On Quora.com — where I’ve been awarded the title of “A Quora Top Writer 2018”–I answer questions on a variety of topics, including writing and editing. It has been suggested by some of my readers that I should provide links to them from this site, so here is a selection of some of my posts, which I’ve divided into convenient categories. And you can find many more answers on my Quora page!  (I started using Quora to experiment with humour in writing so some of these posts might be a tad different than you’d expected :-)). And I have been invited, in early 2019, to start a Quora space of my own–the result, which I’ve just started is Pen&PaperMama Perspectives. I’ve also been invited to ask questions on Quora. And I also answer questions related to tutoring, home learning, and other educational issues. You can find links to those answers on my PenAndPaperMama site.

Grammar topics:

How can I improve my English grammar?
What is the difference between had become, become, and became?
What are some tips for reducing excessive use of the verb “to be”?
When do I use has passed or passed?
Which is correct: is done or was done?
Which is correct: shame on me or shame on myself?
Is this sentence correct: When you don’t know how to dance but still you love to dance
What should I do to improve my grammar?
Which sentence is correct: “congratulations to you” or “congratulation to you”?
How can I change this into an exclamatory sentence: Asif is a very intelligent student
Do you ever get confused with “i.e.” and “e.g.”?
How can I change this sentence into exclamatory: He was moved to hear the story of the boy.
Which is correct: He played the piano ABOUT an hour or two OR he played the piano for an hour or two?
Does placement of quotation marks change depending on the version of English one speaks and does it really matter as long as you are consistent?
What hyphenated compound words are in the process of losing their hyphens?
How do you go about getting constructive criticism on your writing before having an editor?
Which is correct: “the pair are injured” or “the pair have been injured”?

Vocabulary and Word Usage:

What is the difference between folk and people?
When do you use may and might in sentences?
How do I use has and have correctly in a sentence?
Do you know a synonym for see you?
How do I describe rain in English … in daily English conversation?
Use of licence or license
What are examples of collective nouns for kids?
What are some examples of bossy verbs?
When should you use speak, spoke, spoken?
Is it grammatically incorrect to use the word throwed?
What is the difference between the word to be and the word to have?
Is it time to stop using the ambiguous word liberal?
What are the uncountable nouns?
What is the plural of leaf: leafs or leaves?
What are some words that begin with y?
How should I use the terms having been and have been?
Is “I’m getting engaged” grammatically correct?
When do you use the word hurrah?
What is the plural of status?
What is the difference between could and can?
In the sentence, “Trees grow tall in my backyard,” is the word “tall” an adjective or an adverb?
What are some other phrases that are similar to “as a result” and can be used in concluding sentences?
Can proper nouns function like common nouns?
What is the past tense of ‘agree’? (and more info on adding -ed to make verbs past tense)
What is a vivid verb for travel? (and tips on using a thesaurus)
Why can’t people spell words anymore without auto correction?
Why is the word ‘cake’ spelled with the letters c, a, k, and e?
What are some examples of adverbs derived by suffixation? (and other adverb tips)
What are some things that go together in pairs (pen and page, rubber and road)?
What are the most misspelled words in the English language?
Why is “two” spelled as t–w–o and not t-o-o? 
Under what circumstances should you write “wrong doing” instead of wrongdoing?
What words look wrong to you and how do you think they should be spelled?
How do you spell the symbol “&”?
What are some words that end with “rb”?

Writing and Editing Tools:

How do  I Create a Program That Checks My Spelling Using Word and Grammarly?
Are there any good grammar checking programs besides Grammarly?
Are there any free courses that prepare you for jobs as a professional proofreader?
Why can’t people spell words anymore without auto correction?
Do you hate it when you have to proofread, after using the spellcheck program?
Do you find spell-checkers prevent learners from learning the correct spelling thus resulting infinite spelling mistakes in the paper?
Do you hate it when you have to proofread, after using the spellcheck program?
What are some words that look weird when spelled?
Have you ever been embarrassed by a change made by your spell checker?
Why should people bother learning to spell when autocorrect finds most spelling mistakes?
Which is correct: “He doesn’t know anything” or “He doesn’t know nothing” or “He knows nothing”?
Why do so many news stories include simple spelling mistakes?
Is there a plural noun for “pajamas”?
Do you use the Chicago Manual of Style as a style and grammar guide when you write and edit and if not what is your top style book?

Editing Topics:

I love writing but hate editing; how can I improve the editing bit?
If someone asks you to edit their book, should you charge for it?
How can I start freelance editing (text) without any experience?
What’s the difference between an Editor, Copywriter and Proofreader?
What is a good and worthy course to get certified in editing and proofreading?
Should you credit an editor in a book?
How can I start freelance editing (text) without any experience?
If someone asks you to edit their book, should you charge for it?
How much should a writer learn about editing? Can a writer be their own editor or should a writer always have someone else do the final edit?
How much can a magazine editor actually edit?
How do I find great book editing services?
Do writers painstakingly edit their whole book or do they have professional editors to do that for them?
Do you proofread and edit your work on your own or pay someone to do it for you?
What is the best way to break in to the proofreading profession?
How does a beginning writer find an editor?
As a writer or author, do you correct your spelling, grammar, and punctuation mistakes as you are typing? Do you go back and edit later? Or do you just leave these for your editors to fix?
My spelling and grammar were much better before auto correct, internet, and the proliferation of articles and books that have no professional editors. What are some good ways to recover and maintain what I once had?
How do book editors do their jobs effectively without imposing their own writing style into the work?
What are some ways to get into proofreading?
Where can you find and engage a professional copy or content editor?
How does one proofread documents beyond the software features? It is known that reading finished text aloud is an effective proofreading technique. What other supplemental techniques can be used?
Is it rude to offer unsolicited copy editing on a person’s website?
After posting a question on Quora how do you edit it if it has any mistakes?
How do I find out who another author’s editor is?
What red flags should you watch for when hiring freelance book editors?
Where can I get cheap and reliable proofreading?
What is the best way to find a job as an at home editor?
How bad is it to make others aware of their bad spelling?
How can someone start a career in copyediting?
What are some main challenges a proofreader deals with? 
Is it okay to send notes to my boss from a client meeting without proofreading them?
For writers and editors, what self-directed professional development activity yielded great results for you? Based on your experience, how could others adapt this for their own enrichment as writers and editors?
What are your best tips for an aspiring editor?
What are the various career paths possible with editing today?
How much do book editors make?
How much should you charge to proofread and format someone’s screenplay/manuscript?
What’s a polite way to offer a proof-reading service to bloggers and online content creators?
How long did it take you to become a professional editor?
What is the best way to keep yourself attentive while proofreading a novel?
What are the main arguments for and against editing your own writing?
As a professional editor, how do you tactfully explain to friends asking for a free edit of a resume or other document that your time and expertise is worth money just like any other profession?

Writing Topics:

What are some good groups or competitions to keep being motivated to writing?
What are the things to be kept in mind while writing and publishing a novel?
My teacher says I have advanced writing for my age, what exactly does that mean?
How do you know when you’re a bad writer?
What are some good groups or competitions to keep being motivated to write?
How do I get “discovered” as an author? Should I self-publish or traditional publish?
What is the best writing advice you have received?
What online classes can I take to hone my writing skills to become a freelance writer? Are there tests to gauge if I’m a good enough writer?
Can writing questions or answers on Quora help me get hired for a job or help me in my writing career?
How do I brush up on my professional writing skills?
Can you be an excellent writer but not a good conversationalist?
How can someone who makes a ton of spelling mistakes be a writer?
What are good ways to improve as a writer other than writing courses?
Would taking an online writing course help me to get my autobiography into shape for publication?

Publishing Topics:

How do I get “discovered” as an author? Should I self-publish or traditional-publish?
What are the key steps in writing and publishing a novel?
Who are the wealthiest self-published authors living today?
How do I publish articles I’ve written for my blog? People keep suggesting that I do but I don’t know where to start.