Monthly Archives: December 2013

Language/Writing Tip 13

Here are some mistakes that make you look very bad. 1) forgetting commas around appositional phrases: WRONG: “The book, as we have seen is long.” “The last time I, dressed in green in red attended a party…” “Stanko and Janko, … Continue reading

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Language/Writing Tip 12

A rule of thumb for using the phrase “let alone”: it generally follows a negative. Three examples from a online book-search for “let alone consider” a) “NOBODY can be conscious of, let alone consider, all aspects…” b) “But it is … Continue reading

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Language/Writing Tip 11

1) Here’s a nifty construction that, for whatever reason, is underused: “She was among the first to research…” Students almost always opt for: “She was among the first WHO RESEARCHED…” 2) Watch out for this type of methodological circularity: “By … Continue reading

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Language/Writing Tip 10

When mentioning time, note the difference between “only at” and “not until”: “I can meet you only at four” does not mean “I can’t meet you until four.” If you want to emphasize tardiness, use “not until”: 1) “He only … Continue reading

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Language/Writing Tip 9

A few things to avoid in academic writing: 1) Do not italicize the comma after a list of titles – that is, italicize only the novel title, not the comma that follows. This is a minor point, but it takes … Continue reading

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