Category Archives: Writing Tips

Many editors, style guides and university professors will ask writers to use active voice for preference, some professors have been known to go as far as forbidding their students to use the passive voice. They can’t all be wrong, can they? The short answer is ‘no’, they’re not wrong – most of the time. As the… Continue reading →

What does February mean to you? Groundhog Day? The ‘love’ month? Lunar New Year? Spring just around the corner? All of the above? None of the above?  Love is always good, of course, unless you’re lonely, single or broken-hearted, in which case the 14th is just a very sad day that you’d love to ignore.… Continue reading →

How’s 2019 working out for you so far? The beginning of the year is a great time for forward planning; taking concrete steps towards creating your goals for the year can help you maintain some of those resolutions you embarked on so enthusiastically just 10 days ago. Practicing what we preach, we’ve planned 12 topics… Continue reading →

There are answers to this question on – literally – every street corner. I challenge you to walk down any commercial street, passing a dozen or so businesses, and not come across at least one sign with some spelling or punctuation error. But how much does it matter? If the local greengrocer is offering “Potato’s”… Continue reading →

Perhaps the most famous misplaced modifier is a joke (see disclaimer below!) told by Groucho Marx:   “This morning I shot an elephant in my pajamas. How he got into my pajamas, I’ll never know.”   Disclaimer: Quite aside from the misplaced modifier, I have to say that – to modern ears – this joke actually seems in… Continue reading →