by Marilynne Rudick | Aug 17, 2009 | Writing Matters Blog
It’s not news that language evolves. Nor is it news that the Internet has accelerated the evolution. So no wonder grammar has become a hot topic among Twitter users. The conversation is focused on a grammatical oddity: we have a gender-neutral plural pronoun they...
by Marilynne Rudick | Jan 15, 2009 | Writing Matters Blog
It’s tempting to start the new year with a writing resolutions blog (write more, procrastinate less) or the evergreen Writing Tips for the New Year. But even better is not having to write a top tips blog because it’s already been written. John Roach solicited tips...
by Marilynne Rudick | Jan 8, 2009 | Writing Matters Blog
Fun is not a word you normally associate with grammar. More frequent associations are root canal and hostage.But Grammar Girl’s podcasts Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing address grammar and usage issues in a clear, breezy—and yes fun—way. Each episode is...
by Marilynne Rudick | Dec 22, 2008 | Writing Matters Blog
We all remember our English teacher’s admonition: “Don’t use the same word twice.” I thought of this as I was writing a landing page for a financial services client. I had used the word help five times in two paragraphs. That sent me scurrying to the thesaurus. I did...
by Marilynne Rudick | Dec 4, 2008 | Writing Matters Blog
A nightmare from Christmas past: two days before my family’s holiday gathering, I realized that I hadn’t received the many books and CDs I’d ordered from Amazon. When I called Amazon to check, I found out there was a problem with the order and it hadn’t been shipped....
by Marilynne Rudick | Nov 18, 2008 | Writing Matters Blog
In a previous post, I wrote about how words carry tone and nuance. In that post, The Power of Words: Rescuing a Bailout, I was talking about the $70 billion financial package that had morphed from bailout to rescue in an attempt to gin up Congressional and public...
by Marilynne Rudick | Oct 30, 2008 | Writing Matters Blog
In an earlier post, I looked at how to punctuate bulleted lists. And I promised to address another important rule for bulleted lists: Write parallel lists. What exactly does that mean? Writing parallel lists simply means that each item in the list has the same...
by Marilynne Rudick | Oct 8, 2008 | Writing Matters Blog
Words matter. They carry tone and nuance. Fat, full-figured, obese, overweight, big, pleasantly plump. Each of these words presents a different mental image. It’s no secret that politicians choose words to put the best face (lipstick on a pig, anyone?) on a...
by Marilynne Rudick | Oct 3, 2008 | Content strategy, Writing Matters Blog
“Should I buy this company’s product or service?” “Is this organization reputable?” To answer those questions, you naturally click to the About Us web page. But once there, it is likely that you won’t find useful answers and...
by Marilynne Rudick | Sep 17, 2008 | Writing Matters Blog
A September 6th column by Jonathan Yardley, book critic for the Washington Post, took a new look at a classic writing resource, The Elements of Style (William Strunk, Jr. and E.B. White). This slim, no-nonsense guide to writing is on everyone’s short list of...
