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Author Archives: Norm Friedman
The Soul of Wit
Although emulating Shakespeare may be aiming a bit high in our day-to-day emails, we can enhance our writing by committing to a venerated line from Hamlet: “Brevity is the soul of wit.” When we edit our work, often the fun … Continue reading
Posted in Brevity
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Striking the Right Tone
If we write an A+ email – glittering with pithy content, impeccable grammar, and masterful brevity – but the tone is stuffy or condescending or brusque or flippant, the reader will consider our message a D-. Rather than reacting with … Continue reading
Posted in Flair & Finesse, Tone
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Split Infinitives
A grammar concept we might have happily forgotten since our school days (or maybe right after the test) is the split infinitive. So what is it, and do we need to care? Here’s my take. An infinitive is the “to” … Continue reading
Posted in Common Grammar Errors
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Hyphen Errors
Branding is everything these days, and the hyphen just hasn’t kept up. In fact, its identity is so weak, it is often mistakenly called a dash. Let’s review the key points we should know about this poorly understood punctuation mark. … Continue reading
Posted in Common Punctuation Errors
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Setting Alarms
As we grow more proficient in any pursuit – be it bowling, baking, or barbecuing – we are continually setting new alarms to avoid problems. This is particularly true in writing and editing. Once we realize we’re prone to mistakenly … Continue reading
“I” Contact
In elementary school many of us learned we were starting too many sentences with “I,” and we corrected that. But in the working world, where forging relationships with clients, colleagues, vendors, and others is so critical to success, many of … Continue reading
Posted in Brevity, Flair & Finesse
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Eye on the Arts
With the Academy Awards ceremony set for Sunday, let’s continue our refinement of newspaper excerpts with a look at two arts pieces – a movie review and book review. Each excerpt was chosen, in part, because it’s unwieldy, but I … Continue reading
In the News III
Continuing our February theme, this week’s post again gives you an opportunity to play copy editor. Examine the following three excerpts from recent newspaper articles and consider what you might change. 1. While many Clevelanders were excited about and pleased … Continue reading
In the News II
Try your hand at catching errors or making other refinements in these recent news stories. 1. Gov. John Kasich has spent 130 days of the last 10 months on the road outside of Ohio as he campaigns for president. 2. … Continue reading
Posted in Brevity, Commonly Confused Words, Flair & Finesse
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In the News
We all make errors when we write – even the pros who report the news. Play copy editor and decide how you’d refine these passages from the past week. 1. The middle-of-the-road shopper, neither low-end nor high-end, who in recent years … Continue reading