One rule I learned early on from my teachers is to never use contractions in writing. This was drilled into me during university as I wrote book reports and research papers. In fact, most formal writing abhors contractions. But there’s one place that loves contractions: web writing.The thing about people who read on the web—whether a blog about… Continue reading Why you should use contractions when writing for the web
Author: Kim Siever
I am a copywriter and copyeditor. I blog on writing and social media tips mostly, but I sometimes throw in my thoughts about running a small business.
Follow me on Twitter at @hotpepper.
Difference between compose and comprise
This is part of the difference between series. While editing client work, I often come across the misuse of compose and comprise. Here is the difference between the two:
5 alternatives you can use instead of “find out”
This week, I’ve been editing a thesis for a master’s student. One thing I noticed during my editing was that this student seemed to have a preference for the phrase “find out”.
When to write numbers in words
Writing numbers can be confusing. Time and again, I comes across people who don’t know when they should write out a number (like four) or whether they should use figures (like 26). What doesn’t help is that the main style guides don’t agree.
Should seasons be capitalized?
With the first day of spring just behind us (at least those of living in the northern hemisphere), I noticed at the time several memes, corporate advertisements, and status updates mentioning spring and the vernal equinox. Many of them capitalized spring. The thing though is that seasons aren’t capitalized. They aren’t proper nouns and, outside of… Continue reading Should seasons be capitalized?
Why you shouldn’t accept every LinkedIn connection request
Recently, I received a connection request on LinkedIn. The name was in lowercase, so I was immediately suspicious. I decided to view their profile.
5 top tips for using live chat
It’s now commonplace for businesses to use a live chat service on their website or social media site. Not only is it an excellent experience for the customer to have instant communication with a company that interests them, but also it can hugely benefit the company itself. Live chat software can be a much more… Continue reading 5 top tips for using live chat
Difference between allowed and aloud
This is part of the difference between series. Recently, someone asked me to explain the difference between the words allowed and aloud. Here’s the difference between the two.
Difference between forth and fourth
This is part of the difference between series. Recently, someone asked me to explain the difference between the words forth and fourth. Here’s the difference between the two.
Why you should ditch Grammarly and hire a professional
Even though my bread and butter is copyediting, I have a side job at the local university as an academic writing tutor in the Writing Centre. I had a student come in with a paper today. There were quite a few spelling, grammatical, punctuation, and clarity issues. Because she had used Grammarly, which her instructor… Continue reading Why you should ditch Grammarly and hire a professional