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Legal Writing

Daily Writing Tips

Are you trying to improve your writing skills? If so Daily Writing Tips is the right place for you. Featuring daily tips about grammar, spelling, punctuation, copywriting and more!

Post Frequency: 3.6/day

Last Entry: November 02, 2020 at 06:34:48

It?s Me vs It is I

Posted on April 28, 2009
Ali Abuzar wants us to elaborate the difference and usage of 1.It is me. 2.It is I. 3.This is me. 4.This is I. 5.This is Mr. XYZ. It’s Me vs It is I

Posted on April 27, 2009
I noticed the following use of aesthetical in a comment on an English site: Thus I use the incorrect case [object form instead of subject form] as my domain name for aesthetical reasons. Aesthetic or Aesthetical?

How Can a War Be ?Civil??

Posted on April 27, 2009
Reader Dottie remarks: I've never understood the term "Civil War." It does sound like something of an oxymoron, doesn't it? How Can a War Be “Civil”?

The Difference Between ?Phonics? and ?Phonetics?

Posted on April 23, 2009
Ali Abuzar wonders about the difference between phonics and phonetics. In popular usage the words are often used interchangeably, although phonics [f?n'?ks] is the term usually employed when speaking of a method of beginning reading insstruction. In this use, phonics is regarded as a simplified form of phonetics [f?-n?t'?ks], which is the scientific study of speech sounds...

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Does ?Mr? Take a Period?

Posted on April 22, 2009
A recent DWT post about hyphen use (Chocolate covered or Chocolate-covered) prompted a discussion about the use of a period with the titles Mr. and Mrs. Here are some of the comments: Does “Mr” Take a Period?

Practice or Practise?

Posted on April 21, 2009
Mike Stone asks about the difference between practice and practise, defence and defense. Are they UK/US differences or is it something to with their use as nouns/verbs. I've never been able to find a good simple explanation. Practice or Practise?

From Our Readers - Sneak/Snuck and WH

Posted on April 20, 2009
Sometimes I get comments via the Contact box that I wish had been posted in the comments for everyone to enjoy. Here are two such contributions I want to share. From Our Readers - Sneak/Snuck and WH

Taking Another Look at Strunk and White

Posted on April 19, 2009
April 16 was the 50th anniversary of the publication of The Elements of Style by Strunk and White, a slim grammar reference that is recommended to students and writers everywhere. I wrote a post on it not too long ago, saying that it "deserves its long popularity as a concise guide to correct usage...

Not Good or No Good?

Posted on April 16, 2009
Deborah H. has a question about one of my recent post titles: Maeve, the title on today's DWT reminds me of a question that I have wanted to ask for a long time: How do I choose between "no" and "not?"

Eating Humble Pie

Posted on April 15, 2009
The old expression eating humble pie remains alive and well in cyberspace: I am once again reminded of all the little things my wife manages so well and how I really should make a better effort not to take her for granted. Humble pie is definitely a dish I should eat on a regular basis.

Words beginning with ?homo-?

Posted on April 14, 2009
Although Latin is no longer part of the general curriculum, it persists in enough mottos and expressions that everyone probably knows

A Harrowing Use of ?Harry?

Posted on April 13, 2009
I regret that I did not make a note of where I saw this, but it did make me gasp: ...inspire harrying tales that will either make you gasp for air or make you sit there and shake your head.

Civil Liberties and Civic Duties

Posted on April 12, 2009
When I read the following sentence the other day, I had an immediate "Oh No!" reaction to the use of civil:

Chopping Off Syllables

Posted on April 09, 2009
Here's a fab app for keeping track of your lab info docs, vocab lists, and rehab meds.

No Sooner Than (Not ?When?)

Posted on April 08, 2009
Maeve, how about no sooner had she than, or no sooner had she when. I’m always confused about that. Judging from frequent questions about this usage on various internet grammar sites, it’s a concern shared by many writers. Interestingly, when I tried to find online examples of no sooner?when, I found only one: She just knew [...

Chocolate Covered or Chocolate-Covered?

Posted on April 07, 2009
Knowing when to hyphenate a word and when to write it as two words or as a compound is a difficult concept for me to master.

Is There a Difference Between ?Assume? and ?Presume??

Posted on April 06, 2009
Both words have numerous definitions in the OED, but in ordinary usage, both assume and presume mean "suppose." I suppose you are going to the beach this summer. I assume you are going to the beach this summer I presume you are going to the beach this summer.

Not Winning a Contest Doesn?t Mean Your Writing is No Good

Posted on April 05, 2009
The votes are in and the winners announced for the Second DWT Short Story Competition. Congratulations to winner Violet Toler and runner-up Easton Miller. Your stories pleased many readers. Contests are rough on writers. If we enter and don't win, it's very hard to shake the feeling that our writing isn't any good.

Tracking the ?Fangle? in ?Newfangled?

Posted on April 02, 2009
Until I saw the word "fangled" used humorously in a couple of blogs, I'd never given any thought to the elements of newfangled. Can something be "oldfangled," or just plain "fangled"?

Hurrah for the Index Card!

Posted on April 01, 2009
If I were to make a list of the 10 greatest inventions of human history, index cards would be right there along with the alphabet and the stuff you put on the back of your pet's neck to kill fleas. I don't know how I'd get along with out them.

And The Winner Is? Orange Bubble Power!

Posted on April 01, 2009
The Short Story Competition 2 has finally come to an end. The voting session last week was pretty interesting, with different stories taking the lead in different days, and in the end Orange Bubble Power won. Congratulations to Violet Toler! Both Violet and Easton Miller, the runner up, will get a free license to the executive edition of the WhiteSmoke writing software, which costs $310...

Addressing Envelopes

Posted on March 31, 2009
Here's a question from Alfonso Rodriguez from Lima, Peru: Would you be so kind as to tell me what is the correct way to write down an address when the building has no number, I think there is an abbreviation form.

Sneaking up on ?Snuck?

Posted on March 29, 2009
A reader asks: Could you tell me which is more appropriate or how it is used: snuck vs sneeked - He snuck across the border.

Pronouncing Words that Begin with WH

Posted on March 26, 2009
Maria Cypher wrote: Can you weigh in on whether the "h" in -wh- words (e.g., whether, white, overwhelmed) should be pronounced? This seems to be a regional thing, but I say yes, yes, yes! (And then my friends and relatives mock me.)

How Drunk Are You? Let Me Count the Ways!

Posted on March 25, 2009
In researching words for drunkenness, I was appalled by how many I found. Clearly words to denote various states of alcoholic stupor are in frequent demand. Here are some of the terms, categorized according to degrees of drunkenness. Some are more literary than others.

The Many Faces of ?Run?

Posted on March 24, 2009
A reader has asked about "the correct use of the words run vs. ran." Run is one of those words that can be either a noun or a verb. As a verb, the principal parts of run are: run, ran, (have) run.

Character Tags in Fiction

Posted on March 24, 2009
In the parlance of fiction writing, a character tag is a repetitive verbal device used to identify a character in the mind of the reader. More than a simple description, a character tag calls to mind aspects of the character's personality and uniqueness.

Short Story Competition 2: The Grand Finale is Live!

Posted on March 23, 2009
The time we all have been waiting has finally come. The eleven (yes we had a tie in one round) most voted stories in the ten qualifying rounds are now competing head to head for the grand winner title. If you have not already, make sure to read them...

That Elusive Will o? the Wisp

Posted on March 22, 2009
A quaint, but still useful term of interest to writers is the expression will o' the wisp. The literal sense of will o' the wisp is "a phosphorescent light that occurs over marshy ground." It flits about and, according to observers, seems to retreat as one approaches it...

Mmmm, You Dirty Rat!

Posted on March 19, 2009
It's the rare media mention of Wall Street con man Bernie Madoff that doesn?t contain the word "rat" in some context.

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