We Inculcate It Into Your Everyday Routine?
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- On May 7, 2019
In this edition of Say It Better Say It Right, an executive of a major pharmacy chain describes the phenomenon of having treatment centers in drugstores.
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Whoever and Whomever
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- On April 23, 2019
Only one of the following sentences is correct. Which one is it?
- Give the ice cream to whoever wants it the most.
- Give the ice cream to whomever wants it the most.
Because you say to whom, you might think the second sentence—the one with whomever—is the correct choice, but it’s not.
In...(Read More)
A Refresher on Who and Whom
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- On April 5, 2019
Here is a line of copy from a piece I was recently asked to edit: Make a list of the people who you will ask for help.
The who in the sentence should be whom: Make a list of the people whom you will ask for help.
The grammatical explanation for...(Read More)
Infamously Colorful Handbags?
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- On March 27, 2019
This edition of Say It Better Say It Right comes from a news article about the fashion brand Kate Spade.
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The Subtle Difference Between Complex and Complicated
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- On March 13, 2019
Last month, Jeff Bezos got a lot of exposure for—among other things—his use of the term complexifier, a word that doesn’t appear in English language dictionaries. In his widely publicized blog post about not succumbing to blackmail, Mr. Bezos wrote that owning The Washington Post is a complexifier for...(Read More)
A Complexifier?
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- On February 26, 2019
This installment of Say It Better, Say It Right comes from Jeff Bezos’s recent blog post on Medium, “No thank you, Mr. Pecker.”
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How to Use the Colon
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- On February 19, 2019
Here are three examples of incorrect colon use that have crossed my desk recently. Here’s why the colons are wrong and how to fix them:
The ads were designed to test the impact of appealing to different emotions, including: fear, joy, and hope.
While colons are used to introduce lists (and...(Read More)
Constituent Parts?
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- On February 12, 2019
This installment of Say It Better Say It Right comes from a food company executive who made the statement as part of a public debate about the use of the term healthy on food labels.
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Good Jokes and Good Writing
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- On February 5, 2019
Jerry Seinfeld was interviewed about what makes a good joke, and a lot of what he said makes sense for all writing. So, kidding aside, here are three elements of a successful joke that make for successful copy, too.
Brevity “You’re always trying to trim everything down to absolute rock,...(Read More)
Robotics of Compliance Information?
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- On January 29, 2019
This edition of Say It Better Say It Right comes from a news article about the benefits of featuring real patients, not actors, in pharmaceutical ads.
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