Katharine's Writer's Block

This lesson will be running shortly before my second wedding anniversary!  In honor of another wonderful milestone, I’m again drawing inspiration directly from the love of my life, more particularly a language habit of mine that’s become a pet peeve of his: double-negatives. While English classes were not his favorite subject, one thing he retained from them was a rule discouraging their use. I’ve decided to refresh my own memory on the issue and here’s what I found. A double

You have an essay project. You’ve decided on a topic, started some research, taken some notes on your findings, and maybe even have a...

How do I decide what to cook? The things that either I or my husband like are a good place to start. I narrow down the options further...

A study from Stanford University identified the top twenty errors found in undergraduate writing. The number one error is using the...

Lately, I’ve been practicing cooking pancakes. I’ve learned that cooking them on my mini-griddle makes them really thick but not done in the middle. I get the slender size and circular shape that I like when I pour right into the middle of a hot, open skillet, but the batter has to be the right amount and consistency as well--not too little and not too runny. There’s a delicate balance to it. Writing with English vocabulary has a similar delicate balance. One wrong word can c

Whether you are writing research into an essay or--like me-- casually blogging about pop culture, some deliberation may be encountered...

Poetry is a blend of art and written or spoken word. It’s often evocative; centered on strong images, memories, or feelings. In the...

Where gathering research is one-half the battle in essay prep, properly using the research in an essay is the other half. Research done...

Throughout history, the act of writing has embraced many tools and mediums. Writers of previous centuries wrote with quill pen and ink. The written word went from preservation on payprus scrolls to the printing press. Writers of previous decades wrote with pencils, ballpoint pens, or typewriters. Even more recently, writers have shifted from using paper to digital forms. For all the evolution in the act of writing, the art of writing still prevails. Spelling, grammar, and eff

I touched on how punctuation is a fundamental ingredient to good writing but I only skimmed the surface of the subject. This lesson is a deeper dive into what punctuation is and how it's properly used. In addition, I’ll tell you more about my wedding! Punctuation is a collection of symbols used in reading and writing. They are meant to help us understand written communication in terms of purpose, emotion, or emphasis; the beginning or end of an idea; and connections between