Hone your writing skills and never use "hone in" again. Get writing tips, have fun with words and learn something new in a one-minute read each week by signing up for Stylebot’s newsletter.
First the 13th, then the fourth
|
Happy Friday...the 13th. Most of you got the right answer on last week's quiz. Just as you spell out one through nine and use numerals for 10 and higher, you do the same for ordinals. So this month we have Friday the 13th, and next month we'll have July Fourth. You got a peek at our Google Docs extension last week, and this week we're excited to share another great review: "Style Guide Checker is a great product that provides a second set of eyes to catch things that often go overlooked. Not only has it helped to ensure that stories published by The Riverside Record are using active voice, but it has also prompted deeper conversations about the language we use in covering sensitive topics." Educators who sign up by the end of the month can get three months free. Use code SUMMER2025 at checkout. 🤫 Before we get to this week's quiz, here's a little secret: We can't see what answer you choose, only whether or not you played. We've heard from some of you that you don't want to guess and get it wrong if you're not sure of the answer. We also noticed an uptick in participation in last week's relatively easy quiz 🙃 Get in the game! If you shoot your shot and miss, you're the only one who will know. Next Friday marks the official start of a new season. How would you write about it?
❤ Team Stylebot
💌 A tip a weekIf someone forwarded you this email, subscribe here to get one writing tip a week in your inbox. 💬 Get reliable, ethical writing advice at your fingertipsImproving your writing means making better choices every day. Stylebot makes it easy with our Slack, Teams and Google Chrome extensions. Try Stylebot for free today. 📝 About StylebotStylebot helps media professionals save time without sacrificing quality by answering editing questions on Slack, Microsoft Teams and Google Chrome. We're on a mission to make editing faster, easier and more fun ✨ Learn more about Stylebot or follow us Instagram, X or LinkedIn.
|
Stylebot
Hone your writing skills and never use "hone in" again. Get writing tips, have fun with words and learn something new in a one-minute read each week by signing up for Stylebot’s newsletter.
If you thought we only started using slang abbreviations on the internet, think again. You might use "lol" mostly in text messages now, but if the history of "OK" is any lesson, one day it might not be a KG to use it in more formal writing. Confused? We'll explain, but first we'll note that many of you seem to be familiar with OK's origin. It's not a typo: "OK" evolved from the phrase "all correct." In late 1830s slang, it was fashionable to misspell common phrases and use those...
If you've mowed the lawn this summer, you've cut swaths of grass. If you injured yourself while doing it (and we hope you didn't!), you might use a swathe in your recovery. So, apply this logic to last week's quiz, and the answer becomes clear: The storm pummeled large swaths of the state. But it looks like most of you didn't need that help: In American English, "swath" describes a broad strip (usually of land), while "swathe" is a strip of cloth. And that brings us to the little hint in the...
If you really, really wanted to look for it, there was a clue in last week's subject line that might have helped you on the quiz. The subject line was, "Like the ones that came before." Not "befor," which we realize isn't a word. But the second "e" in "before" might help you remember the difference between forego and forgo. "Forego" means to go before, while "forgo" means to abstain from. And we use foregone in the phrase "foregone conclusion." So the correct sentence from last week's quiz...