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Both farther and further may be used to mean 'at, to, or by a greater distance' (Oxford English Dictionary). They are equally correct and can be used interchangeably in examples such as these:
How much further is it?
I can't walk any farther.
Mary had travelled much further than John.
The toy shop is farther away than the bakery.
Read moreEach week proofreader Hannah Jones discusses and offers a remedy to common problems we encounter when writing. Today she explains what comma splices are and how to avoid creating them.
A comma splice (sometimes referred to as a run-on sentence) occurs when a comma is incorrectly used to link two independent clauses.
Unsure of what exactly constitutes an independent clause? Let's have a quick recap. An independent clause is one which can stand by itself as a sentence and expresses a complete thought.
Read moreEach week proofreader Hannah Jones discusses and offers a remedy to common problems we encounter when writing. Today she gives advice on how to form the plurals of compound nouns.
Why is it grown-ups but runners-up? What is the plural of Poet Laureate? Why is it all so confusing? These are all questions I have asked myself while writing or proofreading. As always, there are no hard-and-fast rules, but here are some general guidelines on how to form the plurals of those pesky compound nouns.
Read moreEach week proofreader Hannah Jones discusses and offers a remedy to common problems we encounter when writing. Today she discusses brackets and whether punctuation should appear inside or outside them.
Round brackets (or parentheses) are typically used to set apart information that is supplemental or incidental to the main thought. This information may be in the form of a word, a phrase or even a full sentence.
No matter what is inside the brackets, a sentence must still make sense if the brackets and their contents are deleted.
Read moreEach week proofreader Hannah Jones discusses and offers a remedy to common problems we encounter when writing. Today she demonstrates when e.g. and i.e. should be used.
The abbreviations e.g. and i.e. are often confused, leading to them being used almost interchangeably, but there is an important distinction between the two. Using them correctly ensures you are able to get your intended meaning across.
Read moreOne of the main reasons people hire proofreaders is because a spell checker can only go so far in ensuring a text is free from errors. Perhaps the most notable limitation of spell checkers is that, as long as a word is spelled correctly, it will not be queried even if it is the wrong word to use in that context.
Today, I discuss some of the most commonly confused words I encounter when proofreading.
Read moreThe semicolon is a punctuation mark that many people feel unsure when to use. Friends tell me that they just stick one in when they feel like it, to make their writing look more interesting or more professional.
Many of us were so encouraged to employ semicolons during exams, to demonstrate our full range of punctuation prowess, that we still feel the need to liberally sprinkle them into our writing, without being entirely certain that we're using them correctly.
So when should a semicolon be used? Are they even necessary in these times where punctuation is being used more and more sparingly?
Read moreA question many of us spend far too long agonising over. At one time or another, we have all sat staring at a compound word, wondering, ‘Should I use a hyphen? Or is it all one word? Or is it two separate words?’ Even with the most common of phrases, it is difficult not to second-guess ourselves.
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