Category Archives: Grammar Tips

We have said many times that one of the main purposes of grammar is clarity. If your meaning is not clear, then your message is lost. To this end, we look at the placing of one word and how it can change meaning or simply confuse.   Word order matters!   Consider the following –… Continue reading →

  Unlike many European languages, the subjunctive mood is relatively rare in English. Nonetheless, if you’re wanting your written English to be flawless, it’s definitely worth understanding the appropriate use of the subjunctive.       Consider the following:   If I were you, I wouldn’t lend him money.   If your brother were here,… Continue reading →

As we wrote last month, change is constant. Not only vocabulary, but grammar and punctuation also change, albeit quite slowly.   Part 2: Grammar Changes in grammar “rules” evolve fairly slowly over time. How much grammar use has changed since you learned the basics at school will largely depend on how old you are. In… Continue reading →

As someone who writes, edits and, yes, proofreads for a living, I’ve developed the sort of eye where errors just leap out of the page at me. I find it frustrating, and definitely friends and family do, when one of them gives me a piece of writing to “edit.” After all, they generally just want… Continue reading →

Find grammar nerds annoying? You’re not alone. Reasons for being ‘anti-grammar’ range from a strong dislike of being corrected through a dislike of people we consider ‘nit-picky’ to a feeling that obsessing over grammar stymies the creative flow. In all fairness, these are all reasonably valid reasons. Unfortunately, as an editor, it’s the errors in… Continue reading →