Grammar Repair Shop: 4 common confusions
Do you know when to use the term “complement” vs. “compliment,” “bad” vs. “badly,” “less” vs. “fewer” or “between” vs. “among”? Here’s how to use these terms properly:
Category: Grammar Repair Shop
Grammar Repair Shop: Top 5 phrases to avoid
Which phrases and buzzwords have we so overused and mangled that we should stop using them altogether? Researchers at the University of Oxford keep track of books, magazines, online media and other sources to look for “irritating expressions” that ought to be retired.
Grammar Repair Shop: Writer’s checklist: Use a Focus Sheet
Whether penning an e-mail update for your manager, an all-staff memo or a letter of complaint to a vendor, you are striking up a relationship. Deborah Dumaine, author of Write to the Top, recommends that before you write, plan your document by running through the questions on this Focus Sheet.
Grammar Repair Shop: Sound too familiar? Reword it
Using clichés will give readers the impression that they’ve heard it all before. Keep your reader engaged by making your writing as sharp and creative as your spoken conversations. Here are two simple strategies.
Grammar Repair Shop: ‘Then’ vs. ‘Than’
Then and than may be confused in speech, but when it comes to the written word, these two words are not interchangeable. Here’s the key difference …
Grammar Repair Shop: So, very … undesirable
The words “very” and “so” are kosher intensifiers during casual conversations (as in, “It’s so hot today!”). But when writing, it’s best to avoid both. Why? They can weaken your writing.
Grammar Repair Shop: Hyphenate a non?
Are you supposed to use a hyphen when you add “non” to a word?
Grammar Repair Shop: Affect vs. effect
Mary Kay Kinley, of Pueblo, Colo., writes: “Can you tell me how to use effect and affect?”
Grammar Repair Shop: You’re welcome!
“Could you please tell me which is correct: Your welcome or You’re welcome.”
Grammar Repair Shop: Keep it simple
Turn business-speak into plain English by keeping your writing simple and to the point.