This month marks 15 years since I started blogging. I started with the now defunct site Themestream, and shortly after it went down, I moved to Blogger. Actually, in a sense, I’ve been blogging longer than that. For 3 years prior, I was writing articles for a weekly ezine. Anyhow, over the years, I’ve learned a… Continue reading The key to boosting blog traffic: comment on other blogs
Category: Writing
Difference between persons and people
From time to time, you might hear people arguing whether to use “persons” or “people” when referring to multiple individuals. There once was a rule that “persons” was the plural form of “person”, but “people” was actually a singular word used to refer to a group of individuals. That rule exists today only with the most… Continue reading Difference between persons and people
Is noon 12:00 a.m. or 12:00 p.m.?
Have you ever tried to tell someone to meet you at noon but weren’t sure whether to write 12:00 a.m. or 12:00 p.m.? Or maybe got into a heated argument regarding which to use? Well, I have good news and bad news. The bad news is that you’ve probably been wrong about it. Here’s why:
Do’s and don’ts or dos and don’ts?
I was curating some content for my social media feeds earlier today when I came across the phrase “do’s and don’ts” in the headline of an article about managing social media accounts. I’ve seen this phrase many times, but I’ve also seen it written as “dos and don’ts” and “do’s and don’t’s”. So which is… Continue reading Do’s and don’ts or dos and don’ts?
Are you using many words instead of a single word?
People love to talk. And one area where that’s obvious is in writing. I’ve been writing and editing for nearly 30 years, and one common habit I’ve seen during that time has been wordiness. We have a tendency to use more words than necessary to get our point across. One habit that contributes to wordiness… Continue reading Are you using many words instead of a single word?
Writing too long? Cut out the prepositions
People love to talk. And one area where that’s obvious is in writing. I’ve been writing and editing for nearly 30 years, and one common habit I’ve seen during that time has been wordiness. We have a tendency to use more words than necessary to get our point across. One habit that contributes to wordiness… Continue reading Writing too long? Cut out the prepositions
Difference between electric and electronic
Last week, while editing a research paper, I came across the word “electric” used in a context where it should’ve been “electronic”, so I thought I’d do a quick post on the difference between electric and electronic. Something that is electric uses electricity. Something that is electronic has parts that allow it to store or… Continue reading Difference between electric and electronic
World War II or World War 2?
Earlier this month, while editing a document for a client, I came across the following phrase: World War 2 I immediately flagged it for the client, recommending that they change it to “World War II”. Here’s why. When we need to indicate that a proper noun is part of a series, we use roman numerals… Continue reading World War II or World War 2?
Using “like” to introduce clauses: another myth busted
If you’ve hung out with grammar snobs for a long enough time, you’ve probably come across a rule that goes something like: you must use “like” when comparing nouns and “as” when comparing clauses. For example: Siobhán looks like her big sister Aisling. It snowed overnight, as I said it would. This rule is based… Continue reading Using “like” to introduce clauses: another myth busted
Difference between humility and humbleness
Last week, I was reading through the local newspaper when I came across a word that stopped me in my tracks: humbleness. As someone who regularly attends Christian church services, I’ve heard my fair share of people using “humblenss”, and every time I do, I am left wondering, “Why don’t you just use humility?” So, I… Continue reading Difference between humility and humbleness