My year-end top 10

With 2022 just around the corner, I’ve chosen to wrap up this year with my own version of a top 10 list, this one containing edits I hope I don’t have to make as frequently next year.

1. Eliminating that. While it can’t always be done away with, the word that is often not necessary.
2. Replacing who with that or vice versa. When you’re referring to people, who is correct, not that.
3. Lowercasing bank and company. These words, when used alone, are not proper nouns, even when they refer to your bank or company.
4. Replacing hyphens with en or em dashes. Hyphens should only be used to hyphenate compound words.
5. Removing hyphens in compound words containing an adverb ending in ly, e.g. smartly dressed, even when they modify a noun, i.e., smartly dressed woman.
6. Replacing principal with principle, or vice versa. The former usually refers to a main or head person — or an amount of money — while the latter refers to a rule or basic truth.
7. Replacing compliment with complement, or vice versa. The former refers to a courteous remark while the latter is used for something that completes something else.
8. Rewriting sentences that begin with first when a second is never mentioned.
9. Removing extra spaces after periods. One space has been the standard for quite some time.
10. Making sure once an initialism* has been introduced, such as UVP for unique value proposition, it’s used consistently from that point forward in a document.

*For something to be an acronym, its initials must be able to be pronounced as if it’s a word, e.g., NASA, NATO.

Be of good cheer

As we enter the last few weeks of 2021, there’s certainly a lot to be concerned about, but we all have much to be thankful for, too. At the top of my thankful list is everyone who supported me this year by hiring me for writing and editing projects. I thank you from the bottom of my heart, and so does my four-legged dependent, Cubbie.

Wishing you the best

The beginning of a new year is a time for optimism, moving forward with a clean slate. Whether you make resolutions or set goals, I hope everything you’d like to happen in 2022 comes to fruition and you enjoy a prosperous, healthy year.