Kids’ letters to Santa Claus are one of the most magical parts of the season. They help Old Saint Nick decide just what to deliver, and they give his helper elves on the streets the insight they need to make Christmas wishes come true. The tradition of writing letters to Santa dates back to the 1800s. Originally, it was Santa who wrote letters to the …
By Ashley Austrew The month of November is a big deal for writers. It’s time for NaNoWriMo! What is NaNoWriMo, you ask? It’s an abbreviation for National Novel Writing Month, an event every November during which writers all over the country attempt to write 50,000 words of a new novel in just the 30 short days. If you’re participating in NaNoWriMo this year, chances are …
It was a dark and stormy night when the writer turned to Dictionary.com for synonyms and definitions to make their writing pop. At least, it would be a dark and stormy night if said writer was basing a story on one of the most cliché (a trite, stereotyped expression that has lost all originality from being long overused) introductions to grace the page. If you’ve …
The difference between a metaphor and a simile is like the difference between precious metals and gems (both are valuable and useful, but one can take many more forms). Understanding this difference—and knowing how to use both—can be a jewel in the crown of your writing, making your descriptions and comparisons more colorful and engaging. See what we did here? That first sentence uses a simile, …
By Ashley Austrew, Journalist and Writer The end of the school year is coming up fast—as if you needed a reminder! Or do you need a reminder? Are you prepared for that end-of-year flurry of exams and those all-important final papers? Before you know it, it will be time for high school and college students to turn in their work—have you started yours yet? We …
In 2021, we added the word supposably to our dictionary. And what do you suppose happened? For one thing, we discovered how strongly people feel about this word—which many assume to be a recently invented term or a mispronunciation. Others quite reasonably think it’s a synonym of supposedly. After all, even Joey from Friends famously and hilariously couldn’t figure out if supposedly and supposably were different …
By Ashley Austrew If you’re a fan of poetry, you know how even the simplest of poems can be moving, challenging, and inspiring. It’s for these reasons that the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) declared March 21 World Poetry Day in 1999, and it’s a holiday we’ve been celebrating since. For some, poetry is the language of love, beauty, and passion. But …
Let’s say you’re in a thorny situation, and you find yourself wanting to offer comfort. Do you have a word or two in your back pocket for this moment? Do you assure your friend it will be alright? Or do you ensure them they’ll feel better soon? … Or is the word you’re looking for insure? Confused? This is a tricky one. Assure, ensure, and insure ultimately derive …
by John Dempsey, Writer and Editing Professional Today is National Grammar Day so it’s (not “its”) time to celebrate! Now, many of us may have bad memories of teachers correcting us on “Can I use the bathroom?” and similar common phrases all in the name of grammar. (I don’t know, can you? 🙄) So you may be surprised to learn what those of us who style ourselves …
The English alphabet, as you likely know, is made up of 26 letters. But it wasn’t always that way. How old is the alphabet? Before we get to the history of specific letters, let’s talk a bit about Old English. English was first written in the Anglo-Saxon futhorc runic alphabet, also known as Anglo-Saxon. The Angles and Saxons came from Germany and settled in Britain …
