What you see isn't always what was submitted
If you're wondering just what it is that an editor does, most of the time it has to do with language, language choice, clarity and style...
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Snug as a bug in a bunny hug
I came across a set of linguistic maps on Facebook recently. They’re maps of Canada – there are 23 of them highlighting the regional...
Shirts, collars and spending: what’s a laundry list?
This morning I heard a politician talking about a “laundry list of spending.” It’s a funny term, laundry list. I make to-do lists and...
Words of the Year
About this time every year, the Western world’s dictionaries decide what the Word of the Year is. Most notably, the Oxford Dictionary...
Six tips for your website
Did you know, on the average web page, skimming and scanning text is common behaviour for most visitors? Users have time to read at most...
Fun with idioms, or we could stand here and talk until the cows turn blue
I found this great website that collects all the mixed idioms from news sources. An idiom is a way of speaking that is natural to native...
Its vs. it’s: spotting misplaced apostrophes
I can spot a misplaced apostrophe in a single glance. It’s my superpower. It’s an easy mistake to make, and even the most seasoned...
It’s Halloween
At first cock-crow the ghosts must go. Back to their quiet graves below. – Theodosia Garrison Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn...
Who vs. whom
Grammar is a set of rules about the structure of language. Most people are indifferent to the invisible gears that make language work....
The language of elections
Wordie for the Circle: Oct. 17 I thought since we go to the polls on Monday that it might be fun to take a look at words that are used in...
Speaking plainly, part 2
Wordie for The Circle “The purpose of a plain-language approach in written communication is to convey information easily and...
Speaking plainly
Wordie for The Circle Have you encountered situations where a document’s language caused more trouble than it solved? Perhaps you had to...
What are you scared of?
Wordie for The Circle: Sept. 6, 2018 Are you irrationally afraid of something? To the point that your body physically responds? Oxford...