🔎 Today’s proofread has a political theme. Dystopian fiction, written in 2017, but weirdly prescient. It’s not a futuristic setting, rather a twisted version of our own, and so the words need to be styled in a recognised way. Part of this involves carefully checking spelling, hyphenation and capitalisation. Dispatch box ❌ has become despatchContinue reading “Is it dispatch box or despatch box? Should Parliament be capitalised? Back-bencher or backbencher? Proofreading dystopian political fiction.”
Tag Archives: writingtips
I’m rolling with it. New editing availability. (And, while we’re on it, is it role or roll? Rollout or roll out?)
🎪 Role up. ❌ Roll up. ✔ I’m on a role. ❌ Over the last few years, I’ve gone from one day a week of editing, to two, and, from September, I’ll be up to three. 👏 Go me! And a bonus #EagleEyedCherry #writingtip is to remind you of the different spellings and uses ofContinue reading “I’m rolling with it. New editing availability. (And, while we’re on it, is it role or roll? Rollout or roll out?)”
Should I use commas in lists of adjectives? Co-ordinate and cumulative adjectives.
❓ Loud cackling laugh or loud, cackling laugh? Is cackling laugh a noun in itself, or is cackling an adjective describing the noun? If we establish that laugh is the noun, cackling is the adjective. Loud is also an adjective describing the laugh. So, you’re listing adjectives. These are co-ordinate adjectives, each in turn modifyingContinue reading “Should I use commas in lists of adjectives? Co-ordinate and cumulative adjectives.”
What is a dangling modifier?
Today has been dubbed the ‘day of hugs’. 🤗 And, funnily enough, hugging has come up in my work this morning by way of a dangling modifier! 🔎 Moving back, the hug was planted on her from an unwanted source. ❌ Unless the hug is ‘moving back’, this sentence construction is wrong. ‘Moving back’ modifiesContinue reading “What is a dangling modifier?”
Is it Mother’s Day or Mothers’ Day? Where should the apostrophe go?
🇺🇲 It’s Mother’s Day in the USA. ❓ Did you wake up wondering where to put the apostrophe in your mom’s card? 😆 ✅ Well, it’s your lucky day as I can confirm it should go between the ‘R’ and the ‘S’. Mother’s Day. Yes, more than one mum is celebrating her special day today,Continue reading “Is it Mother’s Day or Mothers’ Day? Where should the apostrophe go?”
Is it perspective or prospective?
❓Perspective or prospective? From a teacher’s prospective, encouraging ambitious vocabulary is worthwhile as students are rewarded highly for this in examinations. It will make their answers stand out to perspective examiners. ❌ What’s the problem here? Copywriters – you may be at odds with my sentiment. I’ve had conversations online with copywriting parents frustrated theirContinue reading “Is it perspective or prospective?”
What are the best writing-craft podcasts for fiction authors?
Five great writing-craft podcasts for fiction authors. Learning to write fiction can be an overwhelming experience. I hope today that I can make that process less overwhelming. With so many books and courses on writing craft out there, the biggest challenge is sometimes knowing where to find the time to learn. By listening to aContinue reading “What are the best writing-craft podcasts for fiction authors?”
Mother’s Day or Mothers’ Day? Where should the apostrophe go?
🇬🇧 It’s Mother’s Day here in the UK. ❓ Did you wake up wondering where to put the apostrophe in your mam’s card? 😆 ✅ Well, it’s your lucky day as I can confirm it should go between the ‘R’ and the ‘S’. Yes, more than one mum is celebrating her special day today, butContinue reading “Mother’s Day or Mothers’ Day? Where should the apostrophe go?”
Is it practise or practice? (UK spelling)
🔎 Quick bit of UK spelling advice. Practice vs practise. 🇬🇧 If you don’t have trouble with advice and advise, then you won’t have trouble with practice and practise. Advise is to practise what practice is to advice. You give someone ‘advice’ (with the ‘c’, it’s a noun, a thing.) You ‘advise’ someone (with theContinue reading “Is it practise or practice? (UK spelling)”
Is it fewer or less? Countable and uncountable nouns.
❓ Confused about fewer or less? When people say there’s a rule about this, they are usually on about countable and uncountable nouns. 🔢 Something you can count? Like pens? Or dolls? ✔ I have fewer pens than you.✔ You have fewer dolls than me. ⏳ Something you can’t count? Like time? Or information? ✔Continue reading “Is it fewer or less? Countable and uncountable nouns.”
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