Questions tagged [writing-style]
Questions about the writing style of a particular sentence, phrase or construction in English. Questions asking for advice on writing style are off-topic.
222
questions
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Which singular names ending in “s” form possessives with only a bare apostrophe?
Many questions already ask about this topic (What is the correct possessive for nouns ending in "‑s"? , When did it become correct to add an “s” to a singular possessive already ending in “‑...
159
votes
16
answers
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Should I put a comma before the last item in a list?
Should I put a comma before the last item in a list?
I would like crackers, cheese and some soda.
I would like crackers, cheese, and some soda.
315
votes
1
answer
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When should I use an em-dash, an en-dash, and a hyphen?
I generally know how to use a hyphen, but when should I use an en-dash (–) instead of an em-dash, or when should I use a hyphen (-) instead of an em-dash (—)?
19
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2
answers
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To hyphenate or not?
As a non-native speaker of English and an engineer by training, I always get confused about hyphenation and almost always end up referring to Google every time I need to make that decision.
Does ...
150
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14
answers
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Why do English writers avoid explicit numerals?
The junction has a stop sign on each of the four entrances.
The junction has a stop sign on each of the 4 entrances.
The first is preferred, for some reason, by many English texts. Why? I haven't ...
13
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5
answers
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Oxford Comma Conventions
According to the Wikipedia page for the Oxford Comma, "Use of the comma is consistent with conventional practice" and "Use of the comma is inconsistent with conventional practice." Did the Oxford ...
46
votes
7
answers
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Is using passive voice "bad form"?
Whenever I create a document in Microsoft Word, it complains about a lot of my sentences being in passive voice. But, when I read that sentence aloud, it sounds fine to me. I am not sure if it is just ...
38
votes
7
answers
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Using "And" at the beginning of a sentence
Since I first learned English, I have been holding this understanding that "and", as a conj. but unlike "but", can only connect two clauses, not two sentences ended with periods.
But recently, I ...
22
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15
answers
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What are some examples of awkward sounding but grammatically correct sentences?
What are some examples of awkward sounding but grammatically correct sentences?
1
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2
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Is it ok to combine two independent clauses into just one sentence? [closed]
Is this sentence acceptable?
You’re welcome, have a nice day ahead.
5
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3
answers
7k
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Why is the present perfect used in headlines? [duplicate]
In news reports, we often read or hear events introduced with the present perfect, and then the past simple like this:
The film star Jim Cooper has died of cancer. He was 68 and lived in Texas.
...
161
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10
answers
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Should I always use a comma after "e.g." or "i.e."?
It seems that "e.g." is always followed by a comma but "i.e." is not. Why is that?
21
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5
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Style Question: Use of "we" vs. "I" vs. passive voice in a dissertation
As I'm not a native speaker and just finishing my dissertation in Computer Science, I wonder what style I should be using.
In German (my native tongue) most dissertations, school-books and scientific ...
19
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2
answers
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"The train will leave" vs. "is going to leave" vs. "leaves" vs. "is leaving"
From the grammatical point of view all are correct, just the meaning are different, please bring your clarification, thank you.
The Train will leave at 10:00 tomorrow morning.
The Train is ...
32
votes
5
answers
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Parenthetical pluralization of words ending in '-y'
Sentences constructed with a word written in the singular and parenthetically in the plural are straightforward when that word does not end in -y, e.g.:
List all applicable employee(s).
How does ...
38
votes
11
answers
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What is it called when words are deliberately spelled incorrectly but pronunciation is kept unchanged?
For example,
Night -> Nite
Through -> Thru
The -> Da
Though -> Tho
Nite even appears in some dictionaries as having the same meaning as night.
What is it called when words are ...
11
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12
answers
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Can you explain the sentence structure 'In a hole in the ground there lived a Hobbit'? Why put the verb before the subject?
The opening sentence to The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien reads,
In a hole in the ground there lived [verb] a hobbit [subject].
I wonder if there are accepted stylistic purposes for such a structure. ...
10
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0
answers
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Space before three dots? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
What is the proper way of using triple dots and spaces before/after them?
Should there be a space before three dots?
Examples:
I don't know if this is good...
I don't know if ...
84
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6
answers
1.2m
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Is it "Yours faithfully" or "Yours sincerely"?
When should one sign a letter with "Yours faithfully" or "Yours sincerely"?
68
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4
answers
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When to use & instead of "and"
Are there rules of usage when using the ampersand "&" instead of "and"?
Are they completely interchangeable?
The ampersand seems more casual, but I'm not sure.
57
votes
9
answers
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Why, in old books, are dates often given with the years redacted?
silly question, and I'm not sure this is even necessarily the right forum, but it's the most appropriate on StackExchange, so here we are.
Why is it, in older books, that years are sometimes redacted ...
47
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12
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What is the proper way of using triple dots and spaces before/after them?
...␣part of a sentence␣...
...part of a sentence␣...
...␣part of a sentence...
Notice the spaces before/after the dots. Which usage is the correct one ?
47
votes
8
answers
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Using "utilize" instead of "use"?
My friend has been raising a ruckus about the abuse of the word "utilize" in place of the word "use." He complains that it just makes your sentences sound pretentious.
u·ti·lize [yoot-l-ahyz]
verb (...
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votes
5
answers
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'How to' vs. 'How do I'
This question is inspired by comments on a question on Stack Overflow. The original poster wrote:
How to correct this error?
And comments say that it's an incorrect question. Better is
How do I ...
15
votes
2
answers
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When to choose em dash over parenthesis for parenthetical phrases?
According to Wikipedia:
The em dash, m dash, m-rule, or "mutton" (—) often demarcates a break
of thought or some similar interpolation stronger than the
interpolation demarcated by parentheses
...
14
votes
2
answers
2k
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Ellipsis that results in one word serving as both subject and object
Quoting from Jeff Atwood's blog:
[I expanded the team] by adding Kevin, who I didn't know, but had built amazing
stuff for us without even being asked to, from Texas. And again by adding Robert, ...
33
votes
7
answers
11k
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Punctuating question tags: A question mark is always required, isn't it. (Well, isn't it?)
Consider the sentence:
You didn't leave the dog in the car, did you?
In spoken English, this statement may be given with a rising intonation or a falling one. If the former, it suggests that leaving ...
4
votes
2
answers
7k
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Where should the apostrophe go on a possessive abbreviation?
When expanding an abbreviation in parentheses, sometimes the thing that was abbreviate was used in a possessive context.
Consider the following example:
If the Giant Ostrich Bomb's (GOB) fuse is ...
2
votes
3
answers
7k
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Should there be a hyphen in expressions such as "currently-available X"?
My natural instinct is to hyphenate expressions such as "currently-available", "currently-implemented", etc., when they modify a noun. Example: "the currently-available version of X". It seems to me ...
7
votes
5
answers
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Em dash and quotes
While I toss up between the em dash and the en dash, I am consistent throughout one document. However, one thing I have noticed when using the em dash is that when I write something like:
Firstly, ...
57
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8
answers
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What’s purportedly wrong with Strunk & White’s “The Elements of Style”?
I was reading the comments on this answer where several users claimed that Strunk and White’s The Elements of Style was “misinformed, hypocritical, and wrong” and “flat-out wrong or totally misleading”...
32
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9
answers
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Is it proper to omit periods after honorifics (Mr, Mrs, Dr)?
I've been reading the Economist lately and they apparently don't punctuate honorifics like "Mr.", "Mrs.", e.g.
The popular rejection of Mr Mubarak offers the Middle East’s best chance for reform in ...
27
votes
7
answers
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Is an apostrophe with a decade (e.g. 1920’s) generally considered “incorrect”?
I typically don’t use an apostrophe with plurals in any situation, but I always assumed that the use of an apostrophe in constructions like acronyms:
Forty BA’s were given out to students this year....
23
votes
6
answers
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Name and origin of writing with period after each word
It may be limited to the web ecosystem, but I've read a lot of those sentences lately, where each word is followed by a period.
Examples:
Oh. My. God.
Best. Job. Ever.
No. F***ing. Way.
Putting each ...
6
votes
2
answers
3k
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Usage of contractions like "it's" and "that's" in textbooks
Is it considered bad style to use abbreviations contractions like "it's" and "that's" (instead of spelling them out as "it is" and "that is") in a textbook or academic publication?
5
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3
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First, … Secondly, … &c [duplicate]
Take it for granted that enumerations have secondly, …; thirdly, …; finally, … Is there any reason, except tradition, to prefer the traditional first to firstly?
19
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8
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How often do people say "gotta", "wanna" or "gonna" in English speaking countries?
I learned these three words from Collins Cobuild Advanced Learner's English Dictionary.
got|ta /g'ɒtə/
Gotta is used in written English to represent the words 'got to' when they are pronounced > ...
17
votes
6
answers
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What are the principles that make certain lists sound euphonious?
Has this ever happened to you: You write a question, include a list or two in the discussion, and then come back to edit that list because the order doesn't sound "right"? Off the top of my head, I ...
15
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3
answers
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How should a multiple-word noun be punctuated within a compound adjective? [duplicate]
I would like to use a noun made of multiple words (like particle board, Mount Everest, or windscreen wiper) in a compound adjective with a hyphen. But I don't know how to hyphenate such a composition....
12
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6
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fait accompli – to italicize, or not to italicize
Background
I was looking up the rule about italicizing foreign phrases and found an apparent consensus that the criterion is if the phrase is familiar. Well, who gets to decide that? I know perfectly ...
10
votes
6
answers
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Using ellipsis to indicate a pause in conversation
Wikipedia has a sentence in its article on ellipsis:
In reported speech, the ellipsis is sometimes used to represent an intentional silence, perhaps indicating irritation, dismay, shock or disgust. ...
9
votes
5
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Strunk and White says "Charles's" is correct -- is this still the case? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
What is the correct possessive for nouns ending in s?
When did it become correct to add an 's' to a singular possessive already ending in 's'?
I just bought ...
5
votes
2
answers
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Which format is most common for representing a number range in U.S. punctuation style and in British punctuation style?
When writing about a number range, what is the predominant style used under U.S. punctuation conventions and under British punctuation conventions? Here are some (but by no means all) possible styles:
...
3
votes
2
answers
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Punctuating a quoted question within a quoted statement
I'm working on a story, and I find myself faced with something of a quandary.
Specifically, I need to know the proper style for the following:
“I have thousands of them,” the commissioner answered,...
3
votes
3
answers
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Should I use a hyphen after -ly when modifying a verb in the past participle verb?
Which of these are acceptable? Is one preferable over the other?
"Chemically-deposited tourmaline is never periwinkle."
"Chemically deposited tourmaline is never periwinkle."
Also, is the title to ...
3
votes
5
answers
2k
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Is it bad behavior to add filler words such as "so", "um" in business speak?
Sometimes when I speak with my fellows at work, I start my sentences with "so" or "um". I don't know if this a bad behavior in business speak or not? If so, how can I get rid of those filler words?
2
votes
8
answers
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Past participle after noun: "proposed cost" vs. "cost proposed" [duplicate]
I have the following two examples:
Our proposed cost is expensive.
Our cost proposed is expensive.
Is there any difference between them? Or is the second sentence wrong?
76
votes
6
answers
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Use of "I", "we" and the passive voice in a scientific thesis [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Style Question: Use of “we” vs. “I” vs. passive voice in a dissertation
When the first person voice is used in scientific writing it is mostly used in ...
26
votes
4
answers
4k
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Is there punctuation for words treated as words?
From today's NY Times:
Mr. Trump’s critics reach for words like treason and traitor because they, like others, are searching for an explanation for actions that are so different from those of his ...
16
votes
5
answers
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"For the time being" vs. "for now"
Consider the following passages:
A litter made of two rifles and two field jackets would suffice for now. That was good news; another bit was that the EPW was a lieutenant, a regimental REMF attached ...