Your readers’ time is valuable. And the time you spend writing is valuable. That’s why it’s best to use as few words as possible to make your point. There’s no need to make phrases more complex than they need to be. I see many wordy phrases when I edit, but the one I see most […]

One of the revisions I most frequently suggest to writers is to use active voice. You can write in active or passive voice. Both are grammatically correct. But active voice is more engaging and clear than passive voice. What’s active voice? It’s when you structure your sentences so that the subject performs the action. The […]

Have you noticed that the word because has been transformed in speech? Once only a subordinating conjunction, in recent years, people have started to use because as a preposition. For example, “It’s hot outside because . . . summer.” Or “I can’t write clear English sentences because . . . lazy.” Add one word after […]

When I taught kindergarten, I used to tell my students that I have eyes in the back of my head. So when my back was turned, they thought I could still see what they were doing—and who was behaving. They would tell me that they were looking carefully at the back of my head to […]

1. Needless to say . . . People use this phrase when they think what they’re going to say is already understood. But it’s never a good idea to assume your readers already understand something. This phrase serves no purpose in writing. If something doesn’t need to be said, then why are you saying it? […]