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Vocabulary

Aug 03

Impact vs. effect in academic writing: Which one should you use?

By Academic papers, Short and sweet, Vocabulary

The noun impact has replaced the noun effect in many types of writing, especially in business and web writing. Forceful and charismatic, impact is the life of the party; effect is the shy noun in the corner. It’s no surprise impact has been driving effect out of the academic writing scene.

Those who care about the impact vs. effect difference may wonder, May I use impact as a synonym for effect in academic writing? Depending on context, you may. Having worked as a freelance editor and proofreader for many years, I’ve noticed that many economists and social scientists prefer to study impacts, not effects. But should you use impact when you mean effect in academic writing? Here’s some information to help you decide. Read More

Feb 01

Is noon 12 a.m. or 12 p.m.?

By English writing skills, Short and sweet, Vocabulary

You may think this simple question has a simple answer (either 12 a.m. or 12 p.m.), but it’s not quite so.

The abbreviation a.m. stands for the Latin phrase ante meridiem, and p.m. stands for post meridiem. In Latin, ante means before; post means after; and meridies means noon, or midday.

Midday is neither before noon (a.m.) nor after noon (p.m.). It’s m. (abbreviation for meridies).

So, it would be illogical to write 12 a.m. or 12 p.m. to mean noon. Read More

Jan 13

What are weasel words?

By Short and sweet, Vocabulary, Writing

Compare these two sentences:

  • Frankly, I really think you are a very good employee and, obviously, you are perfectly able to do your job, but I am quite sure you would be significantly better off if you worked for someone else.
  • I think you are a good employee and you are able to do your job, but I am sure you would be better off if you worked for someone else.

Which of the two versions sounds more honest?

In the first sentence, the intensifiers in italics (frankly, very, obviously, quite, and significantly) make the statement less credible. These intensifiers are examples of weasel words. Other examples are virtually, clearly, somewhat, undoubtedly, reportedly, and arguably. Read More

Dec 08

The funniest typos of 2017 – Part 2

By Funny stories, Typos, Vocabulary

A few years back, I wrote an article for a project management website. In the final draft I submitted for publication, I left an error: Scum master instead of Scrum master. How could I have missed such an embarrassing typo? Now I know: When we read our own work, we don’t focus on the words themselves but on the message we’re trying to communicate, so our typos tend to hang on until they meet an objective eye.

My job as a freelance proofreader is to seek and destroy typos in other people’s work, but I have a nerdy hobby: I collect the funniest ones and then write blurbs inspired by them.

I presented the first half of the funniest typos of 2017 in another blog post. Here’s the second half:

Read More

Aug 22

What’s the plural of euro? Euro or euros?

By Europe, Proofreading, Vocabulary

Drawing of euro symbol in blue to represent plural of euroIf you’re American, British, or Portuguese, you probably say 2 euros rather than 2 euro. If you’re German or Italian, you probably say 2 euro. So, what’s the plural of euro? Euro or euros?

As a freelance nonfiction editor, I get to review many documents that contain financial information, and the plural of euro is a topic that comes up often in my editing work. So, I had to do research on this topic to be able to give my clients accurate advice. This research turned out to be quite interesting. In this article I’d like to share this information with you so that you have no doubts about the plural of euro, no matter what you write in English.

In short, the correct plural of euro is euro or euros, depending on whom you ask or what dictionary you consult. Let’s look at the brief history of the euro currency so you understand why the correct plural of euro is either euro or euros. Read More

Jul 14

The funniest typos of 2017 – Part 1

By Funny stories, Typos, Vocabulary

As a freelance proofreader, I get the chance to see all kinds of typos—many dull, a few irreverent, and some hilarious—before they reach the reader. Although it’s fun to correct misspellings, some are too creative to be buried under red markups forever.

To make you smile, here is the first half of the lineup of the most creative typos I came across in 2017:

Read More

Jun 28

Why the generic “man” is a sexist language example

By Content writing, Editing, Vocabulary

Sticky note with word human with letters HU in red and MAN in black as symbol of sexist languageA couple of days ago a manager shared on LinkedIn a photo of a team of smiling men and women celebrating some achievement. Her message read, “A big thanks to my 15-man team”.

The photo, showing diversity at work, is such a great choice for a social media post. But the accompanying text isn’t. Instead, it’s a sexist language example.

To help you avoid using biased language in your social media posts, in this blog I’ll explain why the generic “man” is sexist and list some of the alternatives. Read More

Mar 25

Brioche and 7 other English words with surprising meanings in Italy

By Europe, Funny stories, Vocabulary

Watercolour of Italian plumcake to represent English words with surprising meanings

“Ecco le sue brioche” (“here are your brioches”), the baker said, handing me my order. “No, croissants, per favore”, I said, pushing the paper bag away. “Si, brioche”, he said, nodding. Frustrated because I couldn’t remember how to say “I ordered croissants, not brioches” in Italian, I opened the bag to reveal two croissants. The baker didn’t get my order wrong: brioche means croissant in northern Italy. Pan brioche (brioche bread) refers to the classic brioche.

More than 10 years down the road, I still love croissants and I still tend to raise an eyebrow when I hear an English word with a different meaning in spoken Italian.

Here are a few common English words you will hear often if you move to Italy. You might think you know what these words mean in your home country, but when you’re in Italy, you’ll be expected to use them as Italians do. Read More

Feb 27

Do you hyphenate Latin phrases?

By Proofreading, Punctuation, Vocabulary

Hyphenate Latin phrases or not

A client asked me, “Should a Latin expression be hyphenated when I use it as an adjective? For example, should status quo be hyphenated?”

No. In general, there’s no need to hyphenate Latin phrases used in English. To know when to hyphenate and when not to hyphenate Latin words used in English, you need to first understand hyphenation rules. Read More

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