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The idea of a singular they might sound strange—after all, who could “they” possibly refer to, if not two or more people? But if you think about it, the singular they has actually been around for quite a while. Take, for example, the statement, “Whoever the donor is, they don’t want to reveal their name.” However, such uses of they were largely frowned upon in formal writing, with the major style guides preferring his when the gender of the subject is unknown. But now that the rules have changed and most of the major style guides are accepting they as a singular (and gender-neutral) subject pronoun, it’s important to understand the singular they and how you should use it. Singular Subject Pronouns A subject pronoun takes the place of a noun as the subject of a sentence. In other words, it helps describe who or what is doing the action. Subject pronouns can be singular or plural, and masculine, feminine, or neutral. These are the singular subject pronouns: I (first pers

Capital and capitol are separated by just one vowel, and although they tend to overlap in some contexts (like the capitol building being located in the capital city), the two words carry quite different meanings. In order to avoid confusion in your writing, it’s important to learn the difference between capitols and capitals (and while you’re at it, it wouldn’t hurt to brush up on some geography and learn those capital cities!) Capital vs. Capitol Capital and capitol have two very different meanings. Read on for more on the difference between them and how to use each properly. Definition of Capital Capital is the most diverse of the 2 words. It can be used as an adjective or a noun, and in several different contexts. As an adjective, capital can describe: the seat of government (usually a city) the uppercase form of a letter a crime punishable by death; also means “involving execution” relating to assets the most serious, important, or influential As a noun, ca

Modifiers can add greater detail and clarification to sentences, which is usually a great help to readers. However, when used incorrectly, modifiers can actually cause confusion and do more harm than good. That’s why using modifiers properly—and avoiding the dreaded “dangling modifier”—is so important. What Are Modifiers? The word “modify” is a verb that means to change or alter something slightly. In grammar, a modifier is a word that modifies—or changes by adding to—another word. Modifiers can qualify, clarify, or add emphasis to another term, so they usually appear as adjectives or adverbs. More than one modifier can be applied to the same word, as in the following example: The slender girl wearing a crimson hat got on the subway. In this example, the word “slender” and the phrase “wearing a crimson hat” modify the term “girl.” They describe what she looks like and what she was doing, so she’s not just a “girl.” You’ll find more examples of modifiers, and how they add

Tuning out the rest of the world and tuning into your favorite song or movie can be incredibly relaxing, especially after a long day. But if you can still hear the person beside you talking on the phone about the guy she’s dating, your experience is likely to be far less zen. It’s moments like these when noise canceling earbuds can be a real lifesaver. How Noise Cancellation Works Most noise canceling earbuds and noise canceling headphones use active noise control, measuring ambient sound by with a microphone and creating a waveform that is the negative of the ambient sound. That new waveform is then mixed with whatever audio signal the listener has chosen. Noise canceling technology doesn’t entirely eliminate the sound around you; however, what it can do is make your listening experience better by removing ambient noise, which lets you focus on your entertainment experience. The Best Noise Canceling Earbuds Here is our list of the best noise canceling earbuds to help you mak

Some words look very similar, but are spelled a little differently, like compliment and complement . Others sound the same, like their and they’re , but have completely different meanings. And some words are spelled and pronounced exactly the same, but are separated only by small details, like a space. Everyday and every day are two such words. Although many people use these two words interchangeably, they actually serve 2 very different purposes. The Difference Between Everyday vs. Every Day Though they’re separated only by a space, every day and everyday are not interchangeable, and in fact constitute two totally different words. Read on to learn more about the difference between the adjective everyday and the adverbial phrase every day. Definition of “Everyday” “Everyday” is used as an adjective to describe an occurrence that is recurring or typical. For example, the phrase “my everyday interactions” describes my interactions that take place on a regular basis. E

Wouldn’t you like to finally understand rhetorical questions? Of course you would! (Or at least I’m guessing you would, since you ended up on this page.) You see, that was a rhetorical question itself—I wasn’t really waiting for a response, since the answer seemed quite obvious. Rhetorical questions work like that: they don’t require responses, making them perhaps the sassiest and most confident of questions. For this reason, when used effectively, rhetorical questions can help to enhance your written and spoken rhetoric by emphasizing key points that resonate with your audience. What Is a Rhetorical Question? Rhetorical questions can be sarcastic, humorous, or reflective. They aren’t used to elicit an actual answer, but rather to create a dramatic effect or to emphasize a point. Take, for example, the rhetorical question “It’s awfully cold today, isn’t it?” This question (also known as a tag question) puts emphasis on the fact that it’s very cold; in most cases, it’s not inten

Whether you’re interested in generating some passive income or you dream about paying the bills while working your own schedule, Amazon can help you to achieve those goals. But if you want to make the most of this ever-evolving platform, you’ll have to do a bit of homework. Luckily, there are some experts who have put their knowledge and experience into words so you can study up on the best products to sell, how to conduct Amazon keyword research , how to choose Amazon categories , and other strategies to help you make the most of your new side hustle . The Best Books About Selling on Amazon Below are 8 excellent resources that will teach you how to get the most from your Amazon selling experience. 1. Amazon Selling Blueprint by Scott Voelker In Amazon Selling Blueprint , author Scott Voelker teaches readers how to find product ideas and use his 6-step plan for maintaining a steady flow of sales indefinitely. Voelker also offers his personal recommendations for locating man

Compliment and complement are homophones that often confuse writers. After all, they sound almost identical, and there’s only one little vowel separating the two. So how do you remember whether you need to thank someone for a compliment or a complement ? We’ve broken down the differences below with examples and some helpful tips for keeping these two terms straight. Definition of Compliment A compliment is an expression of praise or commendation. It can be as simple as telling your friend how cute her new boots are, or formally acknowledging an employee’s skillful work. Compliment can be used as a noun (in the sense above), or it can be used as a verb (the act of complimenting someone). Complimentary is an adjective that describes something which expresses a compliment, but it can also be used to describe free stuff (like when you get complimentary water bottles in your hotel room). Examples of Compliment in a Sentence Below are several examples of compliment in a sen

You might know it fondly as “dot dot dot.” Or, maybe for you it’s simply “dot dot,” or even “dot dot dot dot dot,” because, you know, some things just call for more dots. And who’s counting, right? Well, it turns out you should be counting, after all. Those 3 (yep! 3!!) dots are actually called an ellipsis, and they come with some pretty well-defined rules for how you ought to use them. But fear not—we’ve broken down all those rules for you here, with helpful examples and style guide recommendations so you never have to worry about counting dots again. What Is an Ellipsis? The ellipsis is used to indicate the omission of words or phrases from a written text. In fact, the term itself comes from the Greek élleipsis , meaning “omission” or “falling short.” You might see ellipses used for this purpose in transcripts or selected quotes, in which omitting certain words doesn’t alter the intended meaning. For example, if you’re writing an essay for your literature class and want to

An ambiguity is a word, statement, or phrase that leaves room for more than one interpretation. Ambiguity in writing, though sometimes intentional, can be the cause of much confusion (and sometimes a few laughs). If being ambiguous isn’t your intention, then it’s important that you learn to recognize it in your writing so you can correct it and be as clear as possible. The Meaning of Ambiguity There are 2 types of ambiguity in written and spoken rhetoric: lexical and syntactic. Lexical ambiguity presents two or more potential meanings within a single word, while syntactic ambiguity presents two or more possibilities within a phrase. When used in nonfiction, ambiguities are usually considered errors, since they can lead to confusion. In creative writing and fiction, however, ambiguous language is often utilized as a tool to convey double meanings and make readers think metaphorically. Thus, whether or not you should try to avoid ambiguity comes down to your intentions and the con

While browsing supermarket aisles, you may have come across products labeled “lite” and wondered why this peculiar spelling was used instead of the “light” we all know. The difference is quite simple, and mostly comes down to marketing. Discover the difference between lite and light below to learn when it’s appropriate to use this creative spelling. The Difference Between Lite and Light Light and lite can both be used to describe a version of a product that’s less of something—whether it be less sweet, less heavy, or less complex. Lite is not a real word, but rather an informal variant of light. You may recognize lite from the packaging of some of your favorite food and beverage brands. When used in this context, lite is simply an informal, perhaps more fun way to describe the “lighter” version. It might be stamped on a Coke can that contains zero sugar, or a bottle of beer that contains less alcohol or fewer calories. You might also see lite used to describe simplifi

Keeping track of all of your online passwords can be a pain, especially if you use multiple email addresses or manage a business with many subscriptions. You might be tempted to yield to laziness and reuse the same password, putting your digital security at risk. Or, you might scribble your login credentials haphazardly into notebooks or type them into insecure apps on your phone. However, there are some excellent tools out there that can do the work for you by keeping track of all of your credentials and even generating secure passwords for you. LastPass is one of such tool, offering a secure vault to hold all of your info for easy access. But is this the right solution for you or your business? Read on to get our take on this password manager. What Is LastPass? LastPass is a secure password manager and generator that is designed to help users keep track of their login information for various sites. The online tool stores users’ passwords in a secure vault and allows them