A book about fonts does sound a little dull on first impression, I’ll admit, writes Gordon MacDonald. Who really cares about the shape of letters? What next, a book about the cultural and historical significance of toenail clippers? I made the (understandable)...
Cathy Dann
How to use adverbs effectively
Adverbs convey information about how things happen, as well as when, where and to what extent. As the name suggests, they modify verbs – but they can also modify adjectives, other adverbs and whole sentences. For example, in the sentence ‘I need to see you urgently,’...
60-second fix: affect and effect
Right, affect and effect: let's tackle the difference. Well, if you mix up your words, it can affect a reader’s opinion of you – and that, in turn, can have a detrimental effect on your business. So here’s how to get affect and effect straight....
Communication Lab 8: cold emails
Subscribe via RSS / iTunes | Download | All podcasts 35 minutes How do you approach new business in an era when cold calls rarely reach decision-makers and everyone's on the guard against spam? Guest Bryan Kreuzberger, the founder of Breakthrough Email, shares his...
Video: sentence supercharger
In this video, Emphasis CEO Rob Ashton demonstrates how to supercharge any sentence in 60 seconds. Want more business-writing tips? The Emphasis e-bulletin is packed with practical advice to help you improve your writing, from writing formal emails to drafting...
How to write brand names
Brand identity is important to business, and having a brand name with impact is a big part of that. But when the name breaks the standard rules of English in its efforts to achieve that, it can present writers with a challenge. In many cases, the company itself will...
60-second fix: different from/to/than
Every now and then, you’ll come across someone who insists that different to and different than are wrong, and that only different from is correct. For the most apoplectic example, we'll cite the now semi-defunct Queen’s English Society’s, who complain: ‘At a...
Congratulations to the MCA award winners
Congratulations to all the winners at the MCA Awards Dinner 2012, which was recently held at the Hilton Hotel in Park Lane, London. The Platinum Award winner was PA Consulting, for its work with the Ministry of Defence to improve protection against explosive devices,...
60-second fix: compare to and compare with
Compare to is used to describe similarity, while compare with is used for differences as well as similarities. So, for example, while a man may be flattered to be compared to George Clooney, he may not find it quite as pleasant being compared with George Clooney....
Come and see us at HRD
It’s less than a month until the CIPD HRD conference (that’s the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development’s annual Human Resource Development event, for those who like some words with their capitals). We’ll be there – will you?...
Emphasis sponsors MCA Awards
Emphasis are proud to be sponsoring the Customer Engagement Award at the MCA Awards 2012. Last year, management consultants Navigant scooped the Customer Engagement Award for their work with Skandia investment managers. This year, the shortlist for the award...
60-second fix: substitute for or with?
Do you substitute one thing for another, or with another? Well, you can do both. But they have different meanings. You substitute the new for the old, but substitute the old with the new. The easiest way to get it right is to think of sport, where, if someone is...