March 2023- The active voice makes sentences come alive
In the active voice, there’s action and the person or thing doing the action is included from the get-go as the subject. In the passive voice, the person or thing (subject) is acted on or affected by the action.
Examples:
Joe drafted the reply. (Active)
A reply was drafted by Joe. (Passive)
To use the active voice, start by assuming the role of the character. Ask yourself what the character would do or say in the situation. Then, make your verb strong and action-orientated. Avoid using verbs like is, are and have.
Examples:
They have chosen the red one. (Clumsy and wordy)
They chose the red one. (Clear and direct)
Yours in writing it as it is
Bev Hawthorne
Cell: 083 255 8408
Email: bev@thewritingschool.co.za
Facebook: facebook.com/writingschool/
April 2022- Emphasise the benefit, not the penalty
With notices, avoid telling the reader what to do by threatening them with what will happen if they don’t do it. Highlight what’s in it for them.
Rather than this: No mask, no entry!
Say this: Customers wearing masks are welcome.
Rather than this: Fines for littering
Say this: Please use the bins to help keep this area clean.
People are more likely to comply with a request that has been positively framed to promote the benefit.
Yours in writing it as it is
Bev Hawthorne
Cell: 083 255 8408
Email: bev@thewritingschool.co.za
Facebook: facebook.com/writingschool/
March 2022- Write like a champion
Here are my top writing tips to keep you on track:
- Beginnings matter.
- Write what you want to read.
- Eliminate fluff.
- To sound smart, stop trying to sound smart.
- Edit ruthlessly.
Yours in writing it as it is
Bev Hawthorne
Cell: 083 255 8408
Email: bev@thewritingschool.co.za
Facebook: facebook.com/writingschool/
October 2021- Use the power of positive language
The words you speak, read and expose yourself to impact your personal health. Become conscious of what you say and write to shift the energy you give to others and bring on yourself.
For example:
- Use uplifting descriptions such as great, terrific and fantastic if you had a really good time.
- Instead of saying something was terrible, say I’ve had better.
- Ban yourself from defaulting to negative phrasing such as not possible, unfortunately, the problem is and can’t.
- The modifiers might, slight, sort of and kind of make things seem less or smaller.
- Be diplomatic: Please recheck your invoice is less accusatory than Your invoice is wrong.
Yours in using the power of positive words
Bev Hawthorne
Cell: 083 255 8408
Email: bev@thewritingschool.co.za
Facebook: facebook.com/writingschool/
August 2021- Use hyphens to help your reader
Hyphens show your reader which words are linked and should be read together as one unit of meaning.
For example: cash-in-transit problems, month-on-month growth, incident-free days
But where you put the hyphen can make a big difference to the meaning of a compound word or phrase. Describing someone as a heavy-equipment operator is very different to referring to him as a heavy equipment-operator!
Yours in writing it as it is
Bev Hawthorne
Cell: 083 255 8408
Email: bev@thewritingschool.co.za
Facebook: facebook.com/writingschool/
July 2021- Read aloud when you edit
If you stumble over words when you read your writing aloud, think about your poor reader!
Reading aloud helps check the tone, flag overly long and complicated sentences, and highlight where a comma may be necessary to indicate a pause.
Yours in writing it as it is
Bev Hawthorne
Cell: 083 255 8408
Email: bev@thewritingschool.co.za
Facebook: facebook.com/writingschool/
February 2021 – Put your best font forward in emails
When choosing the font for your business emails, the key should be readability.
Font style: Stick to the classics – Arial, Calibri and Helvetica.
Font size: Don’t go any smaller than 10 points.
Font colour: Black is the safest option or dark grey or blue.
Yours in writing it as it is
Bev Hawthorne
Cell: 083 255 8408
Email: bev@thewritingschool.co.za
Facebook: facebook.com/writingschool/
December 2020 – Steer clear of comma splices this Christmas
As we near the end of the strangest of
years, we thought we’d revisit one of the most common comma errors – the comma splice.
When two groups of words stand by themselves as complete sentences, they shouldn’t be joined by a comma. They’re independent clauses and a comma isn’t strong enough to glue them together.
Example: It’s been a tough year but we’ve survived it, thanks for your contribution and commitment.
The easiest way to correct this is to write two sentences separated by a full stop.
Example: It’s been a tough year but we’ve survived it. Thanks for your contribution and commitment.
Stay safe and see you in 2021!
Bev Hawthorne
Cell: 083 255 8408
Email: bev@thewritingschool.co.za
Twitter: @grammarbasics
Facebook: facebook.com/writingschool/
September 2020 – Public notices should be polite!
Write public notices in a friendly, positive way that makes people want to act as instructed, rather than offending or bossing them.
Rather than: STOP LITTERING!
Use: Please use the bins provided
Rather than: KEEP OFF THE GRASS!!!!
Use: Please stay on the pathway – we are trying to grow the grass
Yours in saying it like it is
Bev Hawthorne
Cell: 083 255 8408
Email: bev@thewritingschool.co.za
Twitter: @grammarbasics
Facebook: facebook.com/writingschool/
July 2020 – Do you really need regular writing tips
Every email, post or message you write is a chance to inspire confidence in you and your business. Careless errors make you look bad and can be a deal-breaker.
Answer these questions highlighting five common mistakes, then check how well you fared here:
1. What’s wrong with this sentence? The list of topics are attached.
2. Which it’s is not correct? It’s interesting to watch a cat lick it’s tail.
3. What’s wrong with this sentence? We excepted their offer.
4. Is a comma really necessary in this sentence? Do you prefer coffee, or tea?
5. Which word is preferable in this sentence? She is the one that/who found the wallet.
Yours in saying it like it is
Bev Hawthorne
Cell: 083 255 8408
Email: bev@thewritingschool.co.za
Twitter: @grammarbasics
Facebook: facebook.com/writingschool/
June 2020 – A lesson on writing lists (during lockdown)
There are a few simple things you can do to turn an ordinary list into an exceptional list.
Writer Niki Moore compiled this delightful list of lessons learnt during lockdown:
- It is possible to do your own housework and gardening.
2. You don’t need half of the things you buy.
3. Never let your daughter cut your hair.
4. Jigsaw puzzles can get boring after a while.
5. American television is mostly horrible.
6. DIY is not completely a man thing.
7. A lot of books are better when you read them the second time.
8. Family is very, very important.
9. The earth can heal itself better than we think.
Niki’s offering is a great list. Here’s a short video explaining why.
Yours in saying it like it is
Bev Hawthorne
Cell: 083 255 8408
Email: bev@thewritingschool.co.za
Twitter: @grammarbasics
Facebook: facebook.com/writingschool/
April 2020 – Are your emails saying what you want them to say?
Here’s your chance to check yourself…
Like many people, you probably use email as your primary communication for business. There may be things that you’re unconsciously doing (or not doing) that are impacting on how your audience receives and responds to your message.
Reply to this tip by sending me a short email – no longer than three paragraphs. Choose any topic, and if you can’t think of one, describe one positive you’ve experienced during the last week. A member of our team will reply, giving you feedback on how effectively your email communicated your message, and possibly offering you some insights into how to improve your day-to-day writing.
Cell: 083 255 8408
Email: bev@thewritingschool.co.za
Twitter: @grammarbasics
Facebook: facebook.com/writingschool/
March 2020 – Plurals don’t need apostrophes
Can you see the errors in this ad? That’s
right – none of the nouns should have an apostrophe. Pizzas, deals, wings, wedges, drinks and desserts are all plurals, not possessives.
Something else that doesn’t need an apostrophe is a plural abbreviation: you refer to reviewing the job applicants’ CVs
or a conference for CEOs.
And you don’t use an apostrophe when writing a number followed by an ‘s’ to
denote a plural, such as in her 30s or used in the 1990s.
Cell: 083 255 8408
Email: bev@thewritingschool.co.za
Twitter: @grammarbasics
Facebook: facebook.com/writingschool/
January 2020 – Capital letters – when and when not?
The festive season is finished and celebrations are done.
You’ll have to wait until Easter and Family Day to have fun.
Go down your road to the park. Explore a wine route by car.
Visit the castle – that’s the Castle of Good Hope – it’s not far.
Summer is windy and hot, winter is pretty cold,
Here in the western part of the Cape – south of the City of Gold.
Everyone is watching their rands and cents –
Students, doctors, ladies and gents.
Eskom is causing migraines, and the coronavirus is here.
Captain Kolisi is injured but the team manager is near.
Many are vegetarians, or on the Banting diet to be pure.
But, to me, there’s nothing a Hawaiian pizza can’t cure!
An explanation of why some letters start with a capital and others don’t:
festive season: used to describe a period (as an adjective)
Easter and Family Day: public holidays (proper nouns)
road, park, wine route, castle: generic places, not specific places such as Rose Road, Keurboom Park and the Castle of Good Hope
Summer, Here, Students: capitalising the first word of a new line (traditional poetic feature)
winter: all seasons are common nouns, not proper nouns
western, south: directions don’t get capital letters unless they form part of a name, eg, Western Cape
City of Gold: name of a specific place (proper noun)
rands and cents: common nouns
doctors, ladies, gents: all common nouns
Eskom: proper noun
migraines, coronavirus: type of headache and virus, not names of specific diseases
Captain Kolisi: title and name of a specific person (proper noun)
team manager: generic description of a job, not someone specific
vegetarians: common noun
Banting: named after a specific person, William Banting (proper noun)
Hawaiian: specific nationality (proper noun)
pizza: common noun
Cell: 083 255 8408
Email: bev@thewritingschool.co.za
Twitter: @grammarbasics
Facebook: facebook.com/writingschool/
December 2019 – ’Tis the season to be jolly (and to use contractions)
Email’s the way we communicate today,
With business getting done in a more informal way.
To make your comms less stilted and help your writing flow
Use contractions – for emails they’re the way to go!
Thanks for your support this year and have a fun festive season.
Bev Hawthorne
Cell: 083 255 8408
Email: bev@thewritingschool.co.za
Twitter: @grammarbasics
Facebook: facebook.com/writingschool/
September 2019 – How do we write the date in South Africa?
- South African English writers should put the numeral first, with no punctuation: 3 September 2019 (03/09/2019).
- If you’re adding the day, a comma is optional: Tuesday 3 September 2019 or Tuesday, 3 September 2019.
- It’s considered old-fashioned to use th, nd and st with the numeral.
- It’s not necessary to include ‘the’ before a date.
American English writers put the month first, with a comma. They write
September 3, 2019. They also put the month first in numeral dates (09/03/2019), which can be confusing for South Africans, who would read this as 9 March rather than 3 September.
Saying it like it is
Bev Hawthorne
Cell: 083 255 8408
Email: bev@thewritingschool.co.za
Twitter: @grammarbasics
Facebook: facebook.com/writingschool/
July 2019 – Sometimes it’s better NOT to write…
There are certain situations where putting fingers to keyboard isn’t the best option.
- Would you be comfortable saying what you’re writing to the person’s face? If not, you’re being a ‘keyboard coward’.
- Are your words going to win you the battle but lose you the war? You may be quite right and your written rant might make you feel better – but what collateral damage are you causing in hurt feelings?
- Are you in a flurry of back-and-forth messages that aren’t solving the issue? If so, it could be time to just pick up the phone.
Yours in sometimes saying it like it is,
Bev Hawthorne
Cell: 083 255 8408
Email: bev@thewritingschool.co.za
Twitter: @grammarbasics
Facebook: facebook.com/writingschool/
June 2019 – Most businesses need someone to write minutes – can you?
Meeting notes, called minutes, are a record of key issues and decisions taken rather than a word-for-word transcript of what was said. They’re neutral and factual, and written in the past tense.
Taking minutes is a very useful business skill yet it doesn’t seem to be given enough priority.
We have a short three-hour session on how to record minutes. We also offer minute-writing as a service – we attend the meeting and do it all for you.
Writing it like it is,
Bev Hawthorne
Cell: 083 255 8408
Email: bev@thewritingschool.co.za
Twitter: @grammarbasics
Facebook: facebook.com/writingschool/
March 2019 – 2 OF 10 TOP WRITING TIPS FOR 2019: No place for pompous in Plain Language
Good communicators write to express, not impress. They don’t use fancy words to appear more intelligent, important or grand. They wouldn’t, for example, ask someone to peruse a document when read it through carefully is so much clearer, and they wouldn’t use utilise because it isn’t any better than use.
Have confidence in your writing skills. Don’t fall into the habit of using unnecessarily fancy words and phrases. Picture your audience and use everyday language that’s appropriate for that situation and person/people.
Writing it like it is,
Bev Hawthorne
Cell: 083 255 8408
Email: bev@thewritingschool.co.za
Twitter: @grammarbasics
Facebook: facebook.com/writingschool/
February 2019 – Say the same old thing in a completely different way.
We’ve all read trite phrases like ‘I trust you are well’ and ‘Your cooperation would be appreciated’ so many times that they’ve lost all meaning. So set a great example for your email recipients by ditching these tired old clichés and switching things up. Start your email with ‘I hope you had a great weekend’ (if you’re writing on a Monday) or ‘I’ll keep this short’ (then do as you promise); and end it by just saying ‘Thanks!’.
Make an effort to stop using stale expressions that you (and everyone else) have been mindlessly writing for years. Be original – say something that suits your personality and ‘speaks’ to that specific person.
Some other phrases that should be dumped forever include:
Herewith enclosed please find…
I am writing to…
I trust the above is in order.
Writing it like it is,
BEV HAWTHORNE
Cell: 083 255 8408
Email: bev@thewritingschool.co.za
Twitter: @grammarbasics
Facebook: facebook.com/writingschool/
November 2018 – Always write for a specific audience
If you want your audience to get it the first time they read it – which is what Plain Language is all about – write using a style, tone and words that ‘speak’ to that specific audience.
Take email, for example:
- Greet the person as you would face-to-face and say something engaging to connect with them.
- Example: Good afternoon Professor Gracey
Thank you for taking the time to meet with me yesterday. - Use personal pronouns and contractions to make the writing conversational.
Example: I’m attaching the first draft of my report for your review. - Get straight to the point – put the message in the first paragraph.
- Keep your sentences short and tight: fewer than 20 words and no more than two thoughts.
- Don’t clutter your text with unnecessary punctuation, especially commas.
- Try to say what you need to in three paragraphs.
- Avoid tired, overused expressions when signing-off – be yourself and be original.
Example: These are just my ideas. I look forward to your thoughts and suggestions.
Yours in writing it as it is
Bev Hawthorne
Cell: 083 255 8408
Email: bev@thewritingschool.co.za
Twitter: @grammarbasics
Facebook: facebook.com/writingschool/
October 2018 – A comma shouldn’t join two sentences
When two groups of words stand by themselves as complete sentences, they shouldn’t be joined by a comma.
Example: The report was submitted yesterday, we should have an answer by Friday.
They’re independent clauses and a comma isn’t strong enough to glue them together.
They could either be written as two separate sentences separated by a full stop.
Example: The report was submitted yesterday. We should have an answer by Friday.
Another good option is to insert a conjunction after the comma before the second clause.
Example: The report was submitted yesterday, so we should have an answer by Friday.
Or you could use a semi colon to indicate that the second clause is an elaboration (or further explanation) of the first clause.
Example: The report was submitted yesterday; we should have an answer by Friday.
Yours in writing it as it is
Bev Hawthorne
Cell: 083 255 8408
Email: bev@thewritingschool.co.za
Twitter: @grammarbasics
Facebook: facebook.com/writingschool/
Terms and Conditions apply
The shortened form of Terms and Conditions apply is often used in contracts, special offers and competitions.
Plain Language writers keep things simple and easy to read. They also try to avoid unnecessary punctuation.
Don’t make these common mistakes. Clear communicators write the short form like this: Ts and Cs apply.
Yours in writing it as it is
Bev Hawthorne
Cell: 083 255 8408
Email: bev@thewritingschool.co.za
Twitter: @grammarbasics
Facebook: facebook.com/writingschool/
Just as in fashion and food, writing styles follow trends. Business and personal writing have changed dramatically in the last few decades.
Thirty years ago, business-people aimed to impress with long-winded formality but that approach to writing just doesn’t match the fast-paced, time-pressured multimedia world we live and work in now.
Today, we have to be able to communicate our message to our busy audiences wherever they are and on whatever platform they choose to read it.
This means that:
• We must write to express, not impress.
• We must constantly consider our readers so that we get the right results.
• Our writing must be easy to read and understand.
• We must get straight to the point and avoid clutter.
• We must come across as genuine, friendly and polite.
The first step to improving your communication in business is to accept that writing trends have changed. Some things are done differently today (video) from how they were done decades ago.
Yours in writing it as it is
Bev Hawthorne
Cell: 083 255 8408
Email: bev@thewritingschool.co.za
Twitter: @grammarbasics
Facebook: facebook.com/writingschool/