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Do You Know the Elements of an Outline?
Though outlining is one of numerous techniques a writer can use to organize his/her thoughts, it is a commonly used one. However, not...
CTW
Sep 21, 20211 min read
Do You Have Proper E-Mail Writing Etiquette?
With text messages and social media platforms, people are writing more than ever before. The problem? The style of writing that most...
CTW
Sep 14, 20211 min read
Either/Or...Neither/Nor: Tricky Agreement Issues
Most writers effortlessly make their verbs agree with the subjects of a sentence. However, compound subjects can pose problems when both...
CTW
Sep 7, 20212 min read
Don't Be Extra
Concise writing is a goal of many people, and they mistakenly equate rambling, using a large vocabulary or including a bunch of jargon...
CTW
Aug 24, 20211 min read
Two Verbs or One?
Some writing styles are more informal and conversational than others. Oral forms of communication, which tend to be informal, should not...
CTW
Aug 17, 20211 min read
Profanity & Grammar: Know What an Expletive is in Writing!
This past weekend, I conducted an academic writing workshop for a group of incoming doctoral students enrolled in universities across...
CTW
Aug 10, 20211 min read
Do you use filler words?
Most grammar handbooks have a section titled "empty/inflated" phrases that lists words that don't have much meaning; they are also called...
CTW
Aug 3, 20211 min read
Why not to use "why"
Scholarly writers should avoid using conversational sayings, colloquial terms and informal words and phrases (i.e., “very,” “a lot,”...
CTW
Jul 27, 20211 min read
Is Actually Necessary?
Wordiness often occurs using an extra word here or there, not just when writing run-on sentences. Many of these extra words come in the...
CTW
Jul 20, 20211 min read
Gain Confidence in Your Writing Abilities
As a English profession, we have traumatized students with our red ink!!! In efforts to point out ways to help students improve as...
CTW
Jul 13, 20212 min read
How to Regain Writing Momentum
You have been working consistently and started to get into your writing groove. Then, the unexpected happens to interrupt your routine:...
CTW
Jul 6, 20212 min read
One-Word Conciseness
Some people mistakenly think that learning to be concise only applies to wordy writers. However, conciseness is often achieved by...
CTW
Jun 29, 20212 min read
The Tricky Comma
One of most commonly misused punctuation marks in the English language is the comma. Most people are confident with their use of the...
CTW
Jun 22, 20211 min read
Avoid This Grant Writing Mistake
Grant writing is a distinctive genre of writing that incorporates technical writing, persuasive writing and narrative writing....
CTW
Jun 15, 20211 min read
An Academic Argument: Step One
Most academic writing is persuasive, which means the writer wants the reader to accept what he or she presents as true. Anyone who has...
CTW
Jun 8, 20212 min read
How to Be a Productive Writer
One of the most common questions I am asked is how to gain and maintain writing momentum, especially when trying to complete a thesis,...
CTW
May 25, 20212 min read
The Language of the Literature Review
By far, one of the most well-attended, requested workshops that I present on is the Literature Review. I title the session "You Want Me...
CTW
May 19, 20212 min read
How to Get Your Research Ideas Published!!!
As a new study proves, good academic writing isn't what we always think. Rather than trying to "sound" smart through the use of heavy...
CTW
May 10, 20211 min read
More Extra Words
Last week, we used verbs to illustrate extraneous words. However, extra words can include any part of speech, whether verbs, nouns,...
CTW
Dec 15, 20201 min read
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