Articles
The hidden traps of mixed metaphors and tautologies
You may have a vague memory of learning about metaphor and tautology in high school English and know that tautologies and mixed metaphors are to be avoided. But what are metaphors and tautologies? And are there times when they can enhance written communication?...
How to write 2,000 words in under an hour
There is a continual drive at work to complete tasks faster and more efficiently. This includes the many communications we need to write from emails to reports and other documents. For many office workers, this means spending a sizeable proportion of the day at their...
Why breath is sometimes spelled with an ‘e’ and lead drops the ‘a’
Knowledge is power and knowledge of grammar gives you power over the English language. If you were one of the unfortunate people who didn’t have the opportunity to learn grammar at school, it's never too late to add some essential grammar rules to your writing...
When repeating a particular word is a good thing
English is a highly versatile language that has a rich and extensive vocabulary from which to choose. You may have learned at school that using a variety of words makes your writing more interesting, particularly when writing a creative piece. An extensive vocabulary...
Writing for a global audience: 4 common phrases to avoid
With almost 400 million people speaking English as their first language, and a billion more knowing it as a secondary language, English has emerged in the past few decades as the international language. It is spoken by diplomats, scientists, artists, business people...
What do pomegranates and Jimmy Grant have in common?
Many of our distinctively Australian words have come from regular English words that have been repurposed in a new context. For example, public in convict Australia meant provided by the government for the benefit of a penal colony. Other words were borrowed...
The deadline dilemma: how to save time writing reports
When deadlines are tight, or you don’t know where to start, it’s tempting to put off writing, dash off a first draft at the last minute and submit it in its rough state. Although you might have met your deadline, will your report get the results you need? The tighter...
Three time-saving Word editing features you can’t live without
A common goal of many team members is to be able to produce a polished and professional report in a single draft. Unfortunately, there is no writing equivalent of the ‘one take wonder’. Even professional writers with years of experience need to review their draft...
Words to strike from your vocabulary in 2021
A basic principle of writing is to grab your reader’s attention and then keep it. When we overuse a word, it can become annoying to the reader and distract them from the important message. If used often enough, the word multiplies like a weed and chokes good writing...