GrammarPhile Blog

Our last post talked about how to identify the clichés in your writing and why you want to get rid of them. This post tells you how to do that.

The first step to eliminating clichés is understanding what they mean. Given that we use clichés because they’re seemingly widely understood, discerning their meaning should be relatively easy, right? Well, yes … if you understand the meaning. That’s not difficult with some of the examples given in the previous post (e.g., few and far between, think outside the box, path of least resistance). But with idioms that have become clichés, it can be more daunting.

Out with the old, in with the new. Familiar? Yes. Inspiring? Not so much.

That’s how it is with clichés — we love them and use them because they’re easy to remember, don’t require much effort or creativity, and are a widely understood shorthand that captures the essence of a person, situation, event, etc. But they also make for writing that feels tired and unoriginal. And if familiarity breeds contempt, it’s easy to see why editors attack such hackneyed expressions with the fury of a woman scorned.

 Are you guilty of using "everyday" as a noun? Don't do it. The one-word form is only an adjective, as in "an everyday occurrence." Never write, "I exercise my brain everyday." Now, see how you do with the rest of these adjectives.

When we proofread documents for our business clients, we often find that writers don't know how and when to use an apostrophe. Today, let's explore some rules about using an apostrophe when writing the names of organizations and products that contain words that could be considered either possessive or descriptive terms.

November was the ninth month in the ancient Roman calendar. Nine is the atomic number of fluorine. We're obsessed with nine today. Can you tell?

Though you may have your own private names for some governmental agencies, you'll want to use the formal, proper names in your professional writing. Here's some help when writing your next proposal for that grant for ten million from Uncle Sam.

Which verbs are correct?

People have said that the best advice is to never discuss religion and politics. Well, maybe. Today's post is not about religion itself, but about words having to do with "religion."

What to capitalize. Names of religions, denominations, communions, and sects are capitalized, as are their adherents and adjectives derived from them.

 Mark Twain said something like "Say nothing and they'll just wonder if you're a fool. Open your mouth and you'll remove all doubt." If he were living today, he would certainly not aim that remark at you, because you're reading the GrammarPhile blog and that makes you smarter than the average bear (we hope!). You always want to appear intelligent, don't you? Study these words and use them properly. Mark Twain would be proud of you.

Most word lovers love Scrabble™, the classic word game developed originally by Depression-era architect Alfred Butts, who sold the rights to James Brunot, who sold the rights to Selchow & Righter, which sold out completely to Coleco, which shortly thereafter went bankrupt, the assets of which were bought up by modern-day Hasbro. Here are some words for your next conquest. (Each word's basic score is in parentheses.) Memorize them and win all the challenges!