What is a colon? A colon is a small and versatile punctuation mark. Or part of the large intestine. Despite having three doctors in my close family and consuming every medical drama that becomes available on Netflix, I know less about body parts than I would like to. So let's talk about the punctuation mark, which allows writers to introduce elements that build on what went before, in the form of a list, an explanation, a noun phrase, a quote, or emphasis. There is always a c

The context It became clear in a recent chat with my edibuddy (GG) that, despite our weekly catch-ups, we still didn’t know exactly how  the other worked. As an academic editor, I work on papers, reports, case studies, and books; and GG works with traditional publishers – occasionally indie authors and hybrid publishers – on (mostly) non-fiction books.   The misconceptions It’s easy to make assumptions about the editing process, as if there were a universal approach. And of c

Why are hyphens important? Using hyphens correctly can enhance your writing, leaving your readers in no doubt about what you want to say....

Do plain English and academia need to be worlds apart? Plain English essentially means writing that is clear, concise and easy to follow....

What is good editorial customer service? On my home page I state the following: Friendly, quick and professional – all-human – customer...

How to simplify your writing and engage your readers When I edit business and academic files, especially for ESL (English as a second...

Do you know the difference between 'onto' and 'on to'? If you don't, you're not alone. And I hope this blog post will help you to spot...

Infographic by www.perfectwordsbyamandageorge.com What is the difference between copy-editing and copywriting? And do you know the...

Photo by Jonny Clow  on Unsplash Do you know when to use 'between', 'in between' and 'in-between'? Do they all exist? We all know it's...

Infographic by www.perfectwordsbyamandageorge.com How much do you know about abbreviations? There are six key questions you should be...

Is it 'due to' or 'because of'? Some top tips so you never muddle them up again Ever wondered if you're using 𝕕𝕦𝕖 𝕥𝕠 and...

Ever wondered what academic copy-editing and proofreading (proof-editing) involve? Here are some recent tweaks I made to academic...

Yes, they do.  Because they are human. And human brains are not designed for proofreading. Our brains tend to process whole words rather...

Infographic by www.perfectwordsbyamandageorge.com Do you like -ise or -ize endgins? 🔆 I prefer -ise . 🔆 Please don't ask me why. 🔆...

Otherwise known as that ,  which and commas . Are you ready? Strap yourself in for some scenarios.   SCENARIO IA: Chocolate that is not...

I’ve been agonising over bulleted lists – how to punctuate them – for months. What I learnt when I first trained seems to be irrelevant...

Can you spot a confusion? If so, you might make a good proof-editor. That’s a proofreader and copy-editor, rolled into one. Because we...

Would you know a misplaced modifier or a dangling participle if you saw one? What about an unparallel structure? As a Libra, and a...

How has your year been?   For me, 2023 has been a bit of a rollercoaster. I’m not one to wish time away – I like being in the moment –...

Absolutely everything that happens, good or bad, is a chance to learn something, if we listen carefully. Listening is a superpower. Here...