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"