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10/31/2011 0 Comments Word of the Day: Simultaneity Simultaneity We encountered this new form of a known word, today. Generally, one sees the noun form of the oft-used adjective, simultaneous, expressed as "simultaneousness," though this is not universally accepted as a correct construction. Simultaneity is a synonym for it, expressing the quality of things occurring at the same time. Anyone else have any favorite examples of the curious situation created when one form of a word is common, but another version/form of it is rare?
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10/31/2011 0 Comments Recognition of a Fine Turn of Phrase Today's recognition for a nice turn of phrase goes to Chris Rickert of Lee Newspapers in his commentary that ran in Racine's Journal Times today (originally appearing, it would seem, in the Wisconsin State Journal): "I knew immediately when I read about the group last week that I wanted to be a part of it. But I also know I've been well served by a strict adherence to the old Groucho Marx maxim never never to join any club that would have me as a member. (I suspect the clubs have benefited from this as well.)" (You can read the entire column here.) Well expressed, Chris! This article from Ragan.com is well worth your time, but we think that the winning paragraph is this one right here:  "There is a distinction between a conversational tone and sloppy writing. It's comparable to 'business casual' versus 'for heaven's sake, put some pants on!'"
This point is particularly well taken when any organization is developing it's "house style," and the cues that it wishes to use regarding tone and voice in communications. Casual is great, when done well. When done well. Professional firms, especially, may tend to shy away from having such a tone, fearing the potential of sloppiness or simply an absence of "gravitas." The result can be formal and staid, and utterly non-differentiating. When executed with care and attention to detail, however, a casual or conversational tone can be a powerful tool in forging a connection with the audience. If the whole point is to get your message across, developing and implementing strategies that make the recipient open to receiving that message is one of the ways a company can set itself apart from its competitors. March, 2012: article content has since been put behind the paid "membership" wall. The primary point, however, is made above, even if the five details that illustrate it are now privileged information!  While we are familiar with most of the 14 punctuation marks, some of their names came as new information, and a few were entirely Terra Incognita prior to this article!
¶ Enjoy!  New addition to the Why the World Needs More Proofreaders album. Discovered here, this is a classic case where the use of spell check can't help you (the error being a real word). The money wasted as a result of this mistake would have been significant...but the worst part is the impression that it leaves of the advertiser who is, in this case, (oh, the irony), supposed to be heralding the success of their educational outcomes. Sign company personnel must have been the product of a *different* school system?  We had cause to wonder recently if people who pronounce that strong coffee drink as "expresso," also spell it that way.... They might not -- sometimes we do say things differently than we spell them (people and language both being complex!!) Either way, our advice is to try to be conscious of differences in what you hear from one person to another, and then investigate why those differences exist. You may just discover that something you thought was right isn't, and improve your own communication skills as a result! 10/24/2011 0 Comments Best Twitter Meme EVER!Literary humor from Twitter -- At W&P, we love some literary humor...and this had us crying with laughter!
Background: Write and Polish recently established a Twitter account (@WriteandPolish), and so found some interesting people to follow, including Salman Rushdie. Who, it turns out, tweets like a fiend. Plus, if you didn't know, he's a genius. Rushdie offered this challenge, for titles that are almost-but-not-quite great, seeded with ideas like "To Kill a Hummingbird" and "Snag-22". His followers have responded in kind! And many of them are quite clever...check them out. Newest addition to Why The World Needs More Proofreaders: 
 This article addresses the effectiveness (or lack thereof) of the QR code. Everyone who attempts to be "hip" with their marketing needs to read this. And then consider not just how/if you use this specific new marketing avenue, but apply these questions to your other social media activities. Cliff Notes to the theme: always ask yourself "How likely is this to make me or my company/product/brand look lame?" 10/20/2011 0 Comments A Write and Polish Valentine
The kinds of things that make Writers and Polishers smile (and go just a little bit weak in the knees)!
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