Archives for Blog

October 1, 2013

In my last post, I spoke about the dangers of being circumlocutory – that’s long-winded to you and me – and the importance of being direct. Here’s a by no means exhaustive list of some common culprits to avoid in your writing at all costs:

Instead of
Try

As yet
Yet

Due to the fact that
Because

By virtue of the fact that
Because

In all probability
Probably

In the majority of cases
Usually

In close proximity to
Near

In excess of
More

In isolation
Alone

In many cases
Often

In order to
To

In the absence of
Without

In the event that
If

In the near future
Soon

Make a recommendation that
Recommend that

Of the opinion that
Believe

Prior to
Before

Until such time as
Until

With reference to
About

If you have any favourites of your own,

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September 24, 2013

If a speaker gives you the urge to shout “Get on with it!”, it’s likely they are committing the sin of ‘circumlocution’ – making their point in a rambling, roundabout way rather than getting straight to the heart of the matter.  People guilty of circumlocution (also called periphrasis) typically employ unnecessarily long words, often incorrectly or inappropriately, in circuitous, unwieldy sentences.  This frustrating trait is sometimes a deliberate ploy to appear intellectual or authoritative but can also be inadvertent when we struggle to find the precise word we want.

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July 3, 2013

One very simple way to make your writing more interesting is to use an active, rather than passive, voice.  To explain the difference, would you rather do something or have something done to you?  Being aware of the voice you are using can make a huge impact on your writing.  Look at these examples:

Active                   She called the puppy Winston

Passive                 The puppy was called Winston

Active                   Her husband bought her flowers

Passive                 The flowers were bought by her husband

See the difference? 

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June 12, 2013

All most people know about prepositions is that you shouldn’t end a sentence with one.  But even this rule is not set in stone.  Remember Churchill’s famous dig at the pompous wording of a civil servant’s memo: “This is the sort of writing up with which I will not put”?  Today, we recognise that good writing is all about effective communication and if, like Churchill’s example, your sentence would jar if it didn’t end with a preposition you can safely disregard this edict.

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June 4, 2013

A sign on a bin in Kensington Gardens proclaims, “Any person not placing dog litter in this receptacle will be liable to a fine of £100.”

Does this mean those of us walking in the park without a dog (or walking a dog that has not produced the required doggy doo) must now search for some to put in the bin and avoid the fine? While, personally, I find such mistakes amusing, others could find them confusing and annoying. 

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May 28, 2013

In my last blog post, I spoke about the perils of overloading sentences – trying to cram in too many facts so the point you’re making is unclear.  Often this is due to shoehorning in information that is utterly unrelated – what we call a non sequitur (literally “it does not follow” in Latin).

Here are a couple of examples:

• “Writing well doesn’t come naturally to everyone and, increasingly,

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