As we inch closer to 2021, several friends, family, and clients have continued asking me, "Are we supposed to write it as New Year's or New Years?" The quick answer is ... New Year's (with the apostrophe). Please, for the love of Pete, do not write "New Years." Why is it New Year's? Using an apostrophe shows possession, which is important when you're talking about New Year's Eve, New Year's Day, a New Year's resolution, a New Year's greeting, etc. In all instances, you're ref

Let's squeeze in one more quick grammar lesson before the end of the year, shall we? In today's post, I want to talk about writing New Year's or New Years. Which is it, and why? The short answer is that you always write it as New Year's (with the apostrophe). Using an apostrophe 's' shows possession, which is important when you're talking about New Year's Eve, New Year's Day, a New Year's resolution, a New Year's greeting, etc. In all instances, you're referring to something

It's time once again for an Edit This® grammar lesson. Today, we discuss the difference between Break and Brake. Do you know the difference between these homophones? First things first, you may be wondering what a homophone is. Simply put, these are words that sound the same but have different meanings and spellings. Read more of our grammar lessons about homophones here. In the meantime, let's dive in. Break means to pause from a particular activity or event. It can also ref

Welcome to another Edit This® grammar lesson. In today's blog post, let's discuss the difference between Fair and Fare. Do you know when to use each one? Most of you might be saying, "Why, yes, I do!" But for others, it's not that easy. These are perfect examples of homophones – words that sound the same but have different meanings and spellings – and they trip more people up than you think. But don't worry, as we are here to clear up the confusion. Fair is the one option out

Welcome to another Edit This® grammar lesson. In today's blog post, we will discuss the difference between Altar and Alter. Do you know the difference? These are perfect examples of homophones – words that sound the same but have different meanings and spellings – and they tend to trip a lot of people up. But don't worry, as we are here to clear up the confusion. So let's dive in, shall we? When we say altar, we are referring to the elevated table or structure used as a cente

The world can be a grammatically incorrect place sometimes, but in everyone's defense, it's not like the English language does us any favors. Honestly, it's all so confusing. Take homophones, for example. These are words that sound the same but have different meanings and spellings. Words like roll and role or compliment and complement make even the savviest of us writers and editors slow down and, at times, do a double-take to ensure the content we are working on is clear an

As we inch closer to 2019, several friends and clients have asked me, "Are we supposed to write it as New Year's or New Years?" Great grammar question! Here's the quick answer from Edit This®. It's New Year's (with the apostrophe). Don't write New Years. Here's why: Using an apostrophe 's' shows possession, which is important when you're talking about New Year's Eve, New Year's Day, a New Year's resolution, a New Year's greeting, etc. – because all instances refer to somethin

Don't you love the English language? Just when you think you've got it all figured out, and you're churning out amazing, error-free content that clients are engaged in, you come across a word or two that make you stop and think twice about your grammar skills. That happened to one of our clients this week as they were deciding between Roll and Role in their advertising copy. Do you know the difference? These prominent homophones, words that sound the same but have different m

Welcome to another Edit This® grammar lesson. In today's blog post, we will discuss the differences between Waver and Waiver. Do you know the difference? These are perfect examples of homophones – words that sound the same but have different meanings and spellings – and they tend to trip a lot of people up. But don't worry; we're here to clear up the confusion. So let's dive in, shall we? Waver means to steadily move back and forth or shake with a quivering motion. It also re

Welcome to another Edit This® grammar lesson, where we'll be talking about the difference between Pour, Pore, and Poor. These are perfect examples of homophones – words that sound the same but have different meanings and spellings. If you keep up with trending topics, you might remember pour and pore in the news recently when President Donald Trump was mocked for a typo-tainted tweet. Have you made the same mistake? Don't worry; we're here to clear up the confusion. Pour mean

While writing last week's blog, I used the word pedals in one of my sentences when, based on what I was discussing, I should have used peddles. Luckily, none of you saw it because I caught the gaffe in a self-edit before hitting the publish button. Still, that incident got me thinking about how easy it is to make a mistake like that. I certainly know the difference between pedal and peddle — and even petal. These are examples of homophones, words that sound the same but have

Welcome to another Edit This® grammar lesson. Today, we will explore the differences between alot, a lot, and allot. Do you know the difference? Let's cut to the chase right now and eliminate alot from the conversation. It's not a word, even though the correct spelling (a lot) sounds like it should be one word when you say it. That leaves a lot and allot. Let's discuss. A lot (two words) refers to a large amount of something. * I ate a lot of food over the holidays. * My kids

Let's explore the difference between into and in to in this week's Edit This® grammar lesson. After all, knowing which one to use in a sentence can be a sticking point for many people – even the most veteran of writers. Into vs. in to – What's the difference? Into is used to show movement or action toward or inside something. It usually comes before a noun or a noun phrase. * I am getting into my car. * Leslie jumped into the pool. * The police are looking into it. In to (two

I recently wrote a volleyball game story for the Denton Record-Chronicle, and in it, I wrote that the losing team "... now has lost five of its last eight matches." Can you spot the grammar mistake? I didn't when I submitted the article to the copy desk for review. But there was an eagle-eyed editor who did and quickly replaced the word last with past. The new sentence read "... now has lost five of its past eight matches." Last vs. Past – What's the difference? As my editor