Grammar & Word Choice Guide
Quick answers to the grammar questions people search most: word-choice mix-ups (enquiry vs inquiry, to vs too), punctuation rules (colon vs semicolon, comma before which), and AI-writing questions (can ChatGPT be detected, how to humanize AI text). Pick a topic below for the full explanation and examples.
Commonly confused words
Enquiry vs Inquiry
"Enquiry" is the general, everyday question (UK usage); "inquiry" is a formal investigation.
To vs Too
"To" points somewhere or starts a verb; "too" means also or excessively.
Has vs Have
"Has" goes with he, she, and it; "have" goes with I, you, we, and they.
British vs American Spelling
-our vs -or, -ise vs -ize, -re vs -er — which convention to use and when.
Punctuation rules
Colon vs Semicolon
A colon introduces a list or an explanation; a semicolon joins two complete sentences.
Comma Before Which, Where, Who
A comma is needed before extra, non-essential information — not before information that defines what came before it.
Starting a Sentence with However
Grammatically fine at the start of a sentence — just follow it with a comma.
Beyond grammar
Writing with AI
To vs too
Use too when you mean "also" or "more than enough". Use to for direction, for the person who gets something, and before a verb.
| Word | Use it when |
|---|---|
| to | You show direction (walk to school) or who gets something (give it to me), or it comes before a verb (I want to leave) |
| too | You mean "also" (I'm coming too) or "more than enough" (it's too late) |
| two | You mean the number 2 (two cups of tea) |
Examples:
- We walked to the station.
- She wants to learn Spanish.
- The coffee is too hot to drink.
- Can I come too?
Common mistake: "This bag is to heavy." The bag has more than enough weight, so it is "too heavy". The same goes for the reply "me to": it means "me also", so it is "me too".
Memory trick: too has an extra o, and it means something extra: also, or more than enough.
Not sure about a sentence? Check a draft for these mix-ups with our grammar checker.
Has vs have
Use has with he, she, it or any one person or thing; use have with I, you, we, they and anything plural.
| Word | Use it when |
|---|---|
| has | The subject is he, she, it, or one person or thing (my sister, this phone), in the present tense |
| have | The subject is I, you, we, they, or more than one (my parents); also after does, did, will, can and to |
Examples:
- She has two brothers.
- This phone has a good camera.
- We have a meeting at ten.
- Does he have a car?
Common mistake: "Does she has a ticket?" After does, did or doesn't, the verb goes back to its base form: "Does she have a ticket?" In the past tense the choice disappears, because everyone had.
Memory trick: if you could swap the subject for he, she or it, use has. Everything else takes have.
Colon vs semicolon
A semicolon (;) joins two complete sentences that are closely linked; a colon (:) comes after a complete sentence and introduces what follows, such as a list, an explanation or a quotation.
| Mark | Use it when |
|---|---|
| Semicolon (;) | Two closely related sentences meet without "and" or "but", the second starts with however or therefore, or list items already contain commas |
| Colon (:) | A complete sentence leads into a list, an explanation, a quotation or an example, or you want to stress the sentence that follows |
Examples:
- I wanted to go for a walk; it started raining.
- The road is closed; however, the footpath is open.
- Pack three things: a pen, a notebook and your ID.
- She had one goal: to finish the race.
Common mistake: a colon straight after a verb, as in "My favorite fruits are: apples and pears." The words before a colon must make a complete sentence, so drop it ("My favorite fruits are apples and pears") or finish the sentence first ("I have two favorite fruits: apples and pears").
Memory trick: if a period would work there, so does a semicolon. A colon points ahead: "here it comes".
For commas, see when to put a comma before which, who, where or when.
British vs American spelling
Both spellings are correct: use American spelling for American readers and British spelling for British readers, and keep to one of them within a piece of writing.
| British | American |
|---|---|
| colour, favour, honour | color, favor, honor |
| centre, theatre, metre | center, theater, meter |
| travelling, cancelled, labelled | traveling, canceled, labeled |
| licence (noun), defence | license, defense |
| organise, realise (-ize is also used) | organize, realize |
Examples:
- US: The color of the theater seats has faded.
- UK: She is travelling to the town centre.
- You need a driving licence in the UK and a driver's license in the US.
Common mistake: mixing the two in one document, such as "color" in one paragraph and "colour" in the next. Set your spell checker to English (US) or English (UK) and let it flag the strays. And -ize is not wrong in British English: Cambridge Dictionary gives organise as the usual UK spelling, not the only one.
Memory trick: an extra u or a doubled l usually means British.
Some word pairs differ in meaning as well as by country; see enquiry vs inquiry.
All guides at a glance
The quick rule for each. Follow a link above or below for the full explanation and examples.
| Question | Quick rule |
|---|---|
| Enquiry vs inquiry | "Enquiry" = general question (UK); "inquiry" = formal investigation |
| To vs too | "To" = direction/infinitive; "too" = also/excessively |
| Has vs have | "Has" with he/she/it; "have" with I/you/we/they |
| British vs American spelling | -our vs -or, -ise vs -ize, -re vs -er |
| Colon vs semicolon | Colon introduces a list/explanation; semicolon joins two full sentences |
| Comma before which/where/who | Comma needed for extra (non-essential) info, not for defining info |
| Starting a sentence with "however" | Grammatically fine; use a comma after it |
| Onomatopoeia examples | Words that imitate a sound (buzz, crash, sizzle) |
| Can ChatGPT be detected | Detectors exist but are unreliable; false positives are common |
| How to humanize AI content | Vary sentence length, add specifics, edit by hand |
Grammar & word choice FAQ
Written by Karin Littlewood. Last updated October 27, 2026. Rules checked against Cambridge Dictionary and the Purdue OWL.