Writing Craft
‘ise’ or ‘ice’? The difficulties of spelling ‘practice’
Many Australians struggle to spell 'practice' and 'practise', and often just guess and hope for the best ('licence' and 'license' fall into the same category)Being told that 'practice' is a noun while 'practise' is a verb isn't very helpful, as many Australians don't have a working understanding of nouns and verbs Our confusion is compounded by the American spelling and our increasing exposure to US-produced publications Historically, school wasn't much help (my school...
Read morePesky danglers: Multiple meanings
I've got a thing for sentence danglers They're good for a little laugh and help to keep me focused on the multiple meanings that can lurk within sentencesHere's one I found today, of the pronoun variety, thanks to TransLink:I'm pleased that, if I register my 'go card', my card's balance will be safe - even if that balance is lost or stolen But why would my balance be stolen, and not the cardYes, I know that they're referring to my 'go card' being lost or stolen, and I know that most...
Read moreThe premise behind my business premises
Here's a word problem that I'm suddenly noticing a lot: 'premise' being used instead of 'premises' as in 'everything handmade on premise' in the example belowThe usual pattern of English would suggest that 'premises' (as in place of business) is plural, and its singular should be 'premise' But that's not the caseMy trusty Oxford Dictionary makes it clear'Premises' is a house or building, together with its land and outbuildings, occupied by a business or considered in an official context...
Read moreWord humour
Today’s word humour comes from a rice package On the top right of the package is printed: ‘Tear here for more flavour’ Presumably, if I open the package with scissors and open from the left, the rice will somehow have less flavour than if I tear from the right Thanks Uncle...
Read moreSimple sentence errors that reverse meaning
Last week, I was talking to a client about the way that simple errors – like leaving out one word – can change (or reverse) the meaning of a sentence His example was along these lines: ‘This letter is provided for information only, and should be seen to pre-empt the CEO’s decision’ (I’ve changed the sentence slightly to ensure anonymity) This sentence misses the word ‘not’; it should read ‘… should not be seen to pre-empt the CEO’s decision’ My client was concerned...
Read moreStructuring lists within sentences
I often find myself frustrated with the way that writers structure lists Here's an example from a book I'm reading at the moment:'You've no doubt spent years acquiring skills, talents, qualifications, experience and knowledge and building your network and contacts'This sentence is tough on readers It's a list with two parts - things that you've been acquiring and things that you've been building But the set of things that you've been acquiring has four sub-parts, while the set of things that...
Read moreChoosing between ‘I’ and ‘me’
The choice between 'I' and 'me' causes a lot of grief Of all the issues that I discuss in writing workshops, it's near the top of the list of things that cause confusion It definitely tops the list of issues that people get wrong when they're absolutely convinced they're right!Last week I enjoyed listening to Michael Cathcart (Books and Arts, Radio National) as he checked himself on his use of 'I' and 'me' He said:' that's plenty of time for you and me to read Or is it you and I...
Read moreMore or Less, More or Fewer, Fewer or Less …
The distinction between less and fewer often causes confusionThe rule that’s most often given in style guides is to use ‘less’ for quantity and 'fewer’ for number Easier said than done!In 'Troublesome Words', Bill Bryson gives a different rule, and one that I think is easier to apply: use ‘less’ with singular nouns and 'fewer' with plural nouns (so less alcohol, but fewer drinks; less time, fewer appointments)A neat illustration of the less vs fewer problem is a...
Read moreSentencing
One of my writerly pastimes involves pulling apart interesting sentences I like to think about the meaning of sentences, and the choices that writers make Here’s a sentence from a box of Kellogg’s breakfast cereal: ‘The GI or Glycemic Index is a classification based on how quickly or slowly a carbohydrate is absorbed as glucose into the bloodstream’ It's a single sentence that sits alone on the box, under a GI logo Surely there must be a simpler way to...
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