Strategies for using indirect language patterns with intention When writing to communicate expertise and authority, you want to avoid language that makes you seem uncertain. My previous post here described indirect speech patterns that make you seem less confident or knowledgeable when they creep into your written words. However, indirect speech isn’t all bad. Indirect […]
academic writing
Writing Advice for College Students: Beware Academese
Heading off to college? No matter what your major, you’ll end up having to write at least a few papers or survive Freshman English. My first piece of advice is simple: Beware of Academese “Academese” is the specialized language of academics that belongs in scholarly tomes, not the real world. When writing term papers, you may be tempted […]
5 reasons NOT to write like an academic
As schools everywhere are restarting and the latest crop of college graduates settles into new jobs, I thought I’d share a few of the harsh, early business writing lessons I learned on the job. I was an English major. When I entered the business world, I quickly found that what worked so well for me […]
