There are a few things about punctuation that drive me up a wall. They’re tiny little mistakes, more violations of convention, really, and they don’t interfere with understanding the meaning of a text. But correcting them is so easy to do. In order to maintain your image as a communications professional, remember these finer points […]
I don’t like to rant about little things, but I’ve seen too many instances where supposedly professional writers and editors use “you’re” when they mean “your” and “it’s” instead of “its.” So, I’m dedicating this post to my quasi-regular “grammar tips” feature in hopes of clearing up the confusion. Most writers, editors and readers I know are […]
“The skunk in the back yard last night stunk, didn’t it?” “No, it stank.” Or is stunk right? What about this one: “The ship sunk during the storm last night”? Is that correct? English. It can be beautiful, powerful, inspiring. It can also be maddeningly confusing and inconsistent. There are so many inconsistencies to trip […]
Here’s something that bugs me: sentences constructed as “this needs to happen.” For example, on a news report about the lack of mental health care workers in Nunavut, the journalist said “more nurses need to be hired in Nunavut.” That’s obviously false. Maybe nurses do need to be hired. Professionals need jobs. But that’s not […]
The most important writing tip of all is: Keep it simple. Too many people try to be writers. They get stuck trying to construct new kinds of sentences, trying to shine or to equal Shakespeare or Fitzgerald. Or worse, they try to write like a business person speaks—or worst of all, like a politician. Instead, […]
Writing is less about putting words on a page or screen than it is about putting thoughts in order. Our job as writers, as professional communicators, is to clarify the world and ideas for our audience. That means illuminating—showing something that was hidden before—and simplifying—sorting out ideas, phenomena and events that are tangled and difficult […]
What is it with CAPITAL LETTERS? One of the most common errors that I have to correct a professional editor is Overuse of Capital Letters. I see a lot of Unnecessary Capitalization. I have to wonder, why? What is it that drives writers—and by that I do not necessarily mean Professional or aspiring Professional Writers, […]