“That” or “which” — the eternal question. Which of these two words should you use to start a clause?
The answer depends on how important what you’re writing is. If the clause is important to the meaning, you use “that”; if it can be omitted without changing the meaning, you use “which.”
Essential clauses take “that”
Essential [...]
If you like rooting for the underdog, you’re going to love the semicolon. Although the en dash may be used even less, it’s not out of spite — no one’s ever heard of it. Not so with the semicolon. It is commonly rejected by lesser writers everywhere. Once you learn and apply the two simple [...]
The most common, and interesting, types of phrases are called verbal phrases. Verbal phrases are based on parts of speech formed by adding something to a verb that transforms said verb into another part of speech.
A dependent clause is a group of words containing a subject and verb but cannot stand as a sentence on its own.
Recognizing the difference between a phrase and a clause is key to good grammar.
The em dash, sometimes referred to as simply a dash, is one of the most versatile punctuation marks we have in the English language. It looks like this:
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You can enter it by typing ALT + 0151 (hold down ALT, type 0151, and release); many word processors will insert it if you type two hypens back [...]
The en dash replaces the word to in numerical phrases
Everyone knows how to use hyphens, right? No. In fact, there’s not even a good grammar rule about their usage, much less a general consensus.
Here are some common comma mistakes to avoid.
Setting off the subject from the predicate.
Jennifer and I, went to the store.
Adding only one comma of a pair.
The doctor, who was a gentleman left the room while I disrobed.
Not setting off non-essential clauses.
Doctor Who which is a long-running British T.V. series is undergoing a leadership [...]
Since the dawn of time, man has waged war because of deeply held beliefs. But none of these beliefs have been so divisive, so enraging, so trivial as the Oxford comma.
