Archive for May, 2008

Capitalization of Governmental Words

Thursday, May 29th, 2008

Rule: When you use the complete names of departments, capitalize. You may also capitalize a shortened form of a department. Do not capitalize when these words are used as adjectives or generically.
Examples: the United Nations General Assembly; the General Assembly
the council
Congress; congressional
Rule: Capitalize civil titles only when used with the name following or when used [...]

Who vs. Which vs. That

Saturday, May 10th, 2008

Rule: Who refers to people. That and which refer to groups or things.
Example: Anya is the one who rescued the bird.

Example: Lope is on the team that won first place.

Example: She belongs to an organization that specializes in saving endangered species.

Rule: That introduces essential clauses while which introduces nonessential clauses.
Example: I do not trust editorials [...]

Lead vs. Led

Monday, May 5th, 2008

lead a metal element (pronounced like red)
lead present tense of led (pronounced like seed)
led guided, past tense of to lead

Pop Quiz
1. He lead/led the horse to water.
2. She tested the water for lead/led.
3. Will the new CEO lead/led by example?
Answers:
1. led
2. lead
3. lead
Online Quiz
Take a Confusing Words Online Quiz. Get your score and explanations instantly! This quiz will give you a [...]