With an incredibly demanding schedule full of 13-plus-hour days, every effort is being made to maximize Secretary Price’s ability to travel outside of Washington to meet with the American people.
That was part of the statement put out last month by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in... (Read More)
After my last post—the one about ruby chocolate and the hyperbole-laced, credibility-straining press release that announced its arrival—a reader questioned whether credibility should have been credulity. These two words often get confused, and I’m relieved to say I used the right one.
Credibility means believability; credulity means gullibility. If... (Read More)
News arrived this week of a new type of chocolate—ruby chocolate, or as its manufacturer puts it, Ruby (with a capital R). According to the company’s press release, the chocolate “satisfies a new consumer need found among millennials—hedonistic indulgence.”
I’m not a millennial, but I think it’s safe to say... (Read More)
The handsome man and I made some chitchat as we prepared for the meeting. Distracted, I dilly-dallied and ended up making a mish-mash of my presentation, so I ate a couple of Kit-Kat bars to console myself.
What am I talking about?
Nonsense, really. I’m just demonstrating the rule of... (Read More)
In an effort to streamline its newsroom, The New York Times is eliminating a group of copy editors (also known as proofreaders) whose job is to ensure the newspaper’s facts are accurate and its copy mistake free. To protest the move, Times staff took to the streets, carrying signs filled... (Read More)
Would you ever say Talk to I or Join I?
Of course not.
But something happens when another person, say Mary or John, enters the mix. All of a sudden, you’re not so sure whether me is in fact correct (it is), so you hesitate and—mistakenly—say He talked... (Read More)
A friend wrote that her somewhat crotchety mother can’t stand people starting emails with I hope you’re well.
“They don’t care how I am,” she says, “so they should just get straight to the point.”
I don’t consider myself crotchety, but I agree. In everyday business writing, there’s... (Read More)
I grew up watching a lot of basketball, which is where I first heard the term pivot. The player who’s holding the ball keeps one foot anchored in one spot and uses it to turn—rather, pivot—in any direction, ultimately to get the ball in the basket.
Today, pivot is part... (Read More)
Pippa Middleton, sister to Princess Kate, got married a couple of weeks ago. You might wonder how news of this event has turned into a post about business writing.
The headlines in a New York Times preview of the not-quite-royal-wedding were my inspiration: Whom is Ms. Middleton marrying? Whom is... (Read More)
My sister was back again, this time asking what I thought of FBI Director James Comey’s farewell letter to his staff. I told her I thought it was good—short (185 words!), to the point, and sincere. The takeaway was clear: Stay focused on the work you do... (Read More)
