Reader Christine wrote in with a request: I'd like to know the difference between the words insure and ensure, as in I-N-S-U-R-E and E-N-S-U-R-E. When writing, I often find myself backspacing so I can replace the word ensure with make certain and not...
Grammar Girl here. In today's episode were going to look at, examine, and explore redundancies, tautologies and other superfluous excesses. We all want to keep our writings as cogent as possible; in part, that means excising needless words notably re...
Grammar Girl here. Today's topic is tough apostrophe issues. I said it in the last episode about apostrophes, and I'll say it again: there are some confusing situations when it comes to apostrophes. For example, Christine, from Portland, Oregon; Judy...
by Mignon Fogarty Today we'll discuss words you should never use and words you should always avoid--or something like that. As many of you know, before I was Grammar Girl, I was a science and technology writer. Even as an undergraduate, my instructor...
图片1 by Mignon Fogarty This is an expanded show based on the original episode covering when to use affect with an a and when to use effect with an e. This question is from Eric on the voicemail line. I have a question for you regarding the affect...
Grammar Girl here. I'm on vacation this week, but before I left I updated one of the early episodes that I took down a few months ago. I hope you enjoy this new and improved version. Today's topic is addictive versus addicting, and we'll get to use a...
Today's topic is active voice versus passive voice. Here's Brian from Iowa: It drives me crazy when people write in passive voice. How can I teach people how to tell the difference between passive and active voice and stay away from passive voice? Th...
Since Halloween is coming up, I thought you could use a refresher about whiches--more specifically, when to use a which and when to use a that. To understand the difference between which and that, first you need to understand the difference between a...
Today well be looking at two constructions that are correct, but which one you choose depends on your audience. In Which Versus Where The expressions that concern us today are which and where. Well be comparing sentences like these: This is the store...
Grammar Girl here. Today guest-writer Bonnie Trenga is helping us talk about two sets of words that listeners get confused: pleaded guilty or pled guilty, and use or utilize. Plead Versus Pled Mike from Georgia is transitioning from law enforcement t...
Grammar Girl here. This episode concerns your future: whether you should use shall or will. Guest-writer Bonnie Trenga writes, there are two sets of rules: the stickler version and the peoples version. There is also the British version and the Americ...
Grammar Girl here. Today were going to recall that the principal is indeed your pal, but well also see that a principal can be so much more. In this episode well talk about the various ways to use principlethats p-l-eand principalthats p-a-l. (These...
Grammar Girl here. Today's topic is how to use the word myself. Misusing myself is definitely one of the top things people complain to me about. Here's an example: caller comment The caller is right; people seem to be so afraid to use the words me an...
Grammar Girl here. Todays topic is the difference between the words historic and historical. A listener, Denise, wants to know if she should say, We sell historic replicas or We sell historical replicas. Was an event a historic occasion or was it a h...
Some pairs of words are used interchangeably, even indiscriminately. Often the words in question sound similar, and that creates confusion. Other times they are simply misused so frequentlyowing to their similarity of meaning, despite a nuanced diffe...
