More blogs about writing and grammar
What does ‘write for your audience’ mean?
A basic catchcry of business-writing articles and training is ‘write for your audience’. Yet what does this mean in practice? I don’t think this is as straightforward as it sounds and I am going to look at this question from my own experience of: Teaching people how to write better board papers Writing my e-newsletter […]
Dashes, parentheses or commas?
When to use dashes, parentheses and commas We all insert extra information in sentences at times with dashes, parentheses (also known as brackets) or commas. Sometimes it’s just irresistible to include that additional information that we hope will make our meaning clearer or provide context. But does the extra information make our writing harder to […]
Hyphens and how to use them
Use hyphens to link words for clarity Hyphens glue words together so the reader knows they are linked. Some of the rules for using hyphens are straightforward, but there are several exceptions and often you have to decide whether a hyphen is necessary. That is why some people dislike hyphens and probably why the Oxford University […]
The singular they
The singular they is now widely accepted The use of the singular ‘they’ to avoid using the generic ‘he’ or alternative usages such as ‘he and she’ or ‘h/she’ is not new and is now widely accepted. (The singular they includes ‘them’ and ‘their’.) ‘The person is entitled to have an alternative address substituted for […]
Commas with ‘and’
Several business writers have told me they were taught never to put a comma before ‘and’. Now, I could understand if they’d been told not to put one after ‘and’, but before? So I decided to look at occasions when we can use a comma before ‘and’. There are two occasions where a comma can […]
When to use the active voice
I wrote a blog in defence of the passive voice because it gets so much bad press. In this blog I want to redress the balance and acknowledge the virtues of the active voice. In case you didn’t read the previous blog, let’s define the active and passive voice. The distinction is based on a […]
In defence of the passive voice
The passive voice has a place in business writing Most of us have probably been told at some point in our business writing career ‘to avoid the passive voice’. The reason given is that it is often wordier and clumsier than the active voice, which is more direct and lively. Also, many people think that […]
A useful spelling rule
-able and -ible spelling rule Given that there are 26 letters in the alphabet and more than 40 sounds in the English language, it’s amazing that any of us learn to spell. I consider myself a reasonable speller, but there are a few words, such as ‘accommodation’ and ‘apartment’, that trip me up. Thank goodness […]
Numbering conventions in business writing
The terms ‘numbers’ and ‘numerals’ are often used interchangeably, but there is a difference between these words. A number is a concept and a numeral expresses that concept in writing. For example, the number five is a concept and you can express it in different ways. For instance, you could hold up five fingers, say […]
A quirky US rule around quotation marks
In US English, full stops go inside quotation marks Use of quotation marks We use quotation marks to indicate: Written or spoken speech ‘You’re looking well,’ she said. Titles of reports, articles and poems I read an article ‘Where Boards Fall Short’ in the Harvard Business Review. Words we wish to emphasise Did you know […]