DIFFUSE It

"They Spoke English Better than He": Pronoun Case with Elliptical

Clauses of Comparison

Please, DON'T Spell "Disdain" as "Distain"!

Subjunctive Mood

Subject-Verb Agreement with Intervening Nouns

Yet Another Article about When to Use "Who" and "Whom"

A Response to Readers Who Still Insist That Prepositions

Must Never Be Used at the Ends of Sentences

Using Commas with Dates

Using Commas with Geographical (Place) Names

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