February, 2010
An ‘infestation’ of ‘inverted commas’
“Anything that causes you to over-react or under-react can control you, and often does,” reads the quote in the book I’m reading. It’s a book about improving productivity and the quote is absolutely correct. However, it was more relevant at the moment I read it than the author could possibly have imagined.
I found myself very much over-reacting to his over-use of quote marks. He’s wrapped them around anything and everything. On one page alone there are nine instances of totally unnecessary inverted commas. And the very fact I’ve bothered to count them shows I’m over-reacting, and that these seemingly innocuous little punctuation marks are indeed controlling me.
I find them distracting. They force me to pause and emphasise the framed word in a particular way and with a very particular voice in my head that I heartily dislike. So that (and counting the marks) means my productivity is slowed right down: the total opposite of the book’s point.
So when and where should quotation marks be used?
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It’s just so ironic
Let’s start with a little sing-song. All together now…
“It’s like rain on your wedding day
It’s a free ride when you’ve already paid
It’s the good advice that you just didn’t take
And isn’t it ironic … don’t you think?”
Well, no actually I don’t. Bad luck – yes. Ironic – no. So when should you use the word ironic?
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Separated by a common language, guest post by Roy Jacobsen
The first time I ended up on Elaine’s blog, I found myself giggling about her article “A few little words – why straplines matter.” I knew immediately from the context what she was talking about, but for this American reader, straplines are what show up on a woman’s sun-tanned shoulders. So straplines matter here, as well; just not for the same reasons.
England and America are indeed “separated by a common language.”
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Mind your language – setting your Word default to UK English
Making sure the language default in Word, or Pages if you’re a Mac user, is set for UK English isn’t about being patriotic. It’s about writing for your audience. If I were writing for an American audience, I would expect to use American spellings. So if you want to know how to eliminate those ‘z’s and other peculiar spellings.
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Does your CV get you noticed?
Guest post by Kate Walker, career transition consultant and CV expert
Did you know that on average a busy recruiter spends only 60 seconds reading your CV? Sad but true. Especially when you think of the blood, sweat and tears you spent writing it.
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What’s the point of political slogans?
Hot on the heels of my post about straplines, here’s a BBC News online article speculating on the sound-bite Cameron will use to close the Tory conference.
As with straplines, a lot of thought and care has to go into political party soundbites. Yeah, I know. Hard to believe when you hear some of them. Some sound as though they’ve been scribbled on an expenses chit in the back of a limo, on the way back to that second home. Others reek of a slick advertising agency.
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VW Blue Motion ad makes me green with envy – a great illustration of clear, simple, but creative copy
I love this ad for VW’s Blue Motion range. It ran on the London Underground and I’ve seen it at a couple of motorway service stations. I think it’s SO clever.
It perfectly illustrates the power of words when used well and creatively. The message is the economy of the Blue Motion range and it’s reflected by wonderfully economic copy.
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A little guide to keywords and why we need them
Most people know that keywords and phrases play a role in website search engine optimisation (SEO). However, do you know why they are important and how they work? Do you know how to make sure your chosen words and phrases will bring people to your website?
Want to find out more? I asked website designer and developer, Robert Games of Pad Media, to help me put together a basic guide to keywords. And here it is.
Wardrobe rage results in new word
I invented a new word today. Pantrum. It happened quite by accident but I’m really rather pleased with it.
Breakfast networking – worth getting out of bed for?
Very early start this morning (5am) to get to a breakfast networking meeting at Warren House in Kingston upon Thames . I only live 15 minutes away but it takes longer and longer these days to look presentable – especially at 7 in the morning.
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