Does anyone remember when drug dealers were arrested and not “busted?” Or when a robbery mentioned on the evening news was a “robbery” and not a “heist?”
Month: June 2007
Beware the shifting tense
Many writers, students and professionals alike, struggle with the problem of tense shifting. Your writing will be easier to follow if you’re sure to keep your tense consistent.
Are We All Together on This?
Unlike alright and all right, altogether and all together are both legitimate usages with entirely different meanings. Their differences are best illustrated in this quote from the movie Airplane!
Striker: “Its an entirely different kind of flying, altogether.”
All Together: “Its a entirely different kind of flying.”
In Striker’s statement, altogether means completely or utterly (and truthfully, it’s a bit redundant in the sentence–entirely fulfills the same purpose).
How to Start Writing When You Don’t Feel Like It
As a professional editor and copywriter, my biggest problem with clients is not that I get poorly written material from them. Oh no, not by a long shot. My biggest problem is I don’t get anything from them at all.
Word Subtraction
We all know you can form new words by adding existing words together, such as combining boat and house to make boathouse or houseboat. But did you know that a lot of common words are also formed by subtraction or taking a piece away from a longer word?
All Pronoun Cases Are Created Equal
Some writers and speakers seem to believe that “I” is somehow more high class than “me.” Snooty characters on soap operas are especially fond of this construction. The fact is, “I” and “me” are class neutral. They simply have different jobs to do.
The Gentleman Fled on Foot
My local TV news team never lets me down when it comes to egregious misuse of the English language.
6 Foreign Expressions You Should Know
Whether you like it or not, foreign expressions represent an integral part of the English language (and of many other languages, too). Knowing the meaning and usage of the most used ones is very important. First of all because it will enable you to understand pieces of text that include them. Secondly, because you might also need to use those expressions on particular situations (avoid using them just to sound smart though). Below you will find 6 foreign expressions commonly used in English, enjoy!
Don’t Hate Me Because I’m Beautiful
When it comes to writing, looks matter just as much as substance. Don’t get me wrong, there is no substitute for high quality writing. But great writing poorly presented will be just as ineffective as bad writing.
Dictionary vs. Thesaurus
Afshan Khan asks, “What is the difference between a dictionary and a thesaurus?” A dictionary is a book containing the individual words of a language (usually organized alphabetically). The purpose of the dictionary is to set forth the orthography, pronunciation and signification of those words. The thesaurus, on the other hand, is a specific dictionary … Read more
Not Nice At All
My high school English teacher banned the use of the word nice. She said it was a lazy adjective. Although she was a bit harsh, there was some truth in what she said.
Coordinating Conjunctions
Coordinating conjunctions are some of the handiest, dandiest words in the English language. Essentially, they help us string our thoughts together in a way that is complex and meaningful, and without them writing would be very short and choppy.