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 | 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 5, 2021 | Author Advice, College Admissions Essays, General Writing, Grammar, OOPSS, Tips and Tricks
The Google search for funny homophones reveals more than 10 pages under headings like “hilarious homophones,” “dirty homophones,” “homophones memes,” and “English homophones that make you look stupid.” Why are they so funny? Because when we make a homophone error, the...
by Gail Kerzner | Apr 1, 2021 | Author Advice, College Admissions Essays, General Writing, Grammar, OOPSS, Tips and Tricks
Oh, how we love to chortle over someone else’s punctuation and spelling errors, especially when we spot pubic when public is meant to be used or anal instead of annual. I must admit, I find these OOPSS (OMG, Outrageous Punctuation & Spelling Slips) especially...
by Gail Kerzner | Mar 11, 2021 | Author Advice, College Admissions Essays, General Writing, Grammar, Language Trends, OOPSS, Tips and Tricks
The debate over the Oxford comma continues to rage. Who really cares? Most writers and editors are locked in a heated, intellectual battle over a tiny, little blob of ink. Sometimes, they calmly and respectfully discuss the punctuation mark’s merits. Other times,...
