Author: GrammarBook.com

As Independence Day approaches, many of you may be wondering how to write the name of the holiday—is it Fourth of July or 4th of July? The Chicago Manual of Style refers to the holiday as "the Fourth of July" or "the Fourth." The Associated Press Stylebook lists "Fourth of July" and "July Fourth" as …

Let's say you notice it's raining so you decide not to visit the beach with your friends. Have you cancelled or canceled your plans? The answer might surprise you. Why Cancelled and Canceled Are Both Technically Correct Although many teachers and editors would prefer cancelled over canceled, the truth is that both are technically correct. …

Do you ever wonder about whether to use while or although in a sentence? This discussion will help guide you. While and although are two common words that also happen to be often misunderstood. By understanding the difference between them, you can further ensure you use each one properly. The Meaning of Although We'll start …

Most adjectives have three forms or degrees: the positive, the comparative, and the superlative. In this discussion, we'll take a closer look at comparative adjectives. A comparative adjective compares two items by modifying the adjective with -er, more, or less. Base adjective: fast Comparative adjective between two items: faster Comparative adjective applied: David is a …

Desert and dessert are similar words, so it's no wonder why they're so often mistaken for each other. In today's post we'll discuss the difference, as well as offer a tip you can use to remember which one is which. Before we dive into the definitions, however, let's start by pointing out that both desert …

A leading principle in learning grammar is that there are no stupid questions. However, there can be questions about the word stupid. That brings us to the topic of today's post: Is stupider really a word? Or would it be better grammar to say more stupid? Neither is very polite, and the answers might surprise …

English has two kinds of clauses: subordinate (or dependent) and independent. The difference between them is that an independent clause can stand alone and a dependent one cannot. A subordinate clause by itself is a sentence fragment. Complete stand-alone sentence: I want the ice cream that is made with soy instead of milk and cream. Independent …

What are the differences between the words capital and capitol? What do they mean, and what are the proper spellings? These are common questions that we'll address in today's post. First Things First: Both Capital and Capitol Can Be Grammatically Correct Let's begin by pointing out that capital and capitol are two different words that …

This is a common question about American English, even among those who grew up speaking the language. That's because both can appear in print and sound the same when spoken aloud. So, should you say supposed to be or suppose to be? Say What You're Supposed To The short answer is that supposed to be …

The em dash in American English is a punctuation mark that helps to convey emphasis, introduction, interruption, or a swift change of thought. In doing so, the em dash acts similarly to commas, semicolons, colons, and parentheses. In formal writing, an em dash is the width of an m and longer than both a hyphen and an …