“That” vs “which”: Understanding the Distinction

Posts Under Punctuation and Grammar Category

Comma Uncertainty: When to Use it Before “Because”

One of the more difficult punctuation challenges is determining when to use a comma before a word such as “because” or “where.”

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Beginning with “Because” and “However” is not a Problem

Relax. You can start a sentence with “because” or “however,” though you might have heard otherwise. Nothing is wrong with these two sentences: “Because of my conflict, I cannot attend. However, I will send someone in my place.”

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Punctuating Quotations: Inside or Outside?

Writers often are baffled by whether to put punctuation inside or outside closing quotation marks. Commas and periods go inside, colons and semicolons outside, and question marks and exclamation points might be in either location, depending on context.

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Using “they” for singular reference: It has a long precedent

Grammar cops often express disdain for using “they” to refer to a singular (such as “each”), and that’s what we learned in school. But the practice isn’t new. People have been using “they” to avoid “his or her” since the 1300s.

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