Michael Blackwood 
Sentence and title cases are two ways of capitalizing words in titles, headlines, headings, and sentences. In this article, I’ll compare these two styles, provide examples of each, and offer information on when to use them. Sentence Case and Title Case Key Takeaways Sentence case is when the first word in a heading is capitalized, … Read more
Grammarians categorize English words into groups, which we call Parts of Speech. Most guides will tell you that there are eight or nine parts of speech, depending on a few factors, like whether they include interjections. Each part of speech serves a particular function, which I will describe below. The parts of speech we will … Read more
The hyphen and the dash are commonly confused and misunderstood punctuation marks. And did you know that there are two kinds of dash? That’s right, there are en dashes and em dashes. In this article, we explain ‘em all — hyphens, en dashes, and em dashes — with examples of each. Key Takeaways A hyphen … Read more
Working on a paper? Writing for a blog like EditorNinja’s? Maybe you have a large dissertation or thesis due. Chances are, you’ve been told to adhere to a specific style guide, like AP or MLA. What is a style guide? A style guide tells writers how to cite their sources, format their pieces, and so … Read more
Steal and steel — two words that are easily confused. These homophones (words that sound alike but have different spellings and meanings) trip up many people, much like the most commonly confused words! Though they look similar and sound the same, they are not interchangeable. “To steal” is to take something without permission, while “steel” … Read more
Farther and further are two similar words with similar meanings. Both suggest distance or degree, but, like many other This-or-That words, there is a subtle difference! Farther is for physical distance, while further is used for metaphorical distance or degree. Though confusing the two is easy, this article outlines the differences and when to use … Read more
The apostrophe is a punctuation mark that can trip us up occasionally. Perhaps you’ve had to write out a word that ends in an S, and you’ve been unsure if you should put an apostrophe in there. Generally, only use an apostrophe if you have a possessive or a contraction. Do not use apostrophes to … Read more
Adverbs are words that modify or describe verbs. They may also modify adjectives, other adverbs, and entire sentences. Many of them end in -ly, such as “happily,” “lazily”, or “loudly.” Not all do though, such as “sometimes,” “soon,” or “often.” What Is an Adverb? The adverb is a part of speech that helps us to … Read more
Perhaps you’re giving a speech. Perhaps you’re writing an essay. Perhaps you’re delivering a report. Whatever you’re working on, one way to add structure and impact to your writing is to include parallelisms. What Is Parallelism? The Cambridge Dictionary defines parallelism as “the use of matching sentence structure, phrases, or longer parts so as to … Read more
One of the most important pieces of an essay—if not the most important—is the thesis statement. The thesis statement is not merely a statement of the essay’s general topic. It is the sentence where you lay out your specific claim or argument on the topic. A strong essay includes a strong thesis statement in the … Read more
Ah, the parts of speech—the categories we place words into. Depending on which grammarian you ask, there are either eight or nine parts of speech. Nouns, for example, are things, people, places, and ideas. Verbs are action words, like go and walk and reciprocate. But what about some of the words that seem to connect … Read more
Words of negation are words that help us distinguish between fact and fiction, truth and untruth. Words of negation, like not and none allow us to form opposites in our speech and our writing. They let us say that something is not true, is not the case. In this article, I’ll review words of negation … Read more
Working on an article, class essay, or term paper and need to make your writing flow a little more smoothly? Are you having trouble connecting your ideas? You may need to use transitions. There are many kinds of transitions, and today we’ll be talking about concluding transitions. When you’re at the end of a paragraph, … Read more
Prepositions can be tricky. Often their differences are subtle. These little words tell us when and where things happen. They show us location and time—above, along, in, around, before, during, after, for example. Into and on are two prepositions that can be easy to mix up. When do you say “into something” vs. “on something”? … Read more
There’s a bit of a battle between fewer and less. These two words, though similar in meaning, have distinct grammatical purposes. They both indicate a smaller amount of something, but formally, they’re not interchangeable. Traditionally, fewer is used with countable nouns (things you can count), while less goes with uncountable nouns (things you can’t count). … Read more
Metonymy and synecdoche are two related figures of speech in which one thing is meant to represent another. Metonymy is when we talk about something by referring to something related to it — for example, when we say “the White House” to mean “the president and their administration/staff.” Synecdoche is a type of metonymy that … Read more
These three words — insure, ensure, and assure — look and sound close but have different meanings. They are often misused interchangeably. But don’t fear! I assure you, this article will set you straight, ensuring you don’t mix them up ever again. In a nutshell, “insure” means to protect against financial loss, “ensure” means to … Read more
Transition words are like bridges between ideas—they help the reader travel from one idea to another. Additionally, sometimes we use transition phrases, made up of multiple words. You may remember some transition words or phrases from your grade school days: “For example,” “furthermore,” and “in conclusion” being some of the most common. These phrases can … Read more
There’s a key difference between “compliment” and “complement.” While these two words are often misunderstood and used incorrectly by writers, having a firm grasp of their differences is essential to mastering the nuances of the English language and producing great content. If you don’t want to make the rookie mistake of using “compliment” when you … Read more
Writers and editors always need to be on top of the correct usage of similar words. Failure to understand the correct usage can mean compromising the meaning of a sentence, or even potentially an entire piece. One common pair of words that causes confusion is practise vs practice. Today, we’ll break down the differences between … Read more
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