Conniption over court appearance: A modern day hissy fit
Last month I received a self-sealing letter in the post. These are usually some or other form of traffic infringement notice. Indeed, it was. But it was red. This was…
Why is surgery an operation?
Why is surgery an operation? When asking this question, it brings to mind a scenario in a sitcom. For example, in The Nanny, Fran could be devastated when she learns…
Very, very, completely: Keep language crisp and clean
I was alerted to my default descriptive style about two weeks ago. It happened when I ran my own document through spell check prior to a more serious edit and…
Words and Phrases: Of Mondegreens and Mishearings
Blame the mishearing, blame the accent, blame the frame of reference – these give rise to mondegreens. “According to the word watcher William Safire of The New York Times, the…
What’s missing from the language?
Have you ever paid attention to the ampersand? Did you know that it and similarly formed words are called mondegreens? Newspaper style prefers the use of a full “and” only…
Ernest Hemingway
How to develop your writing style
Usually I write about grammar, but what about style? Grammar, if you know the rules, can with effort and dedication be learnt. Style, however, is unique to the individual. Writing…
No comma sense: Three common uses for this little grammar tool
I once punned in a headline “No comma sense”. This referred to a number quoted by a government department which did not know where to put the comma between noughts…
Read all about it
How important is email accuracy?
Is email an art or science? If we consider science as accurately written text and art as anything slapped down on the page, then I would be persuaded to think…
English idioms: how they get distorted
The other day, a friend asked, “How do you spell towing the line as in the sense of complying? Is it toing or towing? This is just one of many…
Africa's future leaders
Five word pairs to increase your word power
Today I’d like to share these word pairs that always confuse new writers. Not to sound arrogant there are plenty words in the English language that I need to check…
