Why is proofreading important? It can help you catch errors that prevent clear communication with your readers. If you are having a conversation with someone, and they don’t understand what you have said, the listener can ask for clarification. My husband tells of an experience of his final day in Germany after attending a family […]
Recovering Grammar Stickler
Hello. My name is Julie, and I’m a recovering grammar stickler. I used to be more than happy to inform someone that their choice of the word nauseous would be better if replaced with nauseated. Read “What words ‘should’ mean and what they actually mean” to see the example of how decimate has changed meaning […]
Copy Editing or Copyediting?
I am a copy editor, and I do copy editing. Or is that copyediting? I started gathering and writing up my thoughts for this blog post in Word, and I noticed that both terms are acceptable (no dotted red line underneath the words). But upon transferring the text into this post, that little red line […]
Sharing Knowledge Without Using It as a Weapon
March 4th is National Grammar Day. (March Forth, get it?) So it is a day for Grammar Geeks like me to celebrate. Several writers are sharing their thoughts about the day. I ran across this posting by Kory Stamper for “A Plea for Sanity” this year. (Warning: brief language, for those who are sensitive to […]
Good Grammar Makes Good Business Sense
I know there people (including me) some others call “grammar snobs.” But I believe that good grammar is an important part of anyone’s professional wardrobe. Don’t just take my word for it. Read this blog post by Kyle Wiens on the Harvard Business Review Blog Network. Here is a preview: If you think an apostrophe […]