We are so accustomed to using the word “data” that many of us have forgotten whether the word is plural or singular. “Data” is the plural noun. “Datum” is the singular noun, for one single piece of information. So should we use the plural form of a verb with the word...

Last week on Twitter I saw the words “bear” and “bare” used incorrectly many times as people were lamenting the changes and problems with the platform. So I thought it would be a good time for a refresher on the correct use of these homophones. BEAR Noun: a large,...

“You’re not wrong.” That statement appears everywhere now. Everyone is saying it. And I’m so tired of hearing it. Yes, “you’re not wrong” is another of my pet peeves. You’re not wrong. Does that mean you’re right? By and large, if someone says “you’re not wrong”, then...

As an editor and writer, I naturally have many peeves around the incorrect use of language. This Weekly Writing Tip looks at one of my pet peeves – the incorrect use of “should of”, “could of”, “would of”, and “must of” – a peeve I’ve discovered many share with me....

A common mistake I’ve seen in manuscripts, letters, blogs, emails and tweets is the incorrect use of the words whose and who’s. There appears to be a fair bit of confusion on which of these terms to use. Whenever an apostrophe is potentially involved, people seem to...

Over the past several months, I’ve seen certain spelling and grammar errors show up over and over again in tweets, texts, emails, reports and manuscripts. I’m sure some of these are the result of autocorrect or tapping on the wrong word option. But many are clearly...