For Word Nerds like me, it's an irresistibly sexy title – Common Errors in English, a new book (and website) by WSU professor, Paul Brians.

Buy the book on Amazon.com or just access the website when you need to settle a bar bet with an associate professor from the local college!

The book includes one of the more common errors I hear in my neighborhood:

NAUSEATED / NAUSEOUS

"Many people say, when sick to their stomachs, that they feel “nauseous” (pronounced “NOSH-uss” or “NOZH-uss”) but traditionalists insist that this word should be used to describe something that makes you want to throw up: something nauseating.

"They hear you as saying that you make people want to vomit, and it tempers their sympathy for your plight. Better to say you are “nauseated,” or simply that you feel like throwing up."

 
The Ad Council is running a series of powerful Public Service Announcements (PSAs) on the topic of "Almost giving... it's the same as not giving at all."

This 30-second Quicktime movie and this 60-second audio MP3 provide proof that "less is more" when it comes to plucking heart strings and opening purse strings. The narrative is spare and the images understated, yet it's very compelling.

These PSAs are also very timely, now that we're sliding deeper into the second Dubya Recession. As individuals, we need to take personal responsibility for the compassionate care of our fellow human beings. That's especially critical now, when the government is so focused on dismantling the social safety nets.

Visit the Don't Almost Give website

Renowned copywriter Bob Bly knows the importance of answering that question for his readers. Here's an excerpt:

Are You Like Me?

"One of the easiest — and most effective — copywriting techniques for bonding with the reader is to show that you are like him.

"For instance, you can simply begin the letter: “Are you like me?” And then list the things you believe you have in common.

"Another method: have the person signing the letter be in the same group as the person reading the letter, e.g., when writing to doctors, have an M.D. sign the letter.

"Why does this work?

"Because people like, feel comfortable with, and respond to people who are like them.

"Conversely, they don’t like, and want to avoid dealing with, people they think are fundamentally different.

"You know this to be true..."

Read the full post here. Read More...

 
Well, not the entire AP Style Guide, but a decent subset covering some of the more popular (or violated?) topics. You'll find it on the University of Utah website, courtesy of its School of Journalism.

Thanks, professor. Now I can let my paperback version get a bit dustier on the bookshelf, and even more out of date. Read More...

 
Conan the Librarian fights back. He will not go quietly into that dark night...

33 Reasons Why Libraries and Librarians are Still Extremely Important

"Many predict that the digital age will wipe public bookshelves clean, and permanently end the centuries-old era of libraries. Technology’s baffling prowess and progress even has one librarian predicting the institution’s demise.

"He could be right.

"But if he is, then the loss will be irreplaceable. As libraries’ relevance comes into question, they face an existential crisis at a time they are perhaps needed the most. Despite their perceived obsoleteness in the digital age both libraries – and librarians – are irreplaceable for many reasons. 33, in fact. We've listed them here:

1. Not everything is available on the internet..."
2. Digital libraries are not the internet..."

3. The internet isn’t free..."

Read all 33 action-packed Dewey Decimal Defenses at DegreeTutor.com Read More...

 
Robert Heinlein sure knew the craft (and the business) of writing. Here's his answer:

1. You must write.
2. You must finish what you write.
3. You must refrain from rewriting, except to editorial order.
4. You must put the work on the market.
5. You must keep the work on the market until it is sold.

Read More...

 
From the no-nonsense folks at 37 Signals – the publishers of Basecamp, the excellent web-based project management tool we use – comes this editorial on what we call "weasel words"...

"Our industry is addicted to bullshit buzzwords. Emails are full of “I’m an insider” jargon, blog posts brim with tech duckspeak, and resumes are loaded with meaningless action verbs. Everyone’s always implementing or enabling or optimizing or leveraging. There are endless value streams, efficiencies, solutions, infrastructures, and enterprises.

"These buzzwords are often a mask. People who use them are covering up their ideas — or the lack thereof. They are overcompensating. They don’t have anything substantial to say so they try to use impressive sounding words instead.

"But people who abuse buzzwords don’t sound smart. They sound like they are trying to sound smart. Big difference..."
Read More...

 
Elmore Leonard was one of the most prolific writers of popular fiction in the late 20th Century. However, unlike most genre writers, he was also taken seriously by the literary crowd, as evidenced by his inclusion in the New York Times' Writers on Writing Series.

Read Leonard's Easy on the Adverbs, Exclamation Points and Especially Hooptedoodle from that series, and cherish the wit & insight behind these 10 deceptively simple tips for the would-be fiction writer:

1. Never open a book with weather.
2. Avoid prologues.
3. Never use a verb other than "said" to carry dialogue.
4. Never use an adverb to modify the verb "said”…he admonished gravely.
5. Keep exclamation points on a short leash – two or three per 100,000 words is plenty.
6. Never use "suddenly" or "all hell broke loose."
7. Use regional dialect sparingly.
8. Avoid detailed descriptions of characters.
9. Don't go into great detail describing places and things.
10. Try to leave out the part that readers tend to skip.

...and clocking in as #11 is Leonard's most important rule, the one that sums up the other 10...

11. If it sounds like writing, rewrite it. Read More...

 
Passionate convictions backed up by research, on the topic of what writing style works best. Excerpts follow:

"If you want people to learn and remember what you write, say it conversationally. This isn't just for short informal blog entries and articles, either. We're talking books. Assuming they're meant for learning, and not reference, books written in a conversational style are more likely to be retained and recalled than a book on the same topics written in a more formal tone. Most of us know this intuitively, but there are some studies to prove it..." Read More...

 
As I read this Newsweek article, my face burned with shame. Over the years I've contributed my fair share of "weasel words" to corporate brochures, websites and, of course, internal communications. But is there any hope for me or my colleagues? Can marketing professionals "just say No" to weasel words? Is there a 12-step program out there somewhere we can join??

"Hello. My name is Thomas, and I'm an... an... Obfuscator. However, thanks to the great folks in this room, I've been weasel word-free for 27 days now..."
  Read More...

 
Excerpts from an AP article on the semantic blight of high-tech – buzzwords.

Tech buzzwords may sound neat, but what do they mean?
By Allison Linn, Associated Press

SEATTLE — If Tim Schellhardt had one wish, it would be to eradicate the word "solution" from the technology industry, if not the entire English language.

"Solution" used to be a fine word. If you had a problem, you needed a solution.

"But now, "It's used so much in the tech industry that it's lost its meaning," laments Schellhardt, the director of editorial services for the public relations firm Ketchum in New York.

"These days, high-tech companies don't release products, they provide solutions. And those products — er, solutions — don't just run a program or play a song. Instead, they enable experiences, optimize agility or even sometimes make people's passions come alive..." Read More...