Avoid Pretensions, Gobbledygook, and Euphemisms
This feature comes from Paula LaRocque’s “The Book on Writing: The Ultimate Guide to Writing Well.” Reprinted with permission from Marion Street Press, Inc. (Chapter two of the book, under the section entitled  “A Dozen Guidelines to Good Writing”)

I once spoke to a group of professional communicators about the hazards of pretentious mumbo jumbo in workplace writing. We talked about what happens when we use fuzzy but important-sounding language, or seek to impress rather than to communicate clearly and simply.
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Language and Writing Mechanics
(Chapter 23 of Paula LaRocque’s “The Book on Writing: The Ultimate Guide to Writing Well.”) Reprinted with permission from Marion Street Press, Inc.

A Brief (But Not Necessarily Easy) Quiz

Below are some sentences with common grammar and punctuation problems that trouble many people. Can you find the problems? This is a straightforward quiz, not meant to be tricky or even especially tough; it merely comprises frequent complaints. Explanations follow (don’t peek!), as does a primer on those pesky pronouns, the part of speech responsible for most grammar gaffes in both speech and writing.
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