Grammar Girl here. In honor of the increased show production schedule, today's topic is biweekly versus semiweekly. How to Remember the Definitions of Bi- and Semi- The prefixes bi- and semi- are different. Bi- means two and semi- means half. You can...
Grammar Girl here. Guest-writer Bonnie Trenga will be your hostess with the mostest today, because were looking at how to make comparisons using adjectives and adverbs. Bonnie writes, When you want to modify a noun, is it OK to stick a more or a most...
Reader Christine wrote in with a request: I'd like to know the difference between the words insure and ensure, as in I-N-S-U-R-E and E-N-S-U-R-E. When writing, I often find myself backspacing so I can replace the word ensure with make certain and not...
图片1 by Mignon Fogarty This is an expanded show based on the original episode covering when to use affect with an a and when to use effect with an e. This question is from Eric on the voicemail line. I have a question for you regarding the affect...
Grammar Girl here. I'm on vacation this week, but before I left I updated one of the early episodes that I took down a few months ago. I hope you enjoy this new and improved version. Today's topic is addictive versus addicting, and we'll get to use a...
Today's topic is active voice versus passive voice. Here's Brian from Iowa: It drives me crazy when people write in passive voice. How can I teach people how to tell the difference between passive and active voice and stay away from passive voice? Th...
Since Halloween is coming up, I thought you could use a refresher about whiches--more specifically, when to use a which and when to use a that. To understand the difference between which and that, first you need to understand the difference between a...
Today well be looking at two constructions that are correct, but which one you choose depends on your audience. In Which Versus Where The expressions that concern us today are which and where. Well be comparing sentences like these: This is the store...
Grammar Girl here. Today guest-writer Bonnie Trenga is helping us talk about two sets of words that listeners get confused: pleaded guilty or pled guilty, and use or utilize. Plead Versus Pled Mike from Georgia is transitioning from law enforcement t...
Grammar Girl here. This episode concerns your future: whether you should use shall or will. Guest-writer Bonnie Trenga writes, there are two sets of rules: the stickler version and the peoples version. There is also the British version and the Americ...