Recently I was walking and talking with my co-worker, who happens to be a freelance writer and aspiring journalist. We were talking about the fact that our employers were providing us with a Thanksgiving lunch the day after Thanksgiving, and she said, “It’s so ironic!’’ – all emphasis and drawing-out of syllables possible used on … Read more
Some people consider italics and boldface type — and quotation marks, when they’re used other than as dialogue markers — to be just so many noisy bells and whistles. They often are, when they’re misused, but when they’re employed correctly and strategically, they send strong signals. The following rules apply primarily for books and magazines. … Read more
I was going to write about the proper use of hopefully and presently, two adverbs that were bugaboos for a few of my college professors. But today’s visit to a dictionary has made me reconsider proper. For decades, I carried high the language flag, circled these words in my own students’ essays, and went to … Read more
“A kiss is just a pleasant reminder that two heads are better than one.” – Unknown Kissing is a very ancient and widely spread means of greeting and showing affection. Kissing conjures up sweet images of romantic embraces or familial love. One imagines kissing a loved one, a child, a family member. Yet apparently, according … Read more
Let’s say, for the sake of argument, that you’re explaining something in writing — such as which punctuation marks to use to signal a break in thought — and you want to make it clear to your readers (many of whom may never have realized that there are distinctions to be made). How would you … Read more
The conventional reason for hyphenating words that temporarily work together as a single adjective is to avoid ambiguity. Generations of young writers and editors have been advised by sadder but wiser colleagues that they should swim well clear of a man-eating shark. On the other hand, a man eating shark is likely to have a … Read more
Despite students’ wildest hope of avoiding the dreaded essay exam—one that requires either short or long essay answers rather than multiple choice answers—most find themselves taking such an exam, particularly for subjects like history, philosophy, literature, sociology, political science and others. This type of exam, however, can be successfully managed if you follow a few … Read more
As a freelance editor and proofreader, the misplaced or dangling modifier is a common writing error I see. That sentence should have made you cringe, or at least confused. It introduces an all-too-frequent grammatical problem found in writing: misplaced and dangling modifiers. First, what’s a modifier? A modifier is a word, phrase, or clause that … Read more
This is a guest post by Letia Graening. An abbreviation is defined as a shortened version of a word or phrase. But did you know that there are many different types of abbreviations? Here is a list of abbreviation types: Acronym – This forms a word using the initial parts or first letters of a … Read more
We all know that good looking women are described as “foxy”. But foxes, with their rusty color and reputation for craftiness, can be used in many other colorful, unique, and descriptive expressions. For example, “A fox’s sleep” is when one feigns indifference while keeping a close eye on someone. “A wise fox will never rob … Read more
This is a guest post by Eva R. Marienchild. I just sent a colleague back his “Away” e-mail—you know, the ones you post when you’ll be out of your office for a while. It had a comma where a semicolon should have been in the last sentence. To wit: “We will respond to your emails … Read more
You see them everyday, whenever you login to a Web site or rollover an ad: what should be open compounds suffering from the compositional equivalent of a roadway rear-ender. The error of writing everyday (an adjective meaning “ordinary”) when you mean “every day” (synonymous with “each day”) has already been covered in another post, but … Read more