Bryan Collins's Blog, page 52

Commonly Overused Words and How to Avoid Them

If you want to be a skilled English writer, you must learn to avoid commonly overused words. This list will help.

Strong English writing requires unique verbiage. Unfortunately, some words are overused in English, and they make writing weaker. Good writers know to grab a Thesaurus and find synonyms for overused words that pop up in their writing.

If you are working on your English writing, there are some overused phrases and words that are best left alone. Here is a list that will help kee...

Is Braina Worth Your Time And Money? An Honest Braina Review

Are you interested in using voice dictation and personal assistant software? Check out this honest Braina review.

I've been using Braina for a few weeks now, and it makes my life as a writer a lot easier. It allows me to write emails, documents, and articles by simply talking into my microphone. Aside from being a voice dictation tool, it's a powerful personal assistant.

It helps you with everyday tasks like setting alarms, taking notes, and conducting research. This is helpful if you're ...

Hemingway App Vs Grammarly: Which One Should You Use?

The Hemingway App is a popular copyediting tool that helps strengthen a piece of writing. In this article, we pit the Hemingway app vs Grammarly.

I use Grammarly and Hemingway App regularly while working as a freelance content and copywriter. They're both great tools, but they're designed in different ways. 

How do you know which one works best for your writing needs? And can the Hemingway app replace either version of Grammarly for writers on a tight budget? Let's compare both tools and f...

Gone vs Went: How to Use Both Words

Using gone vs went appropriately will make your writing stronger, and this guide will help.

In the English language, irregular verbs are some of the trickiest to keep straight. Because their conjugations are not standard, additional tenses can be difficult to remember. The verb “to go” is a classic example of this.

Both the word gone and the word went are past tense conjugations of “to go.” However, they are not interchangeable. If you are going to write using proper English grammar, you w...

What Is Symbolism? Examples in Literature of This Common Literary Device

Understanding the answer to, “What is symbolism” will help you create stronger and more interesting writing. 

In writing, a word or object does not have to be limited to its literal meaning. A red rose can be a beautiful flower, or it can have symbolic meaning. By answering, “what is symbolism?” you can become a better storyteller and make your writing something people will want to read and evaluate for years.

What Is Symbolism?

Symbolism is a literary device used in writing to a...

Top 16 Grammarly Tips and Tricks

Good grammar, spelling, and word usage don't always come naturally. These Grammarly tips and tricks can eliminate errors in your writing and improve its quality. 

English is a complex language. There are a ton of rules; and, every one of those rules seems to have at least one exception. Then there are style conventions, which are bits of spelling and grammar that are not wrong, per se, but that are not the ideal way to communicate. 

Thankfully, tools like Grammarly can help clean up your w...

7 English Grammar Clauses Every Writer Should Know

English grammar clauses can make identifying parts of speech a tad confusing, but this guide should clear things up.

A clause is a group of words that has at least one subject and one verb. It may or may not be a complete sentence, but it will have that distinction of the subject and verb combo. Clauses make English writing more interesting because they let you break free from the simple sentence structure alone.

As you work to master the English language, clauses can be one of the hardest...

18 Types of Genres for Books to Choose for Your Next Publication

Choose the right types of genres for books when deciding what to write.

As you consider publishing your book, the first step in the process is choosing a book genre. Not only will the type of book genre impact your overall writing, but it will also direct you on the publication path, helping you find the right publication and marketing platform to draw people to read it.

To help you choose before you start writing, here are 18 popular examples of genres of books to consider.

18 Type...

Affect vs Effect: Get These Homophones Right Every Time

Affect vs effect is a common discussion in grammar classes, but this guide will help choose correctly between them.

The words affect vs effect are some of the trickiest in the English language. These homophones may sound alike, but they have very different uses and meanings. Using them correctly is necessary if you are going to be a skilled English writer.

After all, you must know if you're talking about side effects or side affects when you are writing if you are going to write intelligib...

10 Examples of Figurative Language to Explore

Exploring examples of figurative language will help you use these literary devices skillfully when you write.

Figurative language is a literary device that uses figures of speech to make writing more interesting. When writing in this way, you use words in a way that is different than their literal meaning, but not with the intention of confusing the reader. Rather, you are trying to make your work more poetic and artistic or cause the reader to think a little bit more about it.

There are m...