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Have you ever heard someone use the word “literally” and thought, “They can’t really mean literally.” There were not literally a million people at the concert. That final exam did not literally kill them. What they mean to say is that the concert was so crowded it felt like there were a million people packed […]
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The future continuous tense is a verb tense that shows an action happening over a period of time in the future. “I will be dancing all night” is an example of the future continuous tense, as it indicates an action continuing over a specific future period of time. Compare it to this sentence, written in […]
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When you’re writing a play, you don’t have the luxury of prose to explain your characters’ thoughts to readers. Dialogue tends to do the heavy lifting when it comes to character development in drama, but what about situations where the audience needs to know how a character feels, but you can’t have the character say […]
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If you’ve ever written a paper for school, prepared a work-related report, or built an argument about a topic, chances are you’ve appealed to your audience’s sense of reason and logic. Rhetoric that’s supported by credible evidence is logos in action. Understanding what logos is, and how to use it effectively, can strengthen your persuasive […]
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Fillers words such as um or uh are words, sounds, or phrases people use to “fill in” empty spaces in communication. In speech, they usually indicate the speaker is thinking about what to say next, while in writing they’re often clichés or padding. In most cases, filler words have a negative effect and reflect poorly […]
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Languages are complicated. There are tons of rules and exceptions to learn, which can be tough even for a language’s primary speakers. But that’s part of what makes languages interesting: They’re often pliable, and they’re shaped by the people who actively use them. Vernacular is essentially a product of that flexibility. It’s the unique way […]
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Rules about commas can be confusing, especially when used with pronouns and adjectives. The word which is one such example that, although not commonly used, can create some questions concerning proper punctuation. Does which need a comma? It depends on how you are using it. I find the best way to introduce the use of […]
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Accurate citations matter, even though they may feel like an afterthought to your research or your actual writing. When they contain mistakes or have missing information, they can lower your grade—or even result in an academic paper not getting published. However, the process of properly formatted, consistent referencing can be time-consuming and hard to get […]
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“The first rule of fight club is you do not talk about fight club.” This famous line is from Chuck Palahniuk’s 1996 novel, Fight Club, and it leaves an impression. Not only does it shroud the fight club in mystery, but it forces the reader to pause and think. Is he breaking the rules of […]
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Semicolons are one of the most misunderstood and underused punctuation marks. Most of my students have never used one, nor do they recognize how it is used. I find it interesting they have never truly learned its use since it is such an easy element to include in their writing. One of the best ways […]