Do your blog posts have laugh lines?
A fashion magazine article praising laugh lines surprised me. What about all those years of magazines slamming “laugh lines” as “crow’s feet”? And, what can this reversal tell you about your blog posts? Here’s part of a crow’s feet apology in “For the love of laugh lines” in Allure (sorry, it’s not freely available online). We […]
MISTAKE MONDAY for Aug. 20: 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.
George Orwell’s writing rules and financial writing
George Orwell proposes rules for writing that will benefit any financial writer. Here they are, excerpted from his essay, “Politics and the English Language”: Never use a metaphor, simile, or other figure of speech which you are used to seeing in print. Never use a long word where a short one will do. If it […]
MISTAKE MONDAY for Aug. 13: 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 someone forgot to proofread this one. They should know better. (Of course, I’ve made careless mistakes like this too many times.) I post these challenges to raise awareness of the importance of proofreading.
Why there’s no apostrophe in writers room
I’ve long wondered why there is no apostrophe in words like “writers room,” ‘homeowners association,” or “teachers college.” Is the noun descriptive or possessive? I found a good explanation in Emmy J. Favilla’s A World Without “Whom.” Do not use an apostrophe when a word is primarily descriptive rather than possessive…. The word is acting […]