Guest post by William Hawkins
Have you ever heard or used certain sayings, and while you automatically may know the meaning, you’re not quite sure where the saying came from, or why others use that very same saying? These sayings are called idioms. Idioms are special phrases with figurative meanings that are different than their literal [...]
Guest Post by Jill Whalen
I was speaking with a client the other day who commented on my home page, which talks about my tried-and-true SEO process. “Has your process changed much over time?” the client asked.
I stopped to think for a moment, and realized that while there have been plenty of incremental changes to my [...]
Are you one of the many bright people who speaks well but has trouble with the mechanics of writing: following those confusing rules concerning spelling, punctuating, capitalizing, etc.? Is a relative, co-worker or editor constantly whipping out a dictionary, style guide, or grammar handbook to point out mistakes in your writing, making you want to [...]
FREE REIGN OR FREE REIN? It’s “rein.” Microsoft Encarta says it’s the complete freedom to make decisions and take action without consulting anyone else. The Cambridge Dictionary of Idioms says “free rein” is synonymous with “allow” and “give.” If you give people, ideas, or emotions free rein, they are free to develop without the [...]
Did you know that most typists use serif fonts (like Times Roman & Times New Roman) for text? Or that this type of font is designed so the reader’s eye moves smoothly from letter to letter? Yep. The little squiggles you see on serifs are part of that ease-of-reading process.
Traditionally, typists use sans [...]
This is a very simplistic explanation of adjectives. There are many types, including absolute, attributive, comparative, superlative, compound, coordinate, copulative, and predicate. Then there are adjective clauses and adjective phrases, along with prepositional and participial.
Never fear! We’ll keep this article easy and painless.
ADJECTIVE: a word or phrase that describes what kind, how many, or [...]
What’s the proper way to display the title of a book on a Web page? The traditional method of underlining makes it confusing for Web users, who expect an underlined word or phrase to be a hyperlink. Should the title be bolded? Italicized?
A lot of underlining of book titles is used in bibliographies for [...]
Did you know that coyotes are a common sight in the Sonoran Desert of Arizona, where I live? I live near Sun City, and, more importantly, close to a golf course south of Sun City. And I see coyotes quite frequently when visiting my brother and sister-in-law, who live in a community with a number [...]
A couple of weeks ago I received the Amazon Kindle I’d ordered weeks earlier. It was worth the wait.
I was in the middle of editing two different documents, and may I say that sitting down with the hard copy, some ice water, a red pen, and a Kindle makes editing faster and easier. Not [...]
Do you publish a newsletter, have a website, or write articles or reviews? If so, you’re already doing your best to publish well. But if you aren’t certain that you’re succeeding, here are a few ideas that might help.
WORDS CAN WEAKEN SENTENCES AND THOUGHTS
Try to keep your sentences crisp and clear. Tight. Many words and [...]
