Miscellaneous

Learn more tips for understanding the English language and varieties from around the world.

• Abbreviations, Acronyms and Initialisms

  Learn about the difference between abbreviations, acronyms and initialisms.

• Use of Numerals

  Using numerals is not a confusing topic if you know when to use them and when it is not appropriate to use them.

• Italics

  Learn about italics and how they are used to show emphasis, denote titles, vehicles, foreign words and more to ensure you properly use them.

• Contractions

  Discover why avoiding contractions in formal writing makes your writing more clear, concise and compelling.

• The End of Double Spacing

  Learn why many writing styles have steered away from placing two spaces after sentences and why the rule ever existed in the first place.

• Avoiding Future Tense ‘Will’

  Learn why avoiding future tense ‘will’ in formal makes your writing more clear, concise and compelling.

• British English Versus American English

  Understand the difference between British English and American English variations of the same word.

• The Difference Between Toward and Towards

  Learn the difference between ‘toward’ and ‘towards,’ and discover why one is preferred over the other in American English.

• When to Capitalize Seasons

  Learn why seasons are not usually capitalized and how to identify the exceptions to the rule to ensure you use the correct capitalization.

• Metaphors, Similes and Idioms

  Learn about the figurative language of metaphors, similes and idioms and how these figures of speech bring more vivid imagery to your words.

• Aptronyms

  Learn about aptronyms in real-life examples, and discover how they are useful in fiction writing for defining something about a character.