Fewer vs. Less: When to Use Each

Fewer vs. Less: When to Use Each

“Fewer” and “less” are both comparative adjectives that are used to express the opposite of more. Grammatically speaking, the two cannot be used interchangeably (though they often are). So what exactly is the difference? In...
E-mail or Email? When to Drop the Hyphen

E-mail or Email? When to Drop the Hyphen

It’s a word that you probably come across dozens (if not hundreds) of times a day, and yet when you have to spell it out yourself, there’s a nagging doubt in your mind: is is spelled e-mail or email? As it turns out, both are acceptable ways to write what...
Passive Voice Exercises with Answers

Passive Voice Exercises with Answers

Many teachers, editors, and grammar aficionados will insist that the passive voice should be avoided whenever possible in writing. While the passive voice is acceptable (and sometimes more realistic) in creative writing and dialogue, it is true that it tends to make...
How to End an Email: The Best and Worst Sign-Offs

How to End an Email: The Best and Worst Sign-Offs

Good communication is always important, no matter if you’re talking with your boss, professor, clients, or friends. But these days, most of that communication is carried out digitally, whether you need to reach someone a few offices down, on the next floor, or...
Affective vs. Effective: What’s the Difference?

Affective vs. Effective: What’s the Difference?

When spoken out loud, affective and effective can be hard to differentiate. That’s probably why they’re often used interchangeably, both in speech and in writing. But despite just a single vowel separating them, these two adjectives carry quite different meanings....