Blog about writing and grammar
Verbing: turning nouns into verbs
Many new verbs are created from adding endings to nouns When we add endings to nouns to turn them into verbs, it’s known as ‘verbing’, ‘verbification’, ‘denomilisation’ or ‘verbifying’ – ugly words to describe a common process! For example: She eyed an opportunity. He tabled a proposal. She authored a book. They accessed a lift. […]
How to write opening and topic sentences
Your opening sentence must engage your readers As Stephen King says: ‘An ‘opening line should invite the reader to begin the story. It should say: Listen. Come in here. You want to know about this.’ That’s why it’s often the most difficult sentence to write. Even Stephen King admitted in an interview with The Atlantic […]
How to write about money in business writing
Use consistent styles when writing about money Some aspects of writing about money are universal, and other aspects are style choices. In business writing, currency is usually expressed in symbols and numerals (e.g. $10). Writing about different currencies When writing about different currencies that use the dollar, you can use: A letter or letters symbolising the […]
Storytelling in business and copywriting
How do you use storytelling in your writing? At a recent workshop, a woman said she was often told to ‘tell a story’ in her business writing. But story-telling didn’t come naturally to her in a business context, so she didn’t know what they meant. I inwardly groaned in sympathy with this woman, thinking about […]
That: When can you delete ‘that’?
Many people believe the word that is overused and can often be deleted. In fact, it’s a pet hate for some people who rigorously delete every that they see. Which sentence do you prefer? The manager explained that the business support requests template would be generated through XPlan. The manager explained the business support requests […]
Use the ‘right’ word
Finding the right word can be difficult ‘The difference between the almost right word and the right word is really a large matter – ’tis the difference between the lightning-bug and the lightning.’ (Mark Twain) The English language has a wealth of words to choose from, yet sometimes we struggle to find the ‘right’ word. […]
Parallelism: match structures in your writing
Use parallel structures Parallelism, often called parallel structure, refers to matching structures in a pair or series of related words, phrases, or clauses. When parallelism is used for effect, the writing can be powerful. For example: ‘Immature poets imitate; mature poets steal.’ T.S. Eliot, ‘Philip Massinger’ ‘Today’s students can put dope in their veins or […]
Titles and headings must engage the reader
Take time with your titles Journalists understand the power of the title in an online article. Titles are the first thing you read and they must engage your attention. Take these examples from online newspapers on 18 August 2017. Rare butterfly spotted in Scotland for the first time since 1884 (Read more) How do you paint […]
When pronouns cause confusion
Watch for pronoun problems We often use pronouns to refer to noun we’ve previously mentioned. They’re short-cut words that help us avoid repetition. Jacob is a director on numerous boards. Jacob is also a keen swimmer. Jacob is a director on numerous boards. He is also a keen swimmer. The word the pronoun refers back to […]
Verb agreement with troublesome nouns
Singular or plural? A pair of slippers takes a singular verb Slippers take a plural verb Non-native English speakers sometimes have difficulty knowing whether to use a singular or plural verb with some nouns. For instance, it seems odd to use a singular verb with a ‘pair of’ when we’re obviously talking about two things […]
Misplaced, dangling and squinting modifiers
What’s wrong with the following sign? What’s wrong with these sentences that Liz Boulter gives in her Guardian article, Excuse me, but I think your modifier is dangling? ‘Hopping briskly through the vegetable garden, John saw a toad. Gently warmed in the oven and smothered in cream cheese, my friends loved the bagels. To be really […]