Human Skills and Better Communication
The plural solution is often an easy way to turn a faulty sentence into a better one.
In this sentence (from a novel) the fault is the non-agreement of the noun and the possessive adjective that refers to it:
In a lot of murder cases, it transpired that the victim knew their attacker.
How would you fix it?
Continue reading “The Plural Solution, And More”
Is it peek, pique or peak? Some writers genuinely confuse these words. Don’t worry. You can move towards Better Writing — one word at a time.
In my work as an editor, or just in general reading, I see words and phrases used wrongly all the time. When the same mistake crops up several times in one week, that’s when I pounce.
Continue reading “Take A Peek At Pique, Or Peak”
Really? Ninja? Be careful what you advertise for. If you ask for a ‘ninja’ marketer, PR assistant (or, heaven help us, a ‘ninja’ editor), then beware.
This rather bizarre descriptor has become quite common in job ads. And then there are the other favourites: ‘superhero’, ‘rockstar’ and a few others. Leave them in if you must but be warned. Here’s what you can expect….
Continue reading “Ninja? Be Careful What You Advertise For”
I’ve just finished a translation of ‘Ran Blake – Un Homme En Noir’. It’s a comprehensive study by expert French music critic, P. L. Renou. The article focuses on American pianist, composer, and educator Ran Blake, and the central relationship between his music and ‘film noir’. Continue reading “Translation: Ran Blake – A Man in Black”
Lazy language is everywhere.
It’s difficult to get through even one day’s reading without struggling to make sense of a tangled mess of woolly words – a real dog’s blanket of poor grammar and incorrect language use.
Continue reading “Lazy Language”
Is the concept of ‘work-life balance’ not working for you? There could be good reasons for that. You might be buying into the work-life balance myth.
Like any myth, it’s tied up with belief. We all like to believe there’s a way to have it all.
It’s the real world, though, and you, your family and your staff are human beings. In daily life, you cannot totally separate the human and the personal aspects from what you might consider the ‘work’ components.
Continue reading “The Work-Life Balance Myth”
Pivot! As a noun or a verb, it’s been around in business articles and blogs for a while, but the contagion is spreading. It’s an overused ‘go-to’ buzzword among fans of ‘corporate-speak’. Apart from its boring predictability, there’s the problem of its meaning.
Continue reading “Pivot? Say What You Really Mean”
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).
Continue reading “Misplaced Modifiers: Babies Who Smoke”
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.
Continue reading “Decimated? Or Just Damaged?”
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.
Continue reading “All Right or Alright?”