University Writing Center (UWC)

In A Word

Words of Wisdom

I always start writing with a clean piece of paper and a dirty mind.

— Patrick Dennis

The University

Click to Listen to In A Word Podcast, microphone artwork

Writing Center hosts a podcast entitled "In a Word" on our local public radio station, KAMU-FM. It airs every Wednesday morning at 8:30 am and provides short tips on writing and speaking.

The podcast was originally conceived and recorded by writing center consultant Mary Beth Schaefer. Later, Candace Hastings, then director of the University Writing Center, took over recording duties with the content being produced by members of the UWC staff, under the editorial direction of Nancy Vazquez and Dr. Valerie Balester.

You can listen to the podcast online at KAMU-FM.

Episodes so far have included writing memos, cover letters, and thank you letters, designing slides, dealing with writer's block, and writing effective introductions, just to name a few.

Original Air Date	Episode's Subject	Description	Tags
Dec 28, 2016	Spelling	Automated spelling help isn’t always reliable, as anyone who’s ever been the victim of an embarrassing auto-correct will tell you.	grammar, word, spell check, error, proofread
Dec 21, 2016	Talking about Writing	Professional writers know that at some point, they need a friendly ear, someone willing to read their work and talk about it with them, helping them see it from a fresh perspective.	revision, revising, process, edit, inspiration, ideas, productivity
Dec 14, 2016	Breaking the Rules	Even those of us who aren’t aspiring to lofty literary heights can sometimes benefit from breaking a few grammar conventions.	error, correct, grammar, rule, style, usage
Dec 7, 2016	Presentation Technology	These days almost everyone who’s asked to give a presentation uses software like PowerPoint or Prezi to add visuals to their talk. But do those programs really make your presentation better?	speech, slide, visuals
Nov 30, 2016	Writing Motivation	Sometimes you have the threat of a looming deadline to keep you energized. At other times, though, even that’s not enough.	inspiration
Nov 23, 2016	Latin Abbreviations	We still use a number of abbreviated Latin words and phrases that sometimes cause confusion.	word, diction, style, spelling, grammar, usage
Nov 16, 2016	Either Neither/Both And	Conjunctions alone don't always clarify the relationship between your ideas. You might use correlative conjunctions instead.	style, diction, word, grammar, conjunction
Nov 9, 2016	Writing Lists	A list is one of the most simple, yet powerful structures we have for organizing information.	business, technical, style, concise, organize, punctuation
Nov 2, 2016	Paragraph Length	We indicate a paragraph break by indenting or adding an extra line space. However we indicate it, a paragraph break is just that—a break for the reader.	style, concise, clarity, revision, revising
Oct 26, 2016	CreepyPasta	How have those scary stories we once told around the campfire evolved?	creative writing, narrative
Oct 12, 2016	Words That Used To Be Wrong	Many words used today were once considered wrong, but language changes, and some of those old "errors" are not even challenged today.	usage, diction, word choice, vocabulary, change, error, correct
Oct 5, 2016	Personal Statements	If you need to write a personal statement, be prepared to spend a lot of time brainstorming and revising, in order to create a document that reflects the best of who you are.	job, application, scholarship
Sep 28, 2016	FanFiction	Fanfiction is writing based on an existing work that takes that work’s familiar characters and plots in new and often unexpected directions.	creative
Sep 21, 2016	Latin Words and Phrases	Because Latin was the language of the educated for much of European history, the fields of medicine, law, religion, and science have an especially large proportion of Latin words.	diction, idiom
Sep 14, 2016	Words That Aren't Words	Have you ever heard someone claim that a word isn’t really a word? What they usually mean is that the word is somehow suspect or has a bad pedigree or isn’t in the dictionary.	usage, correct, error, diction
Sep 7, 2016	Fundraising (Don’t Be Afraid to Ask)	Asking for donations isn’t as difficult (or awkward) as you might think it would be. It helps to be passionate about the organization and able to communicate that passion to others.	business, civility, politeness, courtesy
Aug 31, 2016	Communicating With Customers	Most businesses can’t afford to alienate or anger their customers. So if your job involves communicating with customers remember this: empathy, not ego.	sales, business. civility, politeness, courtesy
Aug 24, 2016	Honorific Titles	How do you write a salutation to someone you’ve never met without making possibly incorrect assumptions about their gender identity?	business, salutation, courtesy, politeness, civility, letter. memo
Aug 17, 2016	Making an Appeal	Sometimes you can appeal for a decision to be overturned. Knowing how to write an appeal can increase your chances of success.	decision, overturn
Aug 10, 2016	Reading Bad Writing	There are few things more inspiring to beginning writers than discovering a writer who’s work is worse than their own.	style, inspiration, ideas
Aug 3, 2016	Slow Wind-Ups	Long sentence introductions can confuse readers, who often feel adrift in a sentence’s sea of words until--finally!--they reach the main clause, which they then cling to like a linguistic life raft.	sentence, style, concise, clarity, wordy
Jul 27, 2016	Writing Well Pays	A 2014 survey by Grammarly.com found evidence of a relationship between better writing and higher compensation.	business
Jul 20, 2016	Sentence Fragments	Even though sentence fragments are often considered errors, there’s a long history of used them not only deliberately but even eloquently.	error, correct, grammar. punctation, clarity, usage
Jul 13, 2016	Repetition Has Its Uses	Sometimes, too much repetition (or repetition in the wrong places) can make your writing clunky. But repetition can also be a powerful tool, especially when it’s used deliberately and thoughtfully.	style, wordy, concise, clarity, usage
Jul 6, 2016	Goodbye to Generic He?	When referring to a single individual of unknown gender, you can use the generic masculine, the far-less-common generic feminine, or the clunky “he or she.” Or you can choose the singular “they.”	grammar, usage, error, correct, proofread, style
Jun 29, 2016	Impromptu Writing	Impromptu writing is writing you do on the fly, such as when you take an in-class essay exam. It presents a challenge, even to the best of writers.	test, exam, ready, in-class
Jun 22, 2016	Writing a Eulogy	One of the best ways to started writing the eulogy is to pick one or two qualities about the person that you want to focus on.	memory, memoir, appreciation, death
Jun 15, 2016	Father's Day Story	If you’ve ever had to buy a gift for Father's Day, you know it can be challenging. You might consider telling his story—a one-of-a-kind gift he’ll never forget.	biography, memoir, gift
Jun 8, 2016	Parentheticals	In writing, parentheticals are set off by commas, dashes, or parentheses, depending on how disruptive they are to the flow of the sentence. Parentheticals are also common in speech.	style, clarity, wordy, concise, punctuation
Jun 1, 2016	My One and Only	The word “one” can be used in many different and confusing ways, as a noun, an adjective, or an indefinite pronoun.	pronoun, clarity, style, word. diction, grammar
May 25, 2016	Travel Diaries	Keeping a travel diary is a great way to entertain your friends and family and create a memorable record a special trip.	Memory, memoir
May 18, 2016	Dear Service Member	One of the best ways to recognize the people of our armed forces is to send a letter of support, especially to those serving far from home.	veteran, thank, appreciate, letter
May 11, 2016	Obituaries	While writing an obituary is certainly difficult, the process can actually be comforting for the writer. And, ideally, it will comfort the readers, as well.	death, memory, memoir
May 4, 2016	Mother’s Day Memories	You may be looking for a unique way to say thanks to your mom. Why not make a memory jar?	memory, memoir, thanks
Apr 27, 2016	ALL-CAPS	Capital letters have long been used to get readers’ attention, to abbreviate long phrases, and as headings. In emails and text messages, however, they’re read as if someone is shouting.	spelling, punctuation, emphasis, capitalization, usage
Apr 20, 2016	Presenting an Award	If you’re the person asked to give out an award and “say a few words” at the presentation, you may be feeling nervous.	presentation, speech, appreciation
Apr 13, 2016	Error	Novice writers often equate good writing with error-free writing, but they do so at their peril.	revising, revision, proofread, correct, usage, edit
Apr 6, 2016	Appreciating Poetry	Reading poetry can re-energize a writer's approach to language and make all of their writing more vivid and concise.	prose, writer, concise, vivid, style, inspiration
Mar 30, 2016	Real Estate Love Letters	Real estate agents are, in some situations, advising their clients to write a heartfelt personal letter in order to close a deal or encourage a bidding war.	business
Mar 23, 2016	Make Time to Read	Novelist Stephen King once said, “If you don’t have time to read, you don’t have time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that.”	inspiration, pre-writing, style, creative, ideas
Mar 16, 2016	Emojis	As any mathematician will tell you, symbols speak volumes. But these days, writers have a whole new set of symbols to use, namely, emojis.	style, email, business
Mar 9, 2016	Double Negatives	Double negatives are not always wrong; they have their uses, such as expressing irony or capturing colloquial speech.	grammar, usage, error, correct, proofread, irony, tone
Mar 2, 2016	Cultivating Creativity	Creativity is important not only for writers, artists, and entertainers but anyone trying to solve a problem or make connections between ideas. How can we re-awaken our creativity?	brainstorm, process, inspiration, inspire, art, writer
Feb 24, 2016	Condolence Messages	When someone you know suffers a loss, it’s traditional to send a message of condolence. A card can serve the purpose. But there may be times when you want to send a more personal message.	death, comfort
Feb 17, 2016	Ethical Appeals	When speakers use ethos to convince an audience of something, rhetoricians call that an “ethical appeal.”	rhetoric, persuade, argue, character, speech, presentation
Feb 10, 2016	New Words II	Today I’ll share a few of the newest coinages I’ve heard lately.	diction, dictionary, correct
Feb 3, 2016	The Perfect Writing Setup	A writer needs time to write—and the mental and physical space that lets it happen.	environment, setting, process, inspiration, ideas
Jan 27, 2016	Writing Programs	Trying to write a long document can feel overwhelming, and many writers get lost and never finish. But having a program can make all the difference.	motivation, inspiration, productivity
Jan 20, 2016	National Handwriting Day	Research indicates that the physical act of handwriting stimulates brain activity that helps children learn letters and also seems to help students learn better.	memory, learning, notes, literacy
Jan 13, 2016	Our Changing Language	Don’t be afraid of linguistic fluctuation. If English never changed, we’d all still sound like Chaucer.	style, word, grammar, usage
Jan 6, 2016	Please Stop	If you’ve asked your co-workers or employees nicely and politely, and they still ignore your requests, you might be coming across as a pushover without even realizing it.	politieness, courtesy, civility, style, letters, memos, business
Dec 30, 2015	Resolution Journals	Writing can help New Year's resolutions stick and resolutions journals are a great tool for helping you reaach your goals.	reflection, inspiration,diary, plan, productivity
Dec 23, 2015	Between Us	Pronouns have what grammarians call case. The three cases in English are nominative, genitive, and accusative.	pronoun, preposition, grammar, style, usage, case
Dec 16, 2015	Consider the Source	Librarians advise researchers to consider four factors when evaluating sources: currency, reliability, authority, and purpose.	research, information, library, currency, authority, reliability
Dec 9, 2015	Taking Criticism	Not everything you write will please everyone. Every rejection and critique, however, affords you the chance to take away valuable insights.	Feedback, revision, revise, review, process, critique, rejection
Dec 2, 2015	Mark Twain’s Oratory	Anyone who wants to be a better public speaker can learn several important lessons from Mark Twain.	speaking, speaker, rhetoric, memory, practice, presentation
Nov 25, 2015	Thanksgiving Table Talk	There are strategies you can use to stimulate conversation and help forge new connections at your holiday gatherings.	apprecication, memory, memoir. conversation
Nov 18, 2015	Reading Aloud	If you want to raise your writing to a new level, try reading your work out loud.	style, proofreading, editing, edit, prose
Nov 11, 2015	The Aggie War Hymn	On Veteran's Day, we remember James Vernon “Pinky” Wilson, class of 1920, the man behind the Aggie War Hymn.	song, veteran, Pinky Wilson, memory
Nov 4, 2015	Apostrophes	The apostrophe may seem like an unassuming little punctuation mark, but it causes a lot of confusion.	punctuation, punctuate, possession, grammar, spelling
Oct 28, 2015	National Novel Writing Month	Think you could write a novel in a month? The idea is daunting. And yet some intrepid writers are daring to complete their novels in just 30 days.	creative, inspiration, productivity
Oct 21, 2015	Note-Taking	Research shows that taking good notes helps you process information and learn it more thoroughly. But which is more effective: writing notes by hand or using a tablet or laptop?	learning
Oct 14, 2015	College Admission Essays	While writing a college admission essay can be intimidating, it is often your only chance to communicate directly to the admissions committee.	application
Oct 7, 2015	Help for College Writers	College student seeking help with writing, from getting started to proofreading, should check out their campus writing center.	tutor, consult, grammar, proofread, student
Sep 30, 2015	Rhetorical Questions	Rhetorical questions are, by definition, questions no one expects to be answered. The purpose of a rhetorical question is to make a point, usually in a big way.	rhetoric, style, device
Sep 23, 2015	Adjectives and Noun Modifiers	Enhance your writing by knowing when and how to use adjectives, which are single words that describe nouns, and noun modifiers, words or phrases that shape the meaning of a noun.	description, style, clarity
Sep 16, 2015	Jargon	Some writers and editors seem to believe that jargon’s primary function is to confuse people. But most jargon arises to fill a need. It’s often the most precise way to describe something.	word, diction, style, technical, scientific
Sep 9, 2015	Conclusions	A good conclusion—whether to a speech, a letter, or an essay—can be hard to write. A carefully formulated conclusion is your chance to leave a lasting impression.	Drafting, essay, ending
Sep 2, 2015	Obsolete Words	The editors of the Concise Oxford English Dictionary define “obsolete” words as “out-of-date” or “no longer in general use.”	diction, style
Aug 26, 2015	Eponyms	Many words in English come from people’s names, either real people or fictional ones. These words are known as eponyms.	style, diction, word
Aug 19, 2015	Egg-corns	Have you ever been confused by people saying “for all intensive purposes”? Misused idiomatic expressions such as this are known as “egg-corns,” after a mispronunciation of the word “acorn.”	diction, words, style, error, correct
Aug 12, 2015	Shall and Will	“Shall” and “will” originally had distinct uses – and even now there are a few occasions where “shall” might be a better choice.	usage, grammar, style, correct, error
Aug 5, 2015	Resumes	A resume seems like a simple, straightforward document—at least until you start to write your own, when it suddenly feels a lot more complicated.	job, business
Jul 29, 2015	Contronyms	There are a number of words in English that are their own opposite.	diction, words, style
Jul 22, 2015	Redundant and Stock Phrases	Needless repetition can make our sentences sound wordy and unprofessional and even distract readers from our meaning.	diction, word, wordy, concise, clarity, style
Jul 15, 2015	Inspiration	Most writers disagree with the idea of inspiration as something passive. If you want to write, you first have to expose yourself to new ideas and information.	brainstorm, pre-writing, ideas, productivity
Jul 8, 2015	Writing Recommendation Letters	If you’ve been asked to write a letter of recommendation for a student, employee, or colleague, you may think the best way to proceed is to focus on the person you’re writing about. Not so.	business,
Jul 1, 2015	Show Don’t Tell	A story without details can be downright boring, like eating a bread and butter sandwich.	creative, essay, style, detail, concrete, specific
Jun 24, 2015	Inclusive Language	Most writers and speakers strive to make their language inclusive. But it’s not always easy to recognize what might be offensive.	usage, style, gender, pronoun, offense, politeness, courtest, civility
Jun 17, 2015	Accepting Apologies	Especially in a professional setting, it’s important to respond to an apology gracefully, no matter how convincing (or unconvincing) it may be.	politeness, civility, courtesy
Jun 10, 2015	Giving a Toast	Whether given at a wedding, anniversary party, or retirement ceremony, a toast can elevate a crowd, even before anything alcoholic is imbibed.	memory, speech, presentation
Jun 2, 2015	Dictionaries: Prescriptive & Descriptive	Dictionaries fall into one of two camps; some focus on describing how language is actually used, while others focus on prescribing how language should be used.	words, diction, usage
May 27, 2015	Contractions	You may have been told that you should never use contractions in formal communication. In truth, contractions have been a part of our language since Old English.	grammar, punctuation, punctuate, usage, style, apostrophe
May 20, 2015	Capitalization	Capitalization is really a matter of style rather than grammar.	style, grammar, spelling
May 13, 2015	Dangling and Misplaced Modifiers	Modfiers can add rich and important detail to your sentences. Sometimes, however, they wander off from their proper place in the sentence and cause confusion or vagueness in your writing.	Grammar, usage, style, clarity, error, correct, proofread, revise, revising
May 6, 2015	Formatting Web Pages	These tips for formatting web pages were suggested by Stephanie Leary, author of Content Strategy for Word Press.	Stephanie Leary
Apr 29, 2015	Demonstrative Sentence Openers	If you’re in the habit of starting sentences with one of the four demonstrative pronouns we have in English (“this,” “that,” “these” and “those”), you may want to do some revising.	grammar, style, clarity, concision, concise, revise, revision
Apr 15, 2015	Giving Bad News	The bad news is that you’ll likely have to deliver bad news to someone at least once in your lifetime. The good news is that there are techniques to make it easier.	letter, memo, business
Apr 8, 2015	Ending a Sentence with a Preposition	Nowadays, ending a sentence with a preposition is no longer considered vulgar or bad English.	grammar, correct, error, style, usage
Apr 2, 2015	Split Infinitives	While many grammarians will warn you that split infinitives are sloppy (at best) and confusing (at worst), writers from John Donne to Benjamin Franklin to Emily Dickenson have split at will.	usage, grammar, error, correct
Apr 1, 2015	Complaints	Here are a few tips for communicating a complaint, particularly to a business, that will be most likely to get results, such as an apology or a fix for the problem.	business, civility, politeness, courtesy
Mar 25, 2015	Excuses	Most people don’t want to hear excuses, but sometimes you have to make one.	politeness, civility, courtesy
Mar 18, 2015	Preposition Overload	Prepositions are certainly useful, but stringing together too many prepositional phrases can be a problem for readers.	concise, clarity, wordiness, style
Mar 14, 2015	Reading the Good Stuff	One of the easiest ways to improve your writing is to read. It can be especially useful to find and take note of well-crafted writing, the kind that engages your mind and pleases your ear.	style, creative, inspiration, ideas
Mar 11, 2015	Expletives	Starting sentences with expletives can result in wordiness or ambiguity, or leave you with flat-footed prose devoid of rhythm.	style, concise, wordy
Feb 25, 2015	Keeping a Journal	Keeping a journal has advantages. It allows you to record your thoughts, your feelings and your reactions to your life, process your feelings, and think more deeply.	brainstorm, plan, diary, inspiration, productivity
Feb 18, 2015	Handling Open-Ended Job Interview Questions	There are some obvious keys to a successful interview, such as knowing how to discuss your qualifications. But sometimes all it takes is a seemingly innocuous question to make things go wrong.	resume, ask
Feb 11, 2015	Be My Valentine	Why not write the perfect Valentine yourself?	creative, appreication
Feb 4, 2015	Managing Stage Fright	Luckily, there are several practical things you can do to reduce your anxiety about public speaking.	speech, presentation, practice
Jan 28, 2015	Nominalizations	A nominalization is a noun that created from another part of speech. It’s useful to identify nominalizations because they can make your writing wordy and cumbersome.	concise, style, wordy, clarity, noun
Jan 21, 2015	The Exclamation Proclamation	For years, writers and editors alike have debated over the use of the “bang,” as the exclamation point is also known. Specifically, they’re concerned with the exclamation point’s level of formality.	punctuation, punctuate, grammar, error, proofread, correct, emphasis
Jan 14, 2015	Thesaurus Day	Ask any writing teacher about thesaurustitis. It’s a well-documented disease afflicting students in our nation’s high schools and colleges.	synonym, antonym, diction, word, reference
Jan 7, 2015	Mechanical Emphasis	Mechanical emphasis is using punctuation or typographical elements to stress a word or idea.	error, style, clarity, type, punctuation
Dec 31, 2014	Email Signatures	For business email, your signature block should probably include your name, title, company name, address, and phone. If your company has a web site or links to social media, you might include that.	business, letter
Dec 24, 2014	He or She?	We’re aware that doctors and plumbers are often female. Using “he” as our default pronoun is an example of biased language. How should we refer to a generic person whose gender is unknown?	pronoun, grammar, gender, bias, correct, error, usage
Dec 17, 2014	Padding	Writers use padding to reach an assigned word count or meet the required minimum time for a speech. There are better ways to meet readers' expectations.	definition, quotation, concise, wordy, style, clarity, revising, revision, example
Dec 10, 2014	Comma Splices	One of the most common punctuation errors in written English is the comma splice.	punctuation, punctuate, grammar, error, run-on, proofread, correct
Dec 3, 2014	Managing Group Writing Projects	If you take time to make some key decisions at the beginning of the process, you can avoid the usual pitfalls of group writing projects.	collaboration, co-author, process
Nov 26, 2014	What’s Up with Whom?	Most of us aren’t sure when to use the word whom and some of us even feel a little funny saying it, as if we’re putting on airs.	usage, pronoun, grammar, correct, error
Nov 24, 2014	Commonplace Books	A commonplace book is a grab-bag collection of ideas and inspiration—a scrapbook for the mind and a valuable tool for a writer--or anyone else engaged in creative work.	journal, brainstorm, diary, plan, inspiration, productivity
Nov 19, 2014	Making Apologies	Sometimes, an apology is due, and you’re the one who has to make it.	politeness, courtesy, civility
Nov 5, 2014	Sentence Variety	Short sentences pack a punch. Longer, more expansive sentences, loaded with information and detail are great for explaining complicated ideas or showing relationships between ideas.	usage, style, punctation, grammar
Oct 29, 2014	Sentences Beginning with "And" & "But"	People say you should never start a sentence with certain words: the two words most often singled out are "and" and "but." But you can start a sentence with either word.	usage, grammar, correct, error, transition
Oct 24, 2014	Writers' Advice on Writing	Sometimes the advice dispensed by literary heavyweights, in interviews or how-to-books, is a little questionable.	inspriation,ideas, productivity, style, creative
Oct 15, 2014	Scare Quotes	We’re most accustomed to using quotation marks to set off someone else’s words in dialogue or as an excerpt. But quotation marks can also be used in a couple of other ways.	punctuation, usage, style, emphasis, title, sarcasm
Oct 8, 2014	Mastering the Tweet	Twitter has become a source for breaking news, as well as a platform for sharing experiences and engaging in civic conversations. How do you make every tweet count?	social media, conversation
Oct 1, 2014	Oxford Comma	The contentious Oxford comma comes before the coordinating conjunction in a list of three or more things.	punctuation, usage, style, grammar, Harvard, comma, list
Sep 24, 2014	Dictionaries	A dictionary can do much more than improve your spelling. Looking a word up can help you understand the word’s origin and suggest nuances of meaning you might otherwise have missed.	words, diction, spelling, connotation, etymology, pronunciation
Sep 17, 2014	Spotlighting Effect	The "spotlighting effect" is the idea that in social situations we all feel we’re being examined much more closely than we really are.	presentation, speech, practice, stage fright, anxiety
Sep 10, 2014	Memos	Memo writers sometimes give memos a bad name. If you have to write a memo, you might want to keep a few tips in mind.	business, letter, concise, clear, style
Sep 3, 2014	Sentence-to-sentence Transitions	Good writers know that they have to guide readers through their logic, making the connections between their ideas clear and easy to follow.	grammar, style, usage, organize, coherence
Aug 27, 2014	Thank You Letters	If there’s one kind of document everyone should know how to write, it’s a thank you letter.	appreciation, civility, politeness, courtesy
Aug 20, 2014	What Kind of Writer Are You?	Knowing what kind of writer you are can help you understand and improve your writing process.	style, productivity, process, anxiety
Aug 13, 2014	Cover Letters	A cover letter is your opportunity to introduce yourself to an employer—to show you are professional and personable.	business, jobs, resume
Aug 6, 2014	Point of View	Whether we’re composing a novel, journal article or annual report, we have to make hundreds of decisions about our writing, an important one being the point of view we use.	creative, style, first person, I, you, pronoun
Jul 30, 2014	Using Models	Using a model is helpful when you are not sure how a finished product should look. The COST acronym (content, organization, style and tone) can help decide how to use the model.	plan, inspiration, productivity, block
Jul 23, 2014	Writing Abstracts	An abstract is a stand-alone summary of a presentation or written work, and it’s purpose is to briefly give readers an idea of what to expect out of a talk or written work.	academic, summary
Jul 16, 2014	New Words I	One of the more obvious ways our language changes is through the creation of new words that reflect technological and societal changes	diction, dictionary, correct
Jul 9, 2014	Finding and Accessing Scholarly Sources	With the overwhelming amount of information available to us, it can be hard to know where to look first or what information to trust when you are doing research.	library, research, essay, presentation
Jul 2, 2014	Commonly Misused & Confused Words II	Misuse of words can be a result of hearing a word or phrase in speech and accidentally writing a similar-sounding word that means something different.	diction, choice, style, error, usage
Jun 25, 2014	Regional Expressions	Regionalisms add depth and color to our language. But they can also cause confusion.	word, diction, usage, error, correct
Jun 18, 2014	Writer's Block	When you think you have writer’s block, try one or more of these strategies.	productvity, anxiety, motivation, process
Jun 11, 2014	Rhetorical Devices	Rhetorical devices are tricks of the trade that writers and speakers use to make their messages more effective and memorable.	alliteration, rhetoric. style, essay, speech, presentation, parallelism
Jun 4, 2014	Tricks for Finding Errors	Sometimes, it’s hard to catch typos and grammatical issues on your own. Luckily, there are a few strategies you can use to find errors you might have overlooked in the revision process.	correct, proofread, revise, revising, editing, revision
May 28, 2014	Semicolons and Colons	The semi-colon is used to join two complete sentences that are strongly related. Colons follow complete sentences, but the part after the colon might be a complete sentence or a fragment.	puncutation, grammar
May 21, 2014	Slide Design	You should put time and consideration into the content and design of your slides.	speech, presentation, visual
May 14, 2014	Presenting to Persuade	A persuasive presentation should get your audience to take an action, form an opinion, or change a behavior.	speech, presentation, audience, rhetoric
May 7, 2014	Writing Concisely	Wordiness can often interfere with clarity. Readers appreciate writing that delivers a message efficiently and clearly.	concise, wordy, clarity, style
Apr 30, 2014	Passive and Active Voice	The active voice emphasizes the main actor in the sentence by placing it before the main action. In the passive voice, either the action comes before the actor, or the actor is not mentioned.	grammar, wordiness, concise, clarity, style
Apr 23, 2014	Giving Useful Feedback	If someone asks for your help with something they’re writing, it’s important to give them meaningful feedback.	critique, proofread, revise, revising
Apr 16, 2014	Engaging Blog Posts	One principle always holds true when writing blog posts. In fact, this principle applies to all writing and speaking projects: Know your audience and purpose.	style, web, audience, purpose
Apr 9, 2014	Effective Introductions	Some documents have introductions that are direct. But maybe your situation lends itself to a more creative introduction.	opening, essay, organization
Apr 2, 2014	Commonly Misused & Confused Words I	Some words become trendy, and others become antiquated. Sometimes words adopt new meanings. They adjust to how people use them.	diction, choice, style, error, usage

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