Notes from Aboveground
Writing for the sake of writing. You didn’t ask, but read if so inclined.
The Notes
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The other day, I was listening to The Beatles, and the song “I Me Mine” came up in the song mix. The grammar goblins in my head nudged me a bit, whispering, “Do it as a topic. Do it as a topic. Do it as a topic.”
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Style manuals are sometimes at odds when it comes to usage, but there is a surprising amount of agreement on some matters. Using and in different contexts is one topic where there is a considerable amount of agreement, even if there are some differences in the details. And this is what I will explore today.…
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Inevitable should be the word, but perhaps not. “A likely outcome” might seem more appropriate. I should apologize to several people. I don’t know where to begin. Given the situation, the commuters should be top of mind, but then we have the train operator who had no choice in it. He saw it and might…
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A little while back, I wrote an article on cannot and can not. After posting it, I got to thinking about several other open and closed forms and how the little space (or lack of space) between words can change meanings or introduce errors. Today, I’ll be writing about a few other open and closed…
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Some writers may argue that logically moving from one point to another is important. However, I’d argue that moving a reader from one point to another is even more important. A piece of writing can be perfectly organized and still leave the reader behind somewhere around paragraph three. This is where transitions come into play,…
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Do we add an s to words like anyway, regard, and toward? Rather than give the noncommittal response I love to use, “It depends,” I will dive into the topic with a bit of detail. Some may say that it is all about American and British usage, but this is not always the case, and…
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If you have ever looked online for information on alt text, you have likely found several prescriptive rules, an itemized list telling you not to use “image of” or to add an empty value (alt=””) for decorative images. While these are good for finding problems with existing alt text or telling you what not to…
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Whether to spell out numbers or use numerals is a matter of two things: context and style preference. Today, I highlight some things to consider when including numbers in your work. For clarity, in this post, words means spelling out numbers, as in four or nine, and numerals means using the numeric form (figures), like…
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Most people would agree that writing out ideas in the clearest way possible is essential for effective communication. There are several ways to produce clearer prose. Today, I share four. A couple of references are at the end for further reading.