Write Away e-bulletin

July 2012

How better to mark the start of the Olympics than with a celebration of the peculiarities of UK English? Linguistics expert Dr Lynne Murphy rounds up ten words the British and the Americans use differently.

And, interestingly, in other news, sentences starting with interestingly often turn out to be quite the opposite. Find out about five adverbs you should only allow in your final draft after careful scrutiny.

Plus, get a 60-second fix on affect and effect, and a guide to responding to positive customer feedback.

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• Now you’re talking my language

  When customers send thank you letters (yes, really, they do), keep the good feeling going with a reply that speaks to their hearts and you’ll reap the rewards.

• Ten differences between UK and US English

  As the eyes of the world turn to London, linguistics lecturer Lynne Murphy rounds up 10 subtle miscommunications between British and American English.

• Interrogate your adverbs

  Some adverbs are used so frequently in speech that they have become little more than verbal tics; these are the ones you should be particularly suspicious of when writing.

• 60-second fix: affect and effect

  Two of the most commonly confused words in English are affect and effect. Set yourself straight in 60 seconds.