Precise Edit

8 Sentence Patterns for Academic and Technical Writing

An expert academic or technical writer needs only a few basic sentence patterns to produce easy-to-understand writing. Each of the sentence patterns below will result in clear academic or technical writing. However, do not use any one pattern more than tw... Read >

Commas Pairs of Adjectives.

You have two adjectives together. Do you or don’t you put a comma between them? If they are coordinate adjectives, you do. This follows Zen Comma Rule P. Comma Rule P: Put a Comma between Coordinate Adjectives. Definition of Coordinate Adjectives. A... Read >

3 Strategies to Make Bad Information Sound Good

Sometimes, things are not as good as you expect. Sometimes, the truth hurts. Sometimes, you are not perfect. And you have to write about it. These three strategies will help you write about bad, or embarrassing, information in a way that makes the bad inf... Read >

Strategies for Writing Concise Descriptions

Concise writing is clear writing. By definition, concise writing communicates in as few words as necessary. Everything in a sentence other than the subject, verb, and object is description. Descriptions cause most of the “fluff” in sentences, but, fortuna... Read >

Power Subjects and Direct Writing

The subject of the sentence focuses the readers’ attention because it answers the question “Who?” The writer is telling the reader, “This is what the sentence is about.” Because the subject of the sentence is so important, direct writing requires the writ... Read >

Writing Style and Formality

Writing style comprises four characteristics: Formality Language complexity Objectivity, and Information depth.The purpose you are trying to accomplish, the readers’ needs, your relationship with the reader, and the type of document affect the style i... Read >

The Bad Commas of Eats, Shoots and Leaves

Before I write anything else, let me state that I like Lynn Truss’s book Eats, Shoots and Leaves. It is funny, and it has a few good pointers on punctuation. However, she follows the “do as I say, not as I do” school of grammar instruction.If you read Eat... Read >

Reflections and Advice on eBook Publishing

Reflections and Advice on eBook Publishing Since my first article on publishing an e-book to Amazon’s Kindle (Converting for Kindle), some things have changed with the Amazon DTP (Digital Text Platform). Instead of uploading a zip file with an HTML docum... Read >

Location Matters in Writing

What do realtors say matters most? Location, location, location. This principle is as true in writing as it is in realty. The word order and placement determines not only whether you communicate clearly but also whether you present yourself credibly.This ... Read >

Commas with Therefore and Too

Therefore and Too are conjunctive adverbs, and they cause a lot of problems with commas. Before we look at using commas with therefore and too, we need to understand conjunctive adverbs and what they do. What Conjunctive Adverbs Do A conjunctive adv... Read >

4 Writing Strategies for Improving Relationships and Persuading Readers

Language, and writing, can do one of two things, depending on how it is used: enhance a relationship or damage it. In simple terms, it can help bring people together or push them apart; it can help you accomplish your purposes, or it can hinder you. Langu... Read >

Bumbo Learns about Implied Words

The Koan The teacher went to the platform to give his lesson on commas. He looked at the students, saying nothing. Then he wrote a comma on the wall and left. "Ah," said Bumbo. "Missing words need commas, too!" The Lesson When the teacher stands ... Read >

Ending Paragraphs at the Right Place

Although paragraph structure challenges writers, it is essential not only to help organize the content logically but also to keep the reader interested to the end of the document. On the other hand, if paragraphs are not structured well, the reader will h... Read >

Where Does the Comma Go?

Do commas confuse you? The final stage of the writing and editing process is proofreading: correcting any errors in spelling, punctuation, word usage, and format. Roughly 75% of what I do while proofreading clients’ documents is correct commas. When... Read >

Ordering Items in Series

You’re writing a series of items, and you’re not sure what order to put them in. Do you write “A, B, and C" or “A, C, and B"? What is the best order for items in a series?Here are two approaches I use when evaluating the order of items in a series or list... Read >