by Gail Kerzner | Aug 24, 2021 | Author Advice, College Admissions Essays, General Writing, Tips and Tricks
“Why is the English language so confusing?” my students and friends ask. Just recently, I was attending a small networking event of savvy businesspeople, and our meeting turned into a usage lesson (which I was happy to conduct). When they expressed their frustration...
by Gail Kerzner | Jul 9, 2021 | Author Advice, General Writing, Grammar, OOPSS, Tips and Tricks
We often write the way we speak. And sloppy talk usually gives way to sloppy writing. We often leave off the D at the end of “suppose” when we write because we typically omit it when we say it, right? I probably say, “I am suppose (I actually pronounce it suh-poz if...
by Gail Kerzner | Jun 28, 2021 | Author Advice, General Writing, Grammar, OOPSS, Tips and Tricks
Effective writing is clear and concise, right? In a previous blog and my eBook, 10 Tips to Self-Edit a Book, I offer Cut It Out! as a strategy to get rid of extraneous, meaningless words. These include very and really and fluff like due to the fact that instead of...
by Gail Kerzner | Jun 18, 2021 | Author Advice, General Writing, Grammar, Language Trends, Tips and Tricks
June 2021: It’s PRIDE Month, 30 days to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community and the impact on local, national, and international news—especially the struggle against discrimination and ostracism. Specifically, PRIDE month commemorates the June 1969 Stonewall Uprising in...
by Gail Kerzner | May 18, 2021 | Author Advice, General Writing, Grammar, OOPSS, Tips and Tricks
A laugh a day keeps the doctor away. I can’t eat raw apples, so I use laughter as my daily health routine. Fortunately for me, giggles are plentiful as I come across so many dangling and misplaced modifiers in all kinds of writing: formal and informal, business and...
by Gail Kerzner | Apr 8, 2021 | Author Advice, General Writing, Grammar, Language Trends, Tips and Tricks
For years, the debate has raged regarding the use of the singular “they” pronoun. With style guides like MLA, CMOS, and APA setting the standard and holding firm that “they” should only be used as a plural pronoun, it seemed unlikely those in favor of its singular use...
