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Scare quotes

My most recent proofread was a thesis of well over 70,000 words – 211 pages of well-written text on an interesting topic, the proud...

PLAGIARISM AT UNIVERSITIES

Plagiarism, or academic fraud, is rife at universities, and is probably worse than we realise or recognise. It is difficult to measure...

WRITING A THESIS

Does the thought of writing a thesis make you break out in a cold sweat and hit the panic button? I am sure you are not alone. Writing a...

UP AND @ ‘EM – A SYMBOL OF THE DIGITAL AGE

On the 5th of March 2016, Ray Tomlinson passed away. He’s not a household name – at least not in most houses – but his work has shaped...

IRISH CELEBRATIONS AND DERIVATIONS: A ST PATRICK'S DAY GUIDE TO WORDS

St Patrick’s Day may be a day of merriment – and occasional reckless behaviour in pubs – but there’s a lot more to it than shamrocks,...

HELP! MY CHILD CAN’T SPELL

It is fair to say that the spelling skills of our young people has hit an all-time low. According to Graeme Paton, we now have a...

LAW WRITING AND THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE

George Orwell’s illustrious writing career included a piece of work that is widely recognised as one of the most important stands for the...

GO EASY ON THE ACRONYMS

Do acronyms also make you cringe? Not everybody is an expert in decoding a string of letters that leave most readers mystified. The...