Category Archives: Writing tips

Sneak peek ahead 👀
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A screenshot of a message from Stylebot on Slack that reads: ""Peek," "peak" and "pique" all mean different things. "Peek" refers to looking: "He peeked inside the room." (Beware the phrase "sneak peek," not "sneak peak.") "Peak" means a maximum or the highest point: "Let's be honest, I peaked in high school." And "pique"? It has a few meanings, but one of the most common uses is in the phrase "piqued my interest."
A screenshot of a message from Stylebot on Slack that reads: Only include information about a person's mental state if it is relevant. When it is, use person-first language, and do not use terms such as "schizophrenic" or "suffers from": "He has been diagnosed with schizophrenia." Don't include speculation about mental illness. Instead, stick to information from well-informed sources and note the severity level. Don't capitalize the names of most mental illnesses: "She received a diagnosis of bipolar disorder." Do not use derogatory terms such as "bonkers," "crazy" or "nuts" to describe people with mental illness, nor should you use them to describe anyone's behavior or in other phrases. For example, instead of writing, "Her workdays were insane," write, "Her workdays were very busy."

These words may be common…
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A screenshot of a message from Stylebot on Slack that reads: Do not use periods in “AAPI,” for “Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.” Use “Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders” on first reference and “AAPI” on second reference and beyond. Follow the same rules for other acronyms, such as API (Asians and Pacific Islanders), APIA (Asian and Pacific Islander American) and AANHPI (Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander). Pay attention to the specifics of a term before using it to refer to a group. For example, “AAPI” and “API” are not always interchangeable. Also keep in mind that some people might prefer that a different term is applied to them, so be sure to ask about preferences instead of making assumptions.

🙅 Labels are often imprecise
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A screenshot of a message from Stylebot on Slack that reads: "“Marijuana” and “cannabis” are often used interchangeably, but marijuana is the flower of the cannabis plant. Some people avoid use of “marijuana” because of its racist history, and you should consider an alternative such as “cannabis” or “weed” when appropriate. Don’t capitalize any of the terms: “Her mom smoked pot well into her 70s.” “THC” is short for tetrahydrocannabinol, the active ingredient in the drug, and is acceptable on first reference. “CBD,” short for cannabidiol, is another component of marijuana, though it does not produce a high. “CBD” is acceptable on first reference: “CVS has begun selling CBD oil.”"

Maybe not “laughing grass,” but…
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A screenshot of a message from Stylebot on Slack that reads: ""Altogether" is one word as an adverb meaning completely or on the whole: "It was altogether a good plan, but it needed some tweaking." Use two words in other uses: "She was surprised he was able to put it all together in time.""

Keep it all together
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A screenshot of a message from Stylebot on Slack that reads: The phrase is "home in," not "hone in": "He always wanted to go to Penn, so he homed in on getting admitted there, putting less effort into his other college applications." In addition to its more familiar meanings, "home" is also a verb that means to move toward or direct attention to something. Meanwhile, "hone" means to sharpen or make more effective.

🏡Home as a…verb?
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April Holidays

Writing tips for April holidays and events
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A screenshot of a message from Stylebot on Slack that reads: Capitalize Islamic titles such as "ayatollah," "imam" and "sheikh" only when they come directly before a name. Otherwise, do not capitalize: "He saw the imam at the mosque." The branches of Islam use the titles differently, so double-check before using a title.

Ramadan is on
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A screenshot of a message from Stylebot on Slack that reads: "Hollywood is a neighborhood in Los Angeles, not a city. Avoid implying that it is: “Hollywood stars will gather at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on Sunday for the Oscars." There is a city of West Hollywood, however: “The Standard’s West Hollywood location will close for good next week.”

🏆 The fun fact you might not know about Hollywood
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A screenshot of a message from Stylebot on Slack that reads: Don't use the abbreviation "OOO" without explaining it, as it stands for different things in different contexts: "His reply said that he was 'OOO until further notice,' using the common abbreviation for 'out of office.'"

Re: Your OOO message
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