Each week, we chat about the quirks and anomalies of the English language. This week, quiet please, we get advisory… Q: So time for another Q&A huh? A: Yup. Hey, what’s that on your head? Q: Don’t I ask the questions? A: Right, okay. Off you go then. Q: What’s this
Each week, we chat about the quirks and anomalies of the English language. This week, it’s a new year… Q: Happy New Year AWC! A: Thanks, and you too. May 2015 be filled with many more questions and answers. Q: Absolutely! And on the subject of New Year’s – do I
Each week, we take a look at a common confusions and ambiguities in the English language (that gives us about a century’s worth of material!) – making things easier through the power of friendly conversation. This week, we chat to Carol. Oh wait, no, we chat ABOUT carols… Q: (Carol
Each week, we take a look at a common confusions and ambiguities in the English language (that gives us about a century’s worth of material!) – making things easier through the power of friendly conversation. This week, we’re getting festive… Q: Season’s Greetings Australian Writers’ Centre! A: Well, you’re in
Each week, we take a look at a common confusions and ambiguities in the English language (that gives us about a century’s worth of material!) – making things easier through the power of friendly conversation. This week, we go further than ever before…or, wait, is it… Q: Hello Australian
Each week, we take a look at a common confusions and ambiguities in the English language (that gives us about a century’s worth of material!) – making things easier through the power of friendly conversation. This week, a very special/especial edition. And cupcakes… Q: Hello Australian Writers’ Centre, would you
Each week, we take a look at a common confusions and ambiguities in the English language (that gives us about a century’s worth of material!) – making things easier through the power of friendly conversation. This week, something common in other languages, but a little rarer in English… Q:
Each week, we take a look at a common confusions and ambiguities in the English language (that gives us about a century’s worth of material!) – making things easier through the power of friendly conversation. This week, parentheses and brackets… Q: Hi Australian Writers’ Centre, I have a quick
Each week, we take a look at a common confusions and ambiguities in the English language (that gives us about a century’s worth of material!) – making things easier through the power of friendly conversation. This week, does “practise” or “practice” make perfect? Q: Hi there Australian Writers’ Centre, I have
Each week, we take a look at a common confusions and ambiguities in the English language (that gives us about a century’s worth of material!) – making things easier through the power of friendly conversation. This week, useless chatter about whether to use “less”… Q: Hi there. I was at the
This week, we sit down to a lesson in ligatures with our friendly Q & A participants… Q: Hello, do you think I have the Ebola virus? A: No. Q: Okay, great, just thought I should check. Now I also want to ask about something I struggle with. A: Your
This week, we examine when it’s okay to hyphenate adverbs and adjectives and when it’s not… Q: Hey there, I wrote something but I have a friend who thinks it’s wrong. A: Oh, you have a “friend” who thinks it’s wrong, do you? <wink> Q: What are you doing? A:
They sit right there above the letters on the keyboard, but how do we go with using them? This week we examine numbers… Q: Hi there Australian Writers’ Centre, can I ask a question? A: Well, that capital Q in front of everything you say suggests that you can. What’s
Each week, we take a look at a common confusions and ambiguities in the English language (that gives us about a century’s worth of material!) – making things easier through the power of friendly conversation… Q: Hi there, I have a question about possession. A: What kind of possession? We
So, recently on the Q&A segment of our weekly newsletter, we were discussing possessives with proper nouns (names), and one example was compound possessives. When two (or more) people ‘own’ the same thing, and they are named, we only need to indicate possession on the final one: “I was invited
One of our Australian Writers’ Centre community recently asked us to clarify the use of the term “plan ahead” as being somewhat redundant. This led to more examples of tautology and somehow a party invitation… Q: Hi there AWC. I want to talk to you about the term “Plan Ahead”.
One thing you should be trying to do with your style is to write actively rather than passively.
Passive voice slows the action, deadens the emotions and distances the reader from the action. But what is it? I hear you ask.
Well, consider these sentences:
Last week our Q&A used the term ‘very unique’, and in doing so, succeeded in waking up the interwebs. An ABSOLUTE catastrophe! Let’s take a look… Q: Well, wasn’t that a great Q&A last week? All ‘reality show’ themed and that. A: Oh, thanks. Um, who are those other people? Q:
Each week, we take a look at a common confusions and ambiguities in the English language (that gives us about a century’s worth of material!) – making things easier through the power of friendly conversation. This week, a word or two about possession… Q: Hello. Every May and September I
Each week, we take a look at a common confusions and ambiguities in the English language (that gives us about a century’s worth of material!) – making things easier through the power of friendly conversation… This week, is it “a” or “an”? Q: Woooo, hi there guys, I just got in from
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