Ms. Particular's Micro-Lectures on Style and Usage

These brief “lessons” are designed to addresss common mistakes in technical writing and to administer instruction in small, palatable doses. They're all PDF files. Feedback is welcomed, but you're probably not going to change Ms. P's mind. Just so you know.

Ms. Particular Presents: Ability, Capability, or Capacity?

Ms. Particular Presents: Absolutes

Ms Particular Presents: Accord vs. Accordance

Ms. Particular Presents: Accurate vs. Precise

Ms. Particular Presents: Acknowledgments

Ms Particular Presents: Alternate vs. Alternative

Ms. Particulat Presents: Amount vs. Number

Ms. Particular Presents: Complement vs. Compliment (with data!)

Ms. Particular Presents: Comparisons

Ms Particular Presents: Compose vs. Comprise

Ms. Particular Presents: Conjunctive Adverbs

Ms. Particular Presents: Damage vs. Damages

Ms. Particular Presents: Discreet vs. Discrete

Ms Particular Presents: Detract vs. Distract

Ms. Particular Presents: Dramatic vs. Drastic

Ms. Particular Presents: The Last Word on "Due To"

Ms. Particular Presents: Envelop vs. Envelope

Ms. Particular Presents: Etc.

Ms. Particular Presents: Fact

Ms. Particular Presents: Innate vs. Inherent

Ms. Particular Presents: In order

Ms. Particular Presents: Introductory Commas

Ms. Particular Presents: Like vs. Such as

Ms. Particular Presents: Mass Nouns vs. Collective Nouns

Ms. Particular Presents: Naked "This"

Ms. Particular Presents: Need

Ms. Particular Presents: Only

Ms Particular Presents: Optimal vs. Optimum

Ms. Particular Presents: Principal vs. Principle

Ms. Particular Presents: Quotation Marks

Ms. Particular Presents: Setup vs. Set up

Ms. Particular Presents: That vs. Which

Ms. Particular Presents: Validity vs. Veracity

Ms. Particular Presents: Hypenating Well Words

Ms. Particular Presents: With

Brought to you by the Grammar Police, Celia M. Elliott, Commissioner.

---

All lecture materials are copyrighted by the Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois and others. All rights are reserved.

Permission to use, copy, and distribute these materials exclusively for not-for-profit educational uses is hereby granted, provided the materials are not modified and proper acknowledgment is made of the source.

---