GrammarPhile Blog

In our latest video Phil Jamieson explains when to use AM or PM and why writing "12:00 am" is wrong. 

With the presidential election cycle in full swing and local elections taking place this week, now seems the best time ever to talk about hyperbole in marketing copy. Or not. Maybe it’s just a good time to talk about it. After all, political campaign ads are the epitome of hyperbole.

Hyperbole is extravagant exaggeration, and you see it everywhere — on television, in print, online, in ads, in the news, in email, in social media posts. We see it frequently in marketing, PR and campaign materials that come through ProofreadNOW.com.

Who says you’re too old to trick-or-treat? This week, we offer 8 tricks to help you become a better proofreader, along with a few treats at the end for those who proofread marketing, legal or medical copy.

Not all of these techniques will work for everyone, and they won’t work in all instances. Much will depend on the length and complexity of the text, the time available for proofreading and what works for you individually. I use some of these tricks regularly and others not at all. Give them a try with your next document and see what works for you. 

One word or two? That question comes up frequently, especially with respect to “A” words: Ahold or a hold? Awhile or a while? Alot or a lot? Alright or all right? Consider this sentence:

Thanks to everyone who took our quiz in honor of National Punctuation Day last week. Congratulations to our winner, Samir Hafza, who gets a $25 Amazon gift card.

In honor of National Punctuation Day today (really!), we’re giving you the opportunity to test your proofreading knowledge with a little quiz. In addition to punctuation, it covers grammar, clarity, accuracy and many other errors we’ve talked about in this blog.

The five numbered paragraphs below contain numerous errors (indicated in parentheses at the end of each paragraph). All are unequivocally wrong. Acceptable variations — such as words with different spellings (e.g., advisor, adviser) or sentences that could be punctuated correctly multiple ways — are not included.

Have you ever wanted to look up how to spell a word but couldn’t find it because you didn’t know how to spell it? That’s the same kind of problem many people have with this week’s topic: using possessives with gerunds. When you don’t know what to call the terms, how can you easily find guidance related to them?

Anyone old enough to remember the television series “Dragnet” no doubt remembers the title of today’s post as Jack Friday’s famous catch phrase. Only it wasn’t. He never uttered those exact words in any episode, although he commonly said, “All we want [or “know”] are the facts, ma’am.” Nor was his name Jack Friday. It was Joe Friday, played by Jack Webb.

Many of our readers are marketers who employ a variety of methods to reach their target markets. Today, I want to address one of those methods: email.

For the most part, floods are considered negative events.

Nobody likes to have their house swept from its foundation by endless rain. Or their livestock carried off by raging rivers. Or their basement full of family heirlooms transformed into a swimming pool.

Nobody likes a flood of emails either.

Alison watched her son drive off through the window.

David waited patiently behind a teenager with baggy jeans carrying a full load.

The homeowner chased the intruder wearing nothing but his underwear.