27 expendable phrases to slash from your...

Wordiness is everywhere—in emails, ad copy, press releases, and websites. Even as more people skim and scan than actually read our content, we have clients and bosses who think the more words the better. But readers are busy. Unnecessary words slow them down. Every word should matter. Some words and phrases do no work; they’re slackers. Deleting them doesn’t hurt your meaning; it often improves the readability of your content. Consider this sentence: I am bewildered by your inconsistent use of the serial comma. Tacking on any of the expendable phrases below would...

“Grimm” lessons for corporat...

Recently, my favorite author Philip Pullman published a new version of “Grimm’s Fairy Tales.” Pullman is best known for his fantasy trilogy “His Dark Materials,” but his work includes other genres, such as historic fiction and parodies. I read his work voraciously and always take away something inspiring when I read interviews with him. In his recent book, “Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm,” I was struck by his description of how fairy tales are different from modern fiction and how these differences make the stories work. Pullman writes: “There is no...

Parentheses don’t belong in your c...

Recently, I tried to explain to my 9-year-old son about the use of parentheses. Here’s how the conversation went: He: Mom, how do you know when you’re supposed to use parentheses? I: You use them around words that seem a bit out of place in the sentence. If you’re trying to explain something or make something more clear, or provide extra information, you put that in parentheses. He: Then the reader doesn’t really need to read what’s in parentheses? I: Not all the time. He: Then why put that information in there at all? Now, my son is not at all fond of writing....

10 more made up words

Today is Thesaurus Day. On this day, we celebrate, note, mark, observe, and commemorate the birth in 1779 of Peter Roget, author of Roget’s Thesaurus; we also honor words. To mark the occasion, we’re sharing 10 words you won’t find in Roget’s, because they’re made up. Last week, I shared some of my favorite made-up words, among them: beertastrophe, slacktivist, and voluntold. I also asked PR Daily readers to offer some favorite coinages. Here’s what you came up with. Use them wisely; these words are too marvelicious to waste. 1....

12 fantabulous made-up words

I write and edit for a living, so I often think of words as my currency. I love to share them, trade them, and stash them away for later use. Though I don’t often get to invent words as part of my job, I love to read about words that others have created. Below is a list of my favorite fictional words. You probably won’t find these in the Oxford English Dictionary any time soon, but let’s have some fun with them. Try using one in conversation with your co-workers or in your next staff meeting. 1. Beardspiration — a person whose beard is so inspiring, it causes...

New year’s resolutions for writers

It’s that time of year—time to look at our 2013 resolutions and to begin the performance review process at work. Though I’ve put off writing my self-assessment for weeks, I’ve had fun with my New Year’s resolutions. This year, all my resolutions are related to writing. Here are my goals for 2013:   1. Never use the word “utilize” There is no good reason to use “utilize” because “use” will do just fine. It’s a lazy, useless corporate verb, and it has to go. Therefore, I will not use “utilize” in any press release, article, Web page, or...