Writing Tips Plus
From: Translation Bureau
Use this tool to find answers to your questions on grammar, punctuation, spelling and other difficulties of the English language.
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This tool is available in English only. However, you can find similar content on difficulties of the French language in Clés de la rédaction.
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A
- a, an
- a- (prefix)
- a-, an-
- ab-
- abbreviations: acronyms and initialisms
- abbreviations: ampersand
- abbreviations: business terms and symbols
- abbreviations: capitals and hyphens
- abbreviations: corporate names
- abbreviations: days and months
- abbreviations: degrees and distinctions
- abbreviations: general guidelines
- abbreviations: geographical names
- abbreviations: imperial system
- abbreviations: International System of Units (SI)
- abbreviations: latitude and longitude
- abbreviations: military abbreviations
- abbreviations: monetary units
- abbreviations: netspeak
- abbreviations: number symbols
- abbreviations: parts of a book or document
- abbreviations: periods
- abbreviations: plurals
- abbreviations: scientific and technical terms
- abbreviations: time zones
- abbreviations: titles with personal names
- abeyance, hold in abeyance
- abide, abide by
- about, approximately, approximately about, around, roughly, roughly about
- above-mentioned, aforementioned
- abreast, keep abreast of
- absolute phrases
- absolutely essential
- abstain, abstain from, abstain in, abstain on
- accede to
- accord (of one’s own)
- accordance, according to, in accordance to, in accordance with
- according to our records
- accountable for, accountable to
- accuracy, precision
- accurate, precise
- acquiesce in, acquiesce to, acquiesce with
- act on, act upon
- action verbs
- active voice, passive voice, voice
- acu-
- addresses on envelopes and parcels (Linguistic recommendation from the Translation Bureau)
- addresses: official languages
- adequate amount of, adequate number of, enough
- adjective
- adjective clause
- adjective comparison
- adverb clause
- adverb comparison
- adverbs
- adverse, adverse to, averse to
- advice, advise
- aero-
- affect, effect
- Afghan, afghani, Pashto, Pashtun
- Afro-
- agenda, agendas
- aggravate
- aging, ageing
- agree on, agree to, agree with
- agreeable
- agro-
- Alberta, Alta., AB
- Albertan, Franco-Albertan
- all over again, again
- all ready, already
- all right, alright
- all together, altogether
- all-time record
- alliteration
- allo-
- allow for, allow to, make allowance for
- allude, elude
- allusion, illusion
- almost without exception
- alternate(ly), alternative(ly)
- alumna, alumnus
- a.m., p.m. (morning, afternoon)
- a mari usque ad mare
- ambi-
- American dollar (symbol) (Linguistic recommendation from the Translation Bureau)
- Americo-
- amount, number
- an abundance of
- analyze, analyse
- and so as a result
- and, as well as
- and/or
- Anglo- (combining form)
- anniversary, birthday
- answer for, answer to
- ante-
- anti- (prefix)
- anticipate
- anxious about, anxious at, anxious for, anxious to
- any, every, no, some
- apostrophe: contractions
- apostrophe: plurals
- apostrophe: possession
- apparent, evident, obvious
- appear, seem
- appositives
- appraise, apprise
- approval of, approval to, approve, approve of
- aqua-, aqui-
- Arabo-
- arch-
- Armeno-
- around
- as a consequence of
- as a result of the fact that
- as far as
- ascend, ascent, assent
- aspire after, aspire to
- associate to, associate with
- assume, presume
- assure, ensure, insure
- asterisk at end of sentence
- astro-
- Atlantic Daylight Time, Atlantic Standard Time, ADT, AST
- Atlantic provinces
- attention, attentive, attentiveness
- at that point in time, at this point in time
- audit and derived terms (Linguistic recommendation from the Translation Bureau)
- Austro-
- avenge, revenge, vengeance
- aware of
- Azerbaijani, Azeri
B
- back up, backup
- bad
- bad, badly
- bandwagon
- Batavo-
- BC, BCE, Before Christ, Before the Christian Era, Before the Common Era
- be-
- be advised that
- bear a resemblance to
- beaver fever, beaver-fever
- because of the fact that
- beg off
- beg the question
- begin at
- begin by
- begin from
- begin on
- begin to
- begin with
- begin, commence, start
- behaviour, behavioural, behaviourism
- Belgo-
- below, beneath, under
- benefit by, benefit from
- benefits to, benefits of, for the benefit of
- be of the opinion that
- Beothuk
- be prohibited from
- beside, besides
- beyond a shadow of a doubt
- beyond the realm of possibility
- bi-
- biannual, biennial, semi-annual
- bias
- biblio-
- bibliographies: arrangement
- bibliographies: articles
- bibliographies: author’s name
- bibliographies: books
- bibliographies: edition
- bibliographies: finding the information for an entry
- bibliographies: general
- bibliographies: order of precedence
- bibliographies: publishing information
- bibliographies: romanization
- bibliographies: secondary responsibility
- bibliographies: secondary source citations
- bibliographies: sources other than books and articles
- bibliographies: titles
- bibliographies: translation
- bibliographies: types of bibliography
- bibliographies: works in a series
- biceps
- billion, B (billion)
- biweekly, bimonthly, biannual
- black-and-white thinking, false dichotomy, false dilemma
- bloc, block
- book off
- born, borne
- both … and
- braces
- breach, breech
- bread-and-butter
- bridgeable
- bring a charge against
- bring into question, call into question
- bring into the open
- bring pressure to bear on
- bring to a close, bring to a conclusion, bring to an end, bring to completion
- bring, take
- British Columbia, B.C., BC
- British Columbian
- broach, brooch
- broad, wide
- Bulgaro-
- Bungee, Bungi
- business letters: attention line
- business letters: block style
- business letters: body of the letter
- business letters: carbon copy notation
- business letters: complimentary close
- business letters: consistency
- business letters: date
- business letters: delivery (mailing) notation
- business letters: enclosure notation
- business letters: indent style
- business letters: inside address
- business letters: length
- business letters: letterhead
- business letters: margins
- business letters: name of person; title; name of organization
- business letters: postscript
- business letters: reference initials
- business letters: reference line
- business letters: salutation
- business letters: signature
- business letters: spacing
- business letters: subject line
- by (a specified time)
- by means of, means
- by reason of the fact that, by virtue of the fact that
- by, near
C
- caddy, caddie
- Caesar, Caesarean, Caesarism
- call a halt to, call an end to
- Calgarian, Calgary, Cowtown, Stampede City
- camomile, chamomile
- Canada Day, Dominion Day
- Canada, kanata
- Canadian dollar (symbol) (Linguistic recommendation from the Translation Bureau)
- Canadianisms: Prairies
- CANDU, Candu
- cannot, can not
- cantaloupe, cantaloup
- canvas, canvass
- capable of
- capacity for
- capital letters for emphasis
- capital, capitol
- capitalization of logos
- capitalization: astronomical terms
- capitalization: biological terms
- capitalization: buildings, monuments and public places
- capitalization: chemical and medical terms
- capitalization: compounds
- capitalization: copyrighted names
- capitalization: cultural periods, movements and styles
- capitalization: deities
- capitalization: family relationships
- capitalization: general points
- capitalization: geographical terms
- capitalization: governments and government bodies
- capitalization: headings
- capitalization: initial words
- capitalization: institutions
- capitalization: legal usage
- capitalization: lists
- capitalization: medals, awards, honours and decorations
- capitalization: member of Parliament
- capitalization: military terms
- capitalization: modes of transportation
- capitalization: parts of a book or document
- capitalization: personal names
- capitalization: personifications and abstractions
- capitalization: political parties and movements
- capitalization: publications and works of art
- capitalization: races; languages; peoples
- capitalization: salutation and complimentary close
- capitalization: school subjects, courses and degrees
- capitalization: scientific names containing personal names
- capitalization: seasons
- capitalization: shortened titles
- capitalization: SI/metric units
- capitalization: single letters used as words
- capitalization: sporting events and trophies
- capitalization: terms indicating time or sequence
- capitalization: terms related to religion
- capitalization: time references, and historical periods and events
- capitalization: titles of office or rank
- capitalization: words derived from proper nouns
- carat, caret, carrot, karat
- Cariboo, caribou
- carousal, carousel, carrousel
- carry out an examination of
- cast, caste
- catalyze, catalyse
- cauldron, caldron
- CEGEP
- censor, censure
- centi-
- Central Daylight Time, Central Standard Time, CDT, CST
- centre on
- chaperone, chaperon
- chapter and verse
- characteristic, distinctive, typical
- chargeable
- Charlottetonian, Charlottetown, Charlottetowner
- Chechen
- check in, check-in
- check, cheque
- chord, cord
- Christmas, Xmas, Nowel, Yule, Twelfth Night
- circum-
- cite, quote
- classic, classical
- clear communication: choose positive over negative phrasing
- clear communication: coherence
- clear communication: overview of the writing process and techniques
- clear communication: polish your paragraphs
- clear communication: reduce redundancy
- clear communication: responsibilities of writers, editors and decision makers
- clear communication: simplify your sentences
- clear communication: transition words
- clear communication: turn nouns into verbs
- clear communication: use clear words and expressions
- clear communication: use the active voice
- clear communication: write clear and effective briefing notes
- clear communication: write relevant and effective emails
- clear verbal communication
- close proximity, in proximity to, proximity
- close scrutiny, scrutiny
- closure, cloture
- cluster together
- co- (prefix)
- co-op, co-operate, co-operative
- collectible, collectable
- collocate, co-locate
- colon
- colour, colourful, coloration
- combat
- combine, combine together
- come as a disappointment
- comma after a clause acting as subject
- comma before because
- commas for clarity and emphasis
- commas for omitted words
- commas in a date
- commas in geographical names and addresses
- commas properly omitted
- commas with absolute phrases
- commas with adjective clauses
- commas with adverb clauses
- commas with appositives
- commas with coordinate elements, serial commas
- commas with direct address
- commas with interjections
- commas with introductory elements
- commas with names and titles
- commas with non-restrictive elements
- commas with parenthetic expressions
- commas with such as
- commas with tag questions
- commend for
- commensurate with
- common, mutual
- compare to, compare with
- compare, contrast
- compass points
- complement, compliment
- completely revolutionize, revolutionize
- complex sentence
- compliment on
- comply with
- compound personal pronouns, reflexive pronouns, intensive pronouns
- compound sentences
- compound-complex sentence
- comprise, constitute, compose
- concern, concerned
- concur with, concur in
- conform to
- conformity with
- conjunctive adverb
- connoisseur, connaisseur
- consensus, consensus of opinion, general consensus
- consist in, consist of
- consistent with
- contend with
- continual, continuous
- contra-
- contrast with
- converge on
- conversant with
- coordinating conjunctions
- correlate with
- correlative conjunctions
- correspond to, correspond with
- could have, could’ve, could of
- council, councillor, counsel, counsellor
- counter-
- couple of, couple more
- cozy, cosy
- Croat, Croatian, Serb, Serbian, Serbo-Croatian, Bosnian-Croatian
- culminate in
- Cypro-
D
- dangling modifiers
- Dano-
- Dari, Farsi, Parsi, Persian
- Dari Persian, Tajik
- data
- date: numeric
- date: order of elements (Linguistic recommendation from the Translation Bureau)
- daylight saving time, daylight time, standard time, summer time
- de-
- De Beaujeu
- decided, decidedly, decisive, decisively
- decimate, decimation
- decision making, decision taking, decision-making, decision-taking
- decision, make a decision, take a decision
- default on
- defective, deficient
- defence, defense, defensive
- defend against, defend from
- definite article with initialisms
- definite, definitive
- definitely, definitively
- delve into
- demi-
- demonstrative pronouns, demonstrative adjectives
- demonyms in Canada
- depart, depart for, depart from
- dependant, dependent
- deprecate, depreciate
- deprive of
- Deputy Governor General
- derivation of, derive from
- description, provide a description, describe
- desert, dessert, just deserts
- designate as
- di-
- dia-
- dialyze, dialyse
- differ from, differ in, differ with
- different from, different than, different to
- different, various
- dilemma
- direct object
- directly, as soon as
- dis-
- disagree, disagree about, disagree on, disagree over, disagree with
- disassociate from, dissociate from
- disc, disk
- discourage from, discouraged about, discouraged at, discouraged by, discouraged over
- discreet, discrete
- disinterested, uninterested
- dispense from, dispense to, dispense with
- divest of
- divide in, divide into, divide in half, divide in two
- doubt but that, doubt that
- downward tumble, tumble
- due to, owing to, because of, on account of
- during such time, during the time that, while
- dyeing, dying
E
- each
- Earth, earth
- Easter
- Eastern Daylight Time, Eastern Standard Time, EDT, EST
- eco, ecological, ecology, environment
- eco-
- economic, economical
- Edmonton, Edmontonian, Gateway to the North
- effect, into effect
- effective, efficient
- effusive, fulsome
- e.g., i.e.
- Egypto-
- either … or, neither … nor
- elaborate, elaborate on
- elegy, eulogy
- elicit, illicit
- eligible, illegible
- elite, elitist
- em-, en-
- email, emails
- email: advantages
- email: disadvantages
- email: introduction
- email: organizational guidelines
- email: presentation
- embark for, embark on, embark upon
- em dash
- emigrate, immigrate, migrate
- eminent, imminent
- enamoured of, enamoured with
- en dash
- endow, endow with
- energize, enervate
- enforceable
- enormity, enormous, enormousness
- envelop, envelope
- epi-
- equally, equally as, just as
- equinox, solstice
- et cetera, etcetera, etc.
- euro, EUR
- Euro-
- ex-
- except in the case of, with the exception of
- excessive number of, too many
- exclamation point
- excuse for, excuse from
- expatriate, ex-patriot
- expertise, expertize
- extra-
- extractable, extractible
- extranet, intranet
F
- face off, face-off, faceoff
- facilitate
- facilitator
- facsimile, fax
- fact, in fact, the fact that, as a matter of fact
- faculty
- fall, autumn
- false cause
- Famous Five
- farther, further, furthermore
- faulty comparisons
- faulty parallelism
- favour, favourable, favouritism
- faze, phase
- febri-
- feel bad, feel badly
- Fenno-, Finno-
- ferri-, ferro-
- few, a few, the few
- fewer, less, lesser
- fibre, fiber
- figuratively, literally, virtually
- Filipino, Pilipino, Tagalog
- financial, fiscal, fiscal year
- financing, funding
- First Nation(s) (Linguistic recommendation from the Translation Bureau)
- first two, two first
- first, firstly
- first, former, last, latter
- flack, flak, flak-catcher
- flair, flare, flare out, flare up, flare-up
- flammable, inflammable, non-flammable, non-inflammable
- flaunt, flout
- flesh out, flush out
- fleur-de-lys, fleur-de-lis
- flier, flyer
- flori-
- floriography, language of flowers
- flounder, founder
- flu, flue, influenza
- fluvi-, fluvio-
- focus
- follow up on, follow up with
- follow-up to
- following, in the wake of, as a result of, after
- for the duration of
- for the reason that
- forbear, forebear
- forbid (someone) to
- fore-
- forecast
- forego, foregoing, foregone, forgo
- foreign imports, imports
- foreseeable
- foreword, preface
- forthwith
- forward, forwards
- fragment, sentence fragment
- Franco-
- Francophone, Anglophone
- Fredericton, Frederictoner, Frederictonian
- free from, free of
- free, for free, free of charge
- French, french
- French typography: abbreviations
- French typography: capitalization
- French typography: italics
- French typography: numerical expressions
- French typography: word division
- fruct-, fructi-
- fun
- future plans
G
- Gaelic
- gambit, gamut
- gastr-, gastro-
- gauntlet
- Gender-inclusive writing: Address the reader directly
- Gender-inclusive writing: Gender-inclusive nouns
- Gender-inclusive writing: Guidelines for translating from French
- Gender-inclusive writing: Guidelines for writing to or about non-binary individuals
- Gender-inclusive writing: Letters and emails
- Gender-inclusive writing: Omit the pronoun
- Gender-inclusive writing: Pluralize the noun
- Gender-inclusive writing: Repeat the noun
- Gender-inclusive writing: Rewrite the sentence
- Gender-inclusive writing: Use an article
- Gender-inclusive writing: Use sentence fragments
- Gender-inclusive writing: Use the imperative
- Gender-inclusive writing: Use the passive voice
- Gender-inclusive writing: Use the pronoun “one”
- Gender-inclusive writing: Use the pronoun “who”
- Gender-inclusive writing: Use the singular “they”
- gender, sex
- geo-
- geographical names: Indian reserves
- geographical names: national parks
- geographical names: scientific and geological names
- geographical names: translation
- geographical names: Treasury Board policy
- geographical names: types and composition
- geographical names: undersea features
- Germano-
- gerund, gerund phrase
- give consideration to, take into consideration
- glacio-
- glamour, glamorize, glamorous
- glyc-, glyco-
- good deal of
- good, goods
- got, gotten
- Government of Canada (Linguistic recommendation from the Translation Bureau)
- Governor General Designate
- graduate from, graduate in
- Graeco-, Greco-
- graffiti, graffito
- gram, g (gram)
- gramin-, gramini-
- grammar terms
- grapho-
- grasp of, have a grasp of
- greenwashing
- grey, gray
- grill, grille
- grisly, grizzled, grizzly
- Group of Seven, G7, G8, G20
- guarantee, guaranty, warranty
- gyro-
H
- hacker, cracker
- Haida
- hail, hail-fellow-well-met, hale, hale and hearty
- Halifax, Haligonian
- Halloween, Hallowe’en
- hang, hanged, hung
- Hanukkah
- hare-brained, hair-brained
- have no choice but to, have no option but to
- have the ability to, have the capability of, have the capability to
- head of government, head of state
- headquarter, headquarters, headquartered
- healthful, healthy
- hecto-
- height
- heli-
- helicopter view
- helio-
- hemi-
- hemo-, haemo-
- henceforth
- hepat-, hepato-
- hereby
- herein
- hereinafter
- hereof
- hereto
- heretofore
- hereunder
- herewith
- heter-, hetero-
- Hiberno-
- hiccough, hiccup
- Hindi, Hindustani, Urdu
- hipp-, hippo-
- hireable, hirable
- Hispano
- historic, historical
- hoard, horde
- hoi polloi
- homo-
- homographs, homonyms, homophones
- Hon., Honourable, Right Honourable, Rt. Hon.
- honor, honorary, honour, honourary
- hopefully
- hors d’oeuvre
- hoser, hosier, Hoosier
- however
- Hudson Bay, Hudson’s Bay
- humour, humourless, humorous, humorist
- Hungaro-
- hydr-, hydro-
- hydro, hydroelectric
- hyper-
- hyphens in number-plus-noun compounds
- hyphens: compound adjectives
- hyphens: compound nouns
- hyphens: compounds beginning with adverbs
- hyphens: fractions
- hyphens: introduction
- hyphens: nouns with adjectives and participles
- hyphens: nouns with gerunds
- hyphens: numbers and units of measurement
- hyphens: numerals and single letters
- hyphens: prefixes
- hyphens: pre-, post-
- hyphens: spelling and enunciation
- hyphens: suffixes
- hyphens: suspended compounds
- hyphens: titles of office
- hyphens: verbs
- hyphens: word division
- hypo-
I
- Ibero-
- ice, iced
- icono-
- ideal, more ideal, most ideal
- ideo-
- idioms: blue-sky
- idioms: get your ducks in a row
- idioms: hat trick
- idioms: in a jiffy
- idioms: pushing the envelope
- if and when, when and if
- if I was, if I were
- if not
- if, whether
- igni-
- ignitable, ignitible
- Île-à-la-Crosse
- illegal, illicit, unlawful
- immanent, imminent
- immune from, immune to
- impinge on, impinge upon
- imply, infer
- impress by, impress on, impress upon, impress with
- in all probability
- in conjunction with
- in connection with
- in consequence
- in contrast to
- Indo-
- in excess of
- in receipt of
- in regard to, with regard to, as regards
- in spite of the fact that
- in the absence of
- in the amount of, in the sum of
- in the circumstances, under the circumstances
- in the event that
- in the near future
- in the neighbourhood of
- in view of the fact that
- in, into
- in-, il-, im-, ir-
- inasmuch as, insofar as
- incapable, incapable of
- incidence, incidents
- include, comprise
- Inclusionary: A collection of gender-inclusive solutions
- Inclusive writing – Guidelines and resources
- Inclusive writing: Quick reference sheet
- Inclusive writing: Background and principles
- Inclusive writing: Glossary
- Inclusive writing: Tailoring your message
- inclusive, inclusively
- inculcate, imbue, infuse, instil, instill
- indefinite pronouns
- indexes: "dangling" entries
- indexes: abbreviations and other reference tools
- indexes: alphabetical arrangement
- indexes: blind references
- indexes: capitalization
- indexes: choice of terms
- indexes: combined entries
- indexes: complex entry
- indexes: continued headings
- indexes: cross-references
- indexes: definition
- indexes: double posting
- indexes: entry versus subentry
- indexes: geographical names
- indexes: government departments and agencies
- indexes: homonyms
- indexes: length
- indexes: listing of subentries
- indexes: newspapers and periodicals
- indexes: personal names
- indexes: referenced material
- indexes: scientific names
- indexes: scope and complexity
- indexes: simple entry
- indexes: syntax of heading
- indifferent to, indifferent toward(s)
- indirect objects
- indiscriminate, undiscriminating
- indispensable for, indispensable to
- individual, person
- inequity, iniquity
- infest, infested by, infested with
- infinitive, infinitive phrase
- inform
- inform, notify, tell
- infra-
- infringe, infringe on, infringe upon
- ingenious, ingenuous, disingenuous
- ingratiate
- initiative (on one’s own)
- initiative, take the initiative in
- insanitary, unsanitary
- inside of, outside of, off of
- insight about, insight as to, insight into, insight regarding
- insinuate, insinuate into
- integrate, integrate into, integrate with
- intense, intensive
- inter, interment, intern, internment, internship
- inter-
- intercede for, intercede on behalf of, intercede with
- interjections
- internecine
- Internet, internet
- Internet, Net (Linguistic recommendation from the Translation Bureau)
- intra-
- intro-
- Inuk, Inuit (Linguistic recommendation from the Translation Bureau)
- inuksuk, inuksuit, inukshuk, inukshuks
- invest, invested as, invest in, invest with
- Iqaluit, Iqalummiuq, Iqalummiut, Frobisher Bay
- Iranian, Persian
- italics: emphasis
- italics: French and foreign words
- italics: identifying matter
- italics: introduction
- italics: legal references
- italics: letters and words cited
- italics: mathematical and scientific material
- italics: modes of transportation
- italics: peripheral matter
- italics: titles of works
- its, it’s
J
- jack, plug
- jack-o’-lantern
- jackknife, jack-knife
- jackrabbit, jack-rabbit, jack rabbit
- jejune
- jewel, jewelled, jeweller, jewellery
- jibe at, jibe with, jive, gibe, gybe
- join, join in, join to, join up, join with
- joint co-operation, mutual co-operation, co-operation
- judgment day, Judgment Day
- judicial, judicious
- Juno Awards, Junos
- jurisprudence, case law, precedents
- just-in-time, just in time
- juxta-
K
- Kathmandu, Katmandu
- kerfuffle, kafuffle
- kerosene, kerosine
- ketchup, catsup
- kibitz, kibitzer, kibbutz, kibbutzim
- kickoff, kick off, kick out
- killer
- kilo-
- kilobyte, kB, K (kilobyte)
- kilogram, kg, kilo
- kilometre, km, K (kilometre), kilometres per hour, km²
- kilopascal, kPa
- kind of, kinds of, kinda, sort of, sorts of
- King’s Counsel, K.C., Queen’s Counsel, Q.C.
- kitty-corner, cater-corner, diagonally opposite, on the diagonal
- knick-knack, knickknack
- knot, knots per hour
- kudos, kudo, compliment
- Kugluktuk, Coppermine
- Kurd, Kurdish
- Kwanzaa
L
- labio-
- labour at, labour for, labour over, labour toward
- Labour Day, Labor Day
- labour under
- labour, labor, laborious
- Lac-Brome, Lac Brome
- laconic, laconically
- La Coulée
- lacto-
- laden, loaded
- laisser-aller, laissez-aller
- laissez-faire, laisser-faire
- laissez-passer, laisser-passer
- Lake on the Mountain
- laker
- Lakehead, the Lakehead
- lama, llama
- landed immigrant, permanent resident
- Lansdowne
- lan-, lani-, lano-
- Laplander, Lapp, Sami
- larger than life
- lase, laser
- last post, taps
- last, latest
- Latin terms and abbreviations
- latte
- laud, laudable, laudatory
- Laurentian Mountains, the Laurentians
- law
- lay the blame for, lay the blame on
- lea, lee
- leach, leech
- lead, led
- lean, leaned, leant
- leap, leaped, leapt
- learn, teach
- least, less
- legible, readable
- legion, Legion
- legionnaire, Legionnaires’ disease
- legislature, Legislative Assembly, House of Assembly, National Assembly
- legume
- lend, lent, loan, loaned
- levy, levy against, levy on, levy upon
- Les Éboulements
- liable for, liable to
- liable, likely, apt
- liaise, liaison
- licence, license
- lie, lay
- lieutenant-governor, Lt.-Gov., His/Her Honour, Honourable
- lighted, lit
- lighten, lightening, lightning
- like
- limited number of
- lines, along these lines
- lingui-
- link to, link up with, link with
- linking verb (copula verb)
- Lions Club
- Lions Gate Bridge
- litany, long litany
- litre, liter, L (litre)
- livable, liveable
- live by, live off, live on
- loath, loathe, loathing, loathsome
- locate
- loco-
- lodge a complaint
- logic: appeal to tradition
- logic: biased or suppressed data
- logic: false appeal to authority
- look after
- look for
- look into
- look over, overlook
- loonie
- loose, lose
- luck in, luck out
- Luso-
- lustre, luster
- luxuriant, luxurious, luxury, deluxe, de luxe, luxe
- lynx, lynxes
M
- Mac-, Mc-
- Macintosh, McIntosh, macintosh, mackintosh
- macro-
- made from, made of, made with
- Magdalen Islands, Îles-de-la-Madeleine, Madelinot
- major breakthrough, breakthrough
- majority, most
- mal-
- manageable
- mango
- Manila, manila, manilla
- Manitoba, Man, MB
- Manitoban, Franco-Manitoban
- manner, to the manner born, to the manor born
- manoeuvre, maneuver
- mantel, mantle
- maple syrup: vocabulary
- maquiladora
- margins, fully justified margins, left-justified margins
- marmalade
- materiel, matériel, material
- matri-
- matte, mat, matt
- maven
- may be, maybe
- may, might
- ma’am, madam, madame
- meagre, meager
- media, medium
- meetings: agenda
- meetings: minutes
- meetings: model agenda
- mega-
- memorandums: memorandum format
- merchandise, merchandize
- merge together
- Messrs., Mmes., Mses., Mss.
- meta-
- metaphor
- micro- (combining form)
- militate, mitigate
- milli-
- mini-
- mis-
- missing gap, gap
- moment’s notice (at a)
- mono-
- Montréal, Montréaler, Montrealer
- moot, moot point
- Mountain Daylight Time, Mountain Standard Time, MDT, MST
- mucus, mucous
- multi- (combining form)
- myself
N
- nameable, namable
- names of Canadian universities (Linguistic recommendation from the Translation Bureau)
- names of government departments (Linguistic recommendation from the Translation Bureau)
- nano-
- nas-, naso-
- necessary prerequisite, prerequisite
- need, needs
- neo-
- neuro-
- New Brunswick, N.B., NB
- Newfoundland and Labrador, Nfld., N.L., NL
- Newfoundland Daylight Time, Newfoundland Standard Time, NDT, NST
- new French spelling (Linguistic recommendation from the Translation Bureau)
- new innovation, innovation
- new recruit, recruit
- noci-
- noct-, nocti-
- non sequitur
- non-, un-
- nona-
- noun
- noun clause
- noun phrase
- noun used as an adjective
- Northwest Territories, N.W.T., NT
- Norwego-
- Nova Scotia, N.S., NS
- nulli-
- number sign, hash mark, pound sign
- numbers in compound adjectives
- numbers starting a sentence
- numbers used as nouns
- numbers: age
- numbers: clarity
- numbers: comparative and inclusive numbers
- numbers: consistency
- numbers: decimal fractions
- numbers: governmental and historical designations
- numbers: market quotations
- numbers: mathematical usage
- numbers: money
- numbers: names of organizations
- numbers: plurals
- numbers: quantities and measures
- numbers: ratios
- numbers: reference numbers
- numbers: Roman numerals
- numbers: round numbers
- numbers: spelled-out numbers
- numbers: votes and scores
- Nunavut, NU
O
- O, Oh
- oblique
- oblivious of, oblivious to
- occur, occurred, occurrence
- oct-, octa-, octo-
- octopus, octopuses
- ocul-
- odont-
- odour, odorant, odoriferous, odorous
- oeno-
- off-line, offline, on-line, online
- offence, offense, offensive
- official, officious
- OK, O.K., okay
- old custom, usual custom, custom
- old, older, elder
- old-fashioned, old fashioned, old fashion
- ole-, oleo-
- olig-, oligo-
- ombro-
- ombudsman (Linguistic recommendation from the Translation Bureau)
- omelet, omelette
- omni-
- on foot, by foot, foot
- on numerous occasions
- on the basis of
- on the one hand, on the other hand
- on the part of, on behalf of, by
- on, on to, onto
- onco-
- one of those who
- one, I, you
- onoma-, onomato-
- Ontarian, Franco–Ontarian
- Ontario, Ont., ON
- onward, onwards
- oo-
- opposite from, opposite of, opposite to
- opposition (in)
- opt-, opto-
- opthalm-, opthalmo-
- oral, verbal
- order, in the order of, of the order of, on the order of
- ordinance, ordnance
- ori-, oro-
- orient, orientate, disorient
- original founder, founder
- originate at, originate from, originate in, originate with
- ornitho-
- osseo-, ossi-, osteo-
- Ottawa, Ottawan, National Capital Region
- oto-
- out-
- ov-, ovi-, ovo-
- over, more than
- overall, over all
- overlook, oversee, oversight
- overused cliché, cliché
- owing to the fact that
- o’clock
P
- Pacific Daylight Time, Pacific Standard Time, PDT, PST
- paleo-, palaeo-
- pan-
- para-
- parallel between, parallel to, parallel with
- parallelism in headings
- parallelism with correlative conjunctions
- parallelism with items in a series
- Paralympic Winter Games
- paralyse, paralyze
- parentheses
- participle, participle phrase
- particular to, peculiar to
- past history, history
- past tradition, tradition
- patho-
- patri-, patro-
- ped-, pedo-, paed-, paedo-
- pedal, peddle
- pedi-, pedo-
- penta-
- per cent, percent, per-cent, percentage
- per, each
- per-
- perfectly legitimate, legitimate
- peri-
- period
- period of time, time period
- perpendicular to, perpendicular with
- persist in
- Perso-
- personal pronouns
- personal, personnel
- personification
- perspective (from the)
- petr-, petri-
- PhD, Ph.D., Dr.
- phenom, phenomena, phenomenon
- phleb-
- phosphorus, phosphorous
- photo-
- physio-
- phyto-
- picto-
- planning, planning in advance, preplanning
- plurals of compounds
- plurals of family names
- pluri-
- pneumo-
- point at, point to, point out
- poly-
- possessive with gerunds
- post on, post to
- post- (prefix)
- practicable, practical
- practically, theoretically
- practice, practise
- pre-
- preceding, previous, prior
- predicate
- predict, predict in advance
- prefer one to the other
- preferable, more preferable, most preferable
- preference for, preference in, in preference to
- preoccupied about, preoccupied by, preoccupied with
- preplan, plan
- prepositional phrase
- prepositions
- present to, present with
- presently, at the present time
- preside at, preside over
- pretence, pretense
- prevent from, prevent to
- preventable, preventible
- previously listed above, previously listed
- Prince Edward Island, P.E.I., PE
- Prince Edward Islander, Franco-Prince Edward Islander
- principal, principle
- prise, prize
- pro-
- procedure, process
- proceed against, proceed to, proceed with
- prohibit from
- pronoun agreement: collective nouns
- pronoun agreement: compound antecedents with and
- pronoun agreement: compound antecedents with or
- pronoun agreement: gender
- pronoun agreement: indefinite pronouns
- pronoun agreement: number
- pronoun agreement: person
- prophecy, prophesy
- proportional(y), proportionate(ly)
- provide against, provide for, provide with
- pseudo-
- psycho-
- public service: capitalization rules (Linguistic recommendation from the Translation Bureau)
- punctuation: spacing
- Punjabi, Panjabi
- pursuance (in)
- put in place, put into place
- pyro-
Q
- quadr-, quadri-, quadru-
- quality
- quantum
- Québec, City of Québec, Quebec City
- Quebec, Que., QC
- Quebecer, Quebecker, Québécois
- Queen’s University
- question as to whether
- question mark
- queue, cue, cue up
- quint-
- quite, not quite
- quotation marks: overview
- quotation marks: quotations within quotations
- quotation marks: reference to words as such
- quotation marks: titles
- quotation marks: unusual words or irony
- quotation marks: when to avoid
- quotation, quote
- quotations beginning with that
- quotations: block format
- quotations: French and foreign language quotations
- quotations: indirect (reported) speech
- quotations: insertions and alterations
- quotations: introduction
- quotations: omissions
- quotations: poetry
- quotations: punctuation with quotation marks
- quotations: run-in format
- Quran, Koran
R
- raise, rise
- Ramadan
- rather
- re-
- reason is because
- reconcile to, reconcile with
- reduction in
- reference notes: author-number system
- reference notes: books
- reference notes: common abbreviations
- reference notes: endnotes
- reference notes: footnotes
- reference notes: general
- reference notes: in-text (author-date)
- reference notes: legal references
- reference notes: periodicals (articles)
- reference notes: subsequent references
- regard for
- regardless, irrespective, irregardless
- Regina, Reginan, Queen City
- register with
- regular routine, routine
- relation, relationship
- relative pronouns, who, whom, whose, which, that
- relieve of
- remand (on), remand in custody
- Remembrance Day, Poppy Day, Armistice Day
- replace with, replaced by
- report for, report on/upon, report to
- reports: abstract or summary
- reports: appendixes
- reports: ending
- reports: findings and discussion
- reports: format
- reports: glossary
- reports: headings
- reports: illustrations
- reports: introduction to report
- reports: letter of transmittal
- reports: margins
- reports: mathematics
- reports: pagination
- reports: preparation
- reports: references
- reports: spacing
- reports: table of contents
- reports: title page
- reports: underlining
- reproach for, reproach with
- requisition
- research in, research into
- reserve, reservation
- responsibility of, responsibility for
- responsible
- responsible for, responsible to
- result from, result in
- result of
- resulting effect
- retreat back, retreat
- retro-
- revision checklist
- revision: content check
- revision: extent of revision
- revision: format
- revision: grammar and mechanics
- revision: interrevision
- revision: introduction
- revision: names and addresses
- revision: preparation
- revision: reference notes
- revision: style and usage
- revision: timing
- revolve around
- rhino-
- rhodo-
- right of
- rob, steal
- run-on sentences
- Russo-
S
- Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day
- Saint John River, rivière Saint-Jean
- Saint John, Saint Johner, Loyalist City
- Salish, Salishan, Salish Sea
- same, for same, the same
- sanction
- Saskatchewan, Sask., SK
- Saskatchewaner, Saskatchewanian, Franco-Saskatchewanian
- satisfaction in, satisfaction of
- satisfied with
- Sault Ste. Marie, Soo, Saultite
- Scando-
- sceptic, septic
- Scoto-
- seasonable, seasonably, seasonal, seasonally
- secure against, secure from, secure in
- segue, Segway
- seismo-
- seldom, seldomly
- semi-
- semicolon
- sensual, sensuous
- Serbo-
- serif fonts
- serve to illustrate
- serve, service
- serviceable
- sesqui-
- set, sit
- several different
- sharp, sharply
- signed at, signed in
- simile
- simple sentence
- sink down, sink
- Sino-
- skijoring
- slippery slope
- so as an adverb
- socio-
- sombre, somber
- somni-
- son-, soni-, sono-
- Sons of the Clergy Islands
- spacing
- spacing with periods
- spans of time
- speak, talk
- specific example, example
- spectre, specter
- speculate about, speculate in, speculate on, speculate upon
- spelling: able/ible and ative/itive endings
- spelling: combinations with all
- spelling: final consonants doubled before a suffix
- spelling: frequently misspelled words
- spelling: international variations
- spelling: plurals of foreign nouns
- spelling: SI/metric units
- spelling: spell-checking
- spelling: verbs ending in ie
- spelling: verbs ending in sede, ceed and cede
- spelling: words ending in -ise and -ize
- spelling: words ending in a silent e
- spelling: words ending in c
- spelling: words ending in n
- spelling: words ending in y
- spelling: words with ei and ie
- spring
- square brackets
- St. John’s, St. John’san, St. John’ser
- stationary, stationery
- stay-at-home
- strata, stratum
- streets and buildings: abbreviations and numbers
- sub-
- subject
- subject area, subject
- subject complement
- subject predicate order
- subject to, subjected to
- subordinating conjunctions
- subsequent, subsequent to
- substitute for
- successful achievement, successfully achieve
- sucr-, sucro-
- sudden impulse, impulse
- suggest that
- suited for, suited to
- sum total, total
- summer
- super-
- supposedly, supposably
- surrounded on all sides, surrounded
- Swedo-
- sym-, syn-
- sympathetic to, sympathetic toward(s)
- sympathize with
- sympathy between, sympathy for, sympathy with
T
- take account of, take into account
- take exception to
- Tamil
- tamper with
- tele-
- telephone extensions
- telephone numbers (Linguistic recommendation from the Translation Bureau)
- telephone numbers: area code
- telephone numbers: country code
- temporary reprieve, reprieve
- tend to, tend towards
- tendency, trend
- terrible tragedy, tragedy
- tetra-
- thank you, thank-you
- that being the case
- the manner in which, the way in which
- the question as to whether
- thence, thenceforth, thereafter
- theo-
- there, their, they’re
- thereby
- therefor, therefore
- therm-
- thousand, K (thousand)
- Tibeto-
- till, until
- time of day, elapsed time
- to the extent that
- toboggan
- topo-
- Toronto, Torontonian, GTA, Hogtown, Metro
- toxi-, toxico-
- trans-
- tri-
- troop, troupe
- true and authentic, authentic
- true fact, fact
- try and, try to
- Turco-, Turko-
- Turk, Turkish
- Turkmen, Turcoman
- Twitter terminology (Linguistic recommendation from the Translation Bureau)
U
- ultra-
- ultraviolet, UV, UV index
- un-
- unconscious of
- under way, underway, under weigh
- under, under the provisions of
- Underground Railroad, Underground Railway
- unexpected surprise, surprise
- uni-
- unidentified flying object, UFO
- uniform resource locator, URL
- unique, unique to
- United Kingdom, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, UK, U.K.
- United Nations, UN, U.N.
- United States, United States of America, US, U.S., USA, U.S.A
- universal product code, UPC
- unsatisfied, dissatisfied
- until such time as
- up
- up-and-coming
- upcoming
- upgrade
- upon, up on, on
- upper case, upper-case, uppercase
- upward, upwards, upwards of
- use, utilize
- used to, never used to, used not to, didn’t use to
- Usher of the Black Rod
V
- Valentine’s Day
- valid, invalid
- value added, value-added, value-added tax, VAT
- value, value at
- Vancouver, Vancouverite, Gastown
- vapour, vaporize, vaporous
- variance, at variance with, at variance among
- various different
- vegan, vegetarian
- venomous, poisonous
- verb agreement
- verb agreement in questions
- verb agreement in the case of interrupting words
- verb agreement with collective nouns
- verb agreement with couple
- verb agreement with indefinite pronouns
- verb agreement with none
- verb agreement with number
- verb agreement with range
- verb agreement with total
- verb agreement: compound subjects with and
- verb agreement: compound subjects with or
- verb agreement: sentences beginning with there
- verb phrase
- verbatim
- verbiage, verbose, verbosity
- verbs in conditional sentences
- verbs: helping verbs, auxiliary verbs
- verbs: main verb
- vernacular, colloquial
- verse, stanza
- versed in
- versus, v., vs.
- vertical lists
- very
- veto against, veto on, veto over
- via (preposition)
- vice versa
- vice-
- Victoria Day, fête de la Reine
- Victoria, Victorian, City of Gardens
- view of (in)
- vigour, vigor, vigorous, vigorously, invigorating
- virtue, by virtue of, in virtue of
- vis-à-vis
- visit, visit with
- viti-
- vocal, vociferous, voluble
- vocation, avocation
- vogue
- -vore
W
- waive, wave
- warmist, coolist
- wary of
- Web (Linguistic recommendation from the Translation Bureau)
- whatsoever
- where … at
- whereas
- whisky, whiskey
- Whitehorse, Whitehorser, Whitehorsian
- who’s, whose
- widow, widow of the late
- Winnipeg, Winnipegger, Gateway to the West
- with a view to
- with reference to
- withhold from
- worship
- would
Y
About Writing Tips Plus
Writing Tips Plus looks at difficulties related to grammar, punctuation, spelling and other aspects of the English language. The articles give clear explanations, with examples relating to the Canadian context.
Writing Tips Plus includes articles that formerly appeared in The Canadian Style and in Writing Tips. If you are looking for the content from your favourite section of The Canadian Style, go to the page Where to find content from the former tool The Canadian Style in Writing Tips Plus.
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© His Majesty the King in Right of Canada, represented by the Minister of Public Services and Procurement
A tool created and made available online by the Translation Bureau, Public Services and Procurement Canada
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