Proofreading & Editing Tips
The Art of Anaphora: When Repetition Makes Perfect
Let it land. Let it linger. Let it echo. You've just experienced anaphora. While your high school English teacher may have scolded you for repetition, anaphora proves that sometimes breaking the rules creates the most memorable writing. What Is This Fancy-Sounding...
The Power of Parallelism: Creating Rhythm and Impact in Writing
Have you ever noticed how certain phrases stick in your mind long after you've read them? Many memorable quotes and powerful statements share a common literary technique: parallelism. What Is Parallelism? Parallelism is a figure of speech in which two or more elements...
“Her and I” or “She and Me”? Grammar Made Simple
We’ve all had those moments when grammar gets tangled, and we commit what I like to call a speech-o—like a typo but spoken. One of the most common mix-ups I hear is this: “Her and I went to the store.” Not nearly as often, maybe once in a blue moon, I'll hear...
Short, Sweet, and to the Point
At 5 feet tall, I’m shorter than most Christmas trees, filing cabinets, refrigerators (I never see their tops without a stool), arcade machines, and the average moose. Maybe that’s why I have an affinity for things that are compact and efficient—I like difficult...
Consistency Is Key: Lessons From a Swedish Café
My editor eyes never go off duty, even when I’m on vacation. Case in point: We just had Spring Break in Oregon. On one of the days, my family and I met my longtime friend and her husband at a charming Swedish café in Portland. It’s a fantastic place that serves...
The Curious Case of Haight: A Name, a Place, a Spelling Revolution
My last name is Haight, and I love it. But most people hesitate before saying it out loud or mispronounce it since it sounds exactly like “hate,” and that makes some folks feel a little awkward. Back in my early twenties, my friends Aaron and Ben jokingly gave me the...
Paddy, Not Patty: The St. Patrick’s Day Mistake You Don’t Want to Make
I’m Irish. I’m also Portuguese, French, German, English, Dutch, and Scottish. But because of that little slice of Irish, I especially like St. Patrick's Day. My daughters are older now (one is in college), but I still got my 16-year-old Lucky Charms today so she could...
The Case for Classics: Why Reading Classical Literature Matters
My 16-year-old daughter was reading a book for English class, so I asked her, “What is it about?” “I don’t know.” “Why is the teacher having you read that anyway? Why aren’t they having you read a classic?” Her response: “Because classics are boring.” Boring?! I...
Sing Me a Double Negative, Bill Withers
Double negatives are a grammar no-no, but you’ve probably heard them in some of your favorite songs. You’ve no doubt sung along to them, and maybe you didn’t even realize you were breaking the rules. While double negatives usually flip the meaning to a positive (just...
Understanding Points of View in Writing
For the past eleven years, I’ve worked on an online platform with a mix of projects, many of them from non-native English speakers. Today, I received a request to “put my article in third person.” It made me think that many people might not know the different points...