When to use the active voice
By Mary Morel | June 2016 I recently 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 … Read More
In defence of the passive voice
By Mary Morel | May 2015 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 … Read More
A useful spelling rule
By Mary Morel | May 2015 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 … Read More
Numbering conventions in business writing
By Mary Morel | April 2015 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 … Read More
A quirky US rule around quotation marks
By Mary Morel | March 2015 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. … Read More
What happens when we overload sentences
By Mary Morel | February 2015 Length is often blamed for sentences going awry, but the problem is more complex than that because a long sentence sometimes works. Take Mark Twain’s beautiful example: ‘At times he may indulge himself with … Read More
WriteAussie – further, lie, towards, dependent
By Mary Morel | February 2015 Further and farther In Australian and New Zealand English, farther is not very common. We use further to mean both ‘at a greater distance’ and ‘in addition, more, moreover’. How much further to go? … Read More
WriteAussie – some Australian and American spelling differences
By Mary Morel | February 2015 Some of the main differences include: Australian English uses ‘ise’ or ‘yse’ and American English ‘ize’ or ‘yze’: organise, recognise, analyse (Au) organize, recognize, analyze (US) Australian English uses ‘our’ and American English ‘or’: … Read More
Reviewing and editing
Mary Morel | February 2015 Before you start editing someone’s writing, you need to be clear about the brief. The four types or stages of editing are: Reviewing Structural editing Copyediting Proofreading If your brief is to proofread a document, … Read More
Delete clutter from your writing
Mary Morel | April 2014 Short sentences are easier to read than long, complex sentences. Readability tests prove this. As is usually the case with English, there are exceptions to this rule, and long sentences can work well. As Joseph … Read More