Some experts say ‘the reason is because’ is not correct An e-newsletter reader said I should have written the reason is that rather than the reason is because. The offending sentence was: The reason for a semicolon in the second example is because you’re introducing a new clause. The reader said that I should have written: The reason […]
Do you run forums or fora? Reader’s question: There is no ambiguity if you run a forum, but if you run two, are you running forums or fora? Answer: Both are acceptable. My preference is forums because I think it is more commonly used today. Fora conforms with the Latin, but forums is the Anglicised form. Learn more Learn more about words with my Business Writing […]
How much further do I have to go before I see some sparrows? What’s the difference between farther and further? 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? We need to investigate further. Farther is used more […]
Do we have enough newspapers to give everyone a copy? Where do you put enough in a sentence? Reader’s question: Are there any rules around where to place enough? Answer: Place enough after an adjective or adverb, but before a noun. Margaret isn’t well enough to attend. The restaurant didn’t have enough staff. When enough comes before a noun it is often followed by the infinitive (to + […]
Driving like a maniac, the rabbit was hit. Do you care if your modifiers are dangling? A newsletter reader commented how much dangling modifiers annoy her. A phrase is ‘dangling’ when it becomes associated with a word other than the one intended – or with no particular word at all. Walking down the street, […]
The droopy daffodils. They are droopier today than yesterday. The middle one is the droopiest. How to form comparative and superlative adjectives One-syllable words take -er and -est to make them comparative and superlative. hot, hotter, hottest Three or more syllables are preceded by more/less and most/least. beneficial, more beneficial, most beneficial The rules are not as clear-cut with two-syllable words. Those ending in -y tend to take -er and -est, […]
Confusion about colons abounds. Here we break down the difference between colons and semicolons so you can use them effectively in your writing. In a nutshell, colons introduce, link or separate words and ideas. Semicolons create a stronger break than a comma, but a weaker break than a full stop. They join two independent clauses […]
Can you use acronyms, subheadings and bullets in a summary? Reader’s question: Should you use abbreviations and acronyms in an executive summary? My answer: As a general rule, do not use abbreviations or acronyms in an executive summary, but use your common sense. I would use an an acronym or abbreviation if it were more common […]
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 […]
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 […]