An Editor's Cup of Tea

Throughout my writing career, I have encountered many people who downright despise passive voice. Whenever they see it used, they wince and turn away as if passivity is some demon that will come after them. Are they right? Are there any instances where writers can successfully use passive voice? Let’s find out! What is Passive Voice? Some […]

Stylistic punctuation is a powerful tool for creating voice in writing. However, this effect quickly dwindles if writers don’t use punctuation marks correctly, particularly when it comes to ellipses and em dashes. Some people misuse these marks, while others tend to overuse one and avoid the other. In reality, using both ellipses and em dashes […]

For a lot of people, syntax is a scary word with an obscure meaning. It’s something that teachers don’t cover much in schools, and as such, many people don’t understand all of its nuances. So, what is syntax? Essentially, syntax is the proper choice of words for each sentence. It covers topics such as word choice, denotation […]

Except when it comes to newly developed slang, spelling has been standardized in the United States since 1806, when Noah Webster published his first dictionary. Words are supposed to be spelled a certain way so that everyone can read them and know what they mean. However, sometimes, companies will still sell misspelled items and make […]

Have you ever struggled with spelling? It’s okay. You can admit it. Spelling words correctly can be incredibly difficult, and it’s not something that is going to go away because you passed all your spelling tests as a kid. The truth is: We aren’t usually taught how to spell. We’re taught how to memorize spellings, and there […]

Antecedents are one of those little things that people don’t realize are important. In fact, a lot of people don’t even know what antecedents are. For most of us, it seems natural to shove a pronoun into a phrase without thinking about the repercussions. When antecedents become unclear, however, our sentences soon become little puzzles […]

Oh, possessive pronouns. How you seem to break the rules of grammar for your own benefit. It’s no wonder so many people get you wrong!  I admit that I have touched on this specific set of grammar rules in several other blog posts. However, this issue is so unbelievably common that it does, in fact, […]

Like it or not, we live in a digital age. And in that digital age, we have formed a breeding ground for grammar errors. Sometimes, these errors are simple, and readers can still find meaning within the error. However, at other times, an egregious error completely changes the meaning of a sentence. Fortunately, it is […]

Throughout this semester, I have been reading Emily Favilla’s book “A World Without ‘Whom,’” and I have found her advice to be somewhat inconsistent with my beliefs.  In chapter 5 of this book, Favilla describes some of the Buzzfeed-specific rules that appear in their style guide. These rules are “the stuff that kind-sorta matters” (29). […]

I’m sure we’ve all had those moments where we write a word and then stare at the screen, scratching our heads and wondering, Should this word take an apostrophe? Well, maybe you haven’t, but I certainly have. In fact, it’s hard not to panic. The Basics: Apostrophe S Possessive apostrophes seem black-and-white until they’re not. Some people […]