Write Justified
Sticks and Stones and Words Can Hurt
In anticipation of the upcoming presidential election cycle, prepare to hear some unsavory comments, even name-calling among candidates. Here’s…
July 22, 2017-
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Write JustifiedThe Times They Are A-Changin’
As languages go, English is fairly young. It’s been about 1400 years since the Anglo-Saxons imported English into Great…
June 27, 2017 -
Write JustifiedCan You Hear It Now?
A number of grammatical faux pas can be attributed to faulty hearing. I’m not implying that any of you…
May 27, 2017 -
Write Justified
Is that a Question? Or Not?
This may seem hard to believe, but How often don’t you ask a rhetorical question. One that you…
April 27, 2017 -
Write Justified
Beware These Confusables
Because spellcheck, wonderful as it may be, doesn’t catch words used improperly … And because the English language…
March 27, 2017 -
Write Justified
The Common Comma – Part 3
Bryan Garner, author of A Dictionary of Modern American Usage, and a raft of other books on English…
March 27, 2017 -
Write Justified
Before You Hire an Editor
You’ve written your masterpiece. Or at least a short story, novel, or essay you believe worthy of publication.…
March 26, 2017 -
Write Justified
The Common Comma – Part II
The comma is one of those punctuation marks that has an outsized impact in relationship to its size.…
January 27, 2017 -
Write Justified
The Common Comma
Plenty of ink has been spilled and battles fought over the necessity and superiority of the Oxford or serial…
December 26, 2016 -
Write JustifiedPoint of View (Part 2)-by Judy Hagey
Third Person In my last post, I explained that Point of View is one of the choices writers have…
November 29, 2016 -
Write Justified
It’s All a Matter of Perspective
Twice in the last year, my husband and I have made the trip from Denver to Grand Junction, Colorado.…
October 28, 2016 -
Write Justified
Idioms–Literary Shorthand
As if English with its homophones and irregular verbs weren’t confusing enough, how about those idioms? Oh sure,…
September 27, 2016 -
Uncategorized, Write Justified
Confused No More
As an editor, I frequently encounter homonym errors. Someone writes whether when they intend weather. Or peek when the…
June 11, 2016 -
Write Justified
Mind Those Apostrophes
When editors are asked to name their pet peeves, misuse of apostrophes ranks at or near the top of…
May 17, 2016 -
Uncategorized, Write Justified
When 2 + 2 Still Don’t = 4
Now that you’ve mastered the basics of plurals (see 2 + 2 Doesn’t Always = 4), let’s look at…
April 26, 2016 -
Write Justified
2 + 2 Doesn’t Always Equal 4
Students of English learn quickly that to every rule, there is an exception; sometimes the exception is the rule.…
March 18, 2016 -
Uncategorized, Write JustifiedHow’s Your Posture?
One of the occupational hazards of the writing-editing life is back and/or neck pain as a result of poor…
February 27, 2016 -
Write Justified
Are You Editing? or Editorializing?
Every writer needs an editor or at least a proofreader. Even experienced writers benefit from another pair of eyes…
February 12, 2016 -
Write Justified
Look Back to Move Ahead
A few days before the deadline for this blog I had some time to begin thinking about the next…
January 12, 2016 -
Write JustifiedMaking a Point–Indirectly
Let’s categorize these three figures of speech as “substitutions.” We’re going to explore three devices that make a point…
November 27, 2015 -
Write JustifiedIf I’ve Said It Once…
To paraphrase that wise king Solomon, “There’s a time and place for everything.” For writers, that includes repetition, despite…
October 24, 2015 -
Uncategorized, Write Justified
To Join or Not to Join – That’s the Rhetorical Device
Last month I introduced the concept of rhetorical devices. We started with a couple familiar devices that students of…
September 10, 2015 -
Write JustifiedLife is Like…
Rhetorical questions don’t require (or deserve) an answer. Do they? But how about those rhetorical devices—those figures of speech…
August 29, 2015 -
Write Justified5 Words That Spellcheck Won’t Catch
Thanks to computer technology you no longer need to be a great speller to be a writer. If you…
July 30, 2015
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