My five favorite reference books for writers
A printed book is sometimes the best place to find a solution to your question about writing style, punctuation, or grammar. Here are my five favorite reference books. I have updated this list because my favorites have changed over time, most notably with the elevation of Garner’s Modern American Usage from the “honorable mention” list. […]
MISTAKE MONDAY for April 25: Can YOU spot what’s wrong?
Can you spot what’s wrong in the image below? Please post your answer as a comment. Hint: Try reading this out loud. I post these challenges to raise awareness of the importance of proofreading.
Top posts from 2022’s first quarter
Check out my top posts from the first quarter! They’re a mix of practical tips on grammar (#1, #5), social media (#2), blogging (#3), and writing (#4). My posts that attracted the most views during 2022’s first quarter: Pronoun question: is the Fed “it” or “they”?–This is an ongoing issue. I feel strongly about the […]
Your webinar-day checklist
If you’ve ever delivered a webinar, you know that things can go wrong—especially at the last minute. I created a webinar checklist when I delivered an investment commentary webinar via Zoom to a CFA Society last year. My goal was to minimize opportunities for problems to disrupt me. Unfortunately, I‘ve learned from experience about some […]
“In order to” versus “to”
Is there ever a good reason to write “in order to” instead of “to”? When I posted this poll on LinkedIn, I expected the answer to be “no.” However, I did some research and was surprised by the results. Go with “to” most of the time Generally, it’s better to write “to” than “in order […]