My kid asked me about laying versus lying the other day, and while I was impressed she noticed it in a book she was reading, I also replied, "Oh, it's a WHOLE thing. It's so confusing."

There are certain things that pop up when I am copyediting or proofreading that I have to look up and double-check every single time. And I mean every time. It's like my brain just won't let it stick.

Here are some of my frequent flyers:

• lay versus lie
• subjunctive mood
• US spelling versus UK spelling for words like traveled or acknowledgment
• commas with participial phrases and a conjunction (it sounds specific, but you wouldn't believe how much this comes up)
• a while or awhile (I think I'm finally getting this one down)

And, yes, some of it does feel pedantic. But ultimately, you want consistency and your reader to not be pulled out of the story. So when I'm checking the spelling of judgment on Merriam-Webster.com for the millionth time, I remind myself of that, too.

What's something you don't think you'll ever remember off the top of your head? I'd love to hear!

Links I Loved

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Merriam-Webster's social media presence is amazing.

​Humanity first. Always.

If this is as comfortable as it looks, I need to do it immediately.

I love this list of audiobook recs for kids for the summer.

A Book on My Nightstand

I started A Case of Life and Limb by Sally Smith, the second book in The Trials of Gabriel Ward series, but it was set at Christmastime despite being published in January? Odd move by the publisher, especially considering the synopsis doesn't mention it being a holiday book at all. So I'm going to save it for later this year, and now I'm trying to decide what to read next!

Thanks for Reading!

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