A plain language guide to grammar, punctuation and writing well
Shoe-in ... or shoo-in? A 'shoo-in' is a person or thing certain to succeed. It's not spelt 'shoe-in' (See Oxford Dictionaries). Lots of people (especially those who write for news outlets) think it is. It isn't. So in all the examples below, 'shoe-in' should be 'shoo-in': The former Brampton Manor Academy student’s humbling accomplishments made… Continue reading A quick word … shoe-in??
Is it all right to write 'alright'? 'Alright' is perfectly OK in informal writing, unless you're emailing someone with grammar-related blood pressure issues. Oxford Dictionaries says: There is no logical reason for insisting on 'all right' as two words, when other single-word forms such as 'altogether' have long been accepted. Nevertheless, it is still considered… Continue reading A quick word … all right or alright?
Wordsworth, the Wordwatch Towers butler, was dusting the vaults yesterday and came across a post that had to be archived pronto. Why? Because it was no longer accurate. The post (first published in 1847) asserted that the word 'minuscule' should not be spelt 'miniscule'. However, things change ... Oxford Dictionaries now says that 'miniscule' is… Continue reading A quick word … not a tiny spelling error
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
A recent BBC news story about pop star Dua Lipa's Twitter activities included the following: "The BBC has reached out to her management for comment." This is just horrible. And it's an easy one to put right: don't write 'reached out to' when you mean 'asked'. The BBC later changed its version to read 'has… Continue reading A quick word … don’t reach out
Can you start sentences with ‘and’? Yes. And you can also start sentences with ‘but’. But not too often. And not indiscriminately. Interested in this topic? Read David Crystal's blog post to find out more.
Do the seasons take capital letters? You'd think so, wouldn't you? But they don't - although you'll see them capitalised everywhere. The seasons never start with a capital letter (unless, of course they are used as the first word of a sentence): spring summer autumn winter The following are not capitalised either: summer solstice winter… Continue reading A quick word … spring or Spring?
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