Sillies for Summer — Part 3
It might be the most relaxing season, but you don’t want to relax your writing efforts over the summer. Here are the last batch of basic grammar mistakes that will make you look silly — now and at any time of year.
- Fewer and Less. If you can count it, use fewer. If you can’t, use less. Thus, it’s okay to have fewer clients unless that means less income.
- Historic and Historical. Historic means an important event, while historical means something that happened in the past.
- Principal and Principle. Principal can be used as a noun or adjective, e.g., the principal of the company or the principal point to be made. Principle is a noun meaning a fundamental truth, law or standard.
- Literally. Can you literally die of embarrassment? Probably not, since literally means exactly what you say is true. Everything else is figurative.
- Dangling Participles. These happen when you order a sentence in a confusing way, i.e., after finishing the edit, my dog was happy to see me. Huh? Did my dog finish the edit? Instead, after finishing the edit, I was happy to see my dog.
Remember, writing for business is certainly no laughing matter. You can literally lose clients as a result of poor prose.
Two for 10
Congratulations to two of my clients who are celebrating a decade in business — quite an accomplishment. Mirus Promotions, founded by Julie Seal, is an award-winning nationwide field marketing company. Puzzle Pieces Marketing, the brainchild of Angel and Kristine Mason Broadus, is a marketing and public relations firm. I’m proud to be associated with both San Diego-based organizations. Way to go, ladies.
15 for Me
I always refer to myself as an accidental entrepreneur, because I never considered being self-employed until I became a freelancer in 2004. Scary? Yup. Exciting? Yup. The best decision I ever made? Maybe — tied with adopting Cubbie. I’m thrilled to celebrate my 15th anniversary as a freelance writer/editor — and I want to thank everyone who’s helped me along the way. Whether you’ve hired me or just been there for me, I deeply appreciate it.