Category spellchecking
Make Your Writing ZING!
Susan Pierotti, Creative Text Solutions Do you shudder with horror when you have to write for the company newsletter? Do you have find that what you write doesn’t have the effect you intended? Do you spend hours writing a letter or report, only to have it ignored? Learn how to express yourself through the written […]
3 scary typos: or why you should use an editor, not a spellchecker
Susan Pierotti, Creative Text Solutions Spellcheckers are handy devices, but they are limited. English has vast numbers of homophones, words that sound the same but are spelt differently. A spellchecker won’t pick up that you’ve written on your CV ‘there business’ instead of ‘their business’, but it could cost you the interview and the job. […]
How to consolidate your professional reputation: Part 3
Susan Pierotti, Creative Text Solutions This series on how writing can consolidate your professional reputation will continue with the subject of CVs. In the previous blog we discussed why you need to have good spelling, grammar and punctuation, focusing on punctuation. Let’s now look at spelling. Spelling Not every one is a good speller. There […]
The Rite? Word: Part 4
Susan Pierotti, Creative Text Solutions English is a language rich in adjectives and adverbs, words that provide precise definitions for things and situations that can’t be expressed in other languages. For instance, did you know that no Frenchman has a home? There is no word for home in French, only house/maison, or that you are […]
The Rite? Word: Part 3
Susan Pierotti, Creative Text Solutions In my campaign (cause? crusade?) for better communication, I offer this week’s contribution to misused words. Number, amount, fewer and less have almost lost their original meanings in some people’s minds due to the adverse application by advertising. (Read my Part 1 blog for when to use adverse.) Advertising has […]
The Rite? Word: Part 2
Susan Pierotti, Creative Text Solutions As promised last week, here are some more confusing words that used inappropriately could mean the difference between your business or your competitor’s making the sale. Remember, spelling well shows courtesy towards your reader (i.e. customer) and promotes common understanding. Discreet and discrete These two words are often confused because […]
The Rite? Word: Part 1
Susan Pierotti, Creative Text Solutions Oh no, not another blog on spelling! Why do bloggers feel the need to rave on about the placement of letters? Read on to find out. Having a common language is precious As humans we are given that marvellous gift – language. No other species on earth has it. Unlike […]
Words that aren’t
Susan Pierotti, Creative Text Solutions English is quite a difficult language to learn to write. The spelling is so irregular that there have been moves since the 18th century to standardise it. Noah Webster tried with his dictionary in the United States but it backfired. Instead, we now have UK and American spelling to contend […]
Which, or witch, word is that?
Susan Pierotti, Creative Text Solutions Do you often mistake one word for another? Do you find particular words give you trouble with their spelling? In last week’s blog I touched on how words with similar spelling but different meanings can be confused. I have edited quite a bit of fiction. Here are some common errors […]
Aye, Eye, I: Homophonia!
Susan Pierotti, Creative Text Solutions What are Homophones? Simply put, homophones are words that sound the same, from the Greek ‘homo’ meaning ‘same’ and ‘phone’ meaning ‘sound’. Other words derived from these two words include: homosexual – same sex telephone -far sounding euphonium – pleasant sounding object (though some may dispute the object in question…) […]
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