Grab a pair of headphones and a lighter to wave in the air. Ready? Then let's rock. When you're trying to bring your report to a conclusion, do you ever feel like Paul McCartney at the Olympics opening ceremony, rehashing the same points ('na na na nananana ...') as...
Messages sent by email lack the visual and auditory cues of real-life conversation, making them particularly vulnerable to being misread or misunderstood. So ensuring that you start and finish warmly and politely can make all the difference. This article will get your...
Recently, we were asked to settle a dispute between colleagues over the word that. The example given was: 'The consensus was the chief executive was right' vs 'The consensus was that the chief executive was right'. Our correspondent had written the former, but his...
Apostrophes are unpredictable little blighters. No sooner have you mastered the basics than they pop up in new and unexpected places, apparently breaking all the rules. Should they, for example, be involved when you “cross the i’s and dot the t’s”? How about in the Ts...
In our post on units and spaces, we asked readers to take a short survey. We're delighted to report that 130 people did – and here are the results. Overall, most of you were in favour of closing up the number and unit, with four fifths preferring ‘1.75cm' to ‘1.75...
Recently a reader asked us whether it was correct to put a space between a number and a unit (eg ‘4 cm’), or to close them up (‘4cm’). Well, what a can of contradictory worms that turned out to be. When it comes to units of measure, it seems some like to get up close...
Go prepared to your office parties and family gatherings this year. If the conversation wanes and you’ve already exhausted the Christmas cracker jokes, no problem. Simply crack out one of these little beauties and get the party restarted* in no time. 1. Are the yoof...
This is a nice, easy one to answer. No sitting on the fence, no ‘it’s down to personal preference’. We won't even need the full minute. Here goes: Should have, would have, could have – correct Should of, would of, could of – incorrect The error is widespread and dates...
When it comes to calls for improving legal writing, few are made with more authority than this. Lord Neuberger of Abbotsbury, President of the Supreme Court, has said that judges themselves need to change the way they write – or risk losing the public’s confidence in...
We received the following question from Tim, one of our newsletter readers: ‘Is it okay to write “OK” as “ok”? Or should the abbreviated form always be in upper case?’ Little did he know the amount of discussion his question would generate in the office, writes Cathy...
Stationary or stationery. One means unmoving, the other means pencils and the like. Ready to pen — er, pin down which is which? Let's get going. Stationery refers to writing materials, while stationary means ‘not moving’. The most frequent mistake people...
Is your writing feeling a bit flabby and out of shape? Treat it to a one-month detox treatment by following these three rules. Get active The active voice is more direct, dynamic and accountable. ‘The Government took no action’ is better than ‘No...