Online proofreaders

10 Words That You May Think You Know the Meaning of, But Probably Don’t

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Coca-cola vending machine and pepsi lorryEditors and proofreaders can be pretty annoying, and their tendency to point out the slightest error in your written English can really grind. You only need to take a quick look at many of the blogs that are published online to see that your written English is better than most. In fact, sometimes you may actually purposefully break the rules of grammar; that’s fine. However, breaking the rules of grammar and vocabulary by mistake is not, and if you use words incorrectly then you just look plain old dumb.

Here are ten words that are commonly completely misused. Familiarize yourself with them and do us all a favor and use them correctly for a change.

Picture of the number one

Ironic

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Top 7 Made-Up Words Found in Everyday Language

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The English language is under serious threat from people who like to use made-up words that don’t really exist or who use words they don’t know the real meaning of.
The following seven words are completely made-up items of vocabulary that have crept into the English language and are misused on a very regular basis.

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Dependent and Independent Clauses

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Commas change the meaning of sentencesThis article takes a look at dependent and independent clauses, give you tips on how you can identify them, and explains why understanding what they are is important for correct punctuation.

A clause is a group of words that contains both a subject (a noun or noun phrase) and a predicate (a simple verb or compound verb phrase, along with any objects
complementing the verb). There are two types of clauses: independent and dependent. Independent clauses are also referred to as main clauses, and dependent clauses are also known as a subordinate or relative clauses.

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Is the Word “It” a Noun?

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In this quick article, we answer the question, is the word “it” a noun? We also review what nouns are and investigate the circumstances in which the word “it” may be construed as a noun. Before answering the question “is the word ‘it’ a noun?”, it is worth taking a look at the difference between … Read more

How to Identify Prepositions and Prepositional Phrases

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Sign reads: "no smoking on this area."Prepositions and prepositional phrases are important elements of written English because they present a method by which a writer can show relationships between different ideas and make their communications more exact and specific.

In this article, we show you a really simple method for identifying prepositions and prepositional phrases.

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What Are Phrases in a Sentence?

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What are phrases in a sentence? "It's all good."What are phrases and are they actually important?

Phrases are a group of words that work together to communicate an element of speech. They are very important because they allow you to communicate better, through both written and spoken language. This article takes a look at phrases in a sentence and uses simple language to explain what phrases are, how they work within sentences to create a meaningful message and what different types of phrases are used in the English language.

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There is a Difference Between the Words Use and Utilize and you Really Should Know It

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Is there a difference between use and utilizeDid you know that there is a distinct difference between the words “use” and “utilize”? If you do, that’s a bit of a surprise because very few people recognize that the words use and utilize have two completely different meanings. In fact they are two of the most common mistakes in English we come across.

In practice, the word utilize is probably one of the most misunderstood words out there and it is important that you are able to understand why it cannot be used interchangeably for the word use.

In this article, we take a close look at use and utilize, explain the differences between the two words, and give you practical tips to ensure that you never use either of them incorrectly again.

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What Not to Write on a Resume: 8 Statements You Should Avoid

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What not to write on a resumeUnderstanding what not to write on a resume requires analyzing if what you are saying actually makes sense. The majority of people write resumes that are full of stock phrases and high-level claims that mean absolutely nothing to the average recruiter. If you want your resume to be read and, more importantly, you’re looking for an interview, you need to make sure that it stands out from the rest and steers clearly away from empty clichés and meaningless jargon. It does happen: take a look at these funny cover letters.

Here’s my take on what not to write on a resume:

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[Infographic] Hyphen Use: Hyphenation Rules

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hyphenated versus unhyphenatedWhen it comes to hyphen use, many writers purposely choose to entirely omit this dreaded punctuation mark in fear of using it incorrectly.

The truth is this: hyphens aren’t actually that complicated.

Once you’ve mastered some basic rules about their usage, you will find that the concepts relating to hyphen use are pretty straightforward.

Here are the basic dos and don’ts of the hyphenation rules.

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[Infographic] Help For Writer’s Block: 7 Tips to Boost Your Creativity

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Student suffering from writers blockDo you need help for Writer’s Block?

Writer’s block is inevitable; it can happen at any point and, when it does, it’s a pretty serious problem.

There comes a time in every writer’s life when the creativity, desire, and motivation to produce an amazing piece of literature just stops dead. You know you need to keep on writing: you have a deadline to meet, your readers are waiting to read your next installment or you know Google will be shortly de-ranking your site for infrequent content. But sitting there at your desk surrounded by empty coffee cups, a few scribbled notes and a snoring dog (that may just be me), you feel about as inspired as a soggy dishrag—and potentially just as worn out and smelly.

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[Infographic] Converting a Singular Noun to a Plural Noun

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A plural noun is more than one person, place or thing. The majority of nouns in written English are transformed into their plural noun form through the addition of the letter “s” at the end of the word. However, this is not always the case and there are a number of rules that you should be aware of. Our free infographic provides a handy decision tree that you can use to decide how to change the singular form of a noun into the plural form. Simply start at the beginning and answer each question in turn in order to find out what the plural noun form of your word should look like.

Bear in mind, in some cases, words can be both singular and plural. You can read more in our guide to words that are both singular and plural.

If you’re looking for more practice advice on using nouns, check out our guides to concrete nouns and abstract nouns.

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What Punctuation Mark Should I Use? A Free Printable Punctuation Cheat Sheet

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People who do not use punctuation deserve a long sentenceThere may be many occasions when you are composing a written document that you have to stop and ask yourself: “what punctuation mark should I use?”

Punctuation marks can be very confusing, and there are endless lists and rules out there that dictate when you should, and should not, use them. If you are not fully confident with the rules that govern the use of punctuation marks, then our free printable punctuation cheat sheet may be just what you’re looking for. We have simplified the rules as much as possible and condensed them into a two-page cheat sheet that you can print out and refer to on a regular basis.

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The Last Possible Thing You Want to Happen When You’re Berating a College Education

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While news of high unemployment among university graduates is indeed rife, you would think that someone who holds the title of “staff reporter” would make absolutely, positively certain that an article berating the value of a college education was flawless—apparently not. Unfortunately for this avid reporter, the only thing this article proves is that journalists … Read more

14 Quick Tips on Business Writing That Can Make You a Copywriting Stud

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No wonder you’re looking for tips on business writing. There’s a lot of responsibility on your shoulders. You need to produce copy that sells your products and services, presents your company in a professional manner, builds relationships with your customer base and attracts traffic to your website and blog—all at the same time. Where do … Read more

10 Funny Facebook Spelling Mistakes and the Responses They Deserved

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Facebook logoThe problem with social media is that, if you fail to engage the services of a native Engish proofreader, many of your mistakes are there for the world to see. Fortunately, quite often these mistakes have hilarious consequences, as these funny Facebook spelling mistakes prove.

Warning: If you are easily offended, give this post a miss. Our post on lame excuses for Facebook mistakes is a little tamer.

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A List of Common Prepositions

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Sign reads: "no smoking on this area"In this article, we take a look at prepositions and provide a list of some of the more common prepositions in use in the English language.

A preposition is a relationship or directional word that is used to link nouns, pronouns, verbs and phrases to one another within a written sentence. Prepositions are critical to the meaning of a sentence and changing a preposition can significantly change the meaning of the sentence.

If you want to learn more, take a look at our guide to identifying prepositions and prepositional phrases.

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Using English Syntax to Enhance Your Writing

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There was nothing passive about her aggressionThe effective use of English syntax in your writing can change everything. Using syntax well is not just about how you write and punctuate a sentence, it is about how the sentence is put together and constructed. Yes, a grammatically correct sentence is great, but it is the well-crafted sentence that makes a massive difference to the reader.

Confused? Let’s start by taking a look at the difference between syntax and grammar.

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2 Free Preposition Games to Print and Keep

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If you’re learning English and want some fun ways to master vocabulary and grammar, our preposition games offer you an ideal way to explore language and get to grips with the basics. In this post, we present two interesting games that can be used to learn about the common prepositions that are used in the English language, while also hopefully having a bit of fun. Who said learning English was boring?

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When to Use Dot Dot Dot (The Ellipsis)

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picture of an ellipsis: three evenly spaced dotsKnowing when to use dot, dot, dot, or the ellipsis as it is formally named, is something that does not come naturally to many writers, and it is one of the most commonly misused punctuation marks in existence.

One of the main causes for this confusion concerns the fact that the dot, dot, dot has evolved into a punctuation mark that is frequently used in informal communications, often to denote a pause or that some information is missing. While this is perfectly acceptable, the ellipsis has been increasingly overused to the point that many people litter their writing with multiple period marks to the extent that it often loses all meaning. In this article we take a look at the ellipsis, what it looks like and, most importantly of all, when it should and should not, be used.

If the elipsis is not the only punctuation mark you struggle with, you may also appreciate our guide to the the punctuation marks everyone should master.

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What is Grammar and Why is It Important?

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Grammar talksHave you ever actually stopped to consider the question, “What is grammar?”

If you take the time to think carefully about it, you may actually experience problems pinning down an interpretation of this complex linguistic field. That is exactly why it causes so many people so much confusion and results in grammatical mistakes.

In addressing the question of “what is grammar,” the Oxford Dictionary defines grammar as:

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When to Use a Semi-Colon

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Punctuation marks semi colonKnowing when to use a semi-colon is something that does not come easily to many writers, and many people are confused as to when a comma or colon should be used in favor of a semi-colon, and vice versa. However, it really is worth taking the time to learn about this punctuation mark and when it should be used, as the correct use of it in your writing can really make a difference to the power of your communication. There are basically three situations in which you should use a semi-colon:

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