The following 44 examples of commonly confused words and phrases have also been represented visually in two infographics that can be found here (part one) and here (part two). You can order the poster, which integrates both parts one and two, here. Index Advance vs. Advanced Affect vs. Effect Altogether vs. "All Together" Alternate vs… Read more

Let’s face it: English is a crazy language. There is no ham in hamburger, no egg in eggplant, and neither apple nor pine in pineapple. French fries weren't invented in France, and English muffins weren't invented in England. Furthermore, quicksand can work slowly, boxing rings are square, and a guinea pig is neither from Guinea… Read more

You have finally decided that you want to write a book. You have determination, grit, and a laptop, but where do you start? If you plan carefully and then work through all the steps it takes to go from a blank page to thousands of written words, you will be able to accomplish your goal… Read more

Persuasive writing is also referred to as argumentative writing because it argues a point that the writer is trying to present. When you write in a persuasive style, you want to inspire your readers to respond or to create a topic that prompts a thorough discussion. You should open with a statement about the issue… Read more

One of the keys to writing a descriptive essay is to create a picture in your readers’ minds by engaging all five senses: smell, sight, touch, taste, and sound. If you can do this, your essay is a success; if not, you have a lot of work to do. The first steps in writing a… Read more

In the world of modern SEO, so much time is spent keeping up with Google's newest algorithm updates, whether they are called Penguin, Panda, or something else named after a furry animal(!), that some of the other important aspects of gaining high rankings for valuable keywords are overlooked. One of these factors, highly worthy of… Read more

UPDATE: Check out our new infographic with awesome essay topics for 2014! There is nothing like a controversial topic to get the blood flowing through your veins, and nothing like defending your corner of the moral landscape against the opinions of others who “just don’t get it!” Controversy lights up tired lecture halls and moves… Read more

Update, Nov. 19, 2025: We added a title capitalizer tool to the online editor. Very few people know which words should be capitalized in a title. In fact, the majority of people adopt rules from others who don’t know either. This usually takes one of two forms: capitalizing every word, or capitalizing words containing three… Read more

Ah, the British! Our friends across the pond love nothing more than spending their days using alternative word combinations rather than saying exactly what they mean. Oh, and drinking tea and dressing up in their best clothes for dinner each evening... Okay, perhaps I've been watching too much Downton Abbey. Anyway, once again, it’s time… Read more

An idiom is an expression or saying that means something other than its literal translation, and the British English language has hundreds, possibly thousands to get your head around. Learning British idioms will not only improve your creative writing skills, but also increase your everyday conversational skills. Here are 21 idioms you’ll find British English… Read more

Whether you work in an office or at home, chances are that the bulk of your work requires you to communicate with clients and stakeholders through the written word. But here’s the problem: most business courses don’t place enough emphasis on business writing standards, which means that even highly educated businesspeople make common errors on… Read more

It goes without saying that a good workman always checks his work twice, and nowhere is that process more necessary than when publishing written work. Every day, people all over the world miss out on golden opportunities because of simple grammar errors. These errors cause unnecessary stress and get us into sticky situations, often because… Read more

English is difficult; there’s no doubt about it. Yet just as you think you’ve mastered the difficult concepts of English grammar and punctuation, nasty little errors trip you up and make you look weak on paper. These errors become painfully obvious once they are pointed out by a smug friend or tutor, leaving you to… Read more

Many, many years ago, when computers were still the size of wardrobes and the World Wide Web was just a scary spider’s lair in a science fiction writer’s imagination, my dad gave me a pair of huge dictionaries that he had picked up from a secondhand bookshop. He was always keen on me improving my… Read more

The hyphen is certainly a contender for the punctuation mark used least often, and it hasn’t exactly attracted many fans over the years, either. Winston Churchill once said hyphens were “a blemish to be avoided wherever possible,” and Woodrow Wilson remarked that the hyphen was “the most un-American thing in the world.” Yes, there was… Read more

Do you remember how hard your English teacher had to work to improve your English skills? Remember slaving over sentence structure, subjects, objects, and the correct use of grammar? Then you left school, and all of a sudden, the rules went out the window and text language became a lazy substitute for formal written communication… Read more

Engineers are the backbone of the modern world. They design and construct the world around us, bringing innovation to our lives. But one thing engineers often take for granted is that their ideas, concepts, and plans will be understood by others responsible for executing their vision. This is where problems arise. Poor communication can mean… Read more

The good old English! Just when we think we’re beginning to get to grips with their language, they start coming at us with all these sayings that make no sense whatsoever. There are hundreds of these metaphorical constructions, each presenting a confusing riddle for those whose first language is not English. But if you want… Read more

The title should be corrected to read, “don’t grammar matter none no more in 2013.” No need to use your Shift key to capitalize or add a question mark. That key is such a bother. Subject-verb agreement can now go straight out the window, and double, even triple, negatives can abound. The age of social… Read more

Why care about grammar? Some of the greatest works and catchiest phrases use awful grammar. Whoever wrote “Here’s looking at you, kid” would have failed English, and “I can has cheezburger” is utterly beyond hope. “Goodbye and good luck!” and “Can I have a cheeseburger?” would be far better grammar, yet far less effective. Unfortunately… Read more

I think that, at some point, most people dream of writing the next Great American Novel. For most people, however, the dream does not last long, as it takes a lot of discipline, imagination, and skill to write effectively and correctly in a way that connects with readers. The good news is that you can… Read more

Congratulations! You've finally mustered enough creativity and patience to finish your piece of writing. The hardest part is over, and now all you need to do is review the entire piece for grammatical and spelling errors. Sounds easy, right? Be careful, though. If you do not do this last step carefully, you might jeopardize the… Read more

Many people misspell common words, confuse similarly spelled words, or simply use the wrong form of words like "there" and "their." In a family, friendly, or informal setting, it doesn't matter as much when such words are misused or confused, since we usually know what the writer intends to say. In a formal or business… Read more

In a nutshell, proofreading refers to the process of checking text to detect and correct spelling errors, typos, and other mistakes that may have occurred during the writing process. Proofreading should be performed before content is posted online, and it can be done either manually or with the help of various online tools. The latter… Read more

Big can get bigger and even become the biggest. Loud can get louder and even become the loudest. But why can’t perfect get perfecter or become the perfectest? Because, my dear readers, there are gradable adjectives and non-gradable adjectives, otherwise known as absolutes. Learning about gradable and non-gradable adjectives will greatly improve your grammar. You… Read more

Not too long ago, we gave you 50 awesome verbs beginning with ex, and we promised you a Part 2 with more! Well, here it is: 40 more verbs beginning with ex. Why 40 and not 50 this time? Because we thought it would be fun if you came up with another 10 yourselves. Leave… Read more

"Oh, those horrid tenses," I hear you cry. We feel your pain. But bear with them and persevere, because tense forms are central to the English language, and we just can’t do without them. Without confusing you any further than you probably already are, this post is designed to help you get a grasp of… Read more

Many aspiring writers have an urge to write but get stuck in the “I don’t know what to write about” zone. So, to stimulate your creative senses, we have come up with four writing exercises that will not only give you plenty to write about but also improve your writing threefold. The best place to… Read more

Verbs starting with "ex" make for awesome words, and there are so many that it beggars belief. We picked 50 of our favorites, noted their meanings, and created an awesome list so you can improve and expand your verb usage. It's probably a bit much to take in at one sitting, so why not learn… Read more