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Diving in to the truth about ‘dove’
To me the word ‘dove’ brings to mind the soap brand and the birds referred to in one of Prince’s better known songs, When Doves Cry. So I was a little taken aback when, reading a book by an American writer, he used the word dove to indicate the past tense of dove. This is…
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Fewer words, but less data: Know the difference between fewer and less
English is a complex language and there is often confusion between words that seemingly have the same meaning but are particular in their usage. Such is the case with the words fewer and less. It’s tempting to be lazy about these words. You might be happy to say, ‘There are less clouds in the sky…
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Write better English: the difference between license and licence
Writing good English requires a depth of knowledge of the language. English is full of tricks: words that sound the same and are spelled differently and words that are spelled the same and have different meanings – and that’s just two. There are many areas of confusion in the English language so let’s just clear…
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Is said dead? How to use attributions correctly and creatively
In my work as a sub-editor, the only word allowed for an attribution is ‘said’. No, ‘revealed’, no ‘pointed out’, no ‘suggested’, no ‘argued’ – just plain ‘said’. But for fiction writers the use of the word ‘said’ can become tedious if used over and over again. Eager writers will look for ways to substitute…
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