English
How to Write Creative Transition Sentences
Creative writers and journalists sometimes have a problem with transitioning smoothly from one paragraph to the other, especially when they are changing the subject. Learning transition sentences is not really that hard. When we hop from topic to topic w/o a transition sentence, we “jar” the reader. While sentence transitions may be the last line…
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How to Use "Which" and "That" Correctly
Introduction Which and that are relative pronouns. Their job is to introduce another clause that modifies the noun. Which and that can be confusing for English speakers because we use them without much thought and often misuse them completely – they’re actually quite tricky to use correctly! Sometimes we all would hesitate whether to use…
Read MoreHow to End a Sentence to Communicate the Right Subtext
How you end a sentence makes all the difference in the world in your commercial and technical copy. Or rather, it makes all the difference in the world the way you end a sentence. (See the difference already? In the first sentence the emphasis is on “copy”; in the second it’s on the “end of…
Read MoreEnglish – Eliminate SIMPLY from your Technical Documents and Copy
Eliminate SIMPLY from your sentences for more impact and greater clarity in your technical documents and commercial copy. ORIGINAL: Simply enter your User ID into this field. BETTER: Enter your User ID into this field. – – – – – ORIGINAL: I have to remind you that this simply is not going to work. BETTER:…
Read MoreFacts about Abbreviations & Acronyms
I just came across a great article on how to abbreviate titles and other things and what NOT to abbreviate. I think we all need a refresher like this from time to time, especially if English is your second language. Here is an excerpt from this useful article by M. J. Mardan: Titles before names: Mrs.,…
Read More3 Words in Technical Writing that Kill Objectivity
Objectivity in writing is a frail bird. It can get killed by a single word. “All,” “any” and “every” are the three words that kill objectivity in most (if not “all”) situations in technical and copy writing alike. A long time ago I learned to guard myself against using “very” in my writing. “Very” is…
Read MoreTechnical & Copy Writing – How to Use Causality Correctly
Organize your writing so that it becomes very clear what kind of cause-and-effect relationship exists between different elements of your argument. LINEAR Causality A is the reason why B happens; B is the reason why C happens; etc. CORRECT WAY of using it: A: A previously-public land is rezoned for upper-scale commercial development. B: Land…
Read MoreTechnical & Copy Writing – How to Write “Hamburger emails”
You can use the “Hamburger Paradigm” of writing not only for technical articles and copy but for other types of communications as well, ranging from emails to criticism. In “Hamburger Communication” the principle is simple: sandwich your criticism in between two sweet layers of positive comment. This is sometimes also known as “1+1+1” or “2+1+1”…
Read MoreTechnical & Copy Writing – How to Write a “Hamburger”
“Hamburger Model” is a writing paradigm used in some schools and writing programs. It’s a quick and useful way of explaining how to organize the content of a typical non-fiction article, paper, or other kinds of similar prose. Think about the main parts of a juicy hamburger: Top bun, bottom bun, and whatever goes…
Read MoreTechnical & Copy Writing – How to Capture the Essence of a Topic
Capturing the essence of a topic is the heart and soul of good writing and editing. If you cannot tell what the main idea is, you cannot write it either. And if you cannot write it, how would you expect your readers to get it? So it all starts with you. Thankfully, it is not…
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