A misplaced modifier may look like a small grammar issue, but it can change the meaning of a sentence in unexpected ways. When a modifier is placed too far from the word it describes, the sentence becomes unclear or misleading.…
The best words to describe a leader depend on what the person actually does well. A leader may be strategic, decisive, empathetic, resilient, accountable, or inspiring, but those words describe different strengths. The most useful adjective is the one that…
The most useful words to describe a bad leader explain what is wrong with the person’s leadership, not simply that you dislike them. A leader might be micromanaging, indecisive, dismissive, unaccountable, inflexible, or manipulative. Each word points to a different…
Words that come after a verb do not automatically form a direct object. In The lantern flickered throughout the storm, the phrase throughout the storm adds information about the flickering, but it is not an object of the verb. The…
In the sentence Lena opened the parcel, the verb opened connects directly to the parcel. That noun phrase tells you what Lena opened and functions as the direct object. This is a transitive use of the verb. Transitive verbs are…
Email etiquette is not just about sounding polite. It also involves making good decisions about who receives a message, who needs to reply, what gets forwarded, how files are shared, and when an email thread has gone too far. Small…
The first line of an email often creates more uncertainty than the rest of the message. Should you write Dear, Hello, or Hi? Should you begin with a friendly sentence, or get straight to the reason for writing? There is…
In The garden looks peaceful, looks connects the garden with a description of it. In Megan became a doctor, became connects Megan with the role a doctor. In both sentences, the verb creates a relationship between the subject and information…
In Mason lifted the box, the verb lifted describes a visible action. In Ella considered the proposal, considered describes a mental process. The two activities are very different, but both present something happening rather than simply describing a state. These…