style

Copy-wise: Should I say ‘which’ or ‘that’?

By Shirley Siluk / June 17, 2020

Pop quiz – spot the error in the following sentence: “IT security is especially important for companies which have seen large numbers of employees suddenly working from home.” If you…

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11 essential content marketing links from Q3 19

By Tony Hallett / September 30, 2019

1. 5 components every marketing plan needs to succeed We’re starting big picture. Solid advice. 2. There are three CMO archetypes, but only one is best for driving growth And…

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Should I say ‘on-premise’ or ‘on-premises’ IT?

By Shirley Siluk / April 19, 2018

Not every writer enjoys being a scold about grammar and usage. Here at Collective Content we’re willing to give the occasional pass for saying things like, ‘Every attendee should have…

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What is… editing?

By Shirley Siluk / September 18, 2017

Writers tend to be solitary creatures but bringing writing to life is more often a group effort. That’s especially true in B2B communication. Whatever the business writing project—a blog post,…

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Copy-wise: Possessives, plurals and greengrocers

By Tony Hallett / November 29, 2016

This post was first published on 11 January 2013. Do you know your 1970’s from your 1970s? Interesting as that decade was, the more observant among you will have noticed…

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Copy-wise: You DON’T have to explain every term

By Tony Hallett / November 15, 2016

Sure, ‘explain your terms’ is what your high school English teacher drummed into you. It’s best practice in certain areas, such as academic writing. But for your content marketing? You…

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Copy-wise: Semi-colons – use with care

By Tony Hallett / October 17, 2016

Semi-colons are fine for long lists, computer programmers and Mark Twain. While we have a lot of love for the latter two of those three, what we really mean is…

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What is a… style guide?

By Shirley Siluk / October 17, 2016

Media theorist Marshall McLuhan is famous for saying, among other things, that “The medium is the message”. Essentially, that means that the type of medium you choose to communicate a…

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Copy-wise: You’re using these words incorrectly – or are you?

By Tony Hallett / October 10, 2016

This post was first published on 7 October 2014. We spend a fair amount of time both blogging and talking to clients about style, grammar, tone of voice and so…

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What is a… copy-editor / sub-editor?

By Shirley Siluk / October 5, 2016

We’re all familiar with editor and reporter characters from movies set in magazine or newspaper offices. Think the Robert Redford/Dustin Hoffman reporter duo in All the President’s Men, Meryl Streep’s…

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Copy-wise: ‘Less’ and ‘fewer’ are not interchangeable

By Shirley Siluk / October 3, 2016

Once you understand the difference between ‘less’ and ‘fewer’, it’s hard to mistakenly use one in place of the other. Saying ‘fewer puppies’ or ‘less water’ simply feels right, while…

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When sweary words work (this is a trick headline)

By Tony Hallett / October 28, 2014

The short answer? They almost never do. This post has in part been fast-tracked (I was writing it anyway) after the controversy around this video. It was pulled by YouTube…

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