When to Use May or Can, and Which or That?

When do I use ‘May’ as opposed to ‘Can’? And ‘Which’ or ‘That’; which one’s used when?

When to use ‘Each’ and when to use ‘Both’

When to use ‘Each’ and when to use ‘Both’   Here is another couple (yes, ‘couple’ is a unit so is singular!) of English words which have been known to cause confusion.   Let’s have a look at how they should be used:   ·         We each received a piece of cake. ·         We both [...]

Me, Myself and I

Me, Myself and I (to quote a song title by the wonderfully talented Joan Armatrading – and many others too, according to my search engine of choice…)  When do I use ‘I’, when do I use ‘me’ and when do I use ‘myself’ if I wish to be correct? ‘I’ is a pronoun referring to [...]

Proofreading – the Perfect Profession for Pedants

I make no bones about it; I am a pedantic control freak when it comes to reading and writing, but you should not assume that this trait is followed through into my enthusiasm for housekeeping…  What bliss, then, to have found an outlet for my frustration – and my creativity.  Others may write (most) of [...]

The Same or Different

Word which may be Confused These aren’t actually homonyms (words which sound the same, but have different meanings) as they sound slightly different. Adverse or averse?  I fear an adverse reaction from people averse to being told which is correct.  No I don’t, it just seemed to be a good way to start this piece.  [...]

Broadcast, Forecast

Okay, listen everyone, here is an explanation regarding the second part of the two words I've written.  I cringe when I hear ‘broadcasted’, or ‘forecasted’, but as it is now printed in dictionaries I’m sure that it’s just yet another example of English evolving – and don’t get me wrong, that’s a good and interesting [...]

Is it Lay or Lie? How do I know which one is the correct one to use?

Many people have grown up using the word ‘lay’ as a verb when in fact what they really mean is ‘lie’.  If you lay something down, you place it somewhere.  If you lie down, you do it yourself.  (Of course if you tell a lie then you are a fibber and have told an untruth, [...]

How do I ensure emails are correct before I hit the ‘Send’ button?

Email has almost completely replaced paper memoranda (memos) in our jobs and is, obviously, a much quicker method of transmitting information from place to place and from desk to desk.   And as a side issue: far fewer lost pieces of vital information (barring network crashes and other IT glitches…), fewer piles of manila folders, no [...]

Written Communication

The 7 Cs of Written Communication Clear – makes the reason for the document plain at the first reading Correct – use correct grammar, spelling and vocabulary.  Because your document happens to be business or technical writing, there is no excuse to eschew correct punctuation and spelling Concise – straight to the point.  No need [...]

Academic Documents

Academic documents come in many guises.  If you need help with proofreading your assignment, a paper prior to presentation, your thesis or dissertation, please contact me for professional and timely assistance.  I will be delighted to help you by proofreading your work – however the writing of the paper and the research will be your [...]