Call for Submissions
Someone recently asked me to review the tone and content of an e-mail conversation. A recipient of the e-mail misjudged the writer’s tone, and he asked me to tell him why that might be. It was a fascinating project—I’d like to do it more often, and for The Writing Guide. If you’ve recently had an … Continue reading
“Different” Type of Question
At least once a day I fret over different. My knee-jerk reaction is often that it’s unnecessary if it seems apparent that the writer is referring to a list of varied items. But this is a situation where overwhelming usage usually defeats my instincts. And I’m never satisfied with my decision. Some examples: After two … Continue reading
Entirely Unnecessary
Lately I’ve been coming across writers misusing entire and entirely. They include it in a mistaken attempt to add emphasis or distinction to a noun, but it often acts as only an empty modifier. If you write that you could write an entire article about something or that you love an ingredient so much that … Continue reading
The Writing Guide 