The other day I tried to use a cliche phrase “one foul swoop.” Once I wrote it, I wondered about the original meaning. Was there a foul, like a mistake swooping in? Or maybe the phrase refers to a fowl bird that swoops down all at once. It turns out that neither is correct. Instead…
Which is correct?
Which is Correct: Canceled or Cancelled (one word or two)?
I run a membership website and occasionally people ask to cancel their memberships. After writing emails back to notify them of their cancellations, I realized that neither canceled (one word) or cancelled (two words) triggered a spell check errors. So, I had to research which is correct: canceled or cancelled? It turns out, the answer…
Which is Correct: Capital City or Capitol City?
I majored in history and I was a middle school social studies teacher. Yet, I found myself looking this up many times over the years. Hopefully this short guide will help other writers, teachers, and students out there. Capital vs. Capitol Capitol = Building Capital = City Therefore, the Capitol building is in the Washington,…
Which is Correct: Coronavirus or Corona Virus? (One word or two?)
News and social media posts about COVID-19 are everywhere. I have seen it spelled both ways, but which is correct: coronavirus or corona virus? Is it one word or two words? Coronavirus Regardless of what auto-correct and spell checks might tell you, the correct way to refer to this pandemic is: coronavirus (one word). Here…
Which is correct: Okay, OK, or O.K.?
I did some research on the proper use of the word “OK” because I always doubt whether I am writing it the correct way. Is “okay” acceptable? Does “OK” need periods (as in, O.K.)? I found two helpful articles on the subject: OK vs. Okay (Grammarly) OK vs. okay (Grammarist) It turns out that all…
