September 2021 • Janette Parr Consulting

19 September 20213 January 2023

Misplaced Modifiers: Babies Who Smoke

There should be penalties for women having babies who smoke.
What? Babies smoking? Has to be something wrong there.

I opened the door to the delivery man wearing my best party dress.
But why on earth was he wearing it?

Seriously, though, the big problem with these sentences is a common one: it’s the problem of misplaced modifiers.

They are everywhere. They can totally mangle the meaning of a sentence. And, in some cases, they are just downright comical.

Find out how to spot them (and fix them).

18 September 202121 September 2022

Decimated? Or Just Damaged?

Guess what? You might be in the minority. By that, I mean those who understand the real meaning of ‘decimated’. Most don’t.

If you want an example, here’s a beauty! This is a snippet from an account of a road accident: ‘… the impact fully decimated half the car’.

Your challenge is this: ‘How much damage was done to the car?’ Hint: you might need maths.

18 September 20215 January 2023

All Right or Alright?

All right or alright?

Lots of people are confused about which to use.

Here are a few tips that might clear things up, without getting too technical.

12 September 202121 May 2023

100% Human: 30-day Challenge

It’s a busy life. There are people moving in and out of your day. There are interruptions, activity, noise, and technology all around you. Do you ever feel it’s hard to be 100% human?

You might feel hurried, stressed, or overwhelmed. Even if you’re healthily busy, going about your daily routines at home or at work, most days there’s at least one point where you seem to disappear.