The words acronym and abbreviation are not synonymous.
An abbreviation is a shortened form of a word, like Dr. for doctor or PFS for progression-free survival.
An acronym is a type of abbreviation that’s formed using the first letter of each word. What makes an acronym different than, say, the PFS example above is that it can be pronounced as a word, like CAD for computer-aided design.
Most people associate writers with either A) a scruffy, tired wordsmith huddled over a messy desk and a pile of papers, scrambling to get their genius out and onto the page, or B) a cool, calm, and composed author, neatly decorating a crisp blank page with their thoughts while occasionally looking up to the sky for inspiration.
I fall into neither of those categories.
For me, writing is less of a mad dash or aesthetic activity and more of a puzzle. Pulling together the pieces of an idea, seeing where they best fit and flow, until I eventually have a completed draft.
Puzzling together a piece of work is where I get stuck and spend the most time, but it’s also the most fun. This game of mental gymnastics is actually a huge part of why I love my work.
And that’s how it always goes, isn’t it? The processes that frustrate us actually end up being the most rewarding.
Earlier this week I used the phrase open a can of worms in a comment in a Word document. Word flagged the phrase and offered these alternatives: a complex issue and an assortment of problems.
However, the suggested phrases didn’t work in the context of the comment. A better alternative would have been overly complicate things.
But why did Word flag open a can of worms in the first place?
Because it’s an idiom—a culturally specific figure of speech that doesn’t make sense when translated literally because the meanings of the individual words don’t match the meaning of the idiom.
For those whose first language isn’t the source language, idiomatic phrases can cause confusion and be difficult to understand. And because idioms can vary from region to region, they can cause confusion even among those who share the same first language.
As always, knowing your audience is key. I typically recommend erring on the side of caution and using plain language for informational writing. A writer’s goal should always be to advocate for the audience, and plain language is better than clever figures of speech for ensuring clarity.
In the comment I made in the Word document, I left the phrase as is because it’s meant for one person, and I happen to know they will understand the idiom. And besides, the idiom was perfect in that context. However, if I were writing for more than an audience of one, I would have reworded it.
When prospective clients first approach me for editing, they think they need an editor to review their documents for proper grammar, spelling, punctuation, and consistency. Sometimes that is exactly what they need, but we often uncover bigger challenges during the needs assessment — like problems with structure, presentation, and logic.
Deep editing goes by various names: structural editing, substantive editing, developmental editing, content editing, and likely some other names I don’t know. In this post, I’ll refer to it as deep editing. This type of editing goes beyond reviewing a piece for grammar, sentence structure, punctuation, and consistency.
My clients run small professional services businesses — often one-person operations — and the types of documents they write and deliver include reports, proposals, white papers, and instruction manuals.
Small professional services businesses lack the people power and resources larger firms have, yet they still need to deliver clear, concise writing that showcases their expertise and has a consistent brand voice. That’s a bigger task than many people realize. Sloppy, inconsistent writing that fails to advocate for the reader could damage their credibility.
When I hear a potential client say the following things, I know they likely need deep editing in addition to copyediting:
A deep edit often involves rewriting chunks of text and possibly reorganizing it for better flow and coherence. Flexibility and balance are key to getting this right: The editor’s rewrites should make the writing clearer and more concise while maintaining the author’s voice and intended meaning. This requires mutual trust and respect between the author and the editor. The editor should keep an open dialogue with the author and ask for feedback regularly to make sure they’re on the right track.
When I do a deep edit, I check for the following:
Anything you write on behalf of your business is part of your brand image. If your documents fall short in any of the five areas above, work with an editor who can help whip them into shape so you can deliver top-quality writing that puts you and your business in the best light.
Anything you write on behalf of your business is part of your company’s image. If you don’t have a writing style guide to keep track of your preferences, you risk creating sloppy, unprofessional-looking content, which could damage your credibility.
A writing style guide is a living document that includes your writing and formatting preferences and helps keep writers, editors, and anyone else involved in the writing process on the same page.
Writing style guides can help strengthen your writing in three ways:
Seemingly small things like using emergency room and emergency department interchangeably, styling your phone number 555.555.5555 in some places and 555–555–5555 in others, or using the abbreviation PM to mean both project manager and program manager in the same document can make you seem less credible and diminish the value of your brand.
Your writing style guide should be based on a major style manual. Which one you use depends on your industry niche and your preferences—more on that below.
The main reason I recommend creating a house style guide in addition to using a major style manual is this: In my 20+ years of writing and editing, I’ve never worked with a company that didn’t have writing and formatting preferences that differed from the guidance in their preferred style manual. Keeping track of those differences is important to maintaining consistency in your writing — and everyone involved in the writing process should know where to find this info.
Also, most style manuals are massive. For example, the print version of the 17th edition of The Chicago Manual of Style has 1,144 pages, and the online version of the manual is even larger. If you find yourself looking up the same rules over and over again in a book or its online equivalent, add them to your writing style guide so they’re easily accessible.
The info you include in your company’s writing style guide will depend on the type of writing you do, but I recommend these 11 basic sections for most businesses:
BONUS TIP: If you cite sources in your writing, include a section on styling references and in-text citations.
When choosing a major style manual, consider the type of writing you do and your field or niche. Below is a list of several major style manuals and their corresponding fields or niches.
Although writing may never be your favorite part of your work, establishing writing standards can make the process feel less of a chore and help you produce consistently high-quality pieces that showcase your expertise, reflect well on your brand, and resonate with your audience.
One of my karate teachers used to say this all the time in class.
After the warm-up, the first part of karate class is often focused on basic sets of punches and kicks. The idea behind “You can always improve your punch” is this: No matter how long you’ve been training or what belt rank you’ve reached, there are always ways to hone even basic techniques.
I’ve been training in martial arts since 2006, and I still enjoy doing basics. There’s something comforting and meditative about drilling basic techniques. But I also like to look for ways to make each technique better, more precise, more powerful.
I get my cues for refining techniques from my teachers and training partners. For instance, the teacher might ask us to focus on generating more power each time we do the technique, or a fellow student might ask a question that shifts the way I think about the technique.
The same is true with writing. Although I’ve been working with words for more than two decades, I don’t know it all, and I like to remain curious and open to learning tips for strengthening my writing.
I love following other writers and editors on social media because I learn from them and get different perspectives.
All of this helps me be a better writer and do better work for my clients.
What do you do to sharpen your skills?
I’m a technical writer and editor, and my clients often ask me for feedback on their writing. One piece of advice I give nearly all my clients is to eliminate redundant and unnecessary phrases.
Redundant phrases make writing clunky and sometimes unclear. A few examples of redundant phrases are end result, skin rash, and major breakthrough. If we delete the redundant words, we’re left with result, rash, and breakthrough.
Most unnecessary phrases come at the beginning of a sentence. Examples include It is important to note, There is, and In other words. These phrases are extra words that add no value to a sentence. Your writing will be stronger and clearer if you delete them.
Writers use redundant and unnecessary phrases out of habit and because they’re often used in speech. However, these phrases make your writing muddy and detract from your message.
I’ve compiled a list of the redundant and unnecessary phrases I see most often: The Essential Guide to Redundant and Unnecessary Phrases. Download the PDF, and keep it handy to help you write more clearly and concisely.
I was taught at a young age that splitting infinitives is wrong.
An infinitive is to + a verb. For example, to travel.
A split infinitive has a word or phrase between to and the verb. Likely the most famous example of a split infinitive is from Star Trek: “to boldly go where no one has gone before.”
For years I followed the “do not split infinitives” rule and wrote lots of awkward sentences.
Sometime in the late 90s, I decided to look the rule up in The Chicago Manual of Style and couldn’t find it!
I looked in other major current style manuals and found no rule to support what I’d learned in school.
Splitting infinitives isn’t ungrammatical or wrong. It’s a stylistic choice, so go with what sounds most natural in your writing.
Check out this Grammar Girl post for more on the history of this rule.
Here’s a question in The Chicago Manual of Style Q&A on the topic.
What’s the difference between gibe, jibe, and jive?
I looked this up recently when I was working on a piece that used jive to mean in agreement. I thought it should be jibe but wanted to see if jive is listed as an alternate spelling. More on that below.
Gibe means both to taunt using sarcastic words and a sarcastic taunt.
Jibe means in agreement. It’s also a sailing term that means to shift from one side to the other or to change a ship’s course by moving the sails to the opposite side of the boat to catch wind from a different angle.
Jive was popularized by jazz and swing musicians in the 1920s. It can mean both deceptive, glib talk and to talk in a misleading, exaggerated manner. It can also refer to jazz and swing music.
Jive is also commonly used to mean jibe or in agreement. However, Merriam-Webster and the American Heritage Dictionary do not include this meaning even though it’s been used in this sense since the 1940s. The OED does include this meaning in definition 1b under verb.
It will be interesting to see if that sense earns an entry in major US dictionaries.
This Merriam-Webster post on the definitions of the three words persuaded me to change jive to jibe because the client’s house dictionary is Merriam-Webster.
If you’re interested in learning how words get added to the dictionary, check this out.
The abbreviation e.g. is short for exempli gratia in Latin and is used to mean for example.
Use e.g. to list examples of one or more things, like this: I eat fruit for breakfast every morning (e.g., bananas, pears, figs).
In the above example, I list types of fruit I might have for breakfast, but it’s not an exhaustive list — I might eat other fruits not listed here.
TIP: Never use both e.g. and etc. in a list — it’s redundant. Pick one or the other.
The abbreviation i.e. is short for id est in Latin and is used to mean that is.
Use i.e. with a clarifying statement, like this: Brake/break and weather/whether are homophones (i.e., pairs of words that sound the same but have different meanings).
The part after i.e. in this example clarifies what a homophone is. It’s one specific thing, not one example of several possible things.
Here’s my favorite way to remember the difference between e.g. and i.e.:
e.g. = example given
i.e. = in other words
Because e.g. and i.e. are often mistakenly used interchangeably, it’s a good idea to include guidance for how to use them in your writing style guide.
