Plain Language Practice. With Zombies!

I’ve been reading through some plain language resources over the last couple of days, which has inspired me to create a few before and after examples just for you. Before I get to the examples, a reminder that the goal of plain language is to make communication clear and accessible. For a full review of how plain language accomplishes that, you can read my post from last year, Getting to the Heart of Plain Language — or visit Plain Language Association International.

Experimenting with Auto-antonyms and Generonyms

Excuse me while I dust the cobwebs off my blog and straighten the furniture.

I know it’s been a while since I posted, and I have to confess that I’ve been so busy that all the creativity seeped out of my brain to take a nap on the floor under my desk.

Getting to the Heart of Plain Language

Can you believe it’s nearly the end of July? I hope you are all having a lovely summer (or winter for those of you in the southern hemisphere). You probably don’t know this, but I’m a member of Plain Language Association International. Plain language is all about clear communication. It’s a way of writing and presenting information that makes it easy for readers to understand.

Editing Goes Global 2015: Conference Highlights

Okay, so things have been a bit crazy for yours truly lately. I had hoped to have this post up last week, but I couldn’t find a way to add any more hours to my days. Nor could I get my body to grow six more arms on command. Anyway, I’m here now, excited to tell you all about Editing Goes Global.

How to Tell a Gerund from a Present Participle

Some time ago, I talked about gerunds and reviewed the basics of how to identify one. Today, I’d like to go into a bit more detail, including how to tell the difference between a gerund and a present participle, which can be tricky, even on a good day.

Repetitive and Redundant: Pleonasms in Your Writing

Did you know that when you use more words than necessary to express something (like blowing wind or frozen ice), you are committing a pleonasm, which is the fancy Greek way of saying you’re being redundant?