Legal Writing

The First Five Pages

Posted on June 04, 2009
What can an agent tell from the first five pages of your manuscript? According to Noah Lukeman, plenty. The First Five Pages

Cinderella Didn?t Wear Cotton to the Ball

Posted on June 03, 2009
Next time you dress your heroine for a ball, you may want to describe her gown in terms of its lightness and delicacy. Here are some nouns and adjectives for the job.Got the Daily Blog Tips Newsletter? Cinderella Didn’t Wear Cotton to the Ball

Interview with Darren Rowse on Building a Better Blog

Posted on June 03, 2009
Last week we published a post about Darren Rowse's new ebook, titled 31 Days to Build a Better a Blog. I asked Darren if he was willing to answer to a small interview giving more details about the book to our readers, and he agreed. There are some interesting points, so check it out...

Subject Lines, Subscriptions and Submissions

Posted on June 02, 2009
In this post I want to deal with some miscellaneous questions that have come to me via email.Got the Daily Blog Tips Newsletter? Subject Lines, Subscriptions and Submissions

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Fly, Flew, (has) Flown?-Flied?

Posted on June 01, 2009
Reader Michelle asks if the past tense of the verb to fly can ever be flied. My first response was to scream No! Never! But then I remembered baseball.Got the Daily Blog Tips Newsletter? Fly, Flew, (has) Flown—-Flied?

Bouncebackability

Posted on May 31, 2009
Reader Graham Broadley is apparently scratching his head over a word that’s recently been admitted to the pages of the venerable OED: I was watching the French Open tennis tournament the other day and heard the commentator say the word ‘bounce-back-ability’ had made it into the OED this year...

Want to Improve Your Blog? Check This Workbook Out

Posted on May 28, 2009
Many of our readers are also bloggers, and the ones who are not should seriously consider becoming. Why? Because blogging is one of the most effective ways to improve your writing. Once you have a blog, you will inevitably need to write on a regular basis, and practice makes perfection...

The Humble Foot

Posted on May 28, 2009
Like other body parts, foot has found its way into numerous idiomatic expressions. Here are just a few.Got the Daily Blog Tips Newsletter? The Humble Foot

Italicizing Foreign Words

Posted on May 27, 2009
Karin-Marijke Vis wrote: What to do with foreign words? Do I put them in Italics, or in single or double quotes?Got the Daily Blog Tips Newsletter? Italicizing Foreign Words

Airplane Ears

Posted on May 26, 2009
Filip from Sweden has a question about an unpleasant accompaniment to flying.Got the Daily Blog Tips Newsletter? Airplane Ears

One ?L? or Two?

Posted on May 25, 2009
Lisa wrote: We're having a bit of an issue here at work. Can you address the usage of canceled vs. cancelled? Got the Daily Blog Tips Newsletter? One “L” or Two?

Wake Up, Little Suzy!

Posted on May 24, 2009
Jan Bringmann writes: I have seen many use the word woken instead of awakened. Is this correct?Got the Daily Blog Tips Newsletter? Wake Up, Little Suzy!

Words Ending in -gue

Posted on May 21, 2009
An email in which the word colleague was spelled colleag got me thinking about English words that end with a hard g sound spelled -gue.Got the Daily Blog Tips Newsletter? Words Ending in -gue

Without Cease

Posted on May 20, 2009
One of my illustrations in a recent post, The wind has blown without cease for three days. struck some readers as odd.Got the Daily Blog Tips Newsletter? Without Cease

In Search of a 4-Dot Ellipsis

Posted on May 19, 2009
Reader Vic Shane writes: ...my editor told me there is a four-dot ellipsis that is not the same thing as the three-dot version. When I went to Journalism school (32 years ago), we only had the three-dot variety, as far as I know. The extra dot came from somewhere and I'd like to get to the bottom of it...

Writing a Reference Letter (With Examples)

Posted on May 18, 2009
At some point in life, you?re almost certainly going to have to write a reference letter for someone. It might be a former employee or student, or even a family friend. Here?s what you need to know about the purpose of reference letters and how to write the most effective letter possible...

Cannot or Can Not?

Posted on May 18, 2009
Peter Ki asks: What is the difference between ?can not? and ?cannot?? Got the Daily Blog Tips Newsletter? Cannot or Can Not?

Good to Be Back!

Posted on May 17, 2009
Four countries and eight regions, but--thanks to standard English--no communication problems!Got the Daily Blog Tips Newsletter? Good to Be Back!

Let?s Party!

Posted on May 14, 2009
From a reader comes the question: Could you cover the term 'carousing' and how to use it correctly, along with other party-related terms? Thanks!Got the Daily Blog Tips Newsletter? Let’s Party!

Laurels and What One Does With Them

Posted on May 13, 2009
I heard a newscaster--sports I think--say that someone was waiting on the laurels of someone else. Sometimes I feel like an ancient Roman watching Latin turn into French. What did the newscaster mean?Got the Daily Blog Tips Newsletter? Laurels and What One Does With Them

When is a Door Not a Door?

Posted on May 12, 2009
A Target television ad asks at the beginning "When is a door not a door?" Later in the ad comes the answer: "when it's a portal." So what's the difference? Got the Daily Blog Tips Newsletter? When is a Door Not a Door?

Verbs Like ?Know?

Posted on May 11, 2009
A reader wonders about an unusual use of the word known. Verbs Like “Know”

The Cat?s Pajamas

Posted on May 10, 2009
Not everyone loves cats, but the language has its share of expressions coined from the appearance and behavior of these slinky domestic companions. The Cat’s Pajamas

What’s a Miscreant and How Is It Pronounced?

Posted on May 07, 2009
Terry Gross used the word miscreants when introducing a commentary on NPR. The segment, "Madoff: A Scoundrel Or A Sociopath?" (4/15/09)was a commentary by Geoff Nunberg on the word scoundrel in current usage. Gross placed the stress on the second syllable...

You Too Can Sponsor A Word!

Posted on May 07, 2009
Of all the free language references available online, my absolute favorite is the Online Etymology Dictionary: a map of the wheel-ruts of modern English...explanations of what our words meant and how they sounded 600 or 2,000 years ago. You Too Can Sponsor A Word!

Masters Degree or Master’s Degree?

Posted on May 06, 2009
Edwin Johnstone wrote: What is the proper way to spell masters degree ? or is it master's degree? or Masters degree? or Master's degree? Masters Degree or Master’s Degree?

Principal Parts of the Verb TO FIT

Posted on May 05, 2009
Reader Barry Kemp has a question about fit: One thing that has puzzled me for a while is the use of the word "fit". It's quite clear when one reads that "the new rug was a perfect fit in the apartment" But what is the rule for the past tense? We often read something like "it was a long stuggle but in the end he fit the pieces together" or "she slipped it on and the suit fit her perfectly" It is quite clear these sentences are past tense so why do we not use the past tense "fitted"? Principal Parts of the Verb TO FIT

Speak of the Devil!

Posted on May 04, 2009
One of my favorite sayings is God is in the details. Speak of the Devil!

When is a “Mistake” Not a Mistake?

Posted on May 01, 2009
It's not just lengthy Latin words that are used to conceal meaning. The simple Old Norse word mistake is used to cover a multitude of behaviors that have little to do with the conventional meaning of the word. When is a “Mistake” Not a Mistake?

Hurrah for the Lowly BUG

Posted on April 29, 2009
When I lived in England, my colleagues quickly taught me that I must say "insect" (not "bug") unless I specifically meant "bed-bug." In the U.S., bug applies to every conceivable type of insect. Hurrah for the Lowly BUG

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