Spell check fail of the day
What was written: She has trained 13 service gods. What I think was meant: She has trained 13 service dogs. Punch Line: I know animal lovers worship their pets, but…
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February 20, 2014
The Hopper Guy has 30 years’ editing experience and a passion for precise language. Click the blue headline to see the whole post.
Spell check fail of the day
What was written: Someone recently wrote that they were elected to a certain "Fall of Fame." What I think was meant: I think they meant "Hall of Fame." Punch Line:…
February 17, 2014
Spell check fail of the day
"Atrial." The right word was "arterial." This was for a paper on vascular effects on the heart, so "atrial" would work in the context because the heart has two atria.…
March 25, 2013
A word about word variation
In creative writing, writers are encouraged to vary their word choice. Readers weary of a text where “he said” (for example) is in every line of dialog. However, in scientific…
March 11, 2013
The definite article (when to use “the”)
I have found that people for whom English is a second language have the biggest problems with when to use an article with an abstract noun--the name of a quality…
March 6, 2013
Affect vs. Effect
In general, affect is a verb and effect is a noun. I use a mnemonic device: a comes before e in the alphabet, and you can "affect an effect." In…
February 18, 2013
Know your audience
I was asked recently to help an author with a review of questionnaires specific to a particular body part. The writing was just beginning, and I realized in this stage…
December 10, 2012
Spell Check Fail of the Day
"Duel-Energy X-ray Absorptiometry" The right word is "dual," but I like the idea of process that is at war with itself.
November 15, 2012
When is a Verb a Noun?
Verb phrases are phrases that operate as one noun. "Playing in the water was fun. " "Playing in the water" operates as one noun, one thing. Just as you could…
April 11, 2012
To Infinitives . . . And Beyond
A common problem for writers is how to use the infinitive form of a verb. The infinitive is the form of any verb that is "infinite:" for example, "to eat."…
April 10, 2012