When editing prose, I spend quite a bit of time eliminating random initial caps. I've heard this gratuitous capitalisation referred to as the 'Manhattan skyline'. Once you are referring to your organisation in one word (the company, the committee, the university) you can drop that initial cap (e.g. the Association) and Then your Writing [...]
In Australia, 'Yours sincerely' and 'Kind regards' are appropriate letter sign-offs if you have used the recipient's name, such as 'Dear Mr Johnson'.If you have said 'Dear Sir' or 'Dear Madam', use 'Yours faithfully' instead.(My memory-jogger: if you don't know the name of the person you are writing to, you need to have faith your letter [...]
Remember which spelling by using 'dependent' in much the same way you use 'independent' (as an adjective). I am dependent/independent; she is a dependent adult / an independent adult. In these examples, dependent – just like independent – is spelled with an 'e'. Then contrast these uses: Our family includes five dependants: one teenager and four [...]
When I was young and still impressionable, my father often quoted Fowler’s Modern English Usage (1965 edition) to me verbatim. His favourite section tickled his sense of humour and concerned split infinitives. It began as follows: “The English-speaking world may be divided into (1) those who neither know nor care what a split infinitive is; [...]
In many instances, you may find you can improve what you have written by removing the first sentence. As getting started can be a bit of a hurdle, it's common to prevaricate and write an introduction, or some background; you're still busy getting your head around what you want to say. The result is a bit fluffy, with this introductory sentence slowing down the [...]
Here are the five most common word mix-ups I’ve found while proofreading over the past month. 1. Sort and sought … especially with the phrase ‘sought-after’. Correct usage: I’ll sort out the details tomorrow. (That one’s easy, yep?) This house is in a sought-after location. 2. Bought and brought Is this confusion unique to [...]
Here we step back and provide some reminders for writing clear business English. They apply whether you are writing a report, a newsletter or a story for your website. 1. Plan what you want to say Dot points or headings are great for planning, getting content in the best order, and subsequently checking you’ve covered everything. [...]
The apostrophe can be troublesome, no doubt about it. While there are many occasions when it should be used (judiciously, in the right spot...) let's start with three of its former uses that no longer apply. Contrary to many grocers’ blackboards advertising tomato’s or potato’s, the apostrophe does not have a place in forming plurals. [...]
It delighted me to see the introduction of DIY checkouts recently at my local supermarket, but perhaps not for the usual reasons you'd expect. Yes, it's quicker to get through the checkout now, and no, I don't have to chat to the checkout chick or rooster if I don't feel inclined (which I enjoyed anyway). [...]
