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Category Archives: Flair & Finesse
Handling “Both”
Last night, one of the network newscasters called the presidential race “nail-bitingly close for both candidates.” Hmm. So if the race is close for one of them, doesn’t it stand to reason that the race is about the same for … Continue reading
Posted in Brevity, Common Grammar Errors, Flair & Finesse
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“A” for “Alert”
This week’s 60-second tip covers two occasions when the word “a” should signal an alert: 1. Watch out for abbreviations after the word “a.” I just read an article, for example, that referred to a NFL record. Yes “N” is … Continue reading
60-Second Tip
Last week, in the newly shortened format for year 3 of my blog, we simply struck the needless “who is” in the first sentence of a movie synopsis. Now what would you do to refine the article’s second sentence (which … Continue reading
60-Second Tip
New & improved? As the blog enters year 3, I am markedly shortening my weekly writing tips, but you can always browse http://www.normfriedman.com/blog/ in search of meatier entries. Each of my first 102 posts is about a three- or four-minute … Continue reading
Posted in Brevity, Flair & Finesse
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Summer Reading IV
Let’s continue our laid-back August tempo with another brief quiz you just might ace. Make your picks. 1. Now that I have pored/poured over the materials you sent me, I feel more confident about my interview next week. 2. The idea … Continue reading
Summer Reading III
Remaining in vacation mode, let’s look at a few more word pairs and a chance to ace another quick quiz. Make your choices. 1. If no one is adverse/averse to extending the meeting, let’s tackle one more item. 2. My … Continue reading
Summer Reading II
Continuing our relaxed pace for the last full month of summer, here is another brief quiz. Make your choices. 1. Jill’s poetic captions exquisitely complement/compliment Jerry’s gorgeous photographs from their Canadian Rockies vacation. 2. I love the pieces I bought … Continue reading
Watch Your Step II
Last week we discussed a few handle-with-care issues pertaining to the word “impact” – including the irony that although the word seems inherently compelling, it can be vague. Now let’s look at examples of two other commonly used adjectives that … Continue reading
Writing with “Impact”
“Impact” is a highly useful, compelling word, but it requires some special handling. Let’s examine four issues. 1) “Impactful” is in the dictionary, but it made its appearance there relatively recently, and some folks consider it nonstandard. You may want to avoid … Continue reading
A Matter of Degrees
Each of these sentences expresses comparisons – and each can be improved. What edits would you make? 1. Ruth is one of the most passionate, creative, and wisest committee chairs we have had. 2. Of High Street or Lincoln Road, which … Continue reading