bad vs. badly as shown by 3 boys sick in bed

I feel bad, or do I?

Which is correct—“I feel bad” or “I feel badly”—when asked “how do you feel?” I know “bad” is an adjective and “badly” is an adverb. However, I wasn’t sure which was correct in this case. So, I was interested in the entry for “Bad, badly” in Theodore Bernstein’s The Careful Writer: A Modern Guide to […]

Balance sentence length

Ideal ratio of long to short sentences?

Is there an ideal ratio of long to short sentences? A tip in John R. Trimble’s Writing with Style  made me ponder this question. Trimble says: As a rule of thumb, whenever you’ve written three longish sentences in a row, make your fourth a short one. And don’t fear the super-short sentence. It’s arresting. Sometimes […]

Approved

Tips for managing author approvals

Managing author approvals can challenge the patience of financial writers and marketers. The process can be equally distressing for authors, if it’s not done well. Here are some tips that will make managing author approvals easier for you. 1. Set expectations Educate your subject matter experts about the process. Start by telling them the purpose […]

Mistake Monday

MISTAKE MONDAY for January 27: Can YOU spot what’s wrong?

Can you spot what’s wrong in the image below? Please post your answer as a comment. I think you’ll catch this one pretty easily. Having trouble? Read it out loud. I post these challenges to raise awareness of the importance of proofreading.

Darien Gould

Social media and digital marketing for investment managers

Darien Gould did a great job hosting my webinar on investment blogging for the Third Party Marketing Association last summer. I was intrigued by the statistics she found on social media marketing by investment management firms, so I asked her to blog about the topic. The guest post below is the result. I’m particularly taken […]