3 Easy Steps for Lovely Thank-You Notes

According to Emily Post, “No fill-in-the-blank cards, no pre-printed cards, no phone calls, no emails,…

How to Understand NFL Lingo, Part 2 of 3

Last month, we looked at some of the basics of the game, including the playing…

Commonly Confused Words, “Taste the Rainbow” Edition

With an effectively infinite number of potential spoken words, English could have been a precise…

Subject-Verb Agreement II

In last month’s post, I reviewed the basics of subject-verb agreement: definitions of subjects and…

How to Understand NFL Lingo, Part 1 of 3

The playing field, or gridiron, is made up of ten sections of ten yards each,…

Commonly Confused Words: It Never Reigns But It Pores

This talk of rain brings us to another perplexing pair. “Pour” with a "u" describes…

Subject-Verb Agreement, Pt 1

In today’s post, I will review an important aspect of English grammar: subject-verb agreement. I’ll…

Easy Guide to Writing a Knitting Pattern

I call this an “easy guide” because actually writing down a pattern can be anything…

Commonly Confused Words: Ship’s Carpenter Edition

This kind of unintentional wordplay, sometimes called an eggcorn, comes from mishearing or mixing up…

Common Mistakes to Avoid Making in Your Writing, Part 2

Today I’ll write about and provide links to other ProofreadingPal blog posts with more details…

How Not to Write Like a Lawyer: Part 2

So, now the time has come when you want to write about something that you…

Commonly Confused Words: Uninterested vs. Disinterested

There it is again. You’re reading a newspaper or magazine, an article about a legal…

Quick Guide to Common Writing Mistakes

In today’s post and an upcoming part II post next month, I’ll briefly describe some…

Science Fiction and the English Language

But being the nerd I am, I've been thinking about the influence science fiction in…

Commonly Confused Words: Jive Talking

This time around we’re looking at two sets of words pertaining to uncertainty, deception, and…

Changes in the MLA Handbook 9th Ed.

The good news for writers who rely on MLA style is that the nitty gritty…

How Not to Write Like a Lawyer (and Why You Shouldn’t Want To): Part 1

It’s little wonder that when people can’t or don’t want to hire a lawyer, they…

Commonly Confused Words: Lightning Round!

Over the last few months, this blog has looked at how shifts in our language…

When to Use Tables and Figures

In research papers, tables and figures can be helpful and even necessary to support your…

A Road by Any Other Name

While it may seem confusing to have an Elm Street in the same city as…