In this article, we explore the essential tools, resources, and techniques that can help freelance writers enhance their grammar proficiency and create high-quality content.

Understanding Grammar Fundamentals

A strong foundation in grammar fundamentals is crucial for freelance writers. It forms the backbone of effective communication and helps convey ideas clearly and coherently. You already know this, but it’s always useful to go back to the basics, yes?

Having a firm grasp of grammar enables writers to construct grammatically correct sentences and craft well-structured paragraphs. Understanding the different parts of speech, such as nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, pronouns, prepositions, and conjunctions, allows for precise word choice and sentence construction. 

Additionally, familiarity with sentence structure, including subjects, predicates, clauses, phrases, and modifiers, contributes to creating meaningful and engaging content.

Punctuation plays a vital role in clarifying meaning and guiding readers through the text. Knowledge of punctuation rules, such as commas, periods, semicolons, and quotation marks, helps freelance writers convey their intended message effectively. Proper punctuation adds clarity, rhythm, and emphasis to their writing.

While grammar fundamentals provide a solid framework, we should also recognize the artistry of language and understand when to bend the rules. Creative writing often calls for stylistic choices that deviate from strict grammar conventions. It’s important to know how and when to use sentence fragments, unconventional punctuation, or even deliberate grammar mistakes to achieve desired effects, such as adding emphasis, conveying a specific tone, or capturing a character’s voice.

Essential Grammar Tools and Resources

There are various tools that provide comprehensive support and analysis. They assist in detecting and correcting grammar errors, improving sentence structure, enhancing readability, and refining overall writing skills. Here are some essential grammar tools for freelance writers:

1. Grammarly: Grammarly is an indispensable grammar-checking tool that can be used as a browser extension, desktop application, or mobile app. It analyzes your writing in real-time, highlighting grammar, punctuation, and spelling errors. Grammarly offers suggestions for corrections and provides explanations to help you understand and learn from your mistakes.
2. Hemingway Editor: The Hemingway Editor is a powerful online tool that helps writers improve their writing style and readability. It identifies complex sentences, excessive adverbs, and passive voice usage, and suggests alternative phrasing to enhance clarity and conciseness.
3. ProWritingAid: ProWritingAid is a comprehensive writing assistant that offers grammar and style suggestions. It examines your writing for grammar errors, overused words, sentence length variations, readability, and more. This tool provides detailed reports to help you identify and address specific areas for improvement.

For more options, check out our blog post “What are the best AI writing tools for freelance writers?“

In addition to the tools we mentioned above, there are several other grammar resources that you’ll find useful. They provide comprehensive support and analysis to help you refine your writing skills. 

Promova

Promova is a cutting-edge language learning app that can be beneficial for freelance writers seeking to enhance their grammar proficiency. While primarily designed for language learners, Promova’s immersive language experiences and interactive lessons can help writers improve their grammar, vocabulary, and writing style.

By engaging in real-life scenarios and conversations, writers can gain a deeper understanding of grammar rules and apply them effectively in their writing. Promova’s speech recognition technology offers instant feedback and evaluation, making it an invaluable tool for writers looking to refine their language skills.

Price: $14.99/month

Ginger

Ginger is a versatile writing tool that offers grammar checking, spell checking, and text-enrichment features. It identifies and corrects grammar errors, suggests alternative sentence structures, and provides vocabulary enhancement suggestions. Ginger’s advanced algorithms help writers achieve clarity and coherence in their writing. The tool also offers a built-in translator, allowing writers to explore language nuances and expand their language capabilities.

Price: $29.99/month

LanguageTool

LanguageTool is an open-source grammar-checking tool that supports multiple languages. It detects grammar and spelling errors, offering detailed explanations and suggestions for improvement. LanguageTool can be used as a browser extension or integrated into popular writing platforms, ensuring real-time error detection and correction as you write. The tool also provides stylistic recommendations to help writers enhance the overall quality of their work.

Price: $12.45/month

WhiteSmoke

WhiteSmoke is a comprehensive writing assistant that includes grammar checking, style suggestions, and a plagiarism checker. It scans your writing for grammar errors, offers alternative phrasing suggestions, and analyzes your writing style to improve readability. WhiteSmoke’s built-in dictionary and translator further assist writers in refining their language usage and exploring different linguistic options.

Price: $13.33/month

StyleWriter

StyleWriter is a writing and editing software that focuses on improving clarity, conciseness, and readability. It offers a comprehensive analysis of your writing style, highlighting areas where you can eliminate jargon, reduce wordiness, and enhance sentence structure. StyleWriter’s interactive tutorials and extensive writing guides provide valuable insights for improving grammar and overall writing proficiency.

Price: $90 for the Starter Edition

Whether it’s Grammarly, Hemingway Editor, ProWritingAid, Promova, or other grammar tools, incorporating these resources into your writing routine can significantly enhance your grammar proficiency and elevate your writing to new heights. Embrace the power of these tools, practice consistently, and embark on a journey of mastering grammar in your freelance writing career.

Online Grammar Resources

To further augment your grammar knowledge and skills, a range of online tools is available. They offer comprehensive writing and grammar guides, clear explanations, examples, practice exercises, and practical tips. Here are a few notable online grammar resources

• Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL): The Purdue OWL is a reputable online resource that offers extensive writing and grammar guides. It covers various grammar topics, including sentence structure, punctuation, verb tense usage, and more. The OWL provides clear explanations, examples, and practice exercises to enhance your understanding of grammar rules.
• Grammar Girl is a well-known grammar website and podcast run by Mignon Fogarty that offers simple explanations of grammar rules and typical writing errors. The website offers quick and insightful tips to improve your grammar and writing skills.
• Daily Writing Tips: Daily Writing Tips is a valuable resource that offers daily articles on grammar, vocabulary, punctuation, and writing techniques. It covers a wide range of topics, providing practical tips and examples to enhance your grammar proficiency.
• Freelance Writing Jobs’ Grammar Guide: Our own grammar section tackles common issues we face as freelance writers, and we also put a funny spin on things, so give it a visit!

Good Practices for Grammar Mastery

To enhance your grammar skills and become a proficient writer, follow these practices.

1. Read extensively

“Read, read, read. Read everything—trash, classics, good and bad, and see how they do it. Just like a carpenter who works as an apprentice and studies the master. Read! You’ll absorb it.
Then write. If it’s good, you’ll find out. If it’s not, throw it out of the window.”

― William Faulkner

Immerse yourself in a diverse range of literature, including novels, essays, articles, and other written materials. By reading extensively, you expose yourself to various writing styles, sentence structures, and grammar usage. Take note of how professional writers construct sentences, utilize punctuation, and express their ideas. 

Furthermore, online language learning platforms like Promova offer the best grammar books that can assist you in practicing your skills. 

2. Practice writing exercises

Engaging in regular writing exercises is an effective way to improve your grammar skills.

Here are a few writing exercises that can help you enhance your grammar skills:

1. Editing exercises: Choose a piece of writing, either your own or someone else’s, and focus on editing it for grammar errors. Pay attention to common mistakes like subject-verb agreement, pronoun-antecedent agreement, verb tense consistency, and punctuation. This exercise will sharpen your eye for spotting grammar mistakes and train you to make more accurate corrections.
2. Rewrite passages: Find a passage from a book, article, or any written material, and rewrite it using your own words while maintaining the original meaning. This exercise will help you practice sentence construction, vocabulary usage, and grammar skills. Additionally, it will improve your ability to convey information effectively and develop a unique writing voice.
3. Dialogues and conversations: Write dialogues or conversations between two or more characters. Focus on using appropriate dialogue tags, punctuation, and formatting to convey the conversation clearly. This exercise will strengthen your understanding of grammar rules related to dialogues and help you create authentic and engaging conversations in your writing. Use our writing prompts to help with this.

3. Seek feedback and editing

Collaborate with fellow writers, editors, or language experts who can offer valuable insights into your writing. They can identify recurring grammar errors, pinpoint areas for improvement, and provide suggestions for enhancing your grammar skills. Their fresh perspective and expertise can help you develop a keen eye for grammar nuances.

4. Join writing communities and forums

Participate in writing communities and forums where you can interact with fellow writers. Engaging in discussions, sharing your work, and providing feedback to others can enhance your grammar awareness. These communities also provide opportunities to learn from experienced writers and gain insights into effective grammar usage.

Here are a few examples of popular writing communities and forums:

• Reddit Writing Prompts: This subreddit provides a platform for writers to explore creative writing through various prompts and engage in discussions with other writers. You can share your responses to prompts, receive feedback, and learn from the diverse writing styles and perspectives of fellow community members.
• Writing.com: This is a popular online writing community that allows you to share your work, receive feedback, and explore various writing genres. It offers tools for critiquing, reviewing, and collaborating with other writers. By actively participating in this community, you can gain a deeper understanding of effective grammar usage.

Excel in Freelance Writing

Are you ready to unleash the power of impeccable grammar in your freelance writing endeavors? With the essential tools, online resources, and effective techniques at your disposal, you’re on the path to greatness! Grammarly, Hemingway Editor, and ProWritingAid will be your trusty sidekicks, providing real-time feedback and analysis to perfect your writing.

Explore the knowledge offered by the Purdue OWL, Grammar Girl, and Daily Writing Tips—they’re your grammar mentors, ready to share their wisdom and insights. Get hands-on with writing exercises, seek feedback from fellow writers, and dive into vibrant writing communities where creativity flourishes.

Got grammar tips? Best practices? Tools? Share them with us!

The post Essential Grammar Tools and Resources for Freelance Writers appeared first on Freelance Writing Jobs.

Spelling and grammar errors in social media posts affect your credibility, making it look like you don’t know what you’re talking about. That’s the last thing a business should portray to potential customers – or a writer to readers.

If you use social media for advertising your product or services, we encourage you to take a quick read of the grammar points highlighted below before posting your next status update:

Time is a Limited Resource

Everyone is vying for attention on social media, and posts that take extra time to read are likely to turn people away. Make your post direct and as easy to read as possible. Things like typos and grammar mistakes make the reader pause to figure out what you’re trying to say. There’s no time for a pause when it comes to social media – users will simply move on to another topic.

Common Misspellings

Our friends at Copyblogger have put together a resource for all of the common grammar mistakes like substituting “your” when you really mean “you’re.” Simple mistakes like these make social media profiles look as though they were managed by teenagers who failed to pay attention in English class.

To prevent this from happening, make it a point to proofread all of your social media posts before you hit publish. Proofreading only takes a few seconds and will help you catch many of your errors.

Tip: To make the most of your proofreading efforts, prepare your social media post and then get up and walk away from your computer. Do something completely unrelated to the task at hand. After a five-minute break, return to your post with a fresh set of eyes.

Watch Abbreviations and Acronyms

Not everyone understands what you’re saying when you abbreviate. Keep your audience in mind before going crazy with abbreviations and acronyms. While industry-specific jargon has its place it’s best to keep it out of social media. Peppering status updates with abbreviations and acronyms unknown to the layperson will only serve to alienate potential customers/readers.

Start Tweets with Words, Not Periods

It’s become a common practice on Twitter to start tweets with periods, but what many marketers miss is this is a signal that the tweet will be bragging or a sarcastic complaint.

The only time you should start Tweets with a period is when you want to open with someone’s handle and you want everyone to see it. If you don’t place a period in front of the Twitter handle at the beginning of a message, Twitter will treat it like a reply. An easy workaround for this is to reword the tweet so it doesn’t start with someone’s handle.

Make Important Items Stand Out

In social media, you have to rely on punctuation and capitalization to make certain words or phrases stand out. It’s much easier to read a hashtag with multiple words if you capitalize the first letter of each word. Would you rather read “#workathome” or “#WorkAtHome?” Make it easy for your readers to understand your message whenever possible.

Tip: Remain consistent in how you set off your links. Don’t use colons, periods, and em dashes interchangeably. Pick one method and stick to it.

Read It Aloud

Our final tip is to simply read your post aloud before publishing it. It’s easy to spot most grammar errors when you hear the message versus reading it.

What grammar errors bug you the most on social media?

Sarah is the Content Manager and a Writer at Virtual Vocations.com, the one-stop shop for telecommuters looking for legit telecommute online jobs. With several years of marketing and writing experience, Sarah also has a background working in English. 

Images via Goodfellow Creative and Cyberbia

First published in August 2013, updated September 2022

The post Don’t Forget Grammar in Your Social Media Posts appeared first on Freelance Writing Jobs.

Grammar rules were created for a purpose, and you know that I am the first to stick to them, especially if the context requires it. However, I am also the first to deviate from prescribed grammar rules when the situation allows.

If you are a stickler for correct grammar no matter what, I am warning you now: You might not like what you are about to read. On the other hand, if you allow yourself – and others – some flexibility depending on the context, you might agree with some of the points I am about to raise.

Let’s look at two acceptable breaches of grammar.

Contractions

At some point in my years in school, it was drilled into my head that using contractions in writing is a no-no. I think I followed this rule for the most part – until my university years.

Don’t use contractions. Do not use contractions.

Is either wrong? Not really. It’s a matter of the level of formality you want to convey in your writing.

Sentence beginnings and conjunctions

My high school English teacher would probably want to wring my neck if she were to read my blog posts and online articles today. She was a firm believer in NOT starting a sentence with a conjunction, as your teacher probably was as well.

Is this an unbreakable rule, though? Definitely not! I like the comprehensive explanation presented at the Oxford Dictionaries Blog (the link is now unavailable, unfortunately: blog.oxforddictionaries.com/2012/01/05/can-i-start-a-sentence-with-a-conjunction/), which basically points out that this issue boils down to a question of style. Additionally, if you’re questioned about this practice, you can whip up this paragraph:

You could also refer to the fact that you’re in very good company (examples can be found in the work of writers such as Susan Sontag, Vladimir Nabokov, Kingsley Amis,P.G. Wodehouse, and Albert Einstein) and that highly respected grammar and usage guides (such as Fowler and Garner) all agree that it’s a perfectly acceptable practice.

What is your take on these two “rules”? Do you think not following them is acceptable in some circumstances? Maybe you have other rules you want to discuss. Let me know!

Image via boffism

First published in December 2012; updated March 2022

The post When Breaches of Grammar Are Acceptable appeared first on Freelance Writing Jobs.

To consistently get work as a freelance writer, your product (i.e. your written content) has to speak for itself, which means a strong grasp of grammar and a vocabulary that is wide-ranging enough to communicate accurately and articulately. Below are some grammar and vocabulary tips for current and hopeful freelance writers. 

Use a Grammar, Vocabulary and Spell Checker

If you speak to established writers, most will acknowledge, begrudgingly, that it is difficult, if not impossible, to catch all of your own errors. It is very rare, even for talented and prolific writers, to turn out flawless prose, on their first try, every single time. 

While you work largely alone as a freelance writer, which means it is not usually possible or feasible to have someone look over your work before you turn it in, there are surprisingly sophisticated applications out there that do a good job of pointing out grammar, spelling and vocabulary errors. Many freelance writers swear by Grammarly, one of the most popular applications.

Use Simple, Direct Words Whenever Possible

A common mistake even good writers make is to confuse complexity with quality. They believe that flowery language, whether because it involves the use of obscure words or intricate sentences, will automatically impress readers. Writing that distracts from the message or point with too much ornate language is often referred to by readers, editors and writers as “purple prose.” You don’t want to be known for writing purple prose. 

One of George Orwell’s rules for writers was that anytime a simple word could be substituted for a complex one, it should be. Write to the point and only rely on technical language, jargon and less common words when absolutely necessary. You can write eloquently and intelligently with simple, direct language. 

Master Grammar Basics But Don’t Get Lost in Them

There is a long list of common errors that even experienced writers continue to make, and many of them can be quite glaring. Sentence fragments, subject-verb agreement, misplaced and dangling modifiers, vague pronoun references and run-on sentences are hard to ignore. Depending on your audience and how often such mistakes appear, you can discredit your writing right out of the gate. 

But there are plenty of great writers who urge caution when it comes to obsessing over every single alleged “rule.” Acclaimed linguist and author Steven Pinker, for instance, believes that, while a firm grasp of grammar is necessary for a writer, style, clarity and audience consideration should not be sacrificed to overly rigid grammatical rules. As a freelance writer, you should know the rules, try not to flout them too outrageously, but understand that there are many different opinions on when and how they apply. 

Get Your Prepositions Right

Another important grammatical tip for freelance writers is to make sure your prepositions–words such as like, of, for, in, with–are correct. Do you have high expectations “of” or “for” someone or something? Did she run “in” the room crying, or run “into” the room crying? Good readers and writers will pick up on these missteps and they can make you seem like an amateur. 

They are also one of the most common grammar mistakes made by writers because there are few hard and fast rules dictating which prepositions to use with which nouns. When in doubt, a good tip is to search for the exact combination of preposition and noun in Google. The chances are very high that many people have searched precisely the same thing. 

Look Up Words You Don’t Recognize

If you want to be a freelance writer, looking up words you don’t recognize or understand, wherever you encounter them, is a necessary habit to get into. If it is not something you already do, it may seem tedious at first, but after a while, opening a new tab and typing “(word) definition” into the search bar becomes second nature. 

This is a great way to build your vocabulary and simultaneously make yourself a more proficient reader. The wider your vocabulary and your understanding of syntax, the more varied your sentence structure and more precise your writing will be. This will help you stand out among the competition, get work, build your portfolio and make a success of freelance writing. 

Build Your Vocabulary With Word Games and Puzzles

Building a more extensive vocabulary can also be done by playing games focused on language development and recognition. Popular games such as Scrabble, for instance, which can be made even more fun and entertaining using word unscramblers like UnscrambleX, help add new words to your lexicon. 

There are plenty of paid and free-to-play mobile language games which also operate on the same principles and can have unscramblers applied to them as well. The more you play these games, the more you train your brain to store and recognize language. 

Conclusion

Whether you are looking to freelance writing as a potential full-time career, as a way to supplement your income from other employment, or simply as an enjoyable hobby, a superior understanding of grammar and language is a prerequisite. Keep the above tips in mind, never stop building your portfolio and you will find clients that are eager to work with you.

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In honor of this momentous occasion, Grammarly did a study to profile a Grammar Troll.

What’s a Grammar Troll?

It’s a person who replies to comments solely for the purpose of correcting other people’s grammar (or punctuation or word usage). Now, let’s be clear – a Grammar Troll is not the same as a Grammar Nazi. The latter has no inhibitions, nitpicks, and corrects for the sake of correcting and irritating others. When he can’t win an argument, he resorts to correcting grammar (oops!).

Let me stop right here and ask you to think for a moment. Are you a Grammar Troll?

Not sure?

Here’s the result of Grammarly’s Grammar Troll study.

And here’s a bit of video fun.

Have more fun: Funny Signs that Could Use Better Grammar/Spelling

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I’ve always thought that lazy writers are worse than “bad” writers (those who just need to hone their craft). If we were to live by the quote above, I suppose I just revealed how I think of myself as a writer — at times, at least.

There is no point in denying it — I use “very” more than I should.

How about you? Are you aware of how often you use the word?

The thing is, by its very definition, the word is meant to add emphasis. It is intended to strengthen another word.

The Oxford Dictionary’s definition: used for emphasis.

However, just like how an exotic place that has been visited once too often loses its allure, the use of very has lessened its impact.

The good news is that many words serve as substitutes for [very + adjective].

Below is a nifty infographic that will make your life easier. It lists alternative words to help you avoid using very and strengthen your writing.

Source

You might also want to read “It’s Not Wrong, Just Different“

[Updated September 2022]

The post Avoid Using “Very” Because It Makes Your Writing Very Weak appeared first on Freelance Writing Jobs.

On that note, I want to bring up an alternative title: 13 Grammar Mistakes Sexy People Don’t Make.

After all, they say that proper use of grammar is sexy.

Source

Should I just stop now, and go straight to the common grammar mistakes we don’t make (or shouldn’t be making)?

Yes. I think I’ll do that.

Before I write down the 13 common mistakes awesome writers don’t make, let’s be clear about one thing: the infographic uses the term “grammar” loosely. Many of the mistakes mentioned are vocabulary-related, and some of the mistakes are up for debate.

Here we go.

1. There, their, they’re. I’m sure you don’t have a problem with words. Unless it’s a typo.
2. Literally. The new meaning of literally literally drives me crazy (just a little bit). Language evolves, yes, but I’m old school in some ways, so I think I’ll stick to the old meaning.
3. Comma splice.
4. It’s and its. Captain Apostrophe will pay you a visit if you make this mistake.
5. Split infinitive. I’m a Trekkie, so…
6. Your and you’re.
7. Whether and if. Know the difference?
8. Passive voice. I understand the argument for this, but I believe that it’s not a mortal sin to use the passive voice. Using it doesn’t take your sexiness away.
9. Improper use of the apostrophe. See #4.
10. Lose and loose.
11. Affect and effect.
12. Fewer and less. The rules are simple, but there are exceptions, yes?
13. Who and that. Who for people. That for things. However, I think they can be interchangeable.

Check out the infographic below.

Source

Parting words…

Know the rules, then break them when appropriate.

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While we live in the digital era, banner printing is not dead, as we can see billboards everywhere. After all, the real world does exist, and life is not all about 1s and 0s.

Whether we’re talking about print or digital, however, there are some things that don’t change – much to our annoyance or amusement: grammar, punctuation, and spelling mistakes.

Today, let’s have a bit of fun and look at some signs with funny (or not) mistakes. To make things simple I’m using “grammar mistakes” as the umbrella term.

Signs with funny grammar mistakes

1. Days Inn

Found in Las Vegas, this sign should appeal to individuals who are seeking a wife, yes? So if you’re on the prowl for one, you know where to go. Oh, and contractions!

2. Buy 1

This sign leaves me reeling, not only because of that apostrophe but because I don’t get. I just don’t understand what you get free’s. Is it just me?

3. Nothing under $5

Lack of period notwithstanding, I don’t know where “bad” is. I suppose that those who don’t like the price will have to find wherever “bad” is.

4. Dog poo

To be fair, printing this sign was, in all likelihood made with good intentions in mind. After all, who likes stepping on dog poo? Then again, they should have hired a copywriter. The photo says it all.
Source

5. Cheaper than cheaper

Smile and wave, boys. Just smile and wave. (Via)

6. Cheap as chips

The first thing that came to mind was “it depends on where you buy your chips and what kind of chips you buy”. That being said, yeah, some boots make you go “ugh”, don’t they?

On another note, what’s all the hype about UGG boots?
Source

7. Dogs and goats

I don’t even know where to begin. One thing’s for sure: that’s a creative way of placing an apostrophe.

8. What’s important?

You might have seen this before, but it’s too funny not to share again. That’s not to say that all people with big biceps don’t know correct grammar, okay?
Source

9. The dog and the hydrant

It seems that dogs and grammar mistakes often go together in print signs. What’s up with that?

10. Cheating

Saving the most hilarious sign for last…Girls, if you want shiny hair, you might want to follow this piece of advice. Then again, “you are hair shiny” might mean a totally different thing, so take this with a grain of salt.

I hope these signs add some laughter to your day. Have a great weekend!

The post These Signs Will Make You Shake Your Head appeared first on Freelance Writing Jobs.

The list is to long too fit hear.

I do have an infographic for you that isn’t too long. It lists down 10 of the most annoying writing mistakes – according to Lawrence Ragan Communications. The group conducted a survey with LinkedIn users as the respondents. Whether that’s a good measure of “most annoying writing mistakes” or not is up for debate in points.

However, as you may already know, I am quite flexible in some cases. For example, many (most?) experts say that using the passive voice is bad. I believe that it is not always the case.

There are some really annoying writing mistakes in the infographic, though – so annoying they actually made me laugh.

Anyway, take a look, and let me know what you think about the list.

Source

My question is this: what would the list include if we ask FWJ readers? Are you up for another poll?

P.S. Do you spot something off in the infographic?

Here’s more: Mistakes That Make You Look Stupid

Featured image background source

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Whether you are a veteran or green to the writing scene, we all need a grammar refresher from time to time. Here are three quick tips for cleaning up your writing style this spring:

Modify Misused Words

Self-identified grammar nerds are irked when someone mistakes your and you’re or misuses affect and effect, but what about words that aren’t as obviously confusing? Scan your writing to ensure you don’t get tripped up by these tricky terms:

1. complement and compliment

• complement – to bring together or make complete
• compliment – a praise or polite phrase of adoration

2. desert and dessert

• desert – an arid geographical region; to abandon
• dessert – a sweet dish that is generally eaten at the end of a meal

3. e.g. and i.e.

• e.g. – for example
• i.e. – that is to say

4. hoard and horde

• hoard – a stockpile; to amass
• horde – a large group of people

5. regimen and regiment

• regimen – a prescribed course, such as in fitness
• regiment – a unit of military troops; to control

6. cite, sight, and site

• cite – to quote as evidence
• sight – the ability to see
• site – a particular location or area of ground

7. ironic – when what happens is opposite of what is expected

8. literally – a strict matter of sense; precisely or exactly

Then there are terms like irregardless and conversate, which rear their heads in everyday exchanges but aren’t recognized as standard words. For a heftier (and hilarious) dose of language crimes you may not realize you’re committing, read Buzzfeed’s summary of misused and made-up words.

Prune Your Prepositions

One of the easiest, yet overlooked, ways to improve your writing style is weeding out unnecessary prepositional phrases. These needless additions make long work of otherwise concise points.

• The judge’s opinion… vs. The opinion of the judge…
• My mother responded angrily to my question. vs. My mother responded to my question with anger.
• The thief stole her watch. vs. Her watch had been stolen by the thief.
• A storm is coming; please seek shelter. vs. In light of the coming storm, please seek shelter.

Tip: Use CTRL+F to search for prepositions in Microsoft word or your Internet browser. For a quick preposition guide, check out EnglishClub’s Prepositions Short List. 

Stop Using Really. No, Really.

Overusing really is fine when you’re Amy Poehler and Seth Meyers on Saturday Night Live, but leave it out of your professional writing.

Instead of making this lazy attempt at emphasis, take the “less is more” approach. Note that removing really from all of the following sentences doesn’t change the meaning:

• She wanted to go on vacation. vs. She really wanted to go on vacation.
• This assignment is difficult. vs. This assignment is really difficult.
• I liked the steak. vs. I really liked the steak.

This isn’t to say accentuating the intensity of your words is frowned upon – far from it. But rather than funneling your ideas into empty words, go about emphasis using richer language that heightens the reader’s experience and doesn’t skate over details.

• She wanted a vacation more than a baby wants its mother.
• This assignment is as difficult as eating one potato chip.
• The steak was juicy and well-seasoned.

Do you have other suggestions for spring cleaning your writing style? Please leave your quick tips in a comment. 

Kimberly is the Social Media and Content Manager at Virtual Vocations, your one-stop shop for freelancers looking for legitimate telecommute jobs. Connect with Kimberly on Facebook and Google+.

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