by Gail Kerzner | Sep 10, 2021 | Author Advice, Fresh Ink, General Writing, Language Trends
Years ago, when I was a kid, I didn’t know I was using ableist language when I exclaimed, “You want me to get a A on that test? Are you nuts?” and “You’re so crazy, you’re acting like an idiot. You belong in the state hospital!” Or as an adult, when I have said,...
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...
