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The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) has just released its January 2018 update, with 240 brand new words making it into the publication, along with around 900 subentries. A notable theme among the latest entries is parenting, pregnancy and women’s health, with 47 of them coming from suggestions via the website Mumsnet. OED has long sought […]

As it’s Australia Day today, let’s take a look at some of the leading writers from Down Under. The country has certainly served up some notable and diverse contributions to literature over the years, and here are five very different writers worth exploring: 1. Patrick White Though born in London, White moved to Sydney when […]

One of the biggest telltale signs of weak writing is using the same words again and again. When reading a piece, especially out loud, it really sticks out like a sore thumb if the same words and phrases appear repeatedly, but how can you keep this to an absolute minimum? Use synonyms Today happens to […]

Following a 2006 report by the Department for Education and Skills, a system known as ‘synthetic phonics’ has been recommended as the “prime approach” to teaching children how to read, write and spell in the UK. Phonics, if you’re not familiar with the term, involves teaching what letters sound like; for example, the letter W […]

The turn of the year offers us a chance to change our lives for the better. Whether it’s to lose weight, be more productive or learn a new skill, we tend to set ourselves these goals when the melee of Christmas winds down and January begins. However, it’s often said that 80% of New Year’s […]

With just days of 2017 now remaining, perhaps you’re setting out some New Year’s resolutions for yourself, one of which might be to get more writing done. With the calendar changing from ‘7’ to ‘8’, we’ve set out eight pieces of advice that might get you scribbling during 2018.

Appropriately on what is the shortest day of the year, today is Short Story Day, and if your writing muscles need flexing, what better way to do this than to pen a quick, brief narrative? A common reason would-be writers give for not getting any writing done is that they “don’t have time”. It is, […]

A glaring spelling error can botch anything, and it seems like some marketers, broadcasters and other decision-makers might have been at the Christmas sherry a little bit early this year, with some extremely poor spelling slip-ups having made the recent news. Here are three of the most cringe-worthy Christmas cock-ups we’ve seen this

‘Tis the season to be jolly, and the best way to keep writers, editors and other grammarians full of festive cheer at this time of year is to avoid glaring spelling mistakes. Whether you’re writing your Christmas cards or planning a yuletide article, there are certain words that crop up in December that you don’t […]

A sports writer and head of a judging panel for an annual book award says the number of misprints and spelling mistakes creeping into publications is increasing. Graham Sharpe, who read 131 books nominated for this year’s William Hill Sports Book of the Year, says: “It certainly seems to me that there have been many […]

When people describe what they look for in a partner, knowing the difference between ‘there’, ‘they’re’ and ‘their’ is rarely something they mention, but a study has indicated that grammatical knowhow can result in dating success. According to the Evening Standard, research by TrueView, a popular dating app, shows that cramming your profile with textspeak […]

November 13 to 17 is Anti-Bullying Week, and is set up to encourage students, parents and teachers to stand up and speak out against a form of behaviour that the NSPCC claims “affects almost all children in some way”. The charity cites some alarming statistics about bullying in the UK, such as Childline performing

If you tell somebody with a 9-to-5 office job that you work from home, they will usually go green with envy. They assume it’s all a big skive, and they hear the word ‘home’ rather than the word ‘work’. Of course, there are obvious advantages to working at home, but many people find it a […]

Dogs rarely complain about whatever we give them from a tin, but even if it’s just for one day a year, why not make the extra effort and treat them to a specially prepared meal? Today is Go Cook For Your Pets Day, and your dog is sure to appreciate the break from commercial dog […]