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Showing posts with label Mark Nichol. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mark Nichol. Show all posts

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

How do you make sure you’re writing right?

Here are seven helpful tips provided by Mark Nichol, editor of the Daily Writing Tips blog:
  • Look up the definition of an unfamiliar word and be sure you understand the meaning before you use it.
  • Search a thesaurus or a synonym finder for the precise meaning, taking care to notice the different connotations of similar words.
  • Keep your writing clear and coherent, and avoid pretentious or overly formal language.
  • Select the strongest nouns and verbs before you select adjectives and adverbs.
  • Seek opportunities to use repetition for rhetorical effect while, at the same time, you watch for careless redundancy.
  • Read your draft aloud to help you refine grammar and usage. If something doesn’t sound right to you, it probably doesn’t read right to your audience, either.
  • Ask someone else to read your writing and critique it.
Read the post in its entirety here: "7 Tips for Editing to Improve Usage".

Also read Mark Nichol's recent post: "Does Good Writing Matter?"
  • ADDITIONAL READING:
"10 Tips about Basic Writing Competency"

"Want To Be Taken Seriously? Become a Better Writer"