This is part of the difference between series. The following is a reader submission: Please detail the difference between “who” and “whom” in the following phrase: . . . which helped to shape me into (who/whom) I am today. Carmen Thanks for writing, Carmen. This is a tricky one. The key to determining whether to… Continue reading Difference between who and whom
Author: Kim Siever
I am a copywriter and copyeditor. I blog on writing and social media tips mostly, but I sometimes throw in my thoughts about running a small business.
Follow me on Twitter at @hotpepper.
Difference between that and which
This is the fifth part of the difference between series. Two words commonly confused with each other are “that” and “which”. So much so that it has become common in many circles to not differentiate between the two. As a result, some people may disagree with my explanation. Nevertheless, I offer it here for some… Continue reading Difference between that and which
Deaf and online videos
One thing I noticed while watching videos online (YouTube, MetaCafe, Google Video, etc) is that there is rarely any text accompanying the video. It isn’t much of an issue if it’s a prank video or a Japanese game show, but when there’s a lot of speaking parts, there’s rarely any captioning. I wonder what hearing… Continue reading Deaf and online videos
Difference between its and it’s
This is the fourth part of the difference between series. One of the most common grammatical mistakes I see is using it’s instead of its. Or vice versa. Telling the difference is really easy actually. It’s is a contraction. A contraction is a word formed by omitting or combining some of the sounds of a… Continue reading Difference between its and it’s
My photo chosen for a guide
The following photo of mine was chosen for inclusion in the Schmap Vancouver Guide.
Lethbridge College Logo Review
My alma mater, Lethbridge Community College recently changed their name by dropping “community”. To go along with it, they unveiled a new branding strategy (including a new logo). Here’s the old logo: Here’s the new logo: I really like the new logo. The old one, of course, seemed dated. The new one looks very fresh.… Continue reading Lethbridge College Logo Review
Difference between insure and ensure
This is part of the difference between series. Having worked in a university for over 6 years, I’ve been exposed to a lot of academic writing. The only thing worse than academic writing is business writing. Considering I work in a faculty of management, I get to see the worst of both worlds. Apparently, there… Continue reading Difference between insure and ensure
Difference between lie and lay
This is the second part of the difference between series. Another common misuse I hear is that of “lie” and “lay”. Most of the misuse I see is the use of “lay” when the speaker means “lie”. Lie means to recline, and lay means to put or to place. An easy way to tell the… Continue reading Difference between lie and lay
Difference between affect and effect
This is the fourth part of the difference between series. I’ve seen this before, and just this week in fact. Some people confuse the words “affect” and “effect”. Here’s the difference. Affect is a verb, and effect is a noun. Here are some examples: What effect did the rain have on the crops? This unbearable… Continue reading Difference between affect and effect
You say, Wallah. I say, Walla.
Actually, I say, voilà. Like it’s supposed to be pronounced. Leave it to people-too-lazy-to-use-a-dictionary to bastardize such a common word. It’s voilà. Not wallah. Not walla. Not any other homophone rhyming with walla. Sigh. Oh, and technically, it’s bulla not boo-yah.