I can gift my air miles to a friend and earn even more for myself. If I go to a certain museum gala later this month, I’ll be gifted with a light linen beach cover-up. And come February, retailers everywhere will ask me what I want to gift my Valentine.... (Read More)
Melissa Rivers was being interviewed about the book she wrote about her mother, Joan Rivers (I know Joan crops up a lot in my bulletins—it’s not intentional), who was well known for having lots of plastic surgery.
“Does that make you lean in to plastic surgery—and things like that... (Read More)
I opened the travel section of the Sunday New York Times the other day to a full page advertisement for the state of Florida. Say yes to sun day, everyday, read the copy over a picture of two kids frolicking in a pool under sunny skies.
Problem is, it should... (Read More)
“You Really Look Smart,” read a recent Wall Street Journal headline. The article it headed described behaviors that make people look smart. Using clear language, the article said, is one such behavior. This is welcome advice for business communicators everywhere. One of the biggest traps businesspeople fall into is using big words... (Read More)
Bloomberg Businessweek recently ran a story about how to close emails. Do you say Best, All best, Sincerely, Sincerely yours—or any of the many words and phrases we have long used to end correspondence? According to Rebecca Greenfield, the Bloomberg reporter, the answer is none of the above.
“Just end... (Read More)
My neighborhood Equinox is being renovated, and the gym has posted a sign in the entry letting us know what one of the chain’s “most iconic sites” has in store for us.
Iconic is one of those words—unique is another—that gets applied way too liberally, particularly by overzealous brand... (Read More)
A revolt took place at The New Republic last month. A new editor came in and out marched a troop of veteran editors and staff members.
In the first of many articles about the strife, The New York Times cited something the magazine’s new chief executive said in a memo... (Read More)
Grow is a trendy business word that works in some capacities—We hope our business will grow this year is A-OK—but is clunky in others. There’s a grammatical explanation, which I provide farther down. But first, consider these examples. I hope you agree that replacing grow with increase, expand, or build... (Read More)
When I read copy that capitalizes lots of words, I feel as though I’m bobbing for apples, that game where you lean over a tub of water filled with floating apples and try to grasp them with your teeth. The apples bob up and down, and so does your head.... (Read More)
Someone sent me the bio of a newly appointed chief executive officer. It said he served on an executive leadership team “from 2010 – 2013.”
The problem with “from 2010 – 2013” is that it’s redundant. The dash—in this case the en dash—means from the first date up to and... (Read More)
