Seven tips to kick-start your writing ‘Simple English is no one’s mother tongue. It has to be worked for.’ Jacques Barzun, French-American historian From time to time, we need to stand back and re-assess our writing skills to make sure our writing is clear, concise and engaging. 1. Just write It’s a truism that the more […]
Use while, which, however, this, it is, there is with caution Problems arise when writers overuse or misuse while, which, however, this, it is and there is. These words per se are not a problem – it’s just how they are used or overused. If you’re a person who overuses any of these words, I suggest you […]
Use nominalisations with caution Last month I wrote about verbing (turning nouns into verbs) and an e-newsletter reader pointed out that we also turn verbs and adjectives into nouns. The process of turning verbs and adjectives into nouns is known as nominalisation (nominalization if you use American spelling!). It’s also sometimes called ‘nouning’. There are […]
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. […]
Use modern and consistent writing styles Using modern business writing styles is part of a business’s branding. First impressions count and we usually judge a piece of business writing on its visual appearance before we’ve even read a word. Many visual aspects are taken care of in a well-written document, as good writing makes use of […]
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 […]
Verbs are often more powerful than noun phrases Nominalisation is the term used to describe a noun derived from a verb or adjective. Nominalisations from verbs Many, but not all, nominalisations created from verbs end in -ion, -ment or -ance. communication (communicate) consideration (consider) negotiation (negotiate) movement (move) deliverance (deliver) discovery (discover) failure (fail) refusal […]
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 […]
Write clear, concise sentences Do you want to express yourself better in your business writing? Then tidy up your sentences. Looking closely at sentence length and structure will help make your words work for you. Thinking about content and style at the same time is difficult, so concentrate on content in your first draft […]
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, […]