tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8829092153543487048Sat, 11 Apr 2026 11:10:49 +0000My Work: City Mice 1Writing for Grammar: Commahttp://communicationscoach.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.com (Steven Moore)Blogger144125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8829092153543487048.post-7789426736370470864Sun, 03 Apr 2011 22:57:00 +00002011-04-03T18:09:15.430-05:00 @font-face { font-family: "Georgia"; }@font-face { font-family: "ヒラギノ角ゴ Pro W3"; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; color: black; }p.FreeForm, li.FreeForm, div.FreeForm { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; color: black; }div.Section1 { page: Section1; }ol { http://communicationscoach.blogspot.com/2011/04/persuasion.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Steven Moore)101tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8829092153543487048.post-6650812425279414260Thu, 13 Jan 2011 01:49:00 +00002011-01-12T20:59:22.795-05:00@font-face { font-family: "Cambria"; }@font-face { font-family: "Georgia"; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }a:link, span.MsoHyperlink { color: blue; text-decoration: underline; }a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed { color: purple; text-decoration: underline; }div.Section1 { page: Section1; } Most http://communicationscoach.blogspot.com/2011/01/writing-numbers.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Steven Moore)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8829092153543487048.post-8055742106743950862Sun, 16 May 2010 14:18:00 +00002010-05-16T09:22:51.209-05:00Adapted from Michael Quinion, World Wide Words <!--[if gte mso 9]> Normal.dotm 0 0 1 517 2950 Queen's School of Business 24 5 3622 12.0 <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]> 0 false 18 pt 18 pt 0 0 false false false <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]> <![endif]--> <!--[if gte mso 10]> /* Style http://communicationscoach.blogspot.com/2010/05/crazy-names-for-bottles-of-wine.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Steven Moore)11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8829092153543487048.post-4382005538669973251Sun, 16 May 2010 14:13:00 +00002010-05-16T09:17:48.702-05:00The Art of Being Clear We planned to construct a dumbwaiter in the new house we are building. The idea of getting coffee, tea, and snacks up to our second floor office with-out spilling all over ourselves on the stairs was appealing. But it took a lot of room and interfered with the ductwork, and the only good place for it was the wrong place...so sanity returned and we ditched the wholehttp://communicationscoach.blogspot.com/2010/05/art-of-being-clear.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Steven Moore)18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8829092153543487048.post-2690991569891736497Sun, 16 May 2010 14:01:00 +00002010-05-16T09:13:12.230-05:00I've been called on lately to lead several workshops and I'm always struck by how much fun it is when people learn together. And it is always a collaborative effort among all the participants in a workshop. I usually ask my audience, "What are your hopes for the day?" Typically their first thought is (since they have to spend the whole day with me) that I'm not a real dud. I feel the http://communicationscoach.blogspot.com/2010/05/people-learning-together.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Steven Moore)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8829092153543487048.post-3664990945996415497Sun, 16 May 2010 13:55:00 +00002010-05-16T09:00:46.276-05:00 Concrete begins as careless, slovenly, and entirely feckless. It is promiscuous and easygoing, willing to flow this way and that, open to being shaped, doing what anyone wants if that person is strong enough to hold it. Once it is committed, though, concrete becomes fanatically adamant. You may know people like that. Concrete writing is not heavy, stubborn, and dull. It is http://communicationscoach.blogspot.com/2010/05/being-concrete.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Steven Moore)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8829092153543487048.post-7434687806919225225Sun, 16 May 2010 13:49:00 +00002010-05-16T08:55:07.145-05:00We are building an earth-sheltered house, hoping to be more sustainable, on the wooded banks of the fastest-flowing part of the Salmon River north of Kingston, Ontario, where we will live nearly maintenance-free, listening to the roar of the rapids. Our earth-sheltered house will have a Trombe wall on the south side for light and passive solar heating. This part of the house will http://communicationscoach.blogspot.com/2010/05/notes-from-underground.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Steven Moore)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8829092153543487048.post-8297512248621957339Tue, 07 Jul 2009 12:24:00 +00002009-07-07T10:29:56.166-05:00Where the Stories Live is a novel I wrote that you can download for free in PDF format. The file size is 772 mb, that should take you less than a minute even at dial-up speed.For more information and a brief synopsis of Where the Stories Live, click the book cover or title below. I hope you enjoy it.Where The Stories Livehttp://communicationscoach.blogspot.com/2009/07/free-download-where-stories-live.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Steven Moore)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8829092153543487048.post-4436630364650628526Fri, 27 Jun 2008 12:35:00 +00002008-06-27T07:43:07.200-05:00Do up your aglets, snug your keeper, and watch out for spraints. It’s time to learn 33 Names of Things You Never Knew Had Names.Here's the first 14... 1. AGLETThe plain or ornamental covering on the end of a shoelace.2. ARMSAYEThe armhole in clothing.3. CHANKINGSpat-out food, such as rinds or pits.4. COLUMELLA NASIThe bottom part of the nose between the nostrils.5. DRAGÉESSmall beadlike pieces http://communicationscoach.blogspot.com/2008/06/writing-for-fun-33-names-of-things.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Steven Moore)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8829092153543487048.post-2733922969762582237Thu, 15 May 2008 12:53:00 +00002008-05-15T08:02:46.048-05:00As of 30 November 2005, the Oxford English Dictionary contained about 301,100 main entries. The dictionary's latest, complete print edition (Second Edition, 1989) was printed in 20 volumes, comprising 291,500 entries in 21,730 pages. The OED could be called one of the first "Wicki" projects, since much of it is compiled by volunteers.One of the most famous of the OED's volunteer word explorershttp://communicationscoach.blogspot.com/2008/05/writing-for-grammar-grammar-and-glamour.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Steven Moore)53tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8829092153543487048.post-1448192874417108780Wed, 14 May 2008 22:06:00 +00002008-05-14T17:10:04.956-05:00When native speakers work internationally, their language often changes. David Crystal, the author of English as a Global Language, writes: "On several occasions, I have encountered English-as-a-first-language politicians, diplomats, and civil servants working in Brussels commenting on how they have felt their own English being pulled in the direction of these foreign-language patterns . . . http://communicationscoach.blogspot.com/2008/05/global-business-english-get-ready-for.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Steven Moore)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8829092153543487048.post-6995715700089329941Sun, 11 May 2008 15:53:00 +00002008-05-11T11:03:33.456-05:00One of the secrets of becoming a dynamic public speaker is to use your nervousness for energy. While some will advise strategies to reduce your nervousness, I think you can use it to your advantage.An extra spurt of adrenaline (also known as the rush), your heart beating faster, those knots in your stomach, more rapid breathing-that's excitement, not nervousness. Redefine your physical sensationshttp://communicationscoach.blogspot.com/2008/05/presentations-control-your-nervousness.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Steven Moore)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8829092153543487048.post-3868235423884869856Sat, 10 May 2008 18:51:00 +00002008-05-10T14:07:26.077-05:00Welcome to a new featured category on The Communications Coach - Global Business English. In this category we will have irregular postings on a subsection of English used in business throughout the world that is related to a new instructional website called Global Business English. This website is a direct outgrowth of my work teaching at the Queen's School of Business and is designed to help http://communicationscoach.blogspot.com/2008/05/glonal-business-english.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Steven Moore)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8829092153543487048.post-3212573721842303785Fri, 09 May 2008 16:16:00 +00002008-05-09T11:19:13.831-05:00There is often confusion about when to use "who" and "whom". If you are unsure, use "who". It is much more common than "whom" and the use of "whom" is considered old fashioned in some circles. However, you will always be right if you remember three rules: 1. Use "who" when it is the subject of a verb. 2. Use "whom" when it is not the subject of a verb. 3. Always use “whom” after http://communicationscoach.blogspot.com/2008/05/writing-for-grammar-more-on-who-vs-whom.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Steven Moore)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8829092153543487048.post-8599887839226016143Thu, 01 May 2008 17:54:00 +00002008-05-01T12:57:05.840-05:00Revised from Richard's Grammar &amp; Composition Blog An appositive, a noun or noun phrase that identifies or renames another noun, is a good way to add detail or dimension to your writing. The term appositive comes from the Latin word for "placing close by," and an appositive usually appears right after the word or phrase that it renames.You’ve already seen a nonrestrictive example in thehttp://communicationscoach.blogspot.com/2008/05/writing-for-style-use-appositives-for.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Steven Moore)50tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8829092153543487048.post-1653128126177425478Thu, 17 Apr 2008 15:29:00 +00002008-04-17T10:30:56.533-05:00Reduce Management Speak with Bull Fighter Originally produced by Deloitte Consulting but now distributed as freeware, Bullfighter works with Microsoft Word, Outlook and PowerPoint to help you find and eliminate jargon in your documents. Bullfighter includes a jargon database and an exclusive Bull Composite Index calculator that will allow you to see - in an actual window, on your PC display, http://communicationscoach.blogspot.com/2008/04/writing-resources-more-top-10-writing.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Steven Moore)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8829092153543487048.post-6842035772038198086Tue, 15 Apr 2008 22:14:00 +00002008-04-15T17:18:50.089-05:00Courtesy of Friedbeef's TechHere is a set of 10 tools that can be useful to any writer. 1. Improve Readability with MS-Word The Flesch-Kincaid tests are readability tests designed to indicate how difficult a reading passage is to understand. Using simple calculations, it is able to break down text to gauge the level of education needed to grasp the writing, and how hard it is to comprehend http://communicationscoach.blogspot.com/2008/04/writing-resources-top-10-writing-tools.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Steven Moore)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8829092153543487048.post-8462205903307760649Mon, 07 Apr 2008 17:27:00 +00002008-04-07T12:43:16.519-05:00Dr. SeussAdapted from Richard's Grammar &amp; Composition Blog It has often been saidthere's so much to be read,you never can cramall those words in your head.So the writer who breedsmore words than he needsis making a chorefor the reader who reads.That's why my belief isthe briefer the brief is,the greater the sighof the reader's relief is.-- Dr. Seuss (Theodor Seuss Geisel) Known to http://communicationscoach.blogspot.com/2008/04/writing-for-style-dr-seuss.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Steven Moore)21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8829092153543487048.post-5713476932449789305Thu, 03 Apr 2008 18:00:00 +00002008-04-03T14:03:12.139-05:00Act III in our 4-part series of Clint's tire exploits in the face of a looming deadline.Act 3: Monday morning Clint drives to Kingston to buy another nozzle. Back at the farm, he turns on the compressor, fills the tank, hauls it down to the barn on a toboggan. He has plenty of air. But when he tries to fill the first tire, he finds the valve rotted and unable to hold any air. Clint is ready http://communicationscoach.blogspot.com/2008/04/my-work-chariots-of-tire-4.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Steven Moore)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8829092153543487048.post-1122919684345967756Wed, 02 Apr 2008 13:35:00 +00002008-04-02T08:39:44.133-05:00We finally get to Act II in part 3 of 4 of the real-life screenplay about Clint's adventures with a deadline looming. Act 2: Friday morning. Clint takes the pig back to Greg and asks to borrow it again that night full of air. He picks it up and, by the time he gets home, all the air leaks out. So that was it – a leaky pig. It snows all night Friday.Saturday morning. Call Ben again to plow outhttp://communicationscoach.blogspot.com/2008/04/my-work-chariots-of-tire-3.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Steven Moore)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8829092153543487048.post-6324493658257367907Tue, 01 Apr 2008 12:27:00 +00002008-04-02T09:45:14.385-05:00Part 2 of 4 of the real-life screenplay about a small job that grew until it reached epic proportions. Comedy, action, suspense, and horror film.Back to Thursday evening: By this time it’s dark, so Clint and his wife go down to the barn with flashlights because the solar-powered lights in the barn just give general illumination and aren’t really strong enough for close work. Filling the front http://communicationscoach.blogspot.com/2008/04/chariots-of-tire-part-2.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Steven Moore)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8829092153543487048.post-901433080150128498Mon, 31 Mar 2008 18:32:00 +00002008-04-02T09:44:50.413-05:00As the snow hangs on, self-sufficiency in the country on a solar-powered farm has it’s advantages and drawbacks. Here’s a story of a small job that grew until it reached epic proportions. A comedy, action, suspense, or horror film? You decide.The “ticking clock” is a Hollywood term for a deadline that adds tension to a story. The hero must prevail before the bomb blows up or the asteroid hits. http://communicationscoach.blogspot.com/2008/03/my-work-chariots-of-tire-1.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Steven Moore)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8829092153543487048.post-8520991603882766349Mon, 24 Mar 2008 19:09:00 +00002008-03-24T14:25:25.900-05:00Yesterday I posted some of my "experts" the writers who help me get into the flow of the different kind of writing I do for my clients. Here are some of my favourite I-W experts: Adapted from About.com Bernard Malamud - Rich Anecdote Through SubordinationJoseph Mitchell - Visual DescriptionGeorge Orwell - Shifting Point of ViewWallace Stegner - Description and Sentence http://communicationscoach.blogspot.com/2008/03/writing-for-style-compendium-of-styles_24.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Steven Moore)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8829092153543487048.post-5400487353257607835Sun, 23 Mar 2008 18:51:00 +00002008-03-23T13:57:56.395-05:00As a professional writer, I have to write in many styles. Arresting and hyperbolic for an advertisement, flowing and persuasive for a fundraising letter, short and concise for a website. When I have to adopt a style, I read some of the experts in that style to get the “feel” of it. It works well for me and might for you, too.Adapted from About.comHere are some of my favourite experts A-H:Martin http://communicationscoach.blogspot.com/2008/03/writing-for-style-compendium-of-styles.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Steven Moore)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8829092153543487048.post-4369185165275996654Tue, 18 Mar 2008 14:59:00 +00002008-03-18T11:21:32.848-05:00Revised from Your Guide to Grammar &amp; CompositionMark Twain had little respect for what he called our "foolish" and "drunken old alphabet," or for the "rotten spelling" that it encouraged. Nonetheless, Twain was not convinced that the efforts of the spelling reformers in his day would ever succeed. As far as Twain was concerned, it was the alphabet itself that needed to be torn up and rebuilt http://communicationscoach.blogspot.com/2008/03/writing-for-fun-mark-twain-on-spelling.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Steven Moore)0