Category Archives: Writing tips

Writing tips for March holidays and events
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March holidays
A screenshot of a message from Stylebot on Slack that reads: Use "playwright" to refer to someone who writes plays and "playwriting" to refer to their occupation: "The playwright was heavily influenced by Christopher Marlowe." "Francisco's playwriting overtly challenges American expectations."

The writes and wrongs of theater 🎭
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A screenshot of a message from Stylebot on Slack that reads: "Use terms such as "actor," "host," "waiter," etc., for all genders: "She worked as an actor for 10 years." Sometimes, you can opt for a gender-neutral option such as "server," instead of "waiter": "All the servers were scheduled to work eight-hour shifts.""

Watch your (gendered) language
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A screenshot of a message from Stylebot on Slack that reads: "The phrase is "for all intents and purposes," not "for all intensive purposes": "Her family knew that the postponement of the wedding was, for all intents and purposes, a cancellation.""

These purposes are not intensive
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A screenshot of a message from Stylebot on Slack that reads: "You can use "octopuses" as the plural of "octopus": "They saw two octopuses at the aquarium." The word is of Greek origin, so if you want to get fancy, the plural is "octopodes." But "octopuses" is in wide use in English and is perfectly acceptable."

Octopuses, octopi…octopodes?🐙
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A screenshot of a message from Stylebot on Slack that reads: "Use an apostrophe in "Presidents' Day," a federal holiday celebrated on the third Monday in February: "The store advertised a Presidents' Day sale." The holiday's official name is Washington’s Birthday."

It’s actually Washington’s Birthday…
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A screenshot of a message from Stylebot on Slack that reads:Use "New Year's," "New Year's Day," "New Year's Eve" and "happy New Year" when referring to the holiday. Lowercase general references: "He was looking forward to a fresh start in the new year." Also lowercase "resolutions" in "New Year's resolutions.""

Here’s how to improve your writing in the new year
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A screenshot of a message from Stylebot on Slack that reads: "For an American audience, use "soccer" to refer to the game instead of "football," except in quotation marks or proper nouns: "The U.S. soccer team arrived in Qatar for the World Cup." Fun fact: The word "soccer" comes from shortening the term "association football" to "assoccer.""

How “football” became “soccer”
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A screenshot of a message from Stylebot on Slack that reads: "You can use the acronym "RSVP" (no periods) for all references to the commonly used reply request: "The wedding invites asked guests to RSVP by January 30." Though you don't need to include it in your copy, if you care to know, "RSVP" is short for the French phrase répondez s'il vous plaît."

The “please” is more than implied
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Screenshot of a message from Stylebot on Slack that reads: Dangling modifiers are a common mistake in both writing and speaking. If you've ever watched an NFL game, you've likely heard one: "After reviewing the play, the ruling on the field stands." That is incorrect because "the ruling" did not review the play. The correct construction is: "After reviewing the play, the officials have determined that the ruling on the field stands." (Clunky, perhaps, but correct!)

Who’s refereeing dangling modifiers during football season? 🏈
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