Common English Idioms and What They Really Mean
Have you ever heard someone say they are “under the weather”? You probably wondered why weather has anything to do with feeling sick. That…
Parentheses and Brackets: The Correct Usage Guide
TL;DR: Parentheses ( ) add extra, non-essential information to a sentence, while square brackets [ ] clarify or edit a quote that isn’t…
Hyphen vs Dash: Understanding the Difference
TL;DR: A hyphen (-) joins words or parts of words together, while a dash is longer and separates ideas within a sentence. The en dash (–)…
Quotation Marks Rules: Direct Speech and Titles Made Simple
TL;DR: Quotation marks rules tell you where to place commas, periods, question marks, and titles around quoted words. In US English, commas…
Capitalization Rules in English: What to Capitalize and What Not To
TL;DR: The capitalization rules in English come down to three groups: sentence starters, proper nouns, and the pronoun “I.”…
Semicolon vs Colon: What’s the Difference and When to Use Them
TL;DR: A semicolon (;) joins two related independent clauses, while a colon (:) introduces a list, explanation, or example. In short, use a…
Apostrophe Rules in English: Possession and Contractions
TL;DR: Apostrophe rules boil down to two jobs: showing ownership (Sarah’s car) and joining two words into one (don’t, it’s).…
Comma Rules in English: When to Use and When to Avoid Them
TL;DR: Comma rules in English mostly come down to four jobs: joining, separating, pausing, and clarifying. Use a comma before…
Punctuation Rules in English: The Ultimate Guide to Writing Clearly
TL;DR: These English punctuation guidelines exist to guide the reader’s pauses, breaks, and emphasis, so a sentence means exactly what…
Gerunds and Infinitives: When to Use Each Form
Have you ever paused mid-sentence, unsure whether to say “I enjoy to read” or “I enjoy reading”? You are not alone.…
Conditional Sentences: Zero, First, Second and Third Explained
Conditional sentences confuse even confident English speakers, and that’s completely normal. Every time you say “if this happens,…