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. […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
The family is having fun Collective nouns take a singular or plural verb depending on the context A collective noun refers to a group of people or things, e.g. herd, assembly, staff, jury. When a collective noun refers to a single entity it takes a singular verb. The tax office is revising its management strategy. […]
There are four types of brackets: parentheses, square brackets, angle brackets and curly brackets. Parentheses ( ) Parentheses, sometimes called round brackets or just brackets, are the most common brackets in business writing. Use round brackets (parentheses) to add extra information to a sentence. You can use dashes or commas instead of brackets in some instances. Would […]
When to use apostrophes With so many different punctuation rules that need to be followed when writing the English language, it can sometimes get confusing. Language researcher David Graddol predicts that in 2010 there will be 2 billion people on the planet speaking English, of whom only 350 million will be native speakers. So how […]
Empathetic and empathic have subtle differences in meaning Reader’s question: So many people say empathetic but I like empathic. What’s your view? Answer: I think they can be used interchangeably, but Daily Writing Tips has an interesting take on these words. In summary, it says: ‘Because of the Star Trek influence, I do see a difference between empathic and empathetic. I would use empathetic to describe the […]
e stands for electronic We invent new words all the time and we’ve made several new words by putting ‘e’ in front of them. I wonder if the original meaning of ‘e’ has now been forgotten. We usually hyphenate these words when they are new. e-mail e-newsletters e-commerce e-business e-learning Some hyphens drop off over time. […]
The difference between disinterested and uninterested If you are not interested in something are you disinterested or uninterested? disinterested Disinterested means impartial. I am disinterested in politics. uninterested Uninterested means not interested in. I am uninterested in music. I wonder if this distinction is dying out. I think we tend to say I am not interested rather than I am uninterested. Learn […]