For many, the world of copy editing is by and large a completely unknown entity. What is a copy editor? What do they do? How can I become one? Thankfully, the American Copy Editors Society (ACES) is here to answer all of those questions, along with providing resources like scholarships, conferences, mentor programs and certificates… Continue reading Getting Started in the Field

The English language hangs on the infrastructure of punctuation. Oftentimes, the message we wish to convey cannot effectively be portrayed without the accompaniment of proper punctuation. For example, a question posed without a question mark reads incorrectly. A sentence meant for emphasis, though presented without its exclamation mark, is lackluster. Any collection of sentences without… Continue reading Interro-what?!

It is no secret that language is powerful. Writing and speaking with intention and attention to detail is a critical skill to develop in the communications industry. In my linguistics course, we conducted a study to examine exactly how much power our vocabularies carry. To do so, we asked participants to watch a short video… Continue reading Words as Master Manipulators

On the night of October 9th, 2016, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump took part in the second presidential debate, which took the form of a town meeting. The candidates fielded questions from both the moderators, as well as from citizen participants in the audience. Each candidate was given two minutes time to respond to these… Continue reading Your Words, Your Power

At this point, even the word “buzzword” is a buzzword. Unfortunately, the post-graduation job hunt is increasingly competitive, which explains the sharp influx of LinkedIn users in recent years. With more and more users, it is not surprising that hopeful professionals do their best to set themselves apart in the eyes of companies, recruiters, and… Continue reading Overused = Underwhelming

Writers and public relations professionals alike are especially careful to communicate exactly what they mean. But what happens when the words one uses are misconstrued and consequently misinterpreted? Linguistic ambiguity The English language abides by two major syntactic rules: constituency and hierarchy. Linguistic ambiguity results from a sentence that accidentally breaks either one or both… Continue reading On the Hunt for Ambiguity

No matter the content, author or audience, every piece of writing has some element of style. This is not to say it has pizazz or flair, but rather it follows some set of rules. If the author is well-informed, it will consistently follow one set of rules throughout, thus respecting the audience by promoting readability.… Continue reading AP vs. Chicago: Style Battle Royale

HarperCollins Publishers boasts the title of being the second largest book publisher in the world. With operations in 18 countries, about 10,000 new books each year, and the loyalty of historic writers like the Brontë sisters and Shel Silverstein, HarperCollins is no stranger to the public eye and recognizes the importance of acting responsibly as… Continue reading Keep Calm and Go Green

As native English speaker who was born and raised in the United States, I recognize that I was lucky to have acquired this language inside of the linguistic window of opportunity. With more exceptions to most rules than one can count, English is a daunting language to pick up. Though it shares roots with the… Continue reading Conquering the Critical Period

The ability to read and to write is a gift that, unfortunately, not all children can claim. This is a plight that 826 National, a nonprofit dedicated to literacy in America, recognizes and works to correct. 826 National is comprised of seven chapters across the United States that offer programs to under-resourced youth to improve… Continue reading The Gift of Literacy