A plain language guide to grammar, punctuation and writing well
Nouns, adjectives, verbs – everything you want to know but were afraid to ask.
What is the difference between an initialism and an acronym? An initialism is an abbreviation made up of initial letters, such as ‘BBC’ and ‘RSPCA’. The letters are pronounced separately. An acronym is a word made up of initials, for example, ‘Aids’ (acquired immune deficiency syndrome) and ‘laser’ (light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation). The letters are… Continue reading A quick word … initialisms and acronyms
I’m so ashamed. The butler claims he told me ages ago (he didn’t) and is now sulking in the pantry. I considered pretending that I knew all along but my reader, Gladys (who seems to be spending a lot of time with the butler lately), would never forgive me for lying. So I have to ‘fess up.… Continue reading A confession and some lovely words
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
Some words are ugly and some grammatical concepts are very tricky indeed. And sometimes ugly combines with tricky. But I know you like a challenge. Exhibit A: the gerund. Don’t go – the butler’s serving drinks afterwards.
Sometimes, I’m three times as thick. Just let that sentence wash over you for a moment; I’ll come back to it. In the meantime, I’ll explain my recent triple thickness; I couldn’t answer the following question: The past tense in English always refers to the past. True or false?
Grammar books sometimes bother me; you somehow feel as if you should believe everything you read in them. But while that might make you more of a selective human, it won’t in all cases arm you with the facts.
The flexibility of language means we can use just a few words to express a complex emotion, idea or thought that might otherwise take several paragraphs to convey. Similes and metaphors are used in this way. Both set up comparisons, but what is the difference between them?
Wordwatch Towers 