Effect and Affect are similar words, with subtly different, importantly different meanings. The way to (almost) always get the right word (any word) is first to understand the meaning of the word you are using, and second, to actually speak it, either out loud or silently. Once you understand the words thoroughly, as long as [...]

I really don’t like apostrophes in headlines. Recently, a United Nations story came in with two apostrophes in the headline The Headline was: NGOs’ Assistance Vital to United Nations’ Battle Against Drugs I think this is bad because it makes the headline too complex and difficult to read. Simple style is usually better. Editors need [...]

Writing “On the other hand” is a common phrase for many South Asian writers – Indians, Pakistanis and Nepalis use this a lot, but the way they often use it isn’t good English. You can’t say “on the other hand” if you didn’t say “on one hand” and explain something else. In this case, “on [...]