Compare with/Compare to
‘Compare with’ and ‘compare to’ are often used interchangeably, and neither is likely to seriously mislead a reader. However, there
Who’s who (and whose whom)?
Using who and whom correctly is one of the great shibboleths of grammar. Using who when one should use whom
Infer/Imply
This one is a standard check for most editors and is a very common source of confusion across almost all
More or less: when less information = more credibility
There’s plenty of research proving the power of positive claims. Since the 1950s studies have repeatedly demonstrated that increasing the
Compare with/Compare to
‘Compare with’ and ‘compare to’ are often used interchangeably, and neither is likely to seriously mislead a reader. However, there
Interest rates – how intrigue trumps truth in writing
‘Beauty is truth, truth beauty’, said Keats. If only. As a writer of non-fiction you might think proving you had
Possessed – exorcising the errant apostrophe
It’s a misfortune that the apostrophe is among the most widely misused of punctuation marks. Like the comma, the apostrophe
Projection, Prediction, Forecast
‘The future will be like the present, only different’ said American baseballer Yogi Berra. Was he making a prediction, a
Deliberately and judiciously – how to use adverbs
Stephen King said the road to hell is paved with adverbs. It’s hard to argue with a man who’s sold
Continuous/Continual
Continual means ongoing but intermittent or sporadic – if someone pokes their head in the door every five minutes when
A mixed blessing or a necessary evil? When to use clichés
A cliché is, by most definitions, a bad thing. The OED calls it a hackneyed phrase or opinion. Merriam-Webster describes