Numbers are invisible to you until a pile-up of number words accumulates in your writing. You read your manuscript draft out loud and it sounds good, but then an editor picks up on the invisible weight of numbers. Usually, it isn’t a character problem or even a plot problem. It’s the numerical language itself that […]

So how do we ensure our specialized texts remain clear? The calculator on top measure how often you use abbreviations, repeat short forms, miss definitions, or group too many sentences together. This helps you stay clear while being brief. Do this before someone in editing tells you. How to Use Acronyms Clearly Maybe you’re reading […]

Using abbreviations can be helpful if you’re trying to be more efficient. But they’re also biggest cause of clunky prose. What’s the solution? When to use a short cut, and when not to. Have you ever read an abstract from an academic article and found yourself thinking “this isn’t teaching me anything; I’m just trying […]

Have you ever been given directions like this? Every item is bolded and numbered, but it’s difficult to follow. Ordinal numbers provides structure to human instruction by telling us where things go. They tell us what happens next, or what happened first. Take away the ordinals and you’ve got nothing more then a recipe (just […]