A plain language guide to grammar, punctuation and writing well
A no-nonsense guide to political correctness
This is worth sharing. White Debt is a new book by Thomas Harding about a slave uprising on sugar plantations in what was the British territory of Demerara. Harding is a careful writer. This Guardian review of the book highlights his subtle ability to unsettle complacent ways of thinking: He replaces “slave” with “enslaved men… Continue reading Abolitionists not rebels
I don’t often throw things at the radio when BBC journo Nick Robinson is on – but missiles were launched this morning (including a complaint via email) when he described a dead female refugee as ‘beautiful’. What?? Here’s what he said on the BBC’s flagship news programme: “The photograph of a beautiful young woman stares… Continue reading A beautiful dead woman
This is a re-post from the BBC news website. "Don't worry, you'll do well because you're BAME, BAME is the new trend. Everyone is looking for a BAME actor to add to their books." When 24-year-old Nicole Miners first heard the term - which stands for black, Asian and minority ethnic - she was at… Continue reading BBC: ‘Don’t call me BAME’: Why some people are rejecting the term
Hoorah, hoorah, hoorah - it was a long time coming, but late is definitely better than never. Oxford Dictionaries has finally realised that it's a bit ... um ... sexist and is currently making changes to ensure its examples of word use are gender neutral. Find out more in the Guardian. As Gladys, my reader,… Continue reading Oxford Dictionaries finally bans sexist stereotypes
Flippant? Oxford Dictionaries? Who said so? Oh, Oxford Dictionaries. Just for the record, here’s Oxford Dictionaries’ definition of ‘flippant’: 'Not showing a serious or respectful attitude' And here’s why (as reported in the Guardian today) Oxford Dictionaries fessed up to such undictionary-like behaviour: A Canadian anthropologist, Michael Oman-Reagan, tweeted Oxford Dictionaries last week to ask… Continue reading Rabid sexism… Oxford Dictionaries says sorry
That noise is an alarm going off. The Wordwatch Towers butler just checked and has confirmed it’s the ‘women being undermined via descriptions of the animal kingdom to avoid accusations of blatant sexism’ alarm. Thought so.
Well, the cover looks good... (that bit wasn't me). Here's the blurb: This is a basic guide to writing well. Aspects of grammar and punctuation that commonly cause confusion are demystified in plain English. You'll find clear instructions on the correct use of possessive apostrophes, commas, speech marks, hyphens and semicolons. Other topics include the… Continue reading Available now: Wordwatch for Kindle
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