Preposition Mistakes

In my defence/to my defence

Note: defense (US) defence (Br.)

When speakers wish to excuse or justify something they have done, they often use the expression “in my defence.” For example, “Yes, I hit the mailbox while parking the car, but in my defence, I haven’t slept for the past 48 hours.”

An error I’ve begun to notice is the use of “to my defence” in contexts that call for “in my defence”:

Incorrect: I triumphed in the fact that I used NPR to my defence.
Correct: I triumphed in the fact that I used NPR in my defence.

Incorrect: To my defence, I told my friend that I have my own quota of worries.
Correct: In my defence, I told my friend that I have my own quota of worries.

The phrase “to my defence” is appropriate in other contexts:

My mother jumped to my defence, scolding my son for his disrespectful words.

When my brother and sisters saw what I’d done, they began chastising me, but my grandmother quickly came to my defence.

Critical of/critical to

The expression “to be critical of” is often used with the meaning “to find fault with”:

CIA boss critical of some tactics in detainee interrogations.

My wife is endlessly critical of everyone and everything.

The error I’ve noticed is replacing of with to:

Incorrect: Have you ever watched your negative thoughts while being angry? If you did, then most probably you already noticed that you were critical to everyone and to everything.
Correct: Have you ever watched your negative thoughts while being angry? If you did, then most probably you already noticed that you were critical of everyone and of everything.

Incorrect: Having heard so many good things about this movie probably made me more critical to everything about it.
Correct: Having heard so many good things about this movie probably made me more critical of everything about it.

The phrase “critical to” means “essential to”:

Her experience as a congressional spouse was critical to her later success.

A clearer security arrangement between Gulf countries and the United States is critical to fighting terrorism.

Credit: DWT

The English word regard has multiple meanings as both noun and verb. A common error is to attach an s to the noun in certain expressions.

Incorrect: In congressional questioning, assessment of Clinton’s performance at State in regards to the Benghazi attack was split by party line.—US News & World Report.
Correct : In congressional questioning, assessment of Clinton’s performance at State in regard to the Benghazi attack was split by party line.

Incorrect: Texas Tech wants all or nothing in regards to A&M rivalry—NBC Sports.
Correct : Texas Tech wants all or nothing in regard to A&M rivalry.

Incorrect: Yoga outfit said to stretch truth in regards to assets —New York Post.
Correct : Yoga outfit said to stretch truth in regard to assets.

Incorrect: IRS Provides Guidance With Regards to Same-Sex Married Couples
—Nova Southeastern University site.
Correct : IRS Provides Guidance With Regard to Same-Sex Married Couples.

Incorrect: If he was seen to be taking the party line and demonstrating strong leadership with regards to opposing the bill, this would do his chances no harm whatsoever.—UK History Learning site.
Correct : If he was seen to be taking the party line and demonstrating strong leadership with regard to opposing the bill, this would do his chances no harm whatsoever.

When does regard take an s?

1. When it is used to close a letter:
Best regards,
George

2. When it is preceded by as:
As regards the issue of complexity, this is quite evident: the brain is one of the most complex systems we know.

3. When it is used as a third person present tense singular verb:
Respect is very important in the way Scorsese works with actors and also the way he regards his audience.


Credit: DWT

TRW Consult is currently recruiting ad hoc Direct Marketers for a special project. Interested candidates should possess a minimum of OND, have good communication skills and be result-driven.


To get shortlisted, please do the following:
1. Visit www.cardatmandmobilexpo.com
2. Read all information on the site
3. Come prepared to pitch/sell the event to a panel.


Interview/Pitches will hold on Monday and Tuesday, June 1&2, 2015 at Noon.


Venue is TRW Consult, 1 African Church Close, Off Coker Road, Ilupeju, Lagos


For more information, send mail to omatseye@trwconsult.com or call 08188708026.
Exceptional candidates will be retained after completion of the specified project.

TRW Consult is currently recruiting ad hoc Direct Marketers for a special project. Interested candidates should possess a minimum of OND, have good communication skills and be result-driven.

To get shortlisted, please do the following:
1. Visit www.cardatmandmobilexpo.com
2. Read all information on the site
3. Come prepared to pitch/sell the event to a panel.

Interview/Pitches will hold on Monday, June 1, 2015 at Noon.

Venue is TRW Consult, 1 African Church Close, Off Coker Road, Ilupeju, Lagos

For more information, send mail to omatseye@trwconsult.com or call 08188708026.

Exceptional candidates will be retained after completion of the specified project.

TRW Consult is currently recruiting ad hoc Direct Marketers for a special project. Interested candidates should possess a minimum of OND, have good communication skills and be result-driven.

To get shortlisted, please do the following:
1. Visit www.cardatmandmobilexpo.com
2. Read all information on the site
3. Come prepared to pitch/sell the event to a panel.

Interview/Pitches will hold on Monday, June 1, 2015 at Noon.

For more information, send mail to omatseye@trwconsult.com or call 08188708026.

Exceptional candidates will be retained after completion of the specified project.

Big brands dominate. They have established market share and typically huge marketing and advertising budgets to defend it. They also have experience, talent and profound reach. It is enough of a competitive barrier to entry to scare away any ambitious start-up.

But there is a way to compete -- and even outmanoeuvre and beat -- big competition at the branding game; it just requires a little out-of-the-box thinking.
It requires you to think young.

Consider two things. Nobody is born with brand loyalty or an affinity for Nike, Coke or Ford. Arguably, family and friends have a significant impact at a young age of influencing one's exposure to brands, but not necessarily loyalty. When children reach young adult age, they are trying to establish their own identity, which includes branding themselves.

Brand loyalty starts to set in at this young adult stage.
Second, for my generation (Gen X) and generations prior, our brand loyalty was often influenced by reaching us on one of three television channels or being everywhere we were (school, the mall arcade and food court, MTV, etc.).

Today, however, young adults are mobile, with smart devices in hand. They are influencing the decisions of large swaths of friends with a simple "share" button or witty review. Getting in front of them at this stage is a challenge, but it is much more effective than trying to compete with big brands on the bigger stages.
To get ahead in the branding game, here are tips for helping you focus your business's efforts on these young and impressionable adults who are still willing to take accept you as one of their brands.

1. Get on their level.

In my young adult years, I had long hair, wore too much flannel, and my discourse revolved around and was greatly influenced by subjects such as Pearl Jam, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, The Breakfast Club and Beavis and Butthead. To reach and impress me as a brand, you had to be at that level.
The same is true today. To relate with your younger audience, your brand voice needs to understand and empathize with what they are thinking, stressing and talking about. Until you do, your company is nothing but an overbearing Mr. Hand.

2. Be where they are at.

Younger generations are mobile and social. If you want to reach them, your company needs to be as well. Television, while still a powerful and widely accepted advertising portal, is being phased out in favour of streaming and on-demand services.
Social-media sites are popping up every year, and young adults trying to establish their independence and identity move often, trying to be peer leaders (which is why Facebook has become the "old person" network). Your business has to be flexible, savvy and willing to put the effort into staying ahead of the trends.
Related: Want to Reach Millennials? This Is How They Spend Their Time. (Infographic)

3. Do not assume.

Without a doubt, young adults are more informed today than generations past. They are fed and consume content and information from any number of different sources every day. Do not assume you know what they want or can influence what they think. Engage themconstantly to understand their changing needs and desires, and then tailor and refine your strategy as often.

4. Make really good stuff.

Regardless of how well you capture the attention and loyalty of today's younger generation, you still need to produce amazing products and deliver exceptional experiences. Once you start to flounder in this regard, your audience will leave.
Apple, for example, has established one of the most valuable brands because they relate with young generations who are buying their first phone or computer, but more so because they produce outstanding products.

5. Do unto others.

If you are unsure how to reach or relate with the young adults of today, then simply take some time to look back at your most impressionable days. What did you look for in a brand? What made you buy and promote certain brands over others?
Whatever those reasons, I guarantee that this generation of impressionable young adults are thinking, expecting and hoping for the same experience. Treat them as you would have wanted to be treated.
To compete with big brands, remember that you do not have to nor should you try to compete on the same playing field. Big brands often get stuck in routines, habits and ideas. They are slow to react to market swings and trends, so be willing to step in when they lose touch with their base and you will win the hearts -- today and tomorrow -- of a huge market of young adults who will appreciate you.

Credit: Peter Gasca

Our team of competent professionals can help you create a visible brand that aligns with your organisational objectives, while making your customers loyal to your brand. We will also give the brand the needed publicity to expand. Act now! Send your emails to mail@trwconsult.com or call 08188708026.

I've always been loath to tackle the subject of writer's block for personal, largely superstitious reasons - but still I get asked what writers should do about it, all the time!

4. Twas a Dark and Stormy Night...

Every writer has been there before you. See how they made it through by taking a book and copying out a paragraph, word for word.

Edit it. Try rephrasing some of the syntax, the clauses, the dialogue. When you do this, you're in another writer's mind.

Not so different from your own, is it?

All of us writers live in the same place. Some of us - the more prolific - are just better adjusted to the environment. They see the reality within and behind the words. Don't let the words get in the way. They're not important. What is important is relating the thoughts and impressions that the words represent.

Get past the words, leapfrog them, to get to the images in your mind. Don't say you don't have any ideas because your brain is full to the brim of them - and the more you write, the more you'll realize the truth of this phenomenon.


5. Gah! You Cannot Be Serious.

There's nothing quite like reading something terrible to make you feel you could do better.

Choose a dire paperback, read and scoff, then get back to your desk.

Whatever you do, don't stop and think about writing. Thinking about writing is not the same as writing.

The only time I ever got blocked was around ten years ago when a writer friend told me a story of mine didn't make sense. It took me a whole year to realize that no amount of thinking was ever going to improve the story. I sat down then to fix it.

More writing and editing is the only way forward. Stop writing and you die a little, and your writing dies with you.


6. I'll Have What She's Having

If you can't raise the enthusiasm to write, fake it.

Habit is king when it comes to writing. The more you do it, the easier it gets - because you lose the inhibitions created by lack of practice.

Plus, when you spend ten minutes writing, even if you're not really enjoying it at first, then somehow the subconscious kicks in and begins to write for you.

You've got to bypass the logical rational mind - the critic - and go to the source of your creativity, the subconscious - that never-ending well of ideas that is always bursting for a means of expression.

From childhood we are taught to suppress out imagination. As writers, we need to consciously become kids again. Let your inner mind run free and make mischief.


7. Take This and Come Back in a Week

Here's the solution to writer's block that always works.

Write it out.

When you're blocked, tell the page, I'm blocked. Ask for guidance,in writing. Work through your block on the screen, typing one painful word after the other if necessary.

"Come on, brain, you've got to help me. What should I write now? Just one more line, that's all I need to get me back on track. "Don't stop until the block has passed. ONLY stop when you feel you could write more. Always leave a little extra writing in reserve for the next time. Tomorrow.

In general, whatever you do, don't wait for inspiration.

Not only does this approach not work, it's messing with your brain and giving it all the wrong messages about writing being some kind of special activity. It's not.

Writing should be automatic to you. Just something you do, like eating, breathing or sleeping.

Now, I hate to put a downer on stuff at this point but if none of the above seven strategies work, then maybe you need to give up.

Because, simply put, if you're not writing regularly, you're not really a writer - and maybe you never will be. So stop beating yourself up and shut down that avenue. Stop torturing yourself and go back to chopping wood for a living.

Does this idea scare you?

It should. Because at this point you have two choices.

Stop now, for good - or go write something!

Credit: Easy Way to Write

I've always been loath to tackle the subject of writer's block for personal, largely superstitious reasons - but still I get asked what writers should do about it, all the time!

So here goes:

1. Crisis, What Crisis?

First off, you need to deny that there is any such thing as writer's block. This debilitating condition can only hurt you when you give it the privilege of a concrete name. Take away its name and you begin to take away its power over you.

Tell yourself, there is no such thing as writer's block. There is writing and not-writing. Only writers have a name for something they're NOT doing.

Think about the absurdity of builder's block, or doctor's block, or pilot's block. Any kind of inability to write is similarly absurd.

Writing is like breathing - something you learned to do a long time ago without thinking. Stop thinking about it - and just do it.


2. Stop! In the Name of Love.

If you've run out of ideas or you're struggling over the next sentence, take a break.

Many writers agree that a short pace around the garden, or a quick stint at housework, taking a shower or partaking in a brief period of meditation can help to shift your mindset away from a block.

You need to interrupt mental stagnation by briefly doing something else. Again, you need to stop thinking about the writing and give your mind the space to develop another way in.

A short break will give you a new perspective. Don't think about the writing, focus on the ideas, then go back to your desk and put those thoughts on paper, or the screen.


3. Everybody Say, Word Up.

Play with words. Make a game of it. For instance, take two unrelated words from the dictionary and make a sentence out of them.

Make a list of cues to pin on your wall. My first kiss, my best train ride, the last time I saw Paris etc. When stuck, use your cues to kick start your mind. Don't write, simply notate your thoughts.

Describe anything in your room. Describe someone you know from memory. Anything to get images on the page.

Again, don't think about the words, think about the thing you're describing - the characteristics, the emotions evoked, the conclusions made - and put those impressions onto the screen.

The quality of the writing is unimportant. Getting your thoughts out is all that matters.


Credit: Easy Way to Write

1. affect / effect
These two words have specialized meanings in psychology, but in ordinary speech and writing, affect is most often used as a verb meaning “to act on or to cause a change” and effect as a noun meaning “a change that is the result of some action”:

How will the move to New Orleans affect the family? (verb)
What is the effect of this move on the children? (noun)

Note: Effect can also be used as a verb meaning “to cause” or “to bring about”:

The new mayor has effected positive change in the police department.

2. advice / advise
The error with this pair results from mispronunciation and failure to distinguish between a noun and a verb. The c in advice is pronounced with the sound of /s/. The s in advise is pronounced with he sound of /z/.

Advice is a noun meaning “recommendation regarding a decision.” Advise is a verb meaning “to recommend”:

She always gives me good advice. (noun)
What do you advise me to do? (verb)

3. aisle / isle
Both words are nouns. An aisle is a passageway between rows of seats, shelves, or other fixtures or obstacles that people need to move between. An isle is an island:

You’ll find the children in the toy aisle.
Robinson Crusoe was stranded on a desert isle.
I want a modern kitchen with a work isle in the middle.

4. adverse / averse
Both words are adjectives that imply a form of opposition. Something that acts against one’s interests or well-being is adverse. The word averse describes feelings of repugnance towards something:

The jury delivered an adverse verdict against the defendant.
Ferris Bueller was averse to attending school that morning.

5. amoral / immoral
Morals and morality relate to considerations of right or wrong. For anyone who has internalized a code of moral behavior, acting against it is immoral.

For example, Macbeth acknowledges that it is wrong for a host to kill his guest, but he and his wife do it anyway. Their murder of Duncan is immoral. When the sharks in Jaws kill people, their behavior is amoral. They don’t feel that it’s wrong to kill a human being. Here are two examples of current uses of amoral:

Nature is amoral. Nature is neither good nor bad. It just is.

Mr. David Coleman once said that no one really cares about what a student thinks and feels. What is important is writing and reading information text. Thus, the Common Core is an amoral curriculum.



Credit: Daily Writing Tips

Giving your small business an online presence means more than simply putting up a little website with your company's address and phone number. It means setting up a virtual version of your business, with a welcoming, informative website, a Facebook page and Twitter account. In this electronic era, more people search online for the products and services they need as opposed to searching through a phone book. Ignoring this important potential marketing platform is akin to saying, "I don't need any new business."

Accessibility

The Internet never sleeps, and every portal you offer online gives your business a virtual 24-hour showroom. This allows potential customers to research your product or service after business hours, and in the privacy of their own home. If you sell products, an online store allows for 24-hour order placement to capture a sale as soon as a customer is interested, as opposed to waiting for your brick-and-mortar store to open, by which time the urge to buy may have passed.

Brand Building

At its core, "brand building" actually means building a potential customer's trust in your company or product. Providing an online presence not only gives a customer access to your product or service, but it also provides a way for the customer to "check out" your company. Online reviews, your interactions with other customers and the frequency and quality of your posts help to form a positive impression of your company in the potential customer's mind, making a future sale more likely.

Greater Audience

The Internet encompasses a much larger area than the few miles local to your business' office or store. Your Web presence reaches out to everyone who passes by your virtual doorstep, which could include people from right next door or in another country. Depending on your specific industry and offerings, this could open up a much wider customer base than relying on face-to-face interactions would.

Reviews

Some may consider reviews a double-edged sword of conducting business on the World Wide Web, as there will always be that possibility of a receiving a negative one, fairly or not. But if you run your business honestly and treat your customers well, these should be isolated incidents, outnumbered by the many raving reviews left by your satisfied customers. Potential customers often check for reviews of a company or product before using either, so always encourage happy customers to leave reviews on rating sites such as Yelp or Google Places.

Easier Selling and Marketing

It's a well-known marketing fact that people like to buy but don't like to be sold. A well-written piece of copy for your products or services on your website allows buyers to make a more relaxed, informed decision to purchase, as opposed to feeling pressured by a possible pushy salesperson. Marketing your business is also easier and more far-reaching, as the electronic format allows for a wider, more cost-effective distribution as opposed to traditional marketing, which usually included printing and mailing costs.

Jane Williams

Our team of competent professionals can help you create a digital presence that aligns with your organisational objectives while also creating the awareness and publicity you need to expand. Act now! Send your emails to mail@trwconsult.com or call 08188708026.

6. When you hear “no” do it anyway

I finished my second book, “Imperfect” (about a girl who develops a cat purr) just as e-readers had been introduced, sending the publishing industry into a tailspin. My agent sent the book to about 16 publishing companies and despite editor interest at many of them, “Imperfect” was ultimately passed on. Around the same time I was reading the Steve Jobs biography by Walter Issacson and was so inspired by his passion for marketing the Apple computer that I decided I would self-publish my book. It was an incredibly empowering experience, continues to sell, and was even optioned as a movie. If I had passively listened to “no”, it would still be hidden in my computer. There is always a path beyond “no.” Find and follow it! [Like this quote? Click here to Tweet and share it!]

7. Accept your shadow side

Carl Jung said: “Everyone carries a shadow, and the less it is embodied in the individual’s conscious life, the blacker and denser it is.” I think the job of the artist is to look in and report back through their art. For my latest novel “Bear Witness” I explored a childhood fear of kidnapping and in doing so uncovered some dark parts of myself, and society, that I was able to process through the act of writing this book. You probably know what scares you, or makes you uncomfortable. Can you gently move toward it and begin writing about it?

8. Invest in a good therapist

He or she will help you navigate through that shadow side, and through the many other ups and downs of a creative life. Be aware that it might take a few sessions with a few different therapists to find the right one for you. Chemistry is everything, even with therapists!

9. Forgive yourself

For not leading a traditional life where rules are understood and followed. My best friend is a surgeon and she loves that the path from medical school to surgeon was very clear. She knew exactly what she had to do to get from point A to point B. A creative life has all sorts of twists and turns, ups and downs. Sometimes money is flowing in from your creative endeavors, other times not. Sometimes the muse strikes, other times it vanishes. A creative life is not a clear line from A to B, more like from Z to P to W to D, and that’s OK!

10. Practice gratitude

Like writing, gratitude is a practice. Learn how to be grateful for all that you have. When you are feeling down, just glance at the list to feel better. When you’re feeling great, do the same and feel even greater. Why not create a list in your journal right now, thanking yourself and all the wonderful people and experiences in your life.

Credit: Writers’ Digest

1. Travel the world

Old, young, rich, poor, there are many ways to see the world, soak up other cultures, see examples of creativity in art, food, music, architecture. Lately, I’ve been applying to and attending artist residencies to work on my writing in other countries including Spain, Portugal and Mexico. Even if you’re only able to take a day trip, take it! Soak up any experience you can get that lives outside your day-to-day life.

2. Journal

Not just the “My boyfriend broke up with me” kind. (Though that’s fine, too.) Write down your thoughts, ideas, memories, draw pictures, and record dreams. There are many ways to journal including blogs, Pinterest, and various apps. Who knows what ideas the younger you has in store for the older you. You’ll never know if you don’t record them.

3. Be a student throughout your life

So many colleges and universities offer extension courses. I like taking classes outside of my writing interest and have taken Nude Figure Drawing, Ceramics, Anger Management and Stand-Up Comedy, among others. Ultimately, anything you learn can be useful to your writing.

4. Also be a teacher

I grew up in a family that supported my creativity, but many people don’t and they need a mentor to help them navigate the waters. I not only teach in colleges, but at unexpected places, too, like spas and retreats. I love meeting and being inspired by different types of students all over the country. Why not volunteer your time teaching writing to kids or the elderly? Everyone has a story. How wonderful if you’re able to help someone express theirs.

5. Realize that no idea is too big/small/silly/crazy

One afternoon at lunch with a friend I ate too much (as usual). When I lifted my shirt to show him my bloated belly, he said, “Are you sure you’re not pregnant?” and I said, “Yeah, right, from a lazy sperm!” This off-the-cuff comment inspired my first novel, “Swimming Upstream, Slowly,” about a woman who becomes pregnant from a lazy sperm. Silly? Absolutely! Published novel? That’s right! What ideas are you preventing from being realized because you think they are too big/small/silly/crazy?

Credit: Writer’s Digest

Throughout the history of journalism, headlines have evolved as a method for distilling the content of an article into a handful of words that will draw readers into the piece, and they serve that function for other types of informative content such as newsletters and reports. However, in publications that are not carefully edited, especially on post-it-right-now websites, headlines can invite the wrong kind of curiosity, combined with confusion or derision, when they’re published with errors. This post examines various types of common mistakes.

1. Poor Grammar
This subheadline, under a headline about cell phone antennas, starts with a dangling modifier: “Numbering Over 2,400 in City Alone, Neighborhoods Say ‘Enough Is Enough.’” (The sentence construction implies that the figure refers to the number of neighborhoods.) The subject should be repeated (preferably, with elegant variation), and the quote must be preceded by a comma: “Towers Number 2,400 in the City Alone, and Neighborhoods Say, ‘Enough Is Enough.’”

2. Awkward Syntax
“Man Throws Woman Off Overpass, Then Self” isn’t wrong, and it could be argued that the suicide part of the suicide-murder is the key point, but the headline is clumsy and is better rendered “Man Throws Woman, Then Self, Off Overpass.” And the literal meaning of “Man Accused of Putting Bodies in Barrels in Court” is that the off-putting putting took place in the courtroom; this misplaced modifier is easily corrected: “Man Accused of Putting Bodies in Barrels Appears in Court.”

3. Incorrect Usage
A common error is perpetrated in “Less Drinking-Related Problems Reported at College.” (The problems are quantifiable, so fewer is the correct word choice.) In “VW to end making bugs in Mexico,” capitalized in sentence style rather than headline style, the choice of the first verb is awkward (stop is better), and Bugs, though a nickname for a brand name, is still a name and should be capitalized.

4. Redundancy
Repetitive wording is rare in headlines, but when money is concerned, headline writers can become careless, as in “Get $100 Bucks for Recycling Old Computer Gear” and “$1.4 Million Dollars Later, No Progress.” (This type of error shows up in the articles themselves, too, as in “Taxpayers spent $1.4 billion dollars on everything from staffing, housing, flying, and entertaining President Obama and his family last year.” There’s also a parallelism error in the list; the sentence should read something like, “Taxpayers spent $1.4 billion on everything from providing staffing for President Obama and his family last year to housing, flying, and entertaining them during that period.”)

5. Misspelling
Periodicals pride themselves on factual accuracy, but misspelling familiar names is an unfortunately common occurrence, as in “Jennifer Anniston Talks About Having Babies” (her last name is spelled Aniston) and “Smith Is the Michaelangelo of Real Estate” (the artist’s name is styled Michelangelo).

6. Incorrect Punctuation
An article headlined “To Some Graffiti Is Art, Others Its Vandalism” not only omits a pair of commas and an apostrophe and flubs another punctuation mark but also leaves out a word; it should be “To Some, Graffiti Is Art; to Others, It’s Vandalism.” Another headline also lacks an apostrophe: “Officials Past Helps Him Plan the Future,” where ‘officials’ is treated as a plural rather than in singular possessive form.

7. Erroneous Use or Lack of Hyphenation
Gratuitous hyphenation, such as that in the headline “Soldier Guilty in Parachute-Tampering” — the hyphen is appropriate only if “parachute-tampering” is a phrasal adjective preceding a noun such as case — is annoying but innocuous, but the mangling of the age range in “Most 18-29 Year-Olds Sleep with Their Smartphones” (correction: “Most 18- to 29-Year-Olds Sleep with Their Smartphones”) is embarrassing.

Nor does erroneous omission of hyphens in standing phrases reflect the rigorous quality control that assures readers of a newspaper’s accuracy; “Cease Fire in Liberia” and “Debate Free for All” should read “Cease-Fire in Liberia” and “Debate Free-for-All.”

Credit: Daily Writing Tips

Writing in a business environment is an activity with associated norms, challenges, and opportunities. Keep the following points in mind as you craft communication in the context of a company or an organization.

1. Clarity
Be clear. Clarity is the primary goal of all communication, and in business writing, the degree of transparency in one’s message can determine whether one succeeds or fails in a venture, whether you’re transmitting a report or closing a deal. State the intention of your message, provide the necessary details, and request the precise response you need or want.

2. Active Voice
Employ active construction (subject-verb-object). “This report was sent to me by John Smith” is not wrong, and it’s probably the best choice if you want to distinguish one report from another, but consider whether “John Smith” should be the subject of the sentence; the active syntax is more vigorous, and usually more appropriate.

3. Direct Language
Construct concise, declarative statements. Your goal is to provide or invite information, or to persuade or be persuaded. Your time is valuable to you, but the recipient or recipients of your communication also have constraints and deadlines, so take the time to express yourself with economy and directness.

4. Simple Words
Favor plain, clear words and phrases over technical terms, jargon, or buzzwords. Take care not to complicate your vocabulary or stiffen your tone in an attempt to seem more businesslike or expert. By all means, use proper terminology to enhance clarity and demonstrate your knowledge and skills, but imagine how you would speak to your intended audience, and write with a conversational glossary in mind.

5. Tone
Strike a balance in tone that depends on the particular context of the communication. Even within categories (memos, whether in print or in email form, or marketing content), the feel of the correspondence will depend on many factors. Consult with management and colleagues, study precedents, and consider the audience when settling on the voice of a particular message.

6. Role
Consider the role of a particular piece of communication. If it’s summarizing a report, don’t go into so much detail that the report itself is unnecessary (unless, of course, you’re providing an executive summary for a company leader who doesn’t have time to read it). If it’s part of a larger project, match your writing style to the approach of the overall suite of materials.

7. Goal
Focus on the expected or hoped-for outcome. Whether you’re writing to a superior or a subordinate, or to a colleague or someone outside your company or organization, be clear but courteous about the goal of your correspondence.

8. Candor
Avoid euphemisms or generic references; name topics outright. Diplomacy is a foundation of successful business transactions, but you can undermine success by seeming too solicitous or vague about sensitive matters. Be forthright in your discussion.

9. Formality
Standards for business correspondence have become more relaxed, but maintain a professional tone, avoiding slang or text-speak, exclamation points, and overly informal salutations and sign-offs.

10. Words with Friends
Be cautious about making exceptions about formality when corresponding with coworkers or associates you consider friends or confidants. Just because you dish or swear when the two of you chat in person doesn’t mean you should do so in email messages or other electronic communications located on a company network. Drop the formality a notch, certainly, but don’t document your lapses in professional behaviour.

Credit: Daily Writing Tips

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Many people think that they sound smarter when they use big words. The truth of the matter is that smart communicators use words that (a) they understand and (b) their readers are likely to understand.

The purpose of writing is to communicate. Communication is the process by which meaning is created and exchanged. If the person who reads your writing doesn’t understand what you are trying to say, no communication occurs when he or she reads your writing.

In order to communicate effectively, you have to use language properly, and you have to use language that people are likely to understand.

Lately I have noticed many people misusing the word “detrimental” when what they really mean is “instrumental” or “important.” For example, I read a memo that someone wrote requesting permission to attend a meeting. The memo said, “It is detrimental that I go to the meeting next week.”

Ironically, the misuse of the word implies the exact opposite of what the person meant. Detrimental implies that some negative outcome would be associated with the person’s attendance at the meeting. What the writer meant was “important.”

A misused big word has the opposite effect of making you sound smart! A big word used correctly, but unnecessarily, has the effect of making you sound pedantic. If you have to go get a dictionary to see what “pedantic” means, I have made my point!

Learn to write and communicate better today. TRW Consult offers a broad range of writing training; from the most basic writing skills to creative writing, business writing and communications and technical writing. Take advantage of our service offerings and become the writer you yearn to be. Contact us today on 08188708026 or send correspondence to mail@trwconsult.com

Plain and simple, a digital presence is everything digital about you. For most of us, that is what we do on the Web. Whether it’s through Facebook or Twitter or a blog or comments on a video. And there are even services out there, like Klout and Brand Yourself that attempt to measure the effectiveness of our digital presence.
But a comprehensive view of digital presence also encompasses information about us that we cannot control. For example, a people search on Yahoo! People may reveal information about an individual that other services may have collected or shared.
Virtually everyone has a digital presence, sometimes intended and attended, sometimes not.
The same goes for businesses. Some businesses have taken control of their digital presence, integrating web, social media, email marketing campaigns, multimedia, and perhaps even traditional advertising (i.e., like putting QR codes on a printed ad that drive the user to a website). Others, so to speak, have allowed weeds to sully the garden of their digital presence. Come on, we all know companies that have started a Facebook page or Twitter account with posts spanning months, not days or launching a website and failing to update the About Us page for a year.
Many bloggers and journalists are addressing the issues of personal digital presence, so I’ll focus on the corporate world.
A business’s digital presence can be broken down into the following components:
Web — think of this as “homebase.” This is the digital representation of the physical business itself. A storefront. A place of operation. And, ultimately, where all digital presence activity and engagement should lead as it embodies/communicates the brand, values, and offering of the business;
Social Media — Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, etc. Any of the myriad of services or websites that build community and create connections between people;
Mobile — text messaging, applications, locality, etc. I call out mobile because, as a modality, it has unique mechanisms for engagement and interaction that are not available via a website or PC;
Communication — any marketing campaign that utilizes digital mechanisms (i.e., banner ads, newsletters, emails, etc.) to communicate with and engage directly with end-users;
Large-screen — activities on the large screen, especially internet connected living rooms (i.e., TV shows, advertising, Roku channels, etc.).
What many businesses fail to grasp, even if they understand the components of a digital presence, is how pervasive they are. In the real world, unless a business is advertising nationally, presence is often local. Even chain retailers. One McDonald’s may be perceived significantly different from another just around the corner. But not in the online world. A business’s presence is global as soon as any element is published—website, Facebook page, Twitter postings, etc. That’s because, through search and other means, users can “discover” elements of a business’s digital presence.

Credit: LimeLight


Our team of competent professionals can help you create a digital presence that aligns with your organisational objectives while also creating the awareness and publicity you need to expand. Act now! Send your emails to mail@trwconsult.com or call 08188708026.

Yesterday, we published a piece on the use of commas in our writing. Today, we invite you to take a short self-quiz. Don’t’ be shy…you get to grade yourself.
Are you ready? Add a comma, if needed, in the following sentences. (The answer key is at the bottom.)

He was grateful to be recognized and he showed his gratitude freely.
Nevertheless I shall always remember his attitude.
While I generally prefer the works of Hemingway sometimes I read Steinbeck.
People who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.
For dinner we roasted chicken mashed potatoes and gravy and peas.
“I don’t believe” Mary said, “that the meal was all that good.”
Raising flowers for Zelda was her main joy in life.
Answer key:

Place a comma after “recognized.”
Place a comma after “Nevertheless.”
Place a comma after “Hemingway.”
No comma required. The clause “who live in glass houses” is nonrestrictive.
Place a comma after “chicken” and “gravy.”
Place a comma after “believe” (before the closing quote).

Comma placement depends on the writer’s intent. Commas around “for Zelda” mean that Zelda loves raising flowers. Without commas the sentence means that someone other than Zelda loves raising flowers for Zelda.

Credit: Rushang Shah

Are you still confused? Don’t be. Send us your writing and our editorial services will keep you from stumbling over punctuation glitches that trip even the most experienced writers. Send a mail to mail@trwconsult.com or call on 08188708026 TODAY.

Writers communicate meaning and intent with the words they use. There are, however, different ways of relating words that can only be communicated with a comma. Consider this example punctuation differences in a statement in a will from Albert Joseph’s guide “Put it in Writing!” (P. 210):

I hereby bequeath all of my worldly possessions to the first of my offspring, who lives a good life. (The first offspring is a nice kid.)

and

I hereby bequeath all of my worldly possessions to the first of my offspring who lives a good life. (One among the offspring may turn out nice, but it’s too early to tell which one.)

If one of the heirs contested the will because of the placement of the comma in the first example, the probate judge would need to know the rules of comma usage for restrictive and nonrestrictive clauses:

Comma usage before the “who” restricts focus to the first offspring
Omitting a comma renders the sentence open to future determination; it remains to be seen which of the offspring will live a good life.
Note: the probate judge might be especially grateful for the comma because the definition of a “good life” is also toxically ambiguous.

The comma checker guide, according to Albert Joseph

Albert Joseph, in his guide, promotes the use of commas during these seven situations:

To separate independent clauses in a compound sentence
To separate a conjunctive adverbs (nevertheless, however, therefore, furthermore, etc.) from the main clause of a sentence
To separate a long introductory phrase or clauses from the main clause of a sentence
To isolate nonrestrictive phrases, clauses, or appositives — see our opening example — from the rest of the sentence
To separate items in a series
To separate a quoted passage from the words used to introduce it
To force a pause in any group of words if the absence of a comma might cause readers to misread or create ambiguity

Rushang Shah

Here are ten of the best creative writing exercises for you to enjoy.

1. 7x7x7
Find the 7th book from your bookshelf. Open it up to page 7. Look at the 7th sentence on the page. Begin a poem that begins with that sentence and limit the length to 7 lines.

2. Dictionary
Open the dictionary to a random page. Find a word that you do not know how to define. Write an imaginary definition for it. Repeat.

3. First
Describe a first. Your first kiss, your first kitten, your first day of school—all will make excellent stories.

4. Magazine Puzzle
Cut out interesting words, phrases, and images from a magazine. Place them in a bowl, close your eyes and pull out two of these magazine snippets. Write a mini-story of not more than 250 words.

5. Pin the Atlas
Find a world map and blindly put your finger on a spot. Then pretend you’re a travel writer and write about a weird experience you had in that particular country.

6. Sell the pet
Write an advert selling a boa constrictor as a family pet.

7. Hello, you!

Write a letter to your future self. What do you want to say?

8. Found poem
Find two ads in the newspaper. Create a poem only using words from the two ads.

9. “I remember…”Start a paragraph with, “I remember…” and let your memories dictate what you write.

10. Switch Persona
Write a mini-story in the first person. Take on the persona of someone with a different gender, different nationality, and different age.


Mary Jaksch

The words in the following list represent misunderstanding of the words’ meanings and not simply an inability to spell them correctly. This post covers words starting with the letters c and d

1. canvas / canvass
The OED and M-W both show the spelling canvas as a variant spelling of the verb ”to canvass,” but Chicago, AP, and Paul Brians (Common Errors in English Usage) all agree that the verb meaning “to survey” is spelled with a double s. The spelling canvas is a noun signifying a heavy cloth.

2. clench / clinch
Although both words share their origin, in modern usage they are not interchangeable. You clench your fist or teeth, but clinch a deal or a victory. In boxing, “to clinch” means “to grapple at close quarters.” As a noun, clinch is used colloquially to mean “an embrace.”

3. compliment / complement
Both words may be used as either nouns or verbs. A compliment is a praising remark; a complement is something that enhances or completes. “To compliment” is to praise”; “to complement” is “to complete.”

4. conscience / conscious
Conscience is a noun that refers to the sense of right and wrong in an individual. Conscious is an adjective that means “aware of.”

5. corporal / corporeal
Both words are adjectives that mean “of the body,” but in modern usage corporeal is used in philosophical or theological discussions in which the animal body is compared to the spirit. For ordinary references to the body, corporal is the usual word. For example, one might refer to “the corporeal existence of Jesus,” but to “corporal punishment.”

6. denote / connote
“To denote” means “to indicate.” “To connote” means “to imply or suggest.” A squiggly red line under a word in a corrected essay denotes a misspelled word. Words like Mother and home connote warmth and comfort.

7. deserts / desserts
In the idiom “to get one’s just deserts,” the word deserts is often misspelled as desserts. For other uses and pronunciations of desert and dessert, see this post: Just Deserts vs Just Desserts.

8. discrepancy / disparity
A discrepancy is an inconsistency, for example, a discrepancy between a person’s date of birth might exist between different sources. A disparity is a lack of equality. A common topic of concern is the disparity between the earnings of men and women.

9. disinterested / uninterested
Although the distinction is ignored by many speakers, style guides advise that uninterested should be used to describe mere lack of interest, whereas disinterested should be reserved for use in the context of neutrality. For example, some students are uninterested in schoolwork, whereas a third-party mediator is disinterested in the dispute being arbitrated.

10. discreet / discrete
Discreet means judicious or circumspect. A discreet friend can be trusted not to tell all he knows about your private affairs. Discrete means “distinct, separate, not connected.” It’s the opposite of continuous. Charles Dickens published his novels in discrete parts that could later be fused as an uninterrupted whole.

Maeve Maddox

6. Keep it simple
Sometimes you don’t need all the urgency and sales-y words and crazy numbers to make a headline work.
Like this example from an English newspaper:
Man Bites Dog

That’s all they wrote. And people loved it!
So if you have a really good angle for your story and can condense it to a few words, do it. No need to blow it up just for the cause of doing it.

7. Follow hot trends
To have articles go viral sometimes means finding the right topic at the right time.
One easy way to do so is to know what’s going on in your niche. Use the following tools to follow popular trends:
• Feedly
• Google/Talkwalker/Ahrefs Alerts
• Newspapers
• Industry blogs
• TV News
For example, I wrote a recent guest post called 77 Resources That’ll Get You More Traffic Than Naked Pictures of Kim Kardashian.

I leveraged the popularity and trending rise of starlet Kim Kardashian.
She was mentioned in my article zero times, yet she helped my post get some amazing traction and hundreds of social shares.

8. Offer a sneak peak (read below why that works)
Big sites and newspapers often use this technique to draw the reader into any given article.
Focus on one fact.
They only mention one word or topic in the headline, and you feel like you must read the rest.
Why A DeLorean Wouldn’t Work In 2015

Yes, why wouldn’t it work? I want to know this, even as I’m typing these lines.
That’s just human psychology.
Raise curiosity, and deliver the (sometimes useless) answer in your content.

9. Test like crazy
Never rely on other people’s wisdom.
Learn what works for your headlines by testing and writing multiple headlines for each article.
Jon Morrow, one of the most respected writers in the blogosphere today, cranked out dozens of headlines for each article during his time at Copyblogger.
Viral headlines aren’t written by the lazy.
Write more.
And compare how they perform against each other to know which ones work best for your audience.

10. Write for humans
This may be the most important tip.
You don’t want to be a title-robot writing for SEO, or never stepping away from your formula.
Content is still produced by humans for other human beings.
• Don’t do keyword stuffing
• Never be boring
• Involve psychological triggers
• Write what you’d like to read
Writing viral headlines is a skill that can be learned.
Sometimes, writers underestimate the effect of a great title.
Don’t. Be. That. Person.
In some cases, it can be even more important than the article itself.
If you follow the tips above it’s only a matter of time and practice before you get it done.
But remember–you need to have both: a great article and an attention-grabbing headline to go viral.
Take your time and master the skill of viral content. It can be done, and it IS worth the effort.

Philip Kleudgen

Becoming a prolific writer is no small feat, but it is a very rewarding one. When it comes to making your writing stand out, TRW Consult can help you learn the ropes and give wings to words. If you want more information, send us an email: mail@trwconsult.com or call Omatseye on 08188708026.

They often seem disreputable, like sullen idlers loitering in a public thoroughfare, but they actually do a lot of hard work and are usually persnickety about the tasks to which they are put. They are interjections — one class of them, anyway: those lacking etymological origins but packed with meaning.

But how do you know how to distinguish similar ones — or spell them, for that matter? Here’s an incomplete inventory of interjections (not including variations of actual words such as yeah for yes or onomatopoeic echoes of externally produced sounds like boom):

Ack: communicates disgust or dismissal.

Ah: can denote positive emotions like relief or delight (generally, pronounced with a long a).

Aha: signals triumph or surprise, or perhaps derision.

Ahem: is employed to gain attention.

Aaw: can be dismissive or indicative of disappointment, or, when drawn out, expressive of sympathy or adoration.

Aye: denotes agreement.

Blah: communicates boredom or disappointment.

Boo: is an exclamation to provoke fright.

Boo-hoo: is imitative of crying and is derisive.

Boo-ya: (with several spelling variants) is a cry of triumph.

Duh: derides someone who seems dense.

Ew: denotes disgust, intensified by the addition of one or more e’s and/or w’s.

Ha: expresses joy or surprise, or perhaps triumph.

Hee-hee: is a mischievous laugh, while its variants heh and heh-heh (and so on) can have a more derisive connotation.

Hey: can express surprise or exultation, or can be used to request repetition or call for attention.

Hmph: (also hrmph or humph) indicates displeasure or indignation.

Huh: (or hunh) is a sign of disbelief, confusion, or surprise, or, with a question mark, is a request for repetition.

Hurrah: (also hoorah, hooray, and hurray, and even huzzah) is an exclamation of triumph or happiness.

Ick: signals disgust.

Lah-de-dah: denotes nonchalance or dismissal, or derision about pretension.

Are there any not listed here? Please share them with us in the comments’ section.

English idioms or idiomatic expressions come in plenty in the English language. It is said that there are about 25,000 idioms in English. Many of these idioms, unfortunately, sound and look strange to most students of English as a Second Language. This is because many users of English as a Second Language often do not get the chance to speak in English outside of the classroom and learn about how idioms are used in conversational settings. Because they use the word heart, these idioms refer to feelings or matters of the heart.

to feel in (one's) heart of hearts- in a person's deepest feelings. I feel in my heart of hearts that I shouldn't marry that man. (I feel strongly that I shouldn't marry him.)

take it to heart- worry about, feel it is serious (usually feel bad about it). When Nancy's boss said she wasn't a good employee, Nancy took it to heart. (She felt very bad and serious.)

from the bottom of (one's) heart- to really mean what a person says. You are so wonderful. I mean it from the bottom of my heart. (I really, really think you are wonderful.)

heartfelt- (adjective) warm feelings, sincere. My grandma gave me a heartfelt welcome when I arrived. (Grandma was really happy to see me. I could see she felt good.)

with all (one's) heart- completely, a person really means what he is saying (or doing). I love you with all my heart. (I really love you very much.)

to get to the heart of (something)- to find out the real reason for something, get to the center or find out what really happened. Who caused this problem? We need to get to the heart of it immediately. (We need to find out what happened.)

to feel a hole in (one's) heart- a feeling of sadness (usually because someone is gone.) When James died, Susan felt like she had a hole in her heart. (Susan was very sad.)

to have a heart of gold- to be very kind. She was a wonderful and kind person. She had a heart of gold.

to have a heart of stone- to be very unkind, to not care about people or things. He didn't care about anybody. He had a heart of stone.

heart to heart- have a private conversation and say anything. I had a heart to heart talk with my daughter about dating. (Only the two of us talked. And we talked freely.)

Writing is a pretty natural act that many people do on a regular basis. In fact, to write well and to do it quickly doesn’t take some sort of magic. Most anyone can do it by following some simple guidelines.

Warm-up
We’ve talked before about the importance of writing every single day if you want to be a writer. Well, writing every single day doesn’t only put you on a fast track to actually writing something good, it helps you warm up for other types of writing. Think of it as a way to get the “junky” writing out of the way before you get to the good stuff.

Know what you want to say
The key to writing faster is knowing what your main idea is. A main idea should be something that you can explain in one sentence and doesn’t take a rocket scientist to understand it. That is, unless you are writing about rocket science.

For “standard” types of articles and blog posts, being able to explain your main idea in one sentence will suffice and leads you to the next step.

Outline your ideas
Now that you have a main idea you can outline “sub-ideas” and explanations that lead you to that main idea. Knowing what you want to say is very important, but coming up with ideas and explanations to back up your ideas can be even more important.

Getting your article’s flow out in an outline form is a good way to see how your sub-ideas work together to explain what you actually want to say.

Let it sit
I’ve found that one of my biggest hurdles in writing is forcing myself to do it when I am “tapped out” of any good ideas. This is when I need to step away from the article or project and let the ideas “simmer” for a little while.

I always find myself refreshed and ready to write when I do this. So, if you are staring at a blank screen, step away from the computer. You can always come back to it and when you do, you will have a fresh perspective.

Write till your fingers hurt
Now that you are warmed up, have a main idea and outline, and aren’t burned out from writing, you need to get as much down on paper as possible. This is what some call “free writing”. Don’t let your fingers stop moving while you are doing this. Get out as much as you can regarding what you have outlined or even write more things that weren’t in your outline.
This is where you write something pretty crappy. But the idea is to not self-regulate your writing at this point; it’s to get out of your head as much as possible and then critique and edit afterwards.

Edit and restructure
Now that you have a bunch of writing down on your screen (unless you use paper) you can start to pick things apart, move them around to better match your outline and help further explain your main idea, and make your prose have a more logical flow. This is also a good time to spell check, find weird grammar and logic mistakes, and maybe even rephrase things with better choices of words.
When choosing words remember this: not too many people care that you are a “big time writer” and know a whole bunch of different, awesome words. What they do care about is being sucked into your writing and also being able to understand it. Don’t use big words for the sake of using big words. Always try to err on the side of making your work understandable, not fanciful.

Cut, cut, cut
Now that you have all those words you can start to cut out the “fluff”. This goes back to the last point; most people don’t care about how long your sentences are, but sure as hell care if they can or can’t understand what you are trying to say. So, find the things that are needless in your writing and cut them out completely.

And that’s about it. If you want to write faster and better follow these steps and see what a huge difference they will make in your writing flow. If you only take one thing away from this article, remember that writing faster and better is easy to do as long as you know what you want to say. Get a good main idea and the rest will fall into place.

Credit: LifeHack

1. To Develop Your Verbal Abilities
Although it doesn’t always make you a better communicator, those who read tend to have a more varied range of words to express how they feel and to get their point across. This increases exponentially with the more volumes you consume, giving you a higher level of vocabulary to use in everyday life.

2. Improves Your Focus and Concentration
Unlike blog posts and news articles, sitting down with a book takes long periods of focus and concentration, which at first is hard to do. Being fully engaged in a book involves closing off the outside world and immersing yourself into the text, which over time will strengthen your attention span.

3. Readers Enjoy the Arts and Improve the World
A recent study explains that people who read for pleasure are many times more likely than those who do not to visit museums and attend concerts, and almost three times as likely to perform volunteer and charity work. Readers are active participants in the world around them, and that engagement is critical to individual and social well-being.

4. It Improves Your Imagination
You are only limited by what you can imagine, and the worlds described in books, as well as other people’s views and opinions, will help you expand your understanding of what is possible. By reading a written description of an event or a place, your mind is responsible for creating that image in your head, instead of having the image placed in front of you when you watch television.

5. Reading Makes You Smarter
Books offer an outstanding wealth of learning and at a much cheaper price than taking a course. Reading gives you a chance to consume huge amount of research in a relatively short amount of time. Anne E. Cunningham and Keith E. Stanovich’s “What Reading Does for the Mind” also noted that heavy readers tend to display greater knowledge of how things work and who or what people were. Books at home have been strongly linked to academic achievement.

Credit: Why to Read

10 Quick Tips for Better Business Writing

Writing is the wrangling of thoughts to page—it is an arduous process that seeks to bring abstract ideas into the tangible world.

Writing is valuable. It doesn’t just transfer insights, it creates them. And since “good words are worth much and cost little,” choosing the right words is worth the price you pay in time (and sanity).

I certainly don’t have this writing thing figured out—not even close—but thanks to the gracious feedback from readers, here are a few common signs that your writing is heading in the right direction:

1. Brevity. Soul. Wit.
Few things drag down writing more than spreading good ideas over too many words.

2. Writing is not flaunting your vocabulary.
“When you write you should pretend that you, the writer, see something in the world that’s interesting, that you are directing the attention of your reader to that thing in the world, and that you are doing so by means of conversation,” says Harvard psychologist Steven Pinker. Writing is not meant to prove ownership of a thesaurus—it is the selective transcribing of thoughts.

3. On having your cake and eating it, too.
The best writing is that which pleases at a glance, but further rewards careful study. “A thoughtful list post” may seem like an oxymoron, but like a movie you can re-watch a dozen times, good writing hooks easily yet hides gifts for a discerning mind.

4. Don’t bury the lede.
Before pen to page or fingers to keyboard, you must begin with knowing what you are trying to say. Every piece of writing should have the thesis, the value proposition, be entirely clear from the outset. The journey to the end of your essay should be rewarding for reasons other than figuring out what point you’re trying to make.

5. To write more 'Damn Good Sentences,' read them.
In the book How To Write a Sentence, New York Times columnist Stanley Fish laments that “many educators approach teaching the craft of writing a memorable sentence the wrong way — by relying on rules rather than examples.” Garbage in, garbage out; you’ll produce better sentences if you dedicate time to reading them.

6. 'In other words,' you should have used other words.
Insight is memorable when it can be embraced directly—don’t pad it with “essentially,” “basically,” or “in other words.” Use the right words the first time.

7. Don’t tell people how to travel; show them your vacation photos.
Grandstanding on topics you know little about makes you disingenuous—your deception oozes from every paragraph to an informed reader. Instead, hop off your soap box and don’t preach, be the Sherpa; share what you’ve learned in an honest way. People love following a journey.

8. An idea is nothing without a reaction.
Reactions are oxygen for writing. Until you get feedback on what you’ve said, your analysis can only reveal so much. Be prepared for critiques and criticism; great work is contingent on a willingness to be judged.

9. 'Just write' is tired advice, but still needed.
If you’re looking for a way to make hard work easy, you won’t find it in writing. You’ll struggle with the blank page until your ass falls off the chair—but until that day, keep sitting down and do the work.

10. Meandering endings can sour good writing; approach them quickly.
I’ll let Paul Graham handle this one: “Learn to recognize the approach of an ending, and when one appears, grab it.”

Gregory Ciotti

The Difference Between e.g. and i.e.?
By Daniel Scocco


The Latin abbreviations e.g. and i.e. are used extensively in English. Not everyone, however, is aware of the difference in their usage. Some people use them interchangeably. Others even invert their meaning. If you are not completely sure when to use each of those abbreviations, keep reading!

e.g.

e.g. stands for the Latin phrase “exempli gratia,” which means “for the sake of example.” You should use it when presenting examples or more possibilities for the term in question. An easy way to remember this is to associate e.g. with “example given.”

I like citrus fruits (e.g., oranges and lemons)

i.e.

i.e. Stands for the Latin phrase “id est,” which means “that is.” You should use it when explaining or rephrasing a sentence. Usually it has the same meaning as “in other words.”

I like all fruits (i.e., I eat pretty much anything)

Some considerations

You can use the e.g. and i.e. abbreviations both inside and outside the parenthesis. If you are writing in a formal style, however, they must go inside the parenthesis
They appear in lower case letters even if at the beginning of the sentence
Always separate the letters with a period, and follow the abbreviation with a comma