Hyphens – making a connection
A hyphen is a punctuation mark that joins words or phrases. Here are some examples of its uses:
Compound adjectives
Joining two or more words to form ...
What do sand and news have in common?
They are uncountable nouns.
“Switch the TV on. The news is starting in a few minutes.”
Often wondered why the word “news” is used with a singular ve...
Prefixes – a few letters that change everything
A prefix is a word or syllable added at the beginning of another word that changes its meaning. Some negate the original meaning, some change the word...
Prepositions – the basics
Prepositions connect nouns or pronouns with the rest of a sentence. They’re short words that yield a lot of power. Prepositions expand on what you’re ...
Adjectives – when to use “more” and “most”
Adjectives are words that are used to describe or modify nouns or pronouns. Comparative adjectives do exactly that, they compare one noun to another. ...
Less or fewer
Rule of thumb: Use fewer if you can count it. Use less if it’s not quantifiable. The opposite of both is more.
Examples
Her diet is paying off. She w...
What’s the difference?
Similar words with different meanings
Principal
Principle
Head, main or most important person
Fundamental truth, law or standard
The...
Start the year with a marketing plan
A new year – a fresh start! Everybody is rested after their yearend break and full of enthusiasm and positive expectancy. Use that momentum to do what...
When to use italics
Italics make words stand out from the rest of the text – the modern equivalent of underlining. But there are rules – there are always rules. Here are ...