Grammar: Is Air-Conditioning Hyphenated, Unhyphenated, or Open?

According to Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary:  Air-conditioning, when used as a noun, is hyphenated. The house has air-conditioning. Air conditioner, a noun, is open. The air conditioner is on the fritz. Air-conditioned: Both as an adjective and a verb is hyphenated. The air-conditioned room. Air-condition a building. The above article is an update. Back when I originally wrote this article (June 14, 2013), […]

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Grammar: Thank You. No, Thank You!

Should you write thank-you (hyphenated) or thank you (open)? Well, that depends on your meaning. There are actually two ways to write thank you. No, seriously. I promise. Thank you, when used as a phrase, is two words. By phrase, I mean a spoken or written expression of gratitude. For example: “Thank you so much […]

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Grammar: Daresay or Dare Say?

Daresay—is it one word or two? Here’s a crazy little thing that you might not know: it’s one word. Yes, that’s right. It’s one of those words you don’t hear all that often anymore, but it’s a lot of fun. I always picture myself saying it with a very proper British accent, and it makes […]

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Grammar: Verb Tenses and Sequencing of Action

Verb tenses can be tricky when you’re trying to sequence action in your manuscript. Depending on how you phrase a sentence, the actions can be simultaneous rather than sequential. Consider the following example. She finished cleaning the kitchen when the doorbell rang. That reads that she finished cleaning the kitchen at the same time that the doorbell […]

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Style Choice for Writers: Should You Capitalize or Lowercase Names of Dances?

Characters dancing comes up pretty often in fiction. There are nights out clubbing with friends, weddings, heck, sometimes characters just start doing the Macarena in their kitchen. And that inevitably leads to the question of how that should be written. Capitalized? In quotes? Italics? All lowercase? That last option definitely doesn’t seem right. This question […]

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