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Grammar for marketers: Subject vs. object.
In regular grammar, the subject does to, for, or because of, the object. In grammar for marketers, it’s the “because of” that matters most. The subject is the main character, state or object of the story being conveyed. Conversely, a sentence’s object is the reason there’s a story to tell about the subject. “Grammar for…… READ MORE
PREVIOUS FEATURE
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What do we want from thought leadership?
The term “thought leadership” was coined in 1994 by Strategy and Business magazine’s then editor-in-chief Joel Kurtzman. “Thought Leaders,” he said, “possess a distinctively original idea, a unique point of view or an unprecedented insight into their industry.” Most people who are serious about their work would be interested in a thought leadership piece with one or more…… READ MORE
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5 Examples of How the English Language Makes No Sense At All
When you sit back and really take a look at the English language — at least our North American version of it — it almost seems unbelievable how we ever learn to communicate. With words… READ MORE
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Self-Editing Tip: Little Words that Don’t Need to be There
If you’ve been paying attention, you know that using long, complicated words is not the path to clear communication. But even if you’ve learned that lesson and practice it daily, you can still take it… READ MORE
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To vs. Too vs. Two — the Saga Continues
This month’s “vs.” selection deals with three words that are often confused, even though one of them refers to a number. If you listen to someone speak, you’ll notice that some version of this word… READ MORE
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You Can’t Blame It All on Auto Correct…It’s Time to Take Responsibility!
These days, you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who hasn’t been a victim of the autocorrect feature on their mobile device at least once. That thing seems to have a mind of its own. It… READ MORE
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Just Because You Can Doesn’t Mean You Should: The Case Against Using Big Words in Your Writing
If you’ve been writing for a long time, you’re well read and/or well educated, and you happen to have a large vocabulary, it’s not uncommon to want to show it off. After all, long and… READ MORE
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Principal vs. Principle…Seldom Used and Often Confused
For this installment of our ‘vs.’ post, we thought principal and principle could use some clearing up. Many of you rarely have an opportunity to use either one in your writing, so mix-ups are a… READ MORE
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How to Tell the Difference Between an Active Sentence and a Passive Sentence
In an earlier blog post, we briefly touched on the subject of active sentences and passive sentences. Usually called active voice and passive voice, this designation affects the meaning and effectiveness of almost any sentence.… READ MORE
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Different Types of Dashes and How to Use Them In Your Writing
Dashes are used in all types of writing for many different reasons. To the untrained eye (which is almost everyone, including lots of seasoned writers) these dashes are all the same. However, all dashes are… READ MORE
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Attention, Writers and Editors! Beware the Dangers Lurking in Large Type…
If you’ve ever had to look through an article or other piece of writing that was presented in a large font, you may have missed some rather obvious errors. Whether the writing was your own… READ MORE
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3 Ways to Create an Effective Writing Outline
Whether you’re creating a monthly report, a term paper, a website or a short story, a writing outline is usually a good starting point. A proper outline helps you organize your thoughts and ideas and… READ MORE