Sections
Reference sections
The reference is divided into four themes that cover most doubts that come up while writing. Each theme has a few short entry points: open the one closest to your question and follow the links from there.
Hesitating over a word is a good sign: it means you are thinking about the person who will read it.
The sections cover only questions that come up in ordinary correspondence and everyday speech. We do not go into narrow academic debates or pass verdicts on words: the job of every page is to help you choose a clear option.
Loanwords
Words from other languages arrive together with new things, professions and habits. Some quickly feel native, while others remain the jargon of a small circle.
- Russian loanwords (in Russian)
A table of common Russian office and everyday loanwords with possible native alternatives and a note on when the swap really helps.
- Words with a history
How "café", "ballet", "kindergarten" and "piano" came into English and why we no longer notice their foreign past.
- Questions about loanwords
Short answers: do new words spoil the language, how to spell a recently borrowed word, and what to do when there is no plain alternative.
Confusable words
Paronyms sound alike and often look alike, but they mean different things. A slip in such a pair rarely blocks the meaning, yet an attentive reader notices it at once.
- Affect and effect
A short explanation of the pair people mix up most often: which one is usually the action and which one the result.
- Complement and compliment
To complete or go well with something — or to praise someone: how to keep them apart in a work email.
- What a paronym is
The definition and its neighbours — synonym, tautology, pleonasm — so that the terms themselves do not get mixed up.
Clear writing
A clear text saves time for both the writer and the reader. What gets in its way is usually not difficult words but long chains of nouns and unnecessary phrases.
- How to rewrite a message
A step-by-step walkthrough: from a draft full of officialese to a short, clear text, with sample examples and a checklist.
- Officialese
What the term means, how to spot it in your own writing and what to use instead of familiar heavy phrases.
- Writing and style
Answers about politeness in work emails, sentence length and when a conversational tone is appropriate.
Dictionaries and checking
A dictionary is your main ally in a doubtful case. You just need to know where to look: different dictionaries answer different questions.
- Kinds of dictionaries
General, spelling, pronunciation, etymological and dictionaries of foreign words and phrases: what to look for in each.
- A two-minute check
Five simple steps that help you decide whether to keep a word or choose another.
- New pages
The reference's publication feed: what has appeared recently and how it can help.
See also
- Guides
How to rewrite a work message more clearly: preparation, steps with sample examples, mistakes and a checklist. Plus the article catalogue.
- Questions
Short answers on word meanings, confusable pairs, loanwords, officialese and the style of work emails.
- Reference
A glossary: loanword, calque, paronym, neologism, officialese, pleonasm and the kinds of dictionaries.
- Collections
Reading paths: words from office emails, pairs people mix up, and words with an interesting history.
Sources
- Current general, spelling and etymological dictionaries of English
Explanations are given in general terms and reflect the material as of the date it was prepared. Language changes slowly, but it does change: if our advice differs from a current dictionary, go with the dictionary. For official documents, follow the style rules adopted where you work.