Word Usage - Freelance Writing Jobs | A Freelance Writing Community and Freelance Writing Jobs Resource

10 Unusual Collective Nouns

Plus a Word Game to Discover New Words

By Noemi Twigg on April 10, 2012. 2 Comments

Do you find yourself checking the thesaurus often lately? I don’t know about you, but I do love checking for new words to use regularly. This is especially true for when I find myself using the same words too much. Sometimes, I am not even aware of that fact, but the thesaurus does help! Of course, I still believe that nothing beats reading voraciously when it comes to vocabulary expansion. I found this infographic that presents 10 supposedly unusual collective nouns, which some of you might find interesting. To be honest, I don’t really think that the collective nouns in [Read more…]

Categories: Grammar Guide, Word Usage Tags: Infographics, Word Usage Writing Jobs Editing Jobs Publishing Jobs Blogger Jobs

Are You Disinterested or Uninterested?

Confusing Word Pairs Revisited

By Noemi Twigg on February 7, 2012. 1 Comment

The English language is such a beautiful thing, isn’t it? That is not to say that it is always simple. In fact, even native speakers make mistakes now and then. Even professional writers have their Waterloo. The good thing is that as long as we are open to correction and learning, we can only become better. Today’s grammar post is all about words that are often used interchangeably, often incorrectly. We already took a look at some word pairs that give people problems some time last year. Remember ingenuous and ingenious? This time around, let us take a look at [Read more…]

Categories: Grammar Guide, Word Usage Tags: confusing words, Word Usage Writing Jobs Editing Jobs Publishing Jobs Blogger Jobs

2011 Word of the Year

Take Your Pick!

By Noemi Twigg on January 17, 2012. Leave a Comment

In 2010, we were treated to a interesting new word courtesy of Sarah Palin. “Refudiate“, which did not exist prior to Palin’s usage, made it as the New Oxford American Dictionary’s Word of the Year. It was also included in the dictionary as a real word. Halfway into the first month of 2012, we have several words to consider as Word of the Year for 2011. A simple search on Google using that phrase yielded several results, three of which we will take a look at in this week’s grammar post. Merriam-Webster: PRAGMATIC “Pragmatic” is a commonly used word, isn’t [Read more…]

Categories: Grammar Guide, Word Usage Tags: Word of the Year, Word Usage Writing Jobs Editing Jobs Publishing Jobs Blogger Jobs

Lake Superior State University’s 2012 List of Banished Words

Are you going to observe the ban?

By Noemi Twigg on January 10, 2012. 9 Comments

Around this time last year, we took a look at the annual list of banned words published by Lake Superior State University. We saw the likes of “tweet“, “app“, “teachable moment“, “bromance“, and “friend” (as a verb) included in the list. To be honest, while I started out with the intention of observing whether or not I used the words in the list, I totally forgot all about it as the months of 2011 went by. As we enter the second week of 2012, I find myself thinking of the list again. As I said in that post, there was (and [Read more…]

Categories: Grammar Guide, Word Usage Tags: Word Usage Writing Jobs Editing Jobs Publishing Jobs Blogger Jobs

To OMG or to LOL?

Oxford English Dictionary's New Words

By Noemi Twigg on March 29, 2011. 4 Comments

Dear FWJ Friends, Have you heard about the latest updates to the Oxford English Dictionary (OED)? For people in our line of work, this might be old news, but let me share it with you nonetheless. As of March 2011, several new initialisms have been added to the OED, initiliasms being “abbreviations comprised of the initial letters of a name or expression. If you’re thinking “OMG!” then you are hitting the nail right on the head! OMG, otherwise known as “Oh my God” is now included in the March release of OED Online. I suppose my hairdresser was actually correct [Read more…]

Categories: Grammar Guide, Musings & Style, Word Usage Tags: Oxford English Dictionary, Word Usage Writing Jobs Editing Jobs Publishing Jobs Blogger Jobs

If I Lay Here…

Using Lie and Lay Correctly

By Noemi Twigg on January 17, 2011. 15 Comments

There is a plethora of confusing word pairs in English, and even native English speakers confuse their usage in everyday conversation. Earlier today, for some reason, I kept hearing Snow Patrol’s Chasing Cars in my head. I used to listen to this song a lot, so I guess the fact that I felt like lying down for a few minutes more triggered memories. In any case, I was thinking to myself, should it be lay or lie? That simple question resulted in more than a few minutes of lying in bed and mulling the two words over. So what’s the [Read more…]

Categories: Best of FWJ, Grammar Guide, Word Usage Tags: confusing words, Verbs, Word Usage Writing Jobs Editing Jobs Publishing Jobs Blogger Jobs

Lake Superior State University’s Lists of Banished Words and Phrases

Guilty as charged

By Noemi Twigg on January 10, 2011. 7 Comments

We all have our pet peeves, and for writers, this is especially true when it comes to word usage. I am sure that all of you will be able to come up with your own list of banished words and phrases, but I wonder how your list will compare to what Lake Superior State University has come up for 2010 and 2011? Last week, the Internet was abuzz with talk about the newly released 35th Annual List of Words Banished from the Queen’s English for Mis-use, Over-use and General Uselessness. It seems that my year has been starting out slowly, [Read more…]

Categories: Grammar Guide, Word Usage, Words to Avoid Tags: Word Usage Writing Jobs Editing Jobs Publishing Jobs Blogger Jobs

Refudiate: 2010 Word of the Year

Sarah Palin Has the Last Laugh

By Noemi Twigg on December 6, 2010. 4 Comments

Sarah Palin may not have succeeded in her quest to become the Vice President of the United States, but her time in the spotlight is not really over. While she did not` seek to be re-elected as the governor of Alaska, Sarah Palin has been busy with a host of other activities. Her own TV show, Sarah Palin’s Alaska, is attracting some attention, together with her Twitter account: @SarahPalinUSA. Some time this year, Twitterverse was abuzz with Sarah Palin’s tweet using a one-of-a-kind word. Can you spot it below? “Ground Zero Mosque supporters: doesn’t it stab you in the heart, [Read more…]

Categories: Grammar Guide, Word Usage Tags: vocabulary, Word of the Year, Word Usage Writing Jobs Editing Jobs Publishing Jobs Blogger Jobs

Beggars Can’t Be Choosers

How to Use the Phrase "Begs the Question"

By Noemi Twigg on November 19, 2010. 4 Comments

Don’t you just love it when you learn something new unexpectedly? I was reading the news today when I saw an article titled “To beg or not to beg” and for some reason, I decided to take a look at it. I am glad I did, because it was a very interesting read, which I would like to share with you. How often do you hear the phrase “to beg the question”? How do you use it? In my case, I don’t really hear it that often, but I always understood it in the context of someone making a statement [Read more…]

Categories: Grammar Guide, Grammar Rules, Word Usage Tags: Grammar Rules, Word Usage Writing Jobs Editing Jobs Publishing Jobs Blogger Jobs

Are You Ingenuous or Ingenious?

Some Confusing Word Pairs

By Noemi Twigg on October 18, 2010. 4 Comments

When I was teaching ESL, lessons on confusing word pairs were inevitable. The level of the learner was irrelevant. My students all needed clarification on certain word pairs. Interestingly enough, I have discovered than even native speakers of English have similar issues. The words in question may be of a more advanced level, but the confusion remains. Just take some time to browse blogs, and you’ll find at least one example! For this week’s grammar post, let us take a look at some of words that are used interchangeably, when they shouldn’t be. Ingenuous and Ingenious I’ll be honest here [Read more…]

Categories: Grammar Guide, Word Usage Tags: confusing words, grammar, Grammar Guide, vocabulary, Word Usage Writing Jobs Editing Jobs Publishing Jobs Blogger Jobs

Mistakes that Make You Look Stupid

By Noemi Twigg on August 13, 2010. 12 Comments

We all have our bad moments. There are times when, even if I go over my work twice or thrice, typos still go unnoticed. You know what I am talking about, don’t you? However, there are mistakes that are just so common that you think people know better than to commit them. Committing these mistakes, in my eyes, can chip away at your credibility. (That’s a nice way of saying that making certain mistakes can make you look dumb.) What are these mistakes? Your /You’re “Your” is a possessive pronoun: You should proofread your blog posts in order to avoid [Read more…]

Categories: Editing & Proofing, Parts of Speech, Word Usage Tags: confusing words, grammar mistakes Writing Jobs Editing Jobs Publishing Jobs Blogger Jobs

The Right Words to Use

By Dawn Allcot on 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…]

Categories: Word Usage Tags: about, approximately, use, utilize Writing Jobs Editing Jobs Publishing Jobs Blogger Jobs

As Per This Blog Post…

By Dawn Allcot on 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…]

Categories: Word Usage Tags: as per, business writing, Common Errors in English Usage", in regard to, Paul Brians Writing Jobs Editing Jobs Publishing Jobs Blogger Jobs

Why It's Not St. Patty's Day

By Dawn Allcot on 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…]

Categories: Word Usage Tags: Guinness, Ireland, names, Spelling, St. Paddy's Day, St. Patrick's Day Writing Jobs Editing Jobs Publishing Jobs Blogger Jobs

When “Might” IS Right

By Dawn Allcot on March 6, 2010. 2 Comments

I recently faced a situation where I had to choose between using “might” or “may” in a sentence. Usually, I intuitively pick the right word (as I do with so much of my writing), so I never considered the rules behind when to use “might” and when to use “may.” It turns out, there’s a very simple rule, which I found with just a glimpse through the recently-reviewed Grammar Done Right by Karen L. Reddick. (Thanks Karen, and thanks for stopping by the blog, as well.) May = Maybe, Probably Use “may” to indicate the probability of something occurring. Since [Read more…]

Categories: Word Usage Tags: can, Disney World, grammar, may, might, should Writing Jobs Editing Jobs Publishing Jobs Blogger Jobs

Her website cited the Site as “The Best Sight in the City.”

By Dawn Allcot on January 26, 2010. 19 Comments

Site. Cite. Sight. I caught myself confusing these words in a blog post the other day, and I figured if I do it, I’m sure others do, as well. If I’m not careful, I use “site” when I mean “cite.” Perhaps it’s because I get so accustomed to typing “site” when I’m referring to websites? Incidentally, “website” is a much higher-ranked keyword than “site.” Much higher. This is, perhaps, one of those instances where it pays to choose the better keyword over the more conversational phrase. Also, since writers strive to avoid ambiguity, and “site” can have multiple meetings, it [Read more…]

Categories: Word Usage Tags: cite, New York City, sight, site, Web site Writing Jobs Editing Jobs Publishing Jobs Blogger Jobs

Build Your Writing Career & Boost Your Income