Trying to ease back into Style Guru mode on the heels of vacation is a fruitless endeavor. My mind is focused on mountains, vineyards and sunsets – not dangling modifiers, misplaced clauses and subject-verb agreement. Between winery tours in Virginia, … Continue reading
Posted in: Best Practices, Style Guru, Writing Tips
Tags: English, grammar, parts of a sentence, sentence structure, Style Guru
Here lies “in order to.” People loved the phrase so much; they used it in just about every context – from white papers and websites to newsletters and blogs. I lost count how many times it showed up, along with … Continue reading
Posted in: Best Practices, Style Guru, Writing Tips
Tags: in order to, Style Guru, writing
They’re baaaack… Six months after I wrote about split infinitives here, the geniuses in the writing department are bombarding me with a shower of them. Where did I go wrong? Please turn off the sprinkler! Check out these examples of … Continue reading
Using myriad correctly I’m not sure why, but myriad seems to confuse a lot of people. Contrary to popular opinion, myriad is not used with “of.” Although I love the word because it rolls off the tongue so nicely, I’ve … Continue reading
Posted in: Style Guru, Writing Tips
New social media guidelines resolve some mysteries Is microsite correct? Is smart phone one word or two? Is it acceptable to refer to trending? The Associated Press just released social media guidelines that I hope will lead to uniform treatment … Continue reading
Posted in: Style Guru, Writing Tips
Get cozy with Latin, Greek words One of my clients called me the other day to ask if criterion is singular or plural. I know it’s a Greek word, but I had to look it up. I can’t remember one … Continue reading
Posted in: Style Guru, Writing Tips
May I use might or might I use may? I’ll bet Miss Manners knows when to use might and when to use may, but she probably also irons her sheets and puts real linen towels out for guests. When you … Continue reading
Posted in: Style Guru, Writing Tips
Wipe out these word blunders Not that I don’t have anything else to do – I know you wonder – but I’ve been keeping track of some of the most common word blunders of late. You can avoid these mistakes … Continue reading
Posted in: Style Guru, Writing Tips
‘Tis the season for debt-collection calls and mangled grammar It must be spring again. How do I know? Flowers are blooming in full force, the birds are cavorting and my allergies are having a party 24/7. All true, but there’s … Continue reading
Posted in: Style Guru, Writing Tips
Anyone have a grease pencil? Strike these words and phrases, please Every few years seems to give rise to a new set of buzzwords and phrases, many of which appear in business communications. Remember “downsizing?” How about “reorganization?” For a … Continue reading
Posted in: Style Guru, Writing Tips
