When “as such” is used correctly, with a clear antecedent, you should be able to substitute that antecedent for “such” and have the sentence make sense. But we frequently misuse “as such” in a much looser way to connect two thoughts. If there’s no clear noun antecedent for “such,” think again and rephrase. After Deadline […]

A slightly unusual word choice can enliven a story. But we should make sure we know what our slightly unusual word actually means. Here are several recent cases where we reached for a word, only to come up with the wrong one or to use it incorrectly. After Deadline http://ift.tt/1e0kyf1

Always double-check the spelling of names, our most common source of errors. And let’s triple-check names with multiple popular versions — like “Katherine,” “Katharine,” Catherine,” “Cathryn” and “Kathryn.” After Deadline http://ift.tt/L6nTSQ

Not just wrong, but a thousand times wrong. That’s what happens when we confuse a million with a billion, or (more rarely) a billion with a trillion. We should take a deep breath, stop, think, check and then double-check every reference to such large numbers. After Deadline http://ift.tt/1iNqNYT

Danglers in their various forms are one of our most common grammatical lapses. Participle phrases, “like” comparisons, appositives and other modifying constructions generally must be adjacent to the noun or pronoun they refer to. Otherwise, they dangle — and leave a clumsy or confusing sentence. After Deadline http://afterdeadline.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/01/07/danglers-ahead/

In the spirit of the season, we’ll take a brief break from carping to offer a small sampling of sparkling prose from recent weeks. After Deadline http://afterdeadline.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/12/31/bright-passages-18/