I worked for 9 years at a university, and for much of that time, I edited a lot of content written by academics. Plus, I’ve edited graduate level work for students and have tutored undergraduate students in academic writing. Finally, I have edited dozens of online courses for accredited postsecondary institutions. All this so I… Continue reading The passive voice confuses people
Category: Writing
“Which include but are not limited to”
I recently wrapped up a 250-page editing contract for one of my clients. I noticed the following phrases popping up often: which include but are not limited to Here’s generic example: When I was at the store, I bought groceries, which included but are not limited to apples, milk, eggs, and bread. This isn’t incorrect… Continue reading “Which include but are not limited to”
Logical fallacies: red herring
There are many logical fallacies, and over the next few weeks and months, I will occasionally focus on a fallacy. While fallacies are typically from the debating sphere and may seem out of place on a blog dedicated to writing, they do appear in writing as well. And not just in social media and blog… Continue reading Logical fallacies: red herring
From I or from me?
I recently had someone visit this website from a Google search for the following phrase: from i or from me I presume they’re wondering about such sentences as “Is that blue present from me?” The quick answer is that you would say, “from me”. I tried as much as I could, but I couldn’t think… Continue reading From I or from me?
Difference between sitting and setting
This is part of the difference between series. I recently had someone come to my website looking for the difference between sitting and setting. They came across my article on sitting vs. seating, but that didn’t answer their question, despite it being the article that drives the most search traffic to my website. Because they couldn’t find the… Continue reading Difference between sitting and setting
What is an internet troll?
When you see the word “troll”, what do you picture? A big, ugly creature that lives under a bridge and eats goats? Well, you certainly wouldn’t be alone. But when it comes to online trolls, that’s not quite accurate. Troll actually comes from the verb trolling, a practice of deep-sea fishing that involves throwing a hook… Continue reading What is an internet troll?
Logical fallacies: examples of ad hominem
I’m starting a new series. I’ve always loved debating. I took two debating classes in high school, and I used to take debating books out of the library when I was younger. Granted, I’m a much different debater than I was, say, 20 or 30 years ago.
Do you capitalize anniversary?
Here’s an example I saw on Facebook recently: Kinda busy celebrating my 20th Wedding Anniversary with my dear husband. Notice that “Wedding Anniversary” is capitalized? I see examples of this fairly often; in fact, capitalization is one of the writing mistakes I correct most frequently. Here’s the thing: you should capitalize words in basically only 3… Continue reading Do you capitalize anniversary?
When writing “happy birthday”, is the name preceded by a comma?
I recently had someone visit my website asking me whether they needed to include a comma before a name in a birthday greeting. Here was their example: Happy birthday, Jo. In short, yes, include a comma when wishing a specific person a happy birthday. Including the comma whenever you address someone (whether it’s for a… Continue reading When writing “happy birthday”, is the name preceded by a comma?
What is “monthsary”?
I recently had someone come to my blog trying to find out what monthsary means. Monthsary is 1 of 4 options we can use to refer to the monthly equivalent of anniversaries. Here are all 4: