If you begin your sentence with an information word or phrase, you draw your reader in right away! Impersonal beginnings such as “This is” “There… Read More »Style tips – start your sentence with an information word
We normally use the possessive apostrophe for people and animals; but not for objects. Examples The president’s visit to DavosThe visit of the president… Read More »The “possessive” apostrophe
Here are some general rules about article usage with nouns in English. If a noun can be counted, it needs an article or a plural… Read More »Countable and uncountable nouns
Let’s look at the use of the word “that” in a New York Times article on artificial intelligence. What is the function of “that” in… Read More »Uses of “that”
Are you still using expressions like any of these? “Kindly be advised” or “Please be informed” or “Kindly note that” “for your reference and perusal”… Read More »Are you writing emails in an old-fashioned style?
To identify today’s trends in writing articles and reports, I conducted research using texts from key newspapers and the Secretary-General’s annual report. The results show… Read More »Latest trends in length of paragraphs, sentences and words
Brackets are useful The third use should be in moderation. Overuse makes you look indecisive or as though you are giving irrelevant information. It can… Read More »Brackets (uses and misuses)
Sometimes I get feedback from my audience asking “do we really need to dumb down? Will our vocabulary become poorer as a result of plain… Read More »Why do you ask us to write simply and clearly? What about literature?
Well, not quite. They can make you sound pompous, long-winded and old-fashioned. In most communications today, long words are inappropriate and may confuse your reader.… Read More »Long words make me sound sophisticated, right?
As sentences get shorter and shorter in today’s world of mass communications, commas are disappearing. Where we used to use them, they often seem to… Read More »Commas and when to use them