And why the tone of your writing matters when making such decisions — I enjoy writing about grammar to share what I continue to learn about the English language — especially with regard to my own misunderstandings about its many rules. I especially appreciate when I learn that something I’ve considered set in stone isn’t exactly a hard and fast grammatical truth. And…

Glimpses into the darker side of Denver from fourteen phenomenal writers with ties to the Mile-High City — While Denver is known as one of the sunniest cities in the country, it has its fair share of writers who expertly explore the shadows of the noir genre. …

Or when and when not to follow an introductory prepositional phrase with a comma — In the English language, many sentences begin with an introductory phrase or clause. If such an introduction is a clause, it will contain a subject and a verb. Since the introduction of the first sentence of this post (“In the English language”) does not include a verb, you know right…

Or whether to compare “with” or “to” or just stick with “with” — and which option the Bard preferred — I have tremendous respect for teachers and, word nerd that I’ve always been, have always revered English teachers in particular. I’ve never quite understood, though, why some English teachers differentiate between the verbs “compare” and “contrast.” I believe this may have come from the dreaded compare-and-contrast essay format, which was…

Why sometimes “that” deserves a tad more respect — A friend once said a professor she had in college once stated the word “that” could be deleted in most instances. Since I’d discovered by then the potential impact of concise verbiage, I decided to restrict my use of “that” going forward in my writing. …

And how to use these and other multitasking words correctly in your writing — When it comes to words in the English language that can serve as both nouns and verbs, the trickiest pair for many writers is “affect” and “effect.” When I realized that “effect” could be used as a verb as well as a noun, I used it that way whenever I…

And tricks to help you remember when to use which — When it comes to handy abbreviations, “i.e.” and “e.g.” are among my favorites. In many of my Writing Well posts, I suggest ways to tighten your writing to make it more direct and professional. By using these two abbreviations correctly, you can get certain points across very efficiently and effectively…

And how American English sometimes differs from British English related to their use — Since they’re used so often, quotation marks are often taken for granted by writers. Students of English are introduced to quotation marks shortly after they learn about other standard punctuation marks, and they commonly use them without giving them much thought. …

And make your writing more professional — and more enjoyable to read — Regardless of what you write, the correct use of punctuation can greatly impact how well you communicate your message. In Garner’s Modern English Usage, grammar guru Bryan Garner describes punctuation as “the cuing system by which writers signal their readers to slow down, pause, speed up…and otherwise move more smoothly…