Unnecessary Quote Marks Let's "knock down the door" and "barge in", ey. Single and double quotation marks Double quotation marks are reserved for 'quotes within quotes', whereas single quotation marks are used for quotations according to the Style Guide & Cambridge Guide to English Usage. Example: He said 'I don't like it when you call him …
Quotes and quotation marks
Two punctuation marks at the end of a sentence When two punctuation marks coincide at the end of a sentence, do you need both? The general principles are: If the marks are the same, only one is needed. If they are different, the stronger or 'heavier' one takes precedence. A question mark thus supersedes a …
Question Marks
The main function of a question mark is to indicate a question or query. 1. Use a question mark at the end of all direct questions: What is your name? How much money did you transfer? Did you send euro or dollars? 2. Use a question mark after a tag question: You're French, aren't you? …
Prepositions
A preposition links nouns, pronouns and phrases to other words in a sentence. The word or phrase that the preposition introduces is called the object of the preposition. A preposition usually indicates the temporal, spatial or logical relationship of its object to the rest of the sentence as in the following examples: The book is …
Fat-free writing (more on plain English)
Plain English Guidelines: Keep sentences short Over the whole document, make average sentence length 15 to 20 words. Muddle is more likely in a long sentence, unless the construction is simple and well-organised. Learning to cut repetition and verbiage, using lists and headings properly, and shortening sentences can make the world of difference to your …
Plain English and short sentences (less is more)
Some words add nothing but length to your prose.
Numbers, measurement and currencies
Numbers 1–9—write out one, nine, (i.e. single-digit numbers); from then on the number 10, 11 etc. If a mix of related numbers above and below nine appears in one sentence, use figures: Unbelievably, only 2 of the 110 people on the train were injured. Always start a sentence with a word: Two out of 110 …
Loose vs. lose
Loose Loose is an adjective, the opposite of tight or contained. My shoes are loose. I have a loose tooth. There's a dog running loose in the street. Lose Lose is a verb that means to suffer the loss of, to miss. I win! You lose! Don't lose your keys. I never lose …
Ascension Editing 