Angela Williams Duea's Page

There are only 3 main uses for the apostrophe, yet using the apostrophe properly is a confusing task. This article describes the proper uses and improper uses, to help people improve their writing.

The beloved apostrophe is intended to do three main things: to show possession, to show omission, and to make plurals in rare, special cases.

Apostrophe’s purpose number one: apostrophes are excellent indicators of possession. There is an example of this at the beginning of this sentence. If… Continue

We work in a global environment - one that changes every day. Miscommunication and unclear business writing can cost your company business or create misunderstandings among coworkers around the globe. The following tips and guidelines can help you avoid common errors in communication.

1. Avoid references to time of day or year, as coworkers around the globe will be in different time zones and different seasons. Rather than saying "this evening", say "at 6 p.m. Eastern Standard Time". Rather tha… Continue

Did you know that the English language continues to evolve? It is an odd language, and the contributions of many linguistic traditions make our spelling so difficult. For example, why is salmon pronounced "sammin"? Why is philosophical pronounced "filosofikal?"

Maybe it's my appreciation of Spanish, with its clear pronounciation and spelling, that has me thinking such things. And yet, I see people misspelling and simplifying English all the time. Think about how often you see "easy" spelled "EZ… Continue

I've become more aware lately of laziness in writing and speaking - I'm certainly guilty of this, and notice it in others as well. There seem to certain phrases that we tend to spout without really thinking or without making the effort to say something original. While we can't all command the language with flair and creativity, I've recently pondered some common sayings. Here's what I've been thinking:


Can we say "in this day" without "and age"?
Can we cease without also desisting?
Can't we th… Continue

Does the title sound a little funny to you? It should. It ends with a preposition - a word that links nouns, pronouns and phrases to other words in a sentence, and tells the place of the noun, pronoun, or phrase in space or time.

Examples: in, behind, with, within, past, beneath, along, under.

In English the preposition usually comes before or very close to its object. And generally it's considered a no-no to end a sentence with a preposition.

However, that rule is not ironclad. If the senten… Continue