A
a, an
abbreviations: and capitals; and pleonasms; and referencing
accessary, accessory
acronyms (see capitals)
active and passive sentences
adapter, adaptor
advice, advise
adviser, advisor
affect, effect
affirmation of the consequent / denial of the antecedent (fallacy of)
ages, people's
agreement: and attraction; notional a.; and subjunctive mood
a hotel, an hotel
all right, alright
ambiguous pronouns
among, amongst, between
annex, annexe
anticipate, predict
anti-compounds
the apostrophe: and contractions; and pluralisation; and possession; and hyphenated
compounds; and noun attributes; and the of-possessive; and shared possession
appeal to authority (fallacy of)
appeal to consequence (fallacy of)
appeal to nature (fallacy of)
appeal to novelty (fallacy of)
appeal to numbers / appeal to popularity (fallacies of)
appeal to pity (fallacy of)
appeal to threat (fallacy of)
appeal to tradition (fallacy of)
appendices, appendixes
appositives: and apostrophes; and commas
a priori, a posteriori
argument against the person (fallacy of)
argument of causation from chronology (fallacy of)
the argumentative essay
around, round
attraction: and agreement
B
backward, backwards (see -ward(s) suffixes)
bad, badly
bail out, bale out
begging the question (see circular argument)
benefited, benefitted
blond, blonde
brackets
bureaus, bureaux
burgle, burglarize
burned, burnt
bused, bussed
by-law, bye-law, bylaw
C
café, cafe (see diacritics)
cannon, canon
capitals
carat, karat
cardinal numbers
caviar, caviare
censer, censor, censure, sensor
centimetre, centimeter
chairman, chairwoman, chairperson
circular argument
clichés
clippings
cognitive verbs
coiffeur, coiffure
collective nouns
colon
comic, comical
commas: and conjunctive adverbs; and definitions; and direct address; and direct speech;
the elliptical c.; and essential and inessential clauses; and fused sentences; the Harvard c.
(see the serial c.); and introductory adverbs, phrases and clauses; isolating c.; joining c.;
listing c.; and mid-sentence adverbs; the Oxford c. (see the serial c.)
commenting clauses (see essential and inessential clauses)
committee is, committee are (see notional agreement)
common-gender pronouns (see the generic he)
compare to, compare with
complex cause (fallacy of)
complex question (fallacy of)
composite subjects: and subject-verb agreement
compound adjectives: and the hyphen
compound nouns: and the hyphen
comprise, consist in, consist of
compromise (fallacy of) (see moderation (fallacy of))
contemporary
contractions: and the apostrophe
contradiction
conversationalist, conversationist
conveyer, conveyor
convince, persuade
D
dangling modifiers (see modifiers)
the dash
data is, data are
dates
decimals
defining clauses (see essential and inessential clauses)
definitions: and commas; and quotation marks
dependant, dependent
desert, dessert
dexterous, dextrous
diacritics
diagnose
different from, different than, different to
direct and indirect speech (see speech)
disorientated, disoriented
distil, distill
double-gender pronouns: and the generic he
the double possessive
doubt if, doubt that, doubt whether
drafting
dreamed, dreamt (see burned, burnt)
drier, dryer
due to, owing to
E
each other, one another
economic, economical
-ed- and -t-ending verbs
effective, efficient
egoism, egotism
elderly, geriatric
ellipsis
email, e-mail
emphasis: and italics
enamoured of, enamoured with
encyclopaedia, encyclopedia
English- and Latin-ending plurals
enquire, inquire
eponyms (see capitals)
equivocation (fallacy of)
essays: the argumentative e.; and the nature of argument; the descriptive e.; and drafting;
the expository e.; and person; and structure; and thesis statements; and funnelling;
the narrative e.
essential and inessential clauses
evacuate
the exclamation mark
expletive sentences
exposition: and styles of writing
the expository essay
extravert, extrovert, introvert
F
facilitate
fact, factor
fallacies
fallacy of compromise (see fallacy of moderation)
fallacy of equivocation
fallacy of extreme vividness
fallacy of the golden mean (see fallacy of moderation)
fallacy of moderation
false dichotomy (fallacy of)
false dilemma (see false dichotomy (fallacy of))
false start (see straw man (fallacy of))
fetid, foetid
fewer, less
fiancé, fiancée
fictional, fictitious
flaunt, flout
flounder, founder
flyer, flier
footnotes (see Oxford referencing)
forbear, forebear
foregone, forgone
foreign words and expressions: and italics
formulae, formulas
forthcoming, upcoming
forward, forwards (see -ward(s) suffixes)
fox hunting, fox-hunting, foxhunting (see compound nouns)
fractions
franchiser, franchisor
fulfil, fulfill
full stops: and fused sentences; and sentence fragments
funnelling: and essays
G
gambler's fallacy
gases, gasses
gender realignment, gender reassignment
gender, sex
generic he
glosses: and quotation marks
golden mean (fallacy of) (see fallacy of moderation)
gypsy, gipsy
H
hairdrier, hairdryer
a half per cent, half a per cent
hanged, hung
harass, harassment
hardly ever, rarely, rarely ever
the Harvard comma (see the serial comma)
hasty generalisation / sweeping generalisation (fallacies of)
hoi polloi
homogeneous, homogenous
humane, humanitarian
the hyphen
I
if I was, if I were
if, whether
ignoratio elenchi (see straw man (fallacy of))
I, me
impact
imperatives: and the exclamation mark
indexes, indices
inflammable, flammable
instal, install
instil, instill
interjections: and the exclamation mark
in terms of
in the circumstances, under the circumstances
invite
irony: and italics
irrelevant conclusion (see straw man (fallacy of))
-ise- and -ize-ending verbs
italics: and definitions; and emphasis; and foreign words; and irony; and legal cases; and
lengthy quotations; and musical compositions; and names of ships; and titles of books,
newspapers, long poems, films and plays; and works of art
its, it's
I wish I were, I wish I was (see the subjunctive mood)
J
jewellery, jewelry
jihad, jehad
job titles (see capitals)
joint effect (fallacy of)
K
kilometre, kilometer
knap, nap
kneeled, knelt (see burned, burnt)
knowledgable, knowledgeable
L
largess, largesse
launderette, laundrette
lay, lie
lead, led
leaned, leant (see burned, burnt)
leaped, leapt (see burned, burnt)
learned, learnt (see burned, burnt)
legal cases: and italics
legitimate, legitimatise, legitimise
lend, lent, loan
licence, license
likeable, likable
like, such as
liquefy, liquify
lists
loaded question (see complex question (fallacy of))
loath, loth
loose and periodic paragraphs
loose and periodic sentences
M
majority was, majority were
man, master, mistress
media is, media are (see data is, data are)
media, mediums
memoranda, memorandums (see English- and Latin-ending plurals)
me, myself
method, methodology
moderation (fallacy of)
modifiers
mortuary, morgue
movable, moveable
musical compositions: and italics
myself, yourself (see reflexive pronouns)
N
naïve, naive
names of ships: and italics
narrative (see styles of writing)
the narrative essay
natural-law (fallacy of)
neither is, neither are
non-defining clauses (see essential and inessential clauses)
none is, none are
non-restrictive clauses (see essential and inessential clauses)
notional agreement
no-true-Scotsman fallacy (see fallacy of equivocation)
noun-adjectives / noun attributes
numbers: cardinal n.; and dates and pagination; decimals; fractions; ordinal n.;
and people's ages; percentages
number was, number were
O
obscenities
the of-possessive
OK, O.K., okay
one in five is, one in five are
ongoing
only, often
on to, onto
on, upon
oral, verbal
ordinal numbers
the Oxford comma (see the serial comma)
Oxford referencing
P
pagination
pair of was, pair of were
paragraphs: and length; loose and periodic p.; mixed p.: and topic sentences and
supporting sentences
parallel from
passed, past
pedlar, peddler
percentages
per cent, percent, percentage
person: and the argumentative essay; and the expository essay; and the narrative essay;
and speech
philosophy, policy, ideology
phrasal verbs
plane, plain
plateaus, plateaux
pleonasms
possession: and the apostrophe
post hoc, ergo propter hoc (see argument of causation from chronology (fallacy of))
practice, practise
prepositions
Prime Minister, prime minister
procedure, process
pronouns: ambiguous p.; reflexive p.; relative p.; subject and object p.; the unreferenced
it; who, whom
prop (see the unreferenced it)
proved, proven
provided that, providing that
putting the cart before the horse (see wrong direction (fallacy of))
Q
quad bikes
the question mark
queueing, queuing
quotation marks: and direct speech and reproduced text; inappropriate use of; and irony,
scorn and jargon; and literal definitions; with other punctuation marks; and titles of short
works
R
ratable, rateable
re, re-
reason is because, reason is that
reason why, reason that
red herring (see straw man (fallacy of))
referencing: and abbreviations; Harvard r.; Oxford r.; Vancouver r.
referendums, referenda
reflexive pronouns
refute, deny
relative pronouns
repetitive, repetitious
restrictive clauses (see essential and inessential clauses)
rhetorical questions (see the question mark)
rise, raise
S
sanguine, sanguinary
sat, seated
scenario, situation
Scotch, Scots, Scottish
the semicolon
sensual, sensuous
sentences: active and passive s.; and cognitive verbs; expletive s.; fused s.;
and length; and linking ideas; loose and periodic s.; and parallel form;
s. fragments.; simple, compound and complex s.; and weighting
sex equality (see the generic he)
shared possession: and the apostrophe
sizable, sizeable
skilful, skillful
smelled, smelt (see burned, burnt)
sped, speeded
speech: direct and indirect s.
spelled, spelt (see burned, burnt)
spilled, spilt (see burned, burnt)
the split infinitive
spoiled, spoilt (see burned, burnt)
squinting modifiers (see modifiers)
stammer, stutter
story, storey
straw man (fallacy of)
styles of writing
subject-verb agreement
subjunctive mood
sweeping generalisation (see hasty generalisation)
syllabuses, syllabi
synthesise, synthesize
T
targeted, targetted
tautologies: and fallacies; and pleonasms
teleological fallacy
that that
that, which, who, whose
theft, robbery
their: and the generic he; and notional agreement
thesis statements
till, until
tiro, tyro
titles of books, newspapers, etc.: and italics
tolerance, toleration
total was, total were
toward, towards (see -ward(s) suffixes)
tranquillise, tranquilize
transpire
try and, try to
tsar, czar
T.V., TV, t.v., tv
U
ultimatums, ultimata
the unreferenced it
use to, used to
V
Vancouver referencing
veranda, verandah
verbosity
video, videoed, videos, videoes
W
wagon, waggon
whereabouts is, whereabouts are
whether, whether or not
while, whilst
whiskey, whisky
who, whom
who, whose
wilful, willful
will, shall
works of art: and italics
worth while, worthwhile
wrong direction (fallacy of)
X