Commas and independent clauses
Commas drive me crazy. I’m often unsure about whether my clients’ long sentences need commas. A helpful rule is finally sinking into my head. I need to place a comma before an independent clause that follows a coordinating conjunction. What’s an independent clause? Here’s a nice, informative example from Actually, the Comma Goes Here by […]
MISTAKE MONDAY for February 27: Can YOU spot what’s wrong?
Can you spot what’s wrong in the image below? Please post your answer as a comment. Hint: Reading this paragraph out loud might help you to find the mistake that caught my eye. I post these challenges to raise awareness of the importance of proofreading.
When to use numbers instead of bullets for lists
When should you use numbers instead of bullets for indented lists? I agree with Edward P. Bailey Jr., who says in The Plain English Approach to Business Writing: I suggest numbered lists when the order of the items is especially important; otherwise use bulleted lists. If you use numbers when the items’ order is not […]
MISTAKE MONDAY for January 30: Can YOU spot what’s wrong?
Can you spot what’s wrong in the image below? Please post your answer as a comment. Hint: your spell checker won’t catch this mistake. I post these challenges to raise awareness of the importance of proofreading.
Automation to improve your writing
Automated tools can improve your financial writing. Proofreading Some of my favorite tools are Speak, PerfectIt, and Grammarly, as I’ve discussed in “My three main software tools for proofreading.” They help me with proofreading. I’ve gone into more detail on one of these tools in “How I use Grammarly to improve my writing.” If your […]