Let’s dissect a naff apology: PeoplePerHour
PeoplePerHour recently ran a very ill-advised ad on the tube. Their subsequent apology was…interesting. So let’s see what we can learn from it.
Leveraging holistic solutions disruptively: Why not all buzzwords are created equal
Writers dislike buzzwords. But we shouldn’t assume all buzzwords were bad from the moment they came into existence. There are some I feel quite sorry for.
Words Reviewed: Everything gets reviewed, so why not words?
If we can review spray paint, dog toys and sheds, then it’s about time we started reviewing words. The first five on my chopping block are: Holistic, Winningest, Brandish, Mellifluous and Levity.
Some advice for Southern Rail on how to deliver bad news
Southern Rail are ranked as the worst rail service in the UK. And they only make it worse for themselves with the way they deliver bad news. But it’s easy to fix.
The dress shop from spellchecker hell: A challenge for the grammar police
Are you a member of the grammar police? Do you find it hard to pass over an incorrect ‘their’ without heckling its writer? If so, I have a challenge for you.
Wearing rigid contact lenses is just like learning to use plain English
I’ve recently started wearing rigid contact lenses and it’s really, really uncomfortable. It’s getting better though, and I’ve started to notice that what my optometrist has me doing is quite similar to what I help my clients to do.
Whose milkshake?: Wordy lessons from four song lyrics that annoy me
I don’t get too worked up about grammar in song lyrics. But here are some lyrical missteps that remind me of common problems inexperienced writers face.
Presenting: The scale of naughtiness
Our Prime Minister’s wheat field trespassing was outrageously naughty. But was it mischief? Or shenanigans? I’ve been pondering the silliness of synonyms.
The banana stealing monkey police: All about ambiguity
Good writing doesn’t have to be breathtakingly eloquent. But it does have to be crystal clear. Here are some dead simple ways to fix ambiguous phrases.
How one terribly written poster almost ruined the brilliant Motown Musical
I really enjoyed Motown the Musical. But I have serious beef with a poster that was plastered all over the theatre. So let’s give it a proper post-mortem.