Contractions are sometimes too informal for certain types of academic writing (e.g., essays and dissertations). In workplace writing and job applications (e.g., cover letters), they’re usually fine in moderation.
For example, “I am writing to apply for … ” sounds stilted, whereas “I’m writing to apply for … ” sounds more concise and natural.
When you do need to avoid contractions, the QuillBot Paraphraser can instantly show you formal alternatives.
Continue reading: Can you use contractions in formal writing?
The correct phrase is could have, not could of. People sometimes accidentally write “could of” because it sounds like the contraction “could’ve.” However, the preposition “of” never goes after the modal verb “could.”
“Could have” and “could’ve” are both correct ways to show that something was once possible but didn’t happen (e.g., “We could have/could’ve gone to the beach last year, but we went to the mountains instead”).
To avoid mistakes like “could of,” “would of,” “should of,” etc, you can run any piece of writing through the QuillBot Grammar Checker. It will instantly spot these errors and show you what to write instead.
Continue reading: Is it could of or could have?
It can be where, were, or we’re depending on the context.
- Use the interrogative “where” when you want to ask a question about location (e.g., “Where is Carmen going for vacation?”
- Use the verb “were” when you need the past tense form of “be” (e.g., “The dogs were barking loudly yesterday”).
- “We’re” is a contraction for “we are” (e.g., “We’re making our own bouquets for the anniversary party”).
These three words sound alike, so it’s easy to get them confused. Luckily, QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker can help you keep them straight.
Continue reading: Is it where, were, or we’re?
The word until is spelled with one “l.”
Have you tried QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker? It will help you avoid common typos like “untill” instead of “until.”
Continue reading: How do you spell until correctly?
When until refers to a day or date, the meaning can be ambiguous because “until” refers to a particular point in that day or date rather than the whole day or date.
When people say “I’m out of office until Monday/May 2,” they generally mean that the state of “being out of office” will continue up to and end at the beginning of work, school, etc. on Monday (e.g., at 9 a.m. when they start work on Monday), so they will be back at work and available on Monday/May 2.
If they say “I’m here/available/working until Wednesday,” they generally mean that the state of “being here/available/working” will continue up to the end of work, school, etc. on Wednesday (e.g., 5 p.m. on Wednesday), so they will still be here/available/working on Wednesday.
To avoid confusion, you can specify the “end point” of the state or situation (e.g., “I’m out of office until 9 a.m. on May 2,” or “I’m available until 5 p.m. on Wednesday”).
Have you tried QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker? You can use it to check your out of office email messages.
Continue reading: Does until include that day?
Both till and until are correct and have the same meaning.
They can be used interchangeably, but “till” has a more informal effect, so is best avoided in formal writing—such as academic writing.
QuillBot’s free Paraphraser tool can help you to fine-tune the formality of your text.
Continue reading: Is it till or until?
Both until and ‘til are correct and have the same meaning.
They can be used interchangeably but “‘til” (written with an apostrophe before it) is informal, so is best avoided in formal writing such as a research paper.
QuillBot’s free Paraphraser tool can help you find the right level of formality for your text.
Continue reading: Is it until or til?
It is until, not untill.
The preposition and subordinating conjunction “until” is spelled with one “l.”
QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker will help you avoid common typos like “untill” instead of “until.”
Continue reading: Is it until or untill?
Its is a possessive adjective that means “belonging to it” (e.g., “The squirrel shook its tail”). Other possessive adjectives include
“my,” “your,” “her,” “his,” “its,” “our,” “their,” and “whose.”
Possessive adjectives do not have apostrophes like possessive nouns (e.g., “Shelly’s house” or “the dog’s blanket”). Possessives are also considered genitive case.
“Its” is sometimes confused for “it’s,” which isn’t a possessive but a contraction for “it is.”
The QuillBot Grammar Checker can help you find and fix errors with possessive adjectives and other uses of the genitive case. It can also help you avoid errors with Its versus it’s.
Continue reading: Is its possessive?
The phrase under par means “disappointing because it is below the expected standard” (e.g., “Although somewhat under par for a movie from this director, it’s still definitely worth seeing).
“Feeling under par” means feeling slightly unwell (e.g., “I was feeling a bit under par this morning, but I’m full of energy now”).
“Under par” is a golfing analogy. In golf, “par” is the number of shots it should take an excellent golfer to complete a particular hole, so it has a meaning similar to “average.”
Have you tried QuillBot’s Grammar Checker? You can use it to help check that you’re using the phrase “under par” correctly in your writing.
Continue reading: What does under par mean?
