Category: editing your writing

editing, editing your writing, errors, mistakes, proofreading, Uncategorized

Common Online Content Errors: Examples

The good thing about mistakes in online copy is that if you control the publishing platform (blog posts, newsletters, social media), they’re fairly easy to fix. But, that’s no excuse to make them. 🙂  These are some of the ones I see most often, with corrections.

1. wrong tense

Example: We’re double-checking our verbs so that we’re ensuring they’re correct.
Revised: We double-check our verbs to ensure they’re correct.

2. unnecessary punctuation

Example: Everything that could go wrong, seems to go wrong.
Revised: Everything that could go wrong seems to go wrong.

3. No punctuation when punctuation is necessary.

Example: The marigold like the zinnia is an annual flowering plant.
Revised: The marigold, like the zinnia, is an annual flowering plant.

4. misspelled words

Examples: Explicatives are considered foul language.
Revised: Expletives are considered foul language.

5. missing words

Example: There seem to questions about proper lifting techniques.
Revised: There seem to be questions about proper lifting techniques.

Which mistakes do you tend to make?

For help with these and other online content dilemmas, download my free ebook, 5 Common Online Content Problems Solved!.

business communication, business writing, editing, editing your writing, writing advice, writing better

5 Useless Words and Phrases to Cut From Your Business Writing

1. are able to

Example: We are able to wash dishes, mow lawns, or do any of your other household tasks.
Revised: We can wash dishes, mow lawns, or do any of your other household tasks.

When you cut these useless words, you avoid using a “to be” verb (“are”) and a preposition (“to”). They bloat your writing. Use them only when they’re absolutely necessary.

2. as well as

Example: The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s MyPlate nutrition guide includes grains, vegetables, and fruit, as well as protein.
Revised: The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s MyPlate nutrition guide includes grains, vegetables, fruit, and protein.

People tend to use “as well as” in favor of “too” or “also,” especially if they’ve already used them, as a way to vary their word choices. They’re good alternatives, but you can also insert an “and” every now and then for better variety.

3. along with

Example: High winds and frigid temperatures, along with snow and ice, make for hazardous winter driving conditions.
Revised: High winds, frigid temperatures, and snow and ice create hazardous winter driving conditions.

Replace these useless words with plain old “and.”

4. there are/there is

Example: There are several action movies released during the summer.
Revised: Several action movies are released during the summer.

In many cases, you can trim these seemingly harmless phrases entirely.

5. in order to

Example: In order to finish processing your purchase, we need your payment information.
Revised: To finish processing your purchase, we need your payment information.

Trim the first few words to the essential: “to.”

Read more about cutting Filler Words in Your Speech at Ivypanda.

Quotes

“The best sentence? The shortest.” ~ Anatole France

“If it is possible to cut a word out, always cut it out.” ~ George Orwell

Comments? Suggestions? Need help? Feel free to contact me.

Michelle Troutman
classywriting.com

editing, editing your writing, Uncategorized, weak writing, writing, writing advice, writing better

How to Strengthen Your Sentences

Do you like reading writing that rambles like a senator filibustering to block a vote? If you need some NoDoz before you read a work, it’s obviously a little weak.

“Punchy” writing gets people’s attention, however, it can, but doesn’t necessarily need to clobber them. It keeps them reading, an important aspect of selling ideas, products, or services. (For more information on this topic, read my e-newsletter.) But, it’s easy to get lazy and not want to put the effort in, however, a lack of effort can show. Here’s an example of weak writing, followed by a stronger counterpart:

“Off-base Solutions, LLC is a multi-disciplined real estate consulting firm serving a variety of industries and project types. Since its inception in 1986, Off-base has been committed to offering best-in-class consulting services to contractors, owners and financial institutions. Specializing but not limited to construction, loss mitigation and site acquisition consulting, Off-base’s philosophy is to strategically assess and report the facts of each project and to consult clients with informative information. We assist our clients by providing impartiality and a deeper industry understanding resulting in real solutions to complicated real estate related problems.”

Major reasons why it’s weak:

  • cliches (best-in-class)
  • overuse of big words (assist, strategically, etc.)
  • too many unnecessary words (informative)
  • lack of specific words

A stronger approach:

“Since 1996, Off-base Solutions, LLC has been committed to delivering best-in-class real estate consulting services to contractors, property owners, and financial institutions.

Specializing in — but not limited to — site clean-up, construction, loss mitigation, and acquisition consulting, Off-base assesses facts fairly based on evidence and experience. The results give our clients a deeper understanding of their problems and reveal solutions for improving their operations and increasing their revenue.” (And a link to testimonials or case studies of successful client transactions would provide evidence to back up these claims.)

It doesn’t take much to add a dash of sass to your copy to bring it more to life. If you lack time or the skills, I’m ready to help, so don’t hesitate to contact me for a free consultation.

What do you think? Which one is better? How would you change this passage?