Skip to content

Writing guides

Grammar, essays, citations, emails and career writing — short, practical, answer-first and dated.

100 guides · Page 1 of 5

Spelling & grammar Active vs Passive Voice: Conversion Steps, Examples and When to Use Each In active voice the subject performs the action ("The committee approved the plan"); in passive voice the subject receives it ("The plan was approved by the com Nov 1, 2026 · 9 min read Spelling & grammar Adjectives: Types, Order and Examples An adjective is a word that describes or limits a noun or pronoun: a tall building, three apples, this book. English adjectives do not change for number or gend Nov 1, 2026 · 11 min read Spelling & grammar Adverbs: Definition, Types and Examples An adverb is a word that modifies a verb, an adjective, another adverb or a whole sentence. It usually answers how, when, where, how often or how much: she spok Nov 1, 2026 · 11 min read Academic writing APA 7 Citation Guide: In-Text Citations and References With Examples APA 7 uses author-date citations. In the text, give the author surname and year, such as (Okafor, 2019); use "&" for two authors and "et al." from three. At the Nov 1, 2026 · 10 min read Business & email How to Write an Apology Email: Steps, Templates and Phrases to Avoid A good apology email does four things in order: acknowledge what went wrong, own your part without excuses, say how you are fixing it, and explain how you will Nov 1, 2026 · 7 min read Content & social media Appreciation Messages for Colleagues, Teachers and Friends An appreciation message works when it names what the person did, what difference it made and how you feel about it. "Thank you for staying late on the Hendricks Nov 1, 2026 · 9 min read Academic writing Bibliography vs Reference List vs Works Cited These are the end-of-paper source lists of different citation styles. APA and Harvard use a reference list, MLA uses a Works Cited page, and Chicago uses a bibl Nov 1, 2026 · 6 min read Content & social media Birthday Wishes: 45+ Messages for Friends, Family, Bosses and Colleagues A good birthday wish is short, warm and about the person, not about birthdays in general. Use the formula name, one specific detail, one wish: "Happy birthday, Nov 1, 2026 · 10 min read Business & email CC vs BCC in Email: What They Mean and When to Use Each To is for the people who must act, CC (carbon copy) is for people who should be kept informed, and BCC (blind carbon copy) hides recipients from everyone else. Nov 1, 2026 · 9 min read Spelling & grammar Complex Sentences: Definition, Subordinators, Comma Rules and Examples A complex sentence contains one independent clause (a complete thought) and at least one dependent clause that cannot stand alone, joined by a subordinator such Nov 1, 2026 · 7 min read Spelling & grammar Conditional Sentences: Zero, First, Second, Third and Mixed (With Formulas and Exercises) A conditional sentence has an if-clause (the condition) and a main clause (the result). English has four basic types: zero (if you heat ice, it melts), first (i Nov 1, 2026 · 10 min read Spelling & grammar Conjunctions: Coordinating, Subordinating and Correlative (With Examples and Comma Rules) A conjunction is a word that joins words, phrases or clauses. English has three kinds: coordinating (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so), subordinating (because, a Nov 1, 2026 · 10 min read Spelling & grammar Contractions in English: Full List, Apostrophe Rules and When to Avoid Them A contraction is a shortened form of two words in which an apostrophe marks the missing letters: do not becomes don't, it is becomes it's, should have becomes s Nov 1, 2026 · 9 min read Career Cover Letter Examples for 15 Jobs (and What Makes Each Work) A strong cover letter is one page, names the job in the first sentence and backs each claim with something you did. Below are fifteen short annotated examples, Nov 1, 2026 · 11 min read Career Cover Letter Format: Layout, Length and a Template You Can Copy A cover letter is one page: your contact details, the date, the employer's name and address, a greeting, three or four short paragraphs, a sign-off and your nam Nov 1, 2026 · 9 min read Career CV vs Resume: What Is the Difference (and Which Should You Send)? A resume is a short, targeted summary of your work history, usually one or two pages. A curriculum vitae (CV) is a fuller record of your career, common in acade Nov 1, 2026 · 7 min read Spelling & grammar Em Dash (—): How to Type It, How to Use It and Why It Does Not Prove AI Wrote a Text An em dash (—) is a long dash, about the width of a capital M, used to set off an aside, mark an abrupt break or add emphasis. On Windows type Alt+0151 on the n Nov 1, 2026 · 8 min read Business & email Email Etiquette: 20 Rules for Professional Emails (With Examples) Good email etiquette means writing so the reader can act without a follow-up: a specific subject line, the request in the first lines, a polite and neutral tone Nov 1, 2026 · 9 min read Business & email Email Subject Lines: Rules and 60 Examples by Situation A good subject line says what the email is about and what you need, in the first few words. Be specific, put the key detail first, keep it short enough for a ph Nov 1, 2026 · 8 min read Academic writing Et al., Ibid., Op. Cit.: Citation Abbreviations Explained Et al. means "and others" and replaces the names of additional authors. APA 7 uses it from three authors on; MLA 9 does too. Ibid. means "in the same place" and Nov 1, 2026 · 7 min read Academic writing Falsely Flagged as AI? Causes and Next Steps If an AI detector flagged writing you did yourself, stay calm: detector scores are statistical estimates, not proof, and they can be wrong, especially for formu Nov 1, 2026 · 7 min read Academic writing 25 Figures of Speech With Definitions, Examples and a Quiz A figure of speech is a word or phrase used in a non-literal way to create an effect, such as a comparison, emphasis or humour. Common figures include simile, m Nov 1, 2026 · 10 min read Content & social media First, Second and Third Person Point of View (With Examples) First person uses I and we, second person uses you, and third person uses he, she, it and they. Grammatical person is about pronouns; point of view in storytell Nov 1, 2026 · 9 min read Academic writing The Five-Paragraph Essay: Template, Example and When to Move Beyond It A five-paragraph essay has an introduction with a thesis, three body paragraphs that each make one point, and a conclusion. It is a good training structure and Nov 1, 2026 · 8 min read

About these guides

Every article here starts from a real question — "affect or effect?", "how do I paraphrase without plagiarizing?", "how do I end a professional email?" — and answers it in the first paragraph before moving on to explanations, examples and exceptions. Spelling and usage follow Merriam-Webster for American English and Oxford for British English, and where the two differ, both are shown. Citation guides follow the official APA, MLA and Chicago manuals. Sources are named in each article, and every page carries an update date. How the guides are produced, including where AI assistance is used, is explained in the Editorial & AI policy.

Looking for one word pair? Open Commonly confused words. Need a short definition? See the glossary. Would rather get straight to work? Every tool is free with no sign-up. Guides for other languages are written natively on each language edition — the Indonesian guides, for example, follow KBBI and EYD V.