There’s been another U-turn on the effects of texting on children’s literacy skills. The latest research, conducted by Dr Clare Wood at the British Academy, suggests that, far from damaging their ability to read and write, using ‘textisms’ like...
Catie Holdridge
Ban the bull: OECD
As more people join us on our crusade to rid the English-speaking world of business writing that doesn’t seem to speak English, we can only become a more powerful force. The extract this month is taken from the website of the Organisation for Economic...
To colon or to semicolon
The colon is a common cause of bellyache. The semicolon can leave people dazed and confused. But rather than cutting them completely from your punctuation diet, refer to the following guidelines and you’ll soon find just the right dosage for all your writing...
How to use capital letters
We're often asked about when to use capital letters. Why is it so confusing? The answer lies somewhere between what we’re used to seeing (beginning, as ever, with our school habits) and the seeming inconsistencies of best practice. As a general rule, capitals...
How to avoid procrastinating and get writing
Remember last year: the pain of putting off that report day after day, finally bashing it out in a blind panic the night before it was due? Not only does this leave you a stress-addled mess, but it means your cobbled-together work won’t represent the best...
Business-writing radio launched
Free podcasts offer expert help with writing reports, proposals, emails and more A new source of free help is at hand for anyone who has ever grappled with writing a 'make or break' proposal or report, or wondered how best to handle sensitive customer correspondence....
The business of goodwill
It’s that magical time of year again. Chestnuts roasting on an open fire, Jack Frost nipping at your nose and – quite possibly – being thrown together with people you have nothing more in common with than blood. And, as anyone who has grin-and-borne-it through a...
Brackets (and how to use them)
So, those emoticon smiles: what else can they be used for? Round brackets Imagine the contents of round brackets (or parentheses) as an aside that might be said behind your hand (an actor on a stage might anyway). These punctuation marks come in handy to:...
The offence of bad language
Finally, a House of Commons report that is a cause for celebration. This is Bad Language: the Use and Abuse of Official Language – the result of an investigation into the many ways in which politicians and civil servants may baffle and intimidate readers with...
Revisiting that question
Write Now reader Simon Lewis joins the great 'that' debate: Definitely one of my bugbears, that. Take this example: “The teaching medical students receive also leaves them with an incomplete picture.” I started interpreting this as “The medical...
How do you feel about that?
The most innocuous-seeming topics have sparked incredibly heated debates. Marmite: love it or loathe it? Toilet roll facing front or facing back? [Front obviously – Ed.] Daddy or chips? Well, we’re about to start another one: whether or not to cut...
Words for our times
The latest version of the Collins English Dictionary has just been published, with some interesting new additions, including ‘iPlayer, ‘mankini’ (after Borat’s legendary garment), and ‘Twitter’. The words that officially enter the...