Category Archives: Kathleen Watson

Comma Kathy talks Common Comma Error

Comma Kathy talks Common Comma Error: Conjunction ‘and’ Doesn’t Always Need One Early in my career as an independent business writer, I produced hundreds of newsletters. They provided reliable, predictable income – ideal for someone operating as a freelancer. At … Continue reading

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No Problem? No Thanks.

No Problem? No Thanks. by Kathleen Watson I encourage people to speak—and write—words of thanks in both their personal and business lives. We all like to know our efforts are recognized and appreciated. Whenever I have a book event or … Continue reading

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Low-Cost Book Promotion: How I Engage People at Book Events

Low-Cost Book Promotion: How I Engage People at Book Events by Kathleen Watson When my Grammar for People Who Hate Rules: Killer Tips from the Ruthless Editor came out in August 2016, I was not exactly a marketing novice; I … Continue reading

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Twelve Tips for Better Email

Twelve Tips for Better Email With email continuing to reign as the communication mode of choice in the business world, billions of work-related messages are sent and received every day. Because emails lack facial expression, tone of voice, and body … Continue reading

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Stop Pushing Your Modifiers Around!

Stop Pushing Your Modifiers Around! by Kathleen Watson Modifiers are supposed to add meaning or clarification. A misplaced modifier can do just the opposite. Consider these differing connotations of often: College students who meet often with their advisers make better … Continue reading

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One Word or Two? Use Care When Combining Words

One Word or Two? Use Care When Combining Words by Kathleen Watson What’s wrong with the following headline: How to Setup a Marketing Campaign to Capture More Leads If you recognized Setup as incorrect (it should be Set Up), you … Continue reading

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Straying from Conventional Grammar Can Help Tell a Story

Straying from Conventional Grammar Can Help Tell a Story by Kathleen Watson Authors sometimes take license with grammar to create a mood, a scene, or a character. I usually don’t object to storytelling that deviates from standard usage, as long … Continue reading

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Quotation Marks and Punctuation’s Ultimate Insiders: Periods and Commas

Quotation Marks and Punctuation’s Ultimate Insiders: Periods and Commas By Kathleen Watson When you’re on a roll and the inspiration is flowing, you don’t want to stop to ponder punctuation. Seasoned writers get their thoughts and words captured first, postponing … Continue reading

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Top Tips for Using Apostrophes with Letters, Words, and Numbers

Top Tips for Using Apostrophes with Letters, Words, and Numbers by Kathleen Watson The apostrophe helps us form contractions (what’s new), shows us that something is missing (rock ‘n’ roll), and helps us create possessives and plurals. These examples will … Continue reading

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AP Stumbles on Gender-Neutral Pronouns and Possessives

AP Stumbles on Gender-Neutral Pronouns and Possessives by Kathleen Watson I had barely written my last post, in part about pronoun agreement, when the Associated Press announced it was changing its guidelines for noun/pronoun agreement when gender is an issue. … Continue reading

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