Grammar

I'm going to boldly split infinitives as much as I like, in defiance of ignorant pedants everywhere

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The split infinitive ‘rule’ has never existed in English. What’s more, it’s never even been considered bad style or bad grammar, except by those fed bad information which they’ve never found the time to question.

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Commas, Semi Colons, and Colons: A Comparison

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Many people are confused by punctuation marks, especially with the differences between the comma, semi colon, and colon. Although each punctuation mark has numerous rules associated with its use, it’s not hard to get to grips with the basics.

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Know the difference between to, too and two

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One confusing set of homonyms involves to, too, and two. A clearer understanding can prevent numerous little editing errors and allow your readers to understand your ideas better.

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Get to know the difference between "There's" and "Theirs"

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The homonyms of there’s and theirs sometimes cause problems for writers. There’s is the contraction for there is The apostrophe is the clue that this word is a contraction because the apostrophe replaces the i in is. Theirs is the plural of the possessive pronoun Their.

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There, Their, and They're

Get to know the difference between there, their and they’re – or you’ll end up sounding like an illiterate and complete fool.

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The difference between it's and its

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Guest post: One of the most frequent errors made with homonyms (words that sound the same but are spelled differently and mean different things) is the issue of using it’s and its.

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Add rhetoric to your writing – with the periodic sentence

How to add rhetoric to your writing – with the periodic sentence

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Voilà… the evil spell-check gremlins strike again

Spell-checkers eh? Gotta love ‘em, gotta hate ‘em.

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Write like a pro: seven top hints for new writers

Seven top hints for new writers

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Democracy, dictatorship and anarchy: who makes the rules of good English?

English is a mongrel language, one that has evolved over a long period of time, and continues to change. So who decides what the rules of language should be?

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Seeing through the fog – write how you talk, part 3

Writing clearly does not mean dumbing down. Writing clearly requires more intelligence, not less. It requires more knowledge, not less.

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Seven quick ways to improve your writing

Here at some quick tips about writing in general that will help you keep your copy on track. 1. Know your big idea Is there a single idea you’re trying to get across? If there is, make a note of it, and use it as a reminder to keep your writing focused.

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Quick tip: purge your commas

Purge commas and turn them into stops. It makes your writing punchier and gives it more pace.

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The difference between 'your' and 'you're'

Grammar fascists are a bore it’s true. But bad grammar makes you look foolish. That’s fine if you’re 17, but if you’re writing and publishing a blog, e-book or anything else for that matter, basic good grammar will create a much better impression. One of the most common mistakes I see on the web is [...]

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