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A Dictionary
Every office needs a dictionary, even if it's just a little paperback left
over from your college days. Correctly spelled e-mails can do wonders
for your professional image, and who doesn't need to check the
difference between "breech" and "breach" once in a while, or figure out
whether it's "extravert" or "extrovert"?
The Elements of Style
by William Strunk, Jr., and E.B. White
Affectionately known as "Strunk and White" to its millions of devotees,
this slim volume of advice and examples, originally published in 1957,
remains to this day the most influential guidebook for writers. If you
don't already have a copy, get it, read it, and keep it next to your
dictionary for reference and sensible writerly inspiration.
A Style Guide
Whether you hew to "The Chicago Manual of Style," "The Associated
Press Stylebook," "The Publication Manual of the American Psychological
Association" (yes, it's a commonly followed standard), or some other set
of guidelines, you'll find that questions of punctuation, grammar and
usage are easily answered when you leave the decisions to the experts
and simply look them up.
McDonald Wordsmith
Of course, if you'd rather get back to business than spend hours writing
and editing, you can always hand your communications over to the
professionals. Contact us to discuss your project, and let us be the
grammar fanatics so you don't have to.
Every office needs a dictionary, even if it's just a little paperback left
over from your college days. Correctly spelled e-mails can do wonders
for your professional image, and who doesn't need to check the
difference between "breech" and "breach" once in a while, or figure out
whether it's "extravert" or "extrovert"?
The Elements of Style
by William Strunk, Jr., and E.B. White
Affectionately known as "Strunk and White" to its millions of devotees,
this slim volume of advice and examples, originally published in 1957,
remains to this day the most influential guidebook for writers. If you
don't already have a copy, get it, read it, and keep it next to your
dictionary for reference and sensible writerly inspiration.
A Style Guide
Whether you hew to "The Chicago Manual of Style," "The Associated
Press Stylebook," "The Publication Manual of the American Psychological
Association" (yes, it's a commonly followed standard), or some other set
of guidelines, you'll find that questions of punctuation, grammar and
usage are easily answered when you leave the decisions to the experts
and simply look them up.
McDonald Wordsmith
Of course, if you'd rather get back to business than spend hours writing
and editing, you can always hand your communications over to the
professionals. Contact us to discuss your project, and let us be the
grammar fanatics so you don't have to.
|
Mission Statements, Ha Ha
(published April 25, 2008)
Fantastic Testimonials
(published April 18, 2008)
Organized E-Mails
(published April 11, 2008)
You and Me
(published April 4, 2008)
Generation "Hype"
(published March 28, 2008)
Help Yourself
(published March 21, 2008)
The Credible Web
(published March 14, 2008)
History of Spam
(published March 7, 2008)
Potty Talk
(published February 29,
2008)
It's a Matter of Its Usage
(published February 22,
2008)
Greenwashing
(published February 15,
2008)
Cover Letters
(published February 8,
2008)
The Source Effect
(published February 1,
2008)
No Names, You @#$
(published January 25,
2008)
Web Two Point Oh!
(published January 18,
2008)
Good Newsletters
(published January 11,
2008)
Hoshin Kanri
(published January 4, 2008)
Cleaning E-Mail
(published December 21,
2007)
Holiday Book-Giving Guide
(published December 14,
2007)
When PR Is Spam
(published December 7,
2007)
Who Do You Know?
(published November 30,
2007)
A Little Understanding
(published November 23,
2007)
Laptop A.D.D.
(published November 16,
2007)
Enough E-Mail
(published November 9,
2007)
Be a Source
(published November 2,
2007)
Time for NaNoWriMo
(published October 26,
2007)
What's in a Gender?
(published October 19,
2007)
Kiss or Shake?
(published October 12,
2007)
A Comma a Day
(published October 5, 2007)
Twisting Logic
(published September 28,
2007)
Pace Yourself
(published September 21,
2007)
The ABCs of Acronyms
(published September 14,
2007)
Lying Around
(published September 7,
2007)
Who's Not a Writer?
(published August 31, 2007)
What's New
(published August 24, 2007)
Strangely Named
(published August 17, 2007)
Feeling Conflicted
(published August 10, 2007)
Enough About Me
(published August 3, 2007)
Powerfully Pointless
(published July 27, 2007)
I Am Spam?
(published July 20, 2007)
Pain Management
(published July 13, 2007)
Business Idiots
(published July 6, 2007)
Gender-Flexing
(published June 29, 2007)
To the Point: How
(published June 22, 2007)
To the Point: Why
(published June 15, 2007)
Not So Simple
(published June 8, 2007)
Messaging Matters
(published June 1, 2007)
E-mail for Nincompoops
(published May 26, 2007)
Can You Spell Quality?
(published May 19, 2007)
Answer the Phone
(published May 11, 2007)
Grammar Debunked
(published May 4, 2007)
Foreign Correspondence
(published April 27, 2007)
Wrong Words
(published April 20, 2007)
Meet the Editor
(published April 13, 2007)
Customer Disservice?
(published April 6, 2007)
Sartorially Speaking
(published March 30, 2007)
Light it Up
(published March 23, 2007)
Gray Matter
(published March 16, 2007)
In Favor of the Draft
(published March 9, 2007)
Umm . . .
(published March 2, 2007)
Telephonophobics
Anonymous
(published February 23,
2007)
Frequently Asinine
Questions
(published February 16,
2007)
Finding the Words
(published February 9,
2007)
See What I Mean?
(published February 2,
2007)
An Engaging Subject
(published January 26,
2007)
Well, I Swear
(published January 19,
2007)
Speaking Up for Introverts
(published January 12,
2007)
Bad English Is a Math
Problem
(published January 5, 2007)
(published April 25, 2008)
Fantastic Testimonials
(published April 18, 2008)
Organized E-Mails
(published April 11, 2008)
You and Me
(published April 4, 2008)
Generation "Hype"
(published March 28, 2008)
Help Yourself
(published March 21, 2008)
The Credible Web
(published March 14, 2008)
History of Spam
(published March 7, 2008)
Potty Talk
(published February 29,
2008)
It's a Matter of Its Usage
(published February 22,
2008)
Greenwashing
(published February 15,
2008)
Cover Letters
(published February 8,
2008)
The Source Effect
(published February 1,
2008)
No Names, You @#$
(published January 25,
2008)
Web Two Point Oh!
(published January 18,
2008)
Good Newsletters
(published January 11,
2008)
Hoshin Kanri
(published January 4, 2008)
Cleaning E-Mail
(published December 21,
2007)
Holiday Book-Giving Guide
(published December 14,
2007)
When PR Is Spam
(published December 7,
2007)
Who Do You Know?
(published November 30,
2007)
A Little Understanding
(published November 23,
2007)
Laptop A.D.D.
(published November 16,
2007)
Enough E-Mail
(published November 9,
2007)
Be a Source
(published November 2,
2007)
Time for NaNoWriMo
(published October 26,
2007)
What's in a Gender?
(published October 19,
2007)
Kiss or Shake?
(published October 12,
2007)
A Comma a Day
(published October 5, 2007)
Twisting Logic
(published September 28,
2007)
Pace Yourself
(published September 21,
2007)
The ABCs of Acronyms
(published September 14,
2007)
Lying Around
(published September 7,
2007)
Who's Not a Writer?
(published August 31, 2007)
What's New
(published August 24, 2007)
Strangely Named
(published August 17, 2007)
Feeling Conflicted
(published August 10, 2007)
Enough About Me
(published August 3, 2007)
Powerfully Pointless
(published July 27, 2007)
I Am Spam?
(published July 20, 2007)
Pain Management
(published July 13, 2007)
Business Idiots
(published July 6, 2007)
Gender-Flexing
(published June 29, 2007)
To the Point: How
(published June 22, 2007)
To the Point: Why
(published June 15, 2007)
Not So Simple
(published June 8, 2007)
Messaging Matters
(published June 1, 2007)
E-mail for Nincompoops
(published May 26, 2007)
Can You Spell Quality?
(published May 19, 2007)
Answer the Phone
(published May 11, 2007)
Grammar Debunked
(published May 4, 2007)
Foreign Correspondence
(published April 27, 2007)
Wrong Words
(published April 20, 2007)
Meet the Editor
(published April 13, 2007)
Customer Disservice?
(published April 6, 2007)
Sartorially Speaking
(published March 30, 2007)
Light it Up
(published March 23, 2007)
Gray Matter
(published March 16, 2007)
In Favor of the Draft
(published March 9, 2007)
Umm . . .
(published March 2, 2007)
Telephonophobics
Anonymous
(published February 23,
2007)
Frequently Asinine
Questions
(published February 16,
2007)
Finding the Words
(published February 9,
2007)
See What I Mean?
(published February 2,
2007)
An Engaging Subject
(published January 26,
2007)
Well, I Swear
(published January 19,
2007)
Speaking Up for Introverts
(published January 12,
2007)
Bad English Is a Math
Problem
(published January 5, 2007)
| And Now... Miss Communications |
"Miss Communications" is Margaret's award-winning column that visits, solves – and sometimes skewers – communication issues in business. To read "Miss Communications," browse through the listing at left and click on a column title. Please be sure to let us know what you think - or suggest a topic for a future column. To feature "Miss Communications" in your publication, please contact Margaret. |
