So I lie. Sometimes, it’s very easy to say good-bye, like when you have to break it off with a client where the relationship just wasn’t working or the material was driving you batty. As many times as I’ve fallen victim to “Muphry’s Law” here (the one that states that whenever you write about grammar, you will make a grammatical error) this blog has been a ton of fun! So, in this case, it is, indeed, hard to say goodbye. I feel like I should be exploring why goodbye doesn’t need a hyphen, but I’ll let that sit for now. [Read more…]
A Large Percentage of People Use % In Writing
June 26, 2010. 9 Comments
I’d like to take a few paragraphs to vent, if you don’t mind. If you read this column regularly, you know I typically follow AP style — and so do most of my clients. In AP Style, when you’re writing statistics or percentages, you should use numerals followed by the word percent. Even if the number is less than ten (2 percent) you should use the numeral and the word percent. When do you use the percent sign (%)? Never. This rule is, incidentally, the same in the Chicago Manual of Style. However, many bloggers (and even some print publication [Read more…]
The Right Words to Use
June 22, 2010. 1 Comment
Hi, Dawn! Hope all goes well. I have two words that really bother me, and are changed [in my publication] whenever possible: “utilize” vs. “use:” Why not use the shorter term almost all the time; is there really a difference between them? Your thoughts? Best, David Thanks for writing in, David. The word choice of “utilize” instead of the simpler “use” has been a pet peeve of mine for a while. Years ago I worked for an editorial director who ranted for 20 minutes when one of the writers chose the word “utilize.” She tore up press releases that claimed [Read more…]
Living and Writing, Virtually
June 17, 2010. Leave a Comment
The marketing copy on the side of my hair gel this morning prompted this column. The container of gel promised to leave my hair “virtually frizz-free.” If you’ve seen pictures of me on my website or on Facebook, you know I have, well, frizz issues. Maybe it’s asking too much, but can’t my hair be truly “frizz-free?” Why only virtually? Is frizz-less-ness and impossible condition to consider? What does this mean, anyway? Our friend Dictionary.com tells us “virtually” means: for the most part; almost wholly; just about. I get it. There may be remnants of frizz left in my hair, [Read more…]
Rescue Those Floating Quotation Marks this “Summer”
June 14, 2010. 1 Comment
Memorial Day marked the unofficial start of summer. (The summer solstice begins June 21 this year.) Beach season is upon us. Coconut-scented sunscreen, captivating chick-lit books, Coronas, bikinis, and — for the parents who are reading this — swim diapers and those cute little floaties we use to keep our toddlers save when they swim and splash. Floats are good. Root beer floats. Floating in a life raft (with the aforementioned Corona tucked safely in its little mesh cup holder), floating boats, floating … well, floats. But if there’s one type of floating you want to avoid this summer (eww… [Read more…]
Three Steps to Foolproof Proofreading & Editing
June 1, 2010. 3 Comments
I was doing research for some parenting articles yesterday, and linked back to one of my earlier blog posts about baby crib mattresses. (Captivating topic, no?) I began skimming the article for a good sentence to use as a link and for some additional information. (Do you think I actually remember anything I write?) To my embarrassment, I discovered this sentence: “The firmer and better quality foam mattresses way more than cheaper ones, but they are still not as heavy as most inner spring mattress[es].” Yikes! Two typos in that one — neither picked up by spellcheck. I’ve put one [Read more…]
Prepositions It's Okay to End a Sentence With…
May 25, 2010. 5 Comments
My headline isn’t a shining example of good grammar. 1). I’m ending a sentence with a preposition 2). The sentence is in passive voice 3). I’m not sharing a benefit with you, my beloved readers. Let’s start with number three on the list … why is it okay to end a sentence with a preposition — sometimes? It’s all about read-ability. Sometimes, if we find ways in which to avoid ending a sentence with a preposition, we’ll wind up with awkward construction. (Like that sentence!) If we end a sentence with whatever word sounds most natural (even if it’s a [Read more…]
Whom Does This Concern?
May 17, 2010. 1 Comment
As I am writing at work (and I do a lot of writing!), I wasn’t sure about when to use who vs. whom. I thought of your grammar blog again. Maybe you can help? Ms. B Ms. B, Thanks for asking! This topic has been on my editorial calendar for quite some time, and it’s the perfect follow-up to my post about archaic words. “Whom” definitely qualifies as a word that is falling out of favor, although it’s not yet an archaic word to avoid at all costs. We can substitute “who” for “whom” in most cases, and very few [Read more…]
The Importance of Proofreaders
May 8, 2010. 4 Comments
When my declared atheist friend announced he was becoming Christian and would use a version of the King James Bible printed in 1631 as his canon, several other friends speculated on the end of the world. The apocalypse must be at hand. A few fell for the joke — others knew there had to be a catch but couldn’t figure it out. Leave it to me to find a grammar lesson in it. As my friend later revealed, the King James Bible published in 1631 by London’s royal printers, is the infamous translation in which the publisher royally screwed up [Read more…]
How to Avoid Archaic Words and Phrases in Your Writing
May 5, 2010. 5 Comments
I will probably get some heat over validating the use of “as per” in business correspondence, but it truly doesn’t bother me. There are, however, some words that make writing sound dated (and I don’t mean “so last week.”) Using these words in your writing can make it sound “turn of the century before last.” So can over-using floating quotation marks, but I’ll talk about that next week. While it’s true that everything comes back in style eventually — even poufy hair, for goodness sakes! — I don’t think we’ll see these words hitting the top of the keyword lists [Read more…]
As Per This Blog Post…
April 29, 2010. 3 Comments
Is the phrase “as per” (as in “As per my phone call, …”) grammatically correct and what alternatives are there to this phrase? I use this a lot when writing and not sure if it is acceptable! Just a thought for the day! Thanks. – Ms. B. We love (yes, I mean LOVE) questions from our loyal readers. This one really made me think. Technically speaking, there’s nothing wrong with “as per.” It may sound formal. But in business correspondence when you are reiterating your instructions to be followed, it’s unobtrusive and polite. Other synonyms include: in accordance with, following, [Read more…]
Five Reasons to Create a New Word
April 27, 2010. 7 Comments
Devastational is not (yet) a word. I’m glad the spellchecker is with me on this one. I repeat: “Devastational” is NOT a word. The proper word is “devastating.” There are some very good reasons to create new words. But there’s no reason for this one. After hearing the word “devastational” used twice in one New York radio show, I knew I had to step in and do something about it, before it’s too late. Are you with me? Let’s Face It, Language Evolves Words like nauseous have evolved to possess different meanings than that originally intended. If enough people (mis)use [Read more…]
How Valuable Is Your Service? Will It Make You Famous?
April 17, 2010. 2 Comments
I’m sorry to mislead you with this blog post title. You’re not going to find business tips and marketing advice here. (If you’re truly disappointed, check out the invaluable Business Tips for Writers section, but make sure you come back soon!) “What’s the difference between ‘valuable’ and ‘invaluable,’ one of our loyal readers asks. How do you know which one to use?” Good question. In marketing-speak, anything can be over-hyped. Why should something be merely “valuable” when it can be “invaluable?” Why should something be a rerun when it can be “a classic,” or, even better, “a timeless classic” or [Read more…]
You're Reading an Instant Classic!
April 15, 2010. Leave a Comment
How old does something have to be before it can be described as a classic? The marketing world has its own language. Only in business and marketing do you hear terms like “ROI” and “conversions” bandied about as commonly as pronouns in everyday speech. Only when you’re speaking to a marketing director will you hear a five-year-old video described as a “classic.” Even cars need to be 20 years old before they can earn that designation. (It’s 45 years for an antique — a fact anyone approaching the half-century mark in age will be overjoyed to hear.) One of the [Read more…]
Every Day Is a New Beginning
April 13, 2010. 4 Comments
A reader pointed out a grammatical error I made in a previous post (Are You Really Writing a Blog?) that made me blush. I’ve already resigned myself to “Muphry’s Law.” Popularized by Grammar Girl, Muphry’s Law states that whenever you write an article, email, post or other correspondence mocking someone else’s grammar, you will make an egregious grammatical error. In the time I’ve been blogging here, I’ve made about five errors, which I don’t think is horrible. (Although it makes me wonder how many errors I make in other posts, where my readers may not be as astute at catching [Read more…]
More Words to Avoid in Freelance Writing
April 8, 2010. 8 Comments
If this isn’t a case of attracting what you want to avoid, I don’t know what is. Since I wrote about avoiding the word “And” to begin sentences, I’ve been finding places in my articles where it’s the best transition. And so… at the risk of finding future posts peppered with adverbs, I’m going to address another set of words to avoid (when possible) in your freelance writing. Most times, these words don’t add anything to your work and, if you’re aiming for “tight writing,” your articles will read better without them. While I vehemently defended this class of word [Read more…]
Regardless, Don't Read This Blog Post During Breakfast
April 6, 2010. 2 Comments
I sat down to write a post on the rampant misuse of the word “nauseous,” a pet peeve of a close friend of mine. Using the word to mean “nauseated” doesn’t bother me, but we all have our language quirks. I have enough of them to respect (and blog about) the quirks of others. A common theme of this blog lately has been the evolution of language. I discovered another case of this when I clicked Dictionary.com to look up the proper usage of the word “nauseous.” Previously, nauseated meant “to feel sick to one’s stomach.” “Nauseous,” on the other [Read more…]
Are You Really Writing a Blog?
March 31, 2010. 13 Comments
I’m on a kick of talking about social media and Internet buzzwords. I’ve admitted it doesn’t bother me if people treat social media as singular, even if it’s really a plural noun. But I want to bring up a social media grammar pet peeve of mine: people who use the word “blog” when they mean blog post. “I’m Writing a Magazine” I’m going to use a conventional media analogy. When you write a segment of a magazine, you’re writing an article. Right? You wouldn’t say, “I’m writing a magazine for RealSimple this week; I was thrilled the editor accepted my [Read more…]
Is the Freelance Writing Jobs Network Grammatically Correct?
March 28, 2010. 8 Comments
We look at the header for this blog every day and never think twice about it. It’s the Freelance Writing Jobs Network, a blog network and community for freelance writers. But are we all really “freelance writers?” Or “free lance writers?” Or, to complicate things further, might we be “free-lance writers?” Deb, you’ve got it right. It’s freelance. It wasn’t always, but it is now. “Freelance” is one of those words like “email” where the hyphen has been dropped. Freelancing’s Gray Area Those who run free lance writing blogs or even “free-lance” writing blogs aren’t exactly wrong. Dictionary.com, which draws [Read more…]
The Great Space Debate
March 27, 2010. 7 Comments
Virtual Assistant Tracey Tarrant of TCT Business Solutions writes in with a punctuation/style question. She asks: What is proper when starting a new sentence… one space after the period (or question mark, etc.) or two? For example: I went to the store. I bought milk. or I went to the store. I bought milk. That’s a good question! Tracey didn’t realize she was touching on a hotbed issue with writers of every ilk, a debate as heated as “Coke or Pepsi,” “Burger King or McDonald’s,” “Starbucks or Tim Horton’s.” (I can hear health-conscious friends of mine saying, “None of the [Read more…]
A Sense of Capital En-TITLE-ment
March 26, 2010. 1 Comment
Now that we’ve established how important it is to spell people’s names correctly, I’d like to cover another important fact it’s important to get right: people’s titles. Titles are extremely important to some people. Other people couldn’t care less if you call them CEO or chief cook and bottle washer. It’s hard to identify individuals who live and die by their titles and those who don’t care — so it’s best to get titles right every time. People get promoted. Websites often aren’t updated in a timely manner. Always, always, always double check someone’s title when you interview them. Then [Read more…]
Happy Spring!
March 21, 2010. 2 Comments
A sentence in my previous post sent me rushing to several different grammar resources for the correct capitalization rules. It’s a small point, but I often wonder about it, so I thought you might, too. Do you capitalize the names of the seasons? It turns out, according to the Oxford Dictionary, the AP Style book and the Chicago Manual of Style, you do not (except when they begin a sentence, of course). Therefore, we would write: winter spring summer fall (or autumn) You would capitalize the season if it were part of a title. “Did you get the new Spring [Read more…]
The Most Important Word to Spell Correctly
March 20, 2010. 5 Comments
I remember the first time I saw my byline in a national publication. And I remember the feeling of my heart sinking when I saw my name misspelled. Fortunately, the first time I saw my name laid out in a magazine, I was glimpsing over the art director’s shoulder at the Pagemaker file. The story wasn’t in print yet. I politely asked her if she could fix it before she burned the file, and she did. It wasn’t the first time my name was misspelled and — even though it’s a different last name today — I’m sure it won’t [Read more…]
Why It's Not St. Patty's Day
March 17, 2010. 1 Comment
Last year, on this day, I received a lecture from a friend of Irish heritage. I made the mistake of wishing him a “Happy St. Patty’s Day.” I know I can be a stickler for certain things related to spelling and grammar — and I fully admit to being in the wrong on this one. He explained: The holiday is St. Patrick’s Day, named after Saint Patrick, a patron saint of Ireland. Patrick, being a saint, of course, is a boy’s name. It’s the Americanized version of the Irish name “Padraig.” (I feel like I should put the period outside [Read more…]
