Clever copy smells good
24 Mar 2009
Out and about in Wimbledon this week, I spotted this great sign for a local florist. It's cheap, it's amusing, and it certainly grabbed my attention. And yes, I bought a bunch of daffs. ...
March 2009
How to write successful website copy. A beginner’s guide
17 Mar 2009
You’ve decided you need a website. You’ve briefed a whizz-bang designer and you’ve found yourself agreeing to write the copy. It can’t be that difficult right? Wrong! Writing successful website copy can be tough. But here are a few tips to get you started. Who’s calling? Have a clear idea of who will be visiting your website. Will they already know about your...
The Oxford comma: posh punctuation
10 Mar 2009
Named after the Oxford University Press where it was first used, the Oxford comma - a comma before the word and - is often avoided in British English but used in the US. For example: In the US they write: Red, white, and blue. In the UK we write: Red, white and blue. For some reason, us Brits often feel quite weird...
Don’t be a website bore. It’s all about conversations not speeches
06 Mar 2009
Imagine yourself at a party; glass of warm punch in one hand, cold sausage roll in the other. And you're trapped with the party bore. He's giving you a speech about his latest achievements; the speed of his car; his golf handicap; and his plans for world domination. You can't get a word in edgeways and he doesn't ask you...
Is it ‘it’s’or ‘its’? Confused?
28 Feb 2009
The use of it's and its seem to get a lot of people confused. I even saw this on a website recently - I swear this is true - 'i'ts very good!' Nope. It's very bad. So this is the easiest way to remember: It's is a contraction of it is. So It's (it is) a nice day. It's (it is) a...
Look out. It’s a flying noun
27 Feb 2009
What's the difference between a concrete noun and an abstract noun? What's that I hear you cry? Who cares? Stay with me. I'm attempting to perform a public service. A concrete noun is a noun that can be seen, smelt, tasted, touched, heard. So, I wore a nice watch to the party. Watch is a concrete noun. Trickier to recognise, an abstract noun...
Starting a sentence with And or But. Can we? Yes we can!
26 Feb 2009
Do you remember being told at school that you can't start a sentence with a conjunction i.e. a joining word like And, But, Yet? Well here's a shocker: you can. If you want to be really formal you might want to use In addition or Nevertheless. But for the rest of us mere mortals starting a sentence with And or But is...
Cut the bull from your press releases. Please
26 Feb 2009
I was amused by a letter in this week's Design Week, in which Richard Murray, of London's Williams Murray Hamm, grumbles about the rubbishy press releases he receives from design consultants. He complains of meaningless statements like 'the brighter red feels more contemporary'. And refers to 'merging the word Air and France asserts Air France's international status while preserving its traditional...
Mens. Just so wrong
25 Feb 2009
Ok, one more time. Man is singular. If the wardrobe essentials belong to a man it should be a man's wardrobe essentials. Men is the plural of man. If the wardrobe essentials belong to the men it should be men's wardrobe essentials. Men apostrophe S. Like this: men's. Not mens. Mens is not a word....
When’s the best time to send a sales email?
22 Feb 2009
Interesting question this. It's generally thought the best time to send a sales email is between 10.00am and 10.30am and between 1.00pm and 1.30pm Tuesday to Thursday. Monday is out of the question. Too many other things to deal with. Friday, forget it. No-one is thinking about work on a Friday. In the UK the weekend starts on a Thursday night. The...