Give your company a voice
In news that will send shivers down parents’ spines, a new report[1] shows slang used in texting, social media and email abbreviations has led to an increase in the number of pupils failing their English GCSEs.
‘Slanglish’, the terminology today’s teens use when communicating with their friends, is the biggest downfall of students today. It was cited by 42% of tutors who responded to a survey about the most common reasons for failure.
A café in the exclusive seaside town of Sandbanks, Dorset has excited caffeine-fuelled rage by replacing pretentious coffee names with down-to-earth descriptions instead. The no-nonsense beverages menu uses simple descriptions instead of trendy names commonly used by baristas. This means latte becomes ‘milky coffee’, mocha is ‘choccy coffee’ and cappuccino is ‘frothy coffee’. Tea is described simply as ‘Not coffee’ and hot chocolate as ‘Also not coffee’.
Apparently, some customers have appreciated the joke saying they hadn’t realised what all the different terms meant until now.
Capital letters – a handy guide
I’m often asked whether certain words should start with a capital letter. Yes, we all know that sentences always start with capitals but what about other words mid-sentence where the answer doesn’t seem as cut and dried?
If you’re confused, it’s for a good reason. While some capitalisations are logical, many are not. Some capital letters are consistent throughout the language while others are arbitrary, differing from country to country and even from one newspaper to another!
Is Americanese now acceptable?
Royal watchers have recently spotted a rash of Americanisms appearing on the Instagram account of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex – or Prince Harry and Meghan Markle as they’re commonly known – when baby Archie’s impending birth sparked talk of ‘diapers’ and ‘strollers’. Fair enough, you may think. After all, the Instagram account is half-American – even though Kensington Palace aides say the posts are written by members of their staff,
Thanks for visiting and sorry you won’t be able to get our usual fast service for a couple of weeks. If you’re looking for some copywriting help, Melanie Silver will return to the office refreshed and raring to go on 23 May 2019 when she will get back to you as soon as possible. Thanks in advance for your patience!
