Metaphors have a great ability to convey complex ideas in a form that’s easier to understand. They even can enliven a potentially boring subject matter. They’re also easily abused and confused.
Write Right
Write Right: 6 Troublesome Word Pairs
It never fails. After you send an email newsletter, you inevitably catch a typo or someone makes you aware of one. “You used the wrong word,” your boss says. It’s frustrating, but it’s Murphy’s Law. It always happens.*
It’s Time for a New eBook
I’ve been threatening to write a new eBook for months, and I’ve finally gone and done it. The subject? Punctuation. Title? Perfect Punctuation. It’s an ironic title; even I don’t use punctuation perfectly despite the “Write Right” moniker. In addition, the eBook isn’t the end-all, be-all resource when it comes to punctuation. It’s more of a primer to be accessed when writing a blog post, white paper, or other content.
Write Right: Meat, Meet, and Mete
In the past, a bear once “picked” a cave on the other side of a mountain “peak” because he “peeked” at the cave, and it “piqued” his interest. Today’s lesson features no bears, but it does pay attention to the homophones “meat,” “meet,” and “mete.”
Write Right: Averse and Adverse
“Averse” and “adverse” actually mean the same thing. They both are words that mean “opposed” or “hostile.” The two words, however, can’t be used interchangeably because they are meant for different purposes.
Write Right: If, Were, Was
Sentences that begin with “if” tend to be speculative. That is, they guess about what might happen in the present or future or suggest that something was impossible in the past. Such sentences often require specific verbs such as “were.” They do, however, sometimes necessitate the use of “was.”