Don’t be a monologophobe!
“A monologophobe…is a writer who would rather walk naked in front of Saks Fifth Avenue than be caught using the same word more than once in three lines,” wrote Theodore M. Bernstein in The Careful Writer: A Modern Guide to English Usage. Bernstein admitted that “…avoidance of monotony caused by jarring repetition of a conspicuous […]
Top posts from 2022’s third quarter
Check out my top posts from the third quarter! They’re a mix of practical tips on spelling (#1, #2, #4), grammar (#3), and writing (#5). My posts that attracted the most views during 2022’s first quarter: When to capitalize prepositions in titles Ok, not okay Use a comma between consecutive adjectives? MISTAKE MONDAY for August […]
Brainstorm ideas for your publications
Have you ever struggled to generate topics for your blog posts, white papers, and other publications? You are not alone. I have some solutions to help you brainstorm. 1. Write about your clients’ mistakes and problems The most powerful brainstorming advice I can give you is to start “Blogging the mistakes your clients make.” My […]
MISTAKE MONDAY for September 26: Can YOU spot what’s wrong?
Can you spot what’s wrong in the image below? Please post your answer as a comment. I post these challenges to raise awareness of the importance of proofreading.
Why you must proofread
Your eyes don’t catch all of your typos and neither does your spell-checking or grammar-checking software. On top of that, sometimes software suggests corrections that I can only describe as “humorous,” if not “pathetic.” You see what you expect to see It’s hard for you to see your typos because your brain makes you see […]