Cassie's Perfect ... Wordtag:typepad.com,2003:weblog-16823982011-10-30T05:28:24-05:00A blog about grammar, language, and words ... by a former grammar snob.
A blog about me .... and the things that matter to me.
"The search for the mot juste is not a pedantic fad but a vital necessity. Words are our precision tools. Imprecision engenders ambiguity, and hours are wasted in removing verbal misunderstandings before the argument of substance can begin."
-- Anonymous Civil Servant
TypePadtypepad/1214961645s1078/cassies_perfect_bloghttp://feedburner.google.comSimple Writing, Pleasetag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e5539c080588340162fc047e56970d2011-10-30T05:28:24-05:002011-10-30T05:28:24-05:00"The poorer a man's intellectual equipment, the more does he revel in technicalities. A man with a wealth of valuable ideas is anxious to communicate those ideas, and will naturally tend to choose for that purpose the simplest language he...Cassie Tuttlehttp://cassiesperfectwordblog.typepad.com/cassies_perfect_blog/2011/10/simple-writing-please.htmlEnglish Language Plurals and Other Crazy Word Formationstag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e5539c08058834014e60aaa8fb970c2011-04-12T02:03:15-05:002011-04-12T02:03:15-05:00The last line of the poem below reminded me that Mother's and Father's (notice apostrophe placement - my preference) Days are coming up. So I thought I'd pay my tribute here and now ... and also share this lovely ode...Cassie Tuttlehttp://cassiesperfectwordblog.typepad.com/cassies_perfect_blog/2011/04/english-language-plurals-and-other-crazy-word-formations.htmlOut With the Old, In With the Newtag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e5539c080588340148c734f366970c2010-12-31T16:33:58-05:002010-12-31T16:33:58-05:00The end of the year means many things to different people. For those of us who are word-obsessed, it's a time to reflect on language: new words, buzzwords, trite phrases, and cliches that shaped and defined the year. Oxford University...Cassie Tuttlehttp://cassiesperfectwordblog.typepad.com/cassies_perfect_blog/2010/12/out-with-the-old-in-with-the-new.htmlGrammar Rules: "Right" and "Wrong" Languagetag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e5539c0805883401348859a4b0970c2010-10-20T22:24:32-05:002010-10-21T18:19:39-05:00The debate between prescriptivism and descriptivism goes on. Writer, actor, and comedian, Stephen Fry, suggests that there may be different strokes for different folks ... and for different times, occasions, and places. In other words, "you slip into a suit...Cassie Tuttlehttp://cassiesperfectwordblog.typepad.com/cassies_perfect_blog/2010/10/grammar-rules-right-and-wrong-language.htmlPunctuation Matterstag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e5539c08058834013487b2b4fb970c2010-09-25T02:34:58-05:002010-09-25T02:34:58-05:00Happy National Punctuation Day (September 24)!Cassie Tuttlehttp://cassiesperfectwordblog.typepad.com/cassies_perfect_blog/2010/09/happy-national-punctuation-day-september-24.htmlShowin' Some Love to Copyeditorstag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e5539c0805883401348698ad01970c2010-08-31T23:04:19-05:002010-08-31T23:11:06-05:00Roy Peter Clark, author of Writing Tools: 50 Essential Strategies for Every Writer and The Glamour of Grammar: A Guide to the Magic and Mystery of Practical English, has written about his working relationship with his copyeditor in an encouraging...Cassie Tuttlehttp://cassiesperfectwordblog.typepad.com/cassies_perfect_blog/2010/08/a-prayer-of-thanks-for-a-guardian-angel.htmlMini Grammar Lesson: Does “number of” take a plural or singular verb?tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e5539c08058834013481078d82970c2010-05-18T03:03:55-05:002010-05-18T03:03:55-05:00Whether the verb with “number of” expressions takes a plural verb or a singular verb depends on the article used: "the" or "a." The expression the number of (with the definite article “the”) has a singular meaning and requires a...Cassie Tuttlehttp://cassiesperfectwordblog.typepad.com/cassies_perfect_blog/2010/05/mini-grammar-lesson-does-number-of-take-a-plural-or-singular-verb.htmlPunctuating Mother's Daytag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e5539c080588340134809e280e970c2010-05-09T02:52:58-05:002010-05-09T02:52:58-05:00Are you wondering how to spell Mother's Day, wondering if it's capitalized, wondering if there should be an apostrophe? According to the Chicago Manual of Style, “names of secular and religious holidays or specially designated days or seasons are capitalized.”...Cassie Tuttlehttp://cassiesperfectwordblog.typepad.com/cassies_perfect_blog/2010/05/punctuating-mothers-day.htmlWhat Copyeditors Dotag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e5539c080588340120a6058747970c2010-04-24T21:16:01-05:002010-04-24T21:16:01-05:00I stumbled upon a great blog post by Scott Berkun, "How copyediting looks and feels." This post was especially timely for me. A potential client found me on LinkedIn. Talk about global business! This guy is halfway around the world,...Cassie Tuttlehttp://cassiesperfectwordblog.typepad.com/cassies_perfect_blog/2010/04/what-copyeditors-do.htmlDeadline Survival: the Joys of Freelancingtag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e5539c0805883401310f46f3b3970c2010-04-02T18:25:12-05:002010-04-02T18:22:32-05:00As I was recently working through several deadline-intense weeks and feeling the grind, I thought I’d share my “survival guide” for stressed-out, manic copyeditors, proofreaders, and anyone else who finds herself up against a hard deadline (or two or three)....Cassie Tuttlehttp://cassiesperfectwordblog.typepad.com/cassies_perfect_blog/2010/04/deadline-survival-the-joys-of-freelancing.html