More Expressions to Avoid
by admin on September 27, 2011
Have a paper due soon or an exam coming up? You may want to look at this wonderful blog dedicated to unnecessary (i.e. redundant) yet common phrases. Polish your writing by avoiding these hackneyed expressions, many of which also appear (…)
Especially for Midterms: On Redundancy
by admin on September 23, 2011
Today I mentioned in class that in the upcoming take-home exam I will look for writing quality as much as substance. When students asked about the strict page limit I intend to impose, I explained that one of the best (…)
Words We Don't Use
by admin on September 13, 2011
Since I posted my first “Words to Avoid” list on my writing guide in August 2010, I have been getting occasional e-mails from readers and students protesting my decision to ban common and (what they thought were) very useful expressions, (…)
A Writer's Deadly Sins
by admin on September 1, 2011
Every now and then, I read a new article, column, or op-ed about the miserable state of writing among young adults. The authors of these pieces are usually college professors who feel that they had enough and must rant about (…)