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The Better Writing Skills newsletter

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Topics covered in recent issues are shown below.

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July 2008:

The vexing issue of when to use "he".
What do "vis-a-vis" and "inter alia" mean?
Is your e-mail mistaken for spam?

June 2008:

Choosing between "I shall" and "I will"
Ten tips for writing good sales copy
Is it okay to say "and so"?

May 2008:

What are those brackets for?
An alternative to "office timings"?
Should we say "the team is" or "the team are"?

April 2008:

Should we say "on an as-and-when-required basis"?
Is there a simpler alternative to "null and void"?
Commas can be constantly confusing.

March 2008:

Does jargon help a resume?
What do "biannual" and "biweekly" mean to you?
How should we punctuate this dialogue?
Is it okay to write "these ones" and "those ones"?

February 2008:

Sheepdog trials and English grammar
Choosing between "them" and "these"
When do plant and animal names need a capital?

December 2007:

"Assisting" versus "helping"
Business and technical reports must be easy to read
"Until" versus "till"
How do we punctuate quotations?

November 2007:

Punctuating the word "however"
Choosing between "is" and "are"
China to become the number one English-speaking country?

October 2007:

"If I WAS ..." or "If I WERE ..."?
"Farther" or "further"?
Is the standard of English declining?

September 2007:

Brad Pitt and English grammar -- there's a connection!
"Me" versus "myself"
Should I believe what I read online?
"Accredited" versus "credited"

August 2007:

"On a par with" or "on par with"?
Removing acronyms
Hyphenating a company name

July 2007:

"You and I" or "you and me"?
"In" or "into"?
Punctuating sentences that end with an e-mail address
Strange punctuation 101: the ellipsis (...)