Each and Every–What’s the difference?

Each vs. every is a common grammar issue, even for proficient writers, because let’s face it—they’re very similar words. Although both words refer to something that is singular, each refers to an individual object or person, while the term every refers to a group of objects or people lumped together as one. For example, consider the following sentences:

Every artist is sensitive.

Each artist sees things differently.

Each vs. Every (Two Objects)

In addition, the word each is used when there are only two objects in question. Consider these examples:

Jessica wore anklets on each ankle.

Jessica wore anklets on every ankle.

Each vs. Every (More than Two Objects)

When the quantifier refers to more than two objects, each and every can sometimes be used interchangeably. Look at the sentences below:

The bride received each item on her registry.

The bride received every item on her registry.

Each and Every

It is common to see each and every used alongside one another for emphasis as illustrated in the following sentence:

The bride received each and every item on her registry.

Note that although this is a common usage, it may not be acceptable in formal writing.

How to Use “Former” vs. “Latter”

The terms former and latter are words used to distinguish between two things. Former directs us to the first of these two things, and latter directs us to the second (or last) of them. Do not use former or latter when you are writing about more than two things.

Former and latter are words that sound old-fashioned to some people, and indeed they are very old words.

According to the Online Etymological Dictionary, former derives from the Old English word forma, meaning “first.” By the 12th century, former was used to mean “first, earliest in time or order,” and by the 1580s, it arrived at its present meaning, “the first of two.”Latter has a similar history. In Old English, lætra was the comparative form of “late” and latter had arrived at its present meaning of “the second of two” by the 1550s. It is a relative of our modern word later.

”Former” vs. “Latter”: Remembering Which Is Which Couldn’t Be Easier

When using former and latter to distinguish between two things, remember “F for first, L for last.”

The Simpsons and Game of Thrones are both great shows, but I prefer the former.

This writer is a fan of The Simpsons, which is the first show mentioned.

She thinks polar bears and hamsters are both cute, but I could only recommend the latter as a pet.

This writer holds a belief that hamsters, the last animal mentioned, is the better of the two companions for a human.

Keep in mind that it isn’t a good idea to overuse former and latter in any one piece of writing. Readers tend to be confused by this because it essentially asks the reader to glance back at the two items to reference which item was listed first and which was last. If you ask your readers to perform too many mental maneuvers, they tend to lose interest quickly. However, in academic writing it can be very useful. Naturally, because these terms refer to items in a list, never use them in spoken language, because there is nothing for the listener to go back and refer to—they are just words in the wind.

Never Use “Former” and “Latter” with Lists of More Than Two

Here’s a tip: The principal caveat about using former and latter is this: these are words that can only be applied to two things, never three (or more).

My hobbies are singing, playing the piano, and dancing, but the former is my true passion.

My hobbies are singing, playing the piano, and dancing, but the first is my true passion.

8 Writing Tools Every Writer Should Know About

As a writer, you may be working harder than you need to if you are not using the available tools for your job. The old adage “there’s no need to reinvent the wheel” certainly applies to this situation. Have no fear, we’re here to help with eight writing tools that all writers should consider adding to their toolboxes.

1 LiveScribe Pen

Do you get writing inspiration from your daily life? You may jot notes on paper, but how often do you lose or forget about them? Your problem has a solution. The LiveScribe 3 smartpen uses Bluetooth technology to send your drawings and notes to your mobile device. The LiveScribe notebooks use a special pattern on its paper to accurately record your pen strokes, but you can also print single sheets for free with a laser printer. If you prefer to dictate notes, the pen also captures audio with a built-in microphone.

2 Computer Glasses

Everybody who uses a computer extensively is susceptible to eyestrain, but writers are especially at risk because of their frequent reading habits. According to the American Optometric Association, you may be at risk for symptoms such as blurry vision, light sensitivity, and burning or itchy eyes if you spend as little as two hours in front of a computer monitor. They also caution that the eyeglasses or contact lenses you normally use may not be adequate for heavy computer use. Ask your doctor about special lenses, coatings, and tints.

3 Ergonomic desks and chairs

The ideal placement of a computer screen is about four to five inches below eye level and at least twenty inches from your face. Standing desks promote productivity, but a good chair can also contribute to efficiency. Choose a chair that is comfortable and provides back and arm support. Staples, an office furniture distributor, explains that ergonomic chairs should be fitted to the body dimensions of the user, thereby reducing “strain and muscle tension.”

4 Grammarly

Of course, we couldn’t list our favorite writing tools without mentioning Grammarly! The app does more than identify grammar and spelling mistakes; it provides deep explanations of grammar rules and suggested corrections. You can install Grammarly as an extension for Chrome, Safari, or Firefox web browsers for free, or check longer pieces of writing in Grammarly’s online text editor. Grammarly Premium, a paid service, checks for a wider variety of errors, detects plagiarism, and offers style and vocabulary enhancements.

5 Foldable Keyboards

Did you know you can type using your smartphone or tablet? Most writers would balk because of the impracticality of typing a long document on a tiny touchscreen. However, a foldable keyboard can enable you to get work done on the go. Bluetooth keyboards have been around for a while, but some people found them bulky and unmanageable because they were almost as big as a tablet. New foldable keyboards offer convenience in a small package. For example, the Microsoft Universal Foldable Keyboard is just under twelve inches open, but it collapses down to under six inches when closed. Don’t throw out your laptop, though, because portable keyboards aren’t intended for extended use.

6 Contently

Contently hosts a wealth of resources for freelance writers, such as tips, job openings, and online portfolio hosting. For instance, the article “5 Red Flags to Look for in a Contract” explains the legal terms that might boggle a freelancer into a bad agreement. Contently also offers writing jobs on its website. Even if you don’t see a job that suits you today, you can create a free online portfolio to showcase your work to potential clients. The Contently algorithm will automatically search your portfolio and forward it if you match the skills required for a writing project.

7 Twords

Twords describes itself as “the web app that nudges you to write.” The app operates based on three principles—awareness, accountability, and consistency. Twords makes you aware of your writing habits by tracking how much you write each day and month. “Accountability buddies” notify you when you miss several days of writing. If you get writer’s block, you can consult a library of prompts, set a timer to challenge yourself to write for a specific amount of time, or read an article about the habits of successful authors.

8 Evernote

Evernote is a software program that syncs digital items across all your devices. For example, suppose you are at the office and you want to consult a website that you viewed on your desktop last night at home. Or you are at the gym and you want to access a photograph or an email, but all you have is your smartphone. You can set up Evernote to monitor certain folders on your computers. Anything that you add to the folder is accessible from all your tech gadgets. You can even search your notes if you don’t remember where you saved something.

What’s your go-to writing tool? Let us know in the comments section of this post.

Breath vs. Breathe

• Breathe is a verb we use for the process of inhaling and exhaling.
• Breath is a noun that refers to a full cycle of breathing. It can also refer to the air that is inhaled or exhaled.
• Both words can be used in several different ways and are part of many phrases and idioms.

You know when it gets really cold outside, and you exhale and see the steam coming out of your mouth? Is it your breath that you’re seeing or is it your breathe? Do we need to breath so we can live, or do we need to breathe? Clearly there’s a difference between breath and breathe, a difference that extends beyond that extra “e” that appears at the end of one of them. Breath vs. breathe is a dilemma you shouldn’t be having, so let’s settle it once and for all.

How Do You Spell Breath or Breathe?

The difference between breath and breathe is a matter of word class: one of the two is a noun and the other is a verb. It’s also easy to see the connection between them, with the noun being the product of the action we describe with the verb. But with a difference of only one letter between them, breath and breathe still get mixed up when people are not clear about which one is the noun and which one is the verb.

The shorter one, breath, is the noun, and the longer one, breathe is the verb. Both have multiple meanings and uses, and are a common component of many idioms.

How to Use Breath, the Noun

The literal meaning of the noun breath is tied to the exchange of gasses we commonly refer to as breathing. In that sense, breath can refer to the process of breathing in general or the ability to breathe. You can also use breath to refer to a full cycle of breathing. For example, when you’re doing yoga, you might need to hold a pose for five breaths. Breath can also be used when we speak about the air we breath in and out during the process of breathing.

If you’d like to move away from the literal meaning of the word, you can also use breath when you’re talking about a small amount of something, usually wind. Also, breath is commonly used to signify a pause or rest, as in the phrases “take a breath” or “catch breath.”

How to Use Breathe, the Verb

Breathing is a process by which we take air into our lungs, get oxygen from it, and expel carbon dioxide back into our surroundings. At least, that’s one of the ways the verb “breathe” can be used as an intransitive verb. You can also use it to say that something allows free passage or circulation of air. That’s why you might hear someone mention an article of clothing that “breathes.” But wine can also be allowed to breathe, so the verb can also mean that something is exposed to air. Figuratively, you can also use breathe to say that something is alive.

As a transitive verb, “breathe” can be used to say that we use something in breathing – we breathe air, but we don’t breathe water. If you add “in” or “out,” breathe can be synonymous with “inhale” or “exhale.” But you can also say that you breathe life into a party, or that you breathe an air of mystery, so in these senses, you can use breathe as you would “impart” or “have.”

Breath and Breathe in Idioms

Breath and breathe appear in a number of idioms. When you say you need room to breathe, you’re saying you need freedom or more space to do something. When someone is breathing down your neck, either you’re under scrutiny or someone is chasing you and it seems they are catching up to you. When you say you can breathe easily now, you could be saying that you’re feeling relieved.

To take one’s breath away is to surprise them. When someone says that you shouldn’t hold your breath, it usually means you shouldn’t hope. A breath of fresh air is someone or something that challenges staleness. You can say something under your breath, which means to say it quietly, or do something in the same breath as something else, which means to do it simultaneously.

Examples of Breath and Breathe

“I realized as I watched him fight for breath, that his life was as important to him as mine is to me.” —The Huffington Post

“Press your shoulder blades down and keep your head and neck relaxed. Hold this for 5-10 breaths.” —The Daily Mail

“Many people find observing their breath flowing in and out is a good way to stay mindful.” —BBC

“Hardly a breath of wind: the silence that emphasizes a city’s fate.” —The Independent

“Canada wildfire: Firefighters catch a breath as rain helps in oil sands fire battle.” —ABC

“Children with sickle cell disease may breathe easier when they’re given hydroxyurea…” —WebMD

“Designers sweat the details to let athletic clothes breathe.” —The Washington Post

“Allowing a wine to ‘breathe’ is simply a process of exposing it to air for a period of time before serving.” —Total Wine

“Steve has a real feeling for red wine; he lives and breathes red wine.” —The Australian

“More than 80 percent of people living in urban areas that monitor air pollution breathe air that exceeds WHO air quality limits, according to the report, which was released Thursday.” —ThinkProgress

“Committee member Rebecca Pow, the Conservative MP for Taunton Deane, appeared taken aback by the idea that people could be breathing in plastics.” —The Independent

“All that hustling to breathe life into Main Street may have been the easy part.” —The Orange County Register

“The Memorial Day parade in Hamburg breathes an air of mystery.” —Livingston Daily

Which is your favorite rule?

What Language Do the Minions Speak?

The Minions have their own movie now, but before 2015, they starred alongside the lovable villain Gru in the Despicable Me movie series. Like all top actors, the Minions deliver many quotes that fans love to repeat. However, the quotes you hear from Minion fans are likely to be things like “Ngaaahaaa! Patalaki patalaku Big Boss!” What does that mean? What language do the Minions speak?

To answer that, you have to turn to the creator of the language. Minionese is not a real world language. Directors Pierre Coffin and Kyle Balda say that they borrowed cool vocabulary from existing world languages and combined them with funny sounds and gibberish to create Minionese.

Minion Words

Anyone who knows Minions knows that there’s one word they love to say—banana! Some fans even call their language “banana language.” When Minions say banana, they are usually talking about the fruit. However, there are plenty of other food words in their vocabulary. They sing a song that features banana and potato. They also reportedly say poulet tiki masala; poulet means chicken in French and tikka masala is the name of an Indian dish. They count to three in Korean and say thank you in intentionally mispronounced English. You can find fan-created Minion word sites on the Internet if you want to learn more.

How to Speak Minion

Speaking like a Minion isn’t just a matter of making nonsensical sounds with foreign words thrown in here and there. Minions talk a lot like babies. Think of it—banana is reminiscent of baby babble—ba-na-na. They use a lot of Bs and Ps, some of the first sounds that babies master. And they talk in cute little voices that lilt upwards.

Will you see the next Minion film or rewatch one of the old ones? If you do, keep an ear open for the languages you know how to speak. You might hear a phrase you recognize. Report what you think the phrases mean below!

Future Perfect

The future perfect is a verb tense used for actions that will be completed before some other point in the future.

The parade will have ended by the time Chester gets out of bed. At eight o’clock I will have left.

Key words: Verb, past participle, tense, preposition

The future perfect tense is for talking about an action that will be completed between now and some point in the future. Imagine that your friend Linda asks you to take care of her cat for a few days while she goes on a trip. She wants you to come over today at noon so she can show you where to find the cat food and how to mash it up in the bowl just right so that Fluffy will deign to eat it. But you’re busy this afternoon, so you ask Linda if you can come at eight o’clock tonight instead.

“No, that won’t work! At eight o’clock I will have left already,” she says.

What does the future perfect tell us here? It tells us that Linda is going to leave for her trip some time after right now, but before a certain point in the future (eight o’clock tonight). She probably shouldn’t have waited until the last minute to find a cat sitter.

The Future Perfect Formula

The formula for the future perfect tense is pretty simple: will have + [past participle]. It doesn’t matter if the subject of your sentence is singular or plural. The formula doesn’t change.

When to Use the Future Perfect Tense

Sometimes, you can use the future perfect tense and the simple future tense interchangeably. In these two sentences, there is no real difference in meaning because the word before makes the sequence of events clear:

Linda will leave before you get there. Linda will have left before you get there.

But without prepositions such as before or by the time that make the sequence of events clear, you need to use the future perfect to show what happened first.

At eight o’clock Linda will leave. (This means that Linda will wait until 8 o’clock to leave.) At eight o’clock Linda will have left. (This means Linda will leave before 8 o’clock.)

When Not to Use the Future Perfect Tense

The future perfect tense is only for actions that will be complete before a specified point in the future. In other words, the action you’re talking about must have a deadline. If you don’t mention a deadline, use the simple future tense instead of the future perfect tense.

Linda will leave.

Linda will have left.

The deadline can be very specific (eight o’clock) or it can be vague (next week). It can even depend on when something else happens (after the parade ends). It just has to be some time in the future.

How to make the Future Perfect Negative

Making a negative future perfect construction is easy! Just insert not between will and have.

We will not have eaten breakfast before we get to the airport tomorrow morning. They will not have finished decorating the float before the parade.

You can also use the contraction won’t in the place of will not. They won’t have finished decorating the float before the parade.

How to Ask a Question

The formula for asking a question in the future perfect tense is will + [subject] + have + [past participle]:

Will you have eaten lunch already when we arrive? Will they have finished decorating the float before the parade?

Prepositional Phrases that Often Go With the Future Perfect

By this time next week, Linda will have left for her trip. Three days from now, we will have finished our project. At midnight, the party will have ended. Will you have eaten already? Chester will not have arrived by the time the parade is over. When I travel to France, I will have been to ten countries. My sister will have cleaned the bathroom before the party. As soon as someone buys this chair, I will have sold all the furniture I wanted to get rid of.

Common Regular Verbs in the Future Perfect Tense

Common Irregular Verbs in the Future Perfect Tense

*Be careful when using the verb “to be” in the future perfect tense. The construction is easy to confuse with the future perfect continuous tense.

**The past participle of “to get” is gotten in American English. In British English, the past participle is got.