Word Smarts

The Oxford comma sits at the center of one of the great debates of the English language. This punctuation mark — the comma often used before “and” in a series — inspires surprisingly strong opinions, dividing journalists, teachers, editors, and authors. In recent years, the debate over its usage has become something of a marker of grammar cred. While some consider it esse...

No matter where in the world you live, there’s a term to describe people from that location. These words are known as demonyms, and in many cases, they simply take the name of that location and tack on a suffix. For example, folks from the United States of America ...

While members of royalty are more often known by their titles and first names, they do still have family names in most cases. The current heir to the British throne, for example, is William, Prince of Wales. He and his wife, Catherine, Princess of Wales, do not have an official last name, nor do their children, Princes George and Louis and Princess Charlotte. However, for...

Despite the many rules that govern its usage, punctuation is not set in stone. Over the last half-century, it has evolved to adapt to changes in publishing, technology, and communication. It still provides structure and clarity to all forms of writing, from formal legal documents to casual texting conversations. But with changes such as disappearing spaces and emotionally...

The concept of prom is one deeply embedded in American culture — but high school kids haven’t always had to fret over tuxedos, corsages and “promposals.” The tradition isn’t all that old, comparatively speaking, having first emerged in the late 19th ...