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02/06/2017
“As well as,” along with other tricky phrases.
Common grammatical problems with clarity and logic Table of contentsAgreementPronoun-antecedent disagreementSubject-verb agreement“As well as,” along with other tricky phrasesMore than one… areEither, each, every, everyone, any, anyone… isOrMost grammatical rules help us establish clear structure in language, meaning that they’re not just rules for…
26/05/2017
It's tricky!
Common word choice confusions 29 Apr 2015 - There are words that you should (mostly) avoid, but a handful of other words are simply misused or misunderstood. These prove useful in many situations and are used by nearly everyone, but their occasional misuse or abuse can sew confusion …
19/05/2017
Sentence construction problems take a nearly infinite number of forms. Try to avoid them!
Common sentence construction problems Table of contentsRun-on sentencesSentence fragmentsSentence construction describes how a sentence’s different parts are put together, from its punctuation to the ordering of its words. This article looks at some of the most common types of sentence construction problems to help … Continue reading →
12/05/2017
Be clear!
This something: Clarify your “this” Every time you use a demonstrative pronoun (this, that, these, or those), use a word afterward to clarify what the demonstrative pronoun refers to.
05/05/2017
Passive constructions do have their uses, so you don’t need to boycott them, but prefer the active where it’s easy to do so.
Prefer active to passive sentence constructions Where possible, you should prefer active sentence constructions over passive ones.
28/04/2017
We make sure that we don’t further contribute to the already conflicted body of internet advice on academic style.
Stylistic do’s and don’ts in academic writing The internet is littered with conflicting advice on the do’s and don’ts of academic writing. Some say avoid personal pronouns altogether, while others urge you to use personal pronouns carefully when necessary. Some say to avoid phrases like “In this … Continue reading →
21/04/2017
Linking words are often (ab)used.
Linking Words and Phrases in a Thesis Table of contentsLinking words often usedDifferent examples of linking words*Linking words (also known as transitions) are one of the most important elements in writing, since they allow readers to see the relationships between your ideas. There are several categories of transitions, ranging … Conti...
14/04/2017
The rule for ordering adjectives is not set...
Word Order Rules: Adjectives 22 Apr 2015 - We don’t account for adjectives in the article Adverbials (except with the linking verb, where a subject compliment functions as an adjective) because they always accompany nouns and tend not to move around sentences much. Order of adjectives in a …
11/04/2017
Some basic principles for adverb placement
What’s a phrasal verb? 24 Apr 2015 - Among the most commonly misused verbs are phrasal verbs, and for good reason: the meaning of phrasal verb cannot be explained by merely finding the definition of its component words. Phrasal verbs go by many names, including “prepositional verbs,” “particle verbs,” …
07/04/2017
The main idea of the paragraph is also known as the topic sentence. Find out more!
MEAL paragraph-writing system 25 Feb 2015 - Each body paragraph should present a substantial piece of an essay’s overall argument, and ensuring that a body paragraph has substance is the motivation for the acronym MEAL. This article explains MEAL paragraphs and is well complimented by our more …
17/03/2017
Did you know that sentences are made of clauses, and the simplest sentence has only clause? Read more about it!
Word Order Rules in English 21 Apr 2015 - In theory, English sentences take simple form much of the time. The basic rules for which words appear when in a sentence can help you with most of the sentences you’ll need in academic writing. If we push on these …
10/03/2017
Be certain!
Language mistakes in quotes Quotation marks are used to show that a quoted text is verbatim. But what should you do if that text contains a language mistake? Students have traditionally been told to leave the mistake as it is, but to add [sic] … Continue reading →
