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Commas!

Commas! I can’t think of anything more fun than talking about commas first thing Monday morning! Can you? Oh. OK. You can. But still. They’re important. (And yes. I’m a sick woman.) Misusing them can change the meaning of a…

Susan RooksDecember 22, 2022December 22, 2022 American Grammar Checkups, Monday Grammar Checkups No Comments
Commas!Read more

Colons, Commas, and Dashes, Oh My!

Colons, Commas, and Dashes 2022 – Copy

Susan RooksJuly 17, 2022October 3, 2022 American Grammar & Usage TIPS, American Grammar Checkups, Let's PNCTU8
Colons, Commas, and Dashes, Oh My!Read more

Saying Thank You

Saying thank you. Why are we so reluctant to say “thank you” to someone else for their work, especially work that we paid for? Is it possible that paying for something seems to be enough, so thanks are neither needed nor…

Susan RooksJune 28, 2022October 30, 2022 Language Matters, Random Thoughts, Thursday's Thoughts
Saying Thank YouRead more

The Real Problem with Swearing

The real problem with swearing? No, it’s not what you might be thinking. Recently, I posted a fun meme that had a “swear” jar and a “talking about my dog” jar for coins, reflecting an old idea that when we…

Susan RooksMay 15, 2021October 3, 2022 Language Matters, Random Thoughts, Vocabulary
The Real Problem with SwearingRead more

Kick these old grammar rules away Part 2

Why kick these old grammar rules away? Well, as you saw in Part 1, in modern-day writing, they no longer always apply. Like all languages, English — in its various guises — evolves. The rules for using it also evolve. …

Susan RooksMarch 10, 2021August 25, 2022 American Grammar Checkups, Monday Grammar Checkups
Kick these old grammar rules away Part 2Read more

Pity the Poor Semicolon!

Do you wonder why I titled this article “Pity the Poor Semicolon?” Have you noticed how many times semicolons get dragged into the wrong place in a sentence? Too often, one is used instead of a comma or colon, either of…

Susan RooksDecember 25, 2020August 25, 2022 American Grammar & Usage TIPS, American Grammar Checkups
Pity the Poor Semicolon!Read more

Simple Pleasures of Life

What are your simple pleasures? I grew up in a household with an adoptive mother and a dad who were polar opposites in nearly every way. My mother was only 7 when her own mother died; she and her younger…

Susan RooksSeptember 21, 2020January 4, 2021 Random Thoughts, Thursday's Thoughts
Simple Pleasures of LifeRead more

They Never Meant to Kill

Written July 12, 2017 << >> They never meant to kill — sounds like a book title, doesn’t it? But it happened. I am sitting at my computer, watching the news, and again, I’m struck with horror at the killing…

Susan RooksJuly 31, 2020December 24, 2020 Random Thoughts, Thursday's Thoughts No Comments
They Never Meant to KillRead more

Lessons learned from playing cards

Here are a few lessons I learned from playing cards… In our frantic and fast-paced world – yes, even now with the virus all around us – many of us cling to the idea that we know what we did, we…

Susan RooksMay 2, 2020December 25, 2020 Random Thoughts, Thursday's Thoughts No Comments
Lessons learned from playing cardsRead more

April 2020: Describe Your Life

April 2020: What words describe your life? Over the past few years, starting with this article, I’ve written a few more on using language to our benefit, trying to help us all remember that we hold many of the keys…

Susan RooksApril 15, 2020October 3, 2022 Random Thoughts, Thursday's Thoughts No Comments
April 2020: Describe Your LifeRead more

We All Have a Role to Play

We all have a role to play. Like many around the world, I’ve watched in horror as the Coronavirus (COVID-19) has ravaged cities and towns causing unimaginable pain to their citizens. People who are healthy one day are sometimes gone a…

Susan RooksApril 9, 2020December 25, 2020 Random Thoughts, Thursday's Thoughts No Comments
We All Have a Role to PlayRead more

Why Are We All So Frightened?

Why are we all so frightened? Why are we so scared of those who are different? Why are so many angry at others who don’t look exactly like them, who don’t speak the same language, who aren’t the same sex,…

Susan RooksMarch 11, 2020December 26, 2020 Random Thoughts, Thursday's Thoughts No Comments
Why Are We All So Frightened?Read more

Kick Those Old Grammar Rules Away Part 1

Why kick those old grammar rules away? Because in the modern era of the 2020s, they’re no longer considered correct by most writers and style guides. So with apologies to stricter grammarians than I am, today, we’re going to get…

Susan RooksMarch 6, 2020July 8, 2021 American Grammar & Usage TIPS, American Grammar Checkups, Monday Grammar Checkups
Kick Those Old Grammar Rules Away Part 1Read more

Words Have Power

They say that words have power, and I so agree with that!     I’ve written many articles on communication, largely because I’m so often surprised at how we think we’ve communicated … but haven’t. About how often we said “A,”…

Susan RooksMarch 5, 2020August 25, 2022 Random Thoughts, Thursday's Thoughts
Words Have PowerRead more

Networking Success Tip #3

Networking Success Tip #3 Do you attend networking events in the real world? I mean, do you go to places where people are standing around, all hoping to SCORE BIG at the event by picking up a bunch of new…

Susan RooksMarch 5, 2020October 3, 2022 Random Thoughts, Thursday's Thoughts No Comments
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Networking Success Tip #2

  Networking success tip #2 is  the second of So, you’re off to another networking event. You read my first article on this, and you feel empowered. You’re strong. You’re going to rock the event! When you arrive, you sign…

Susan RooksMarch 5, 2020December 25, 2020 Random Thoughts, Thursday's Thoughts No Comments
Networking Success Tip #2Read more

For the Love of Language

I love language, and I am in awe of those who have the ability to converse in a language that isn’t their native one. Heck, some folks are comfortable in several languages! I speak, write, and understand only English —…

Susan RooksMarch 3, 2020December 26, 2020 American Grammar Checkups, Monday Grammar Checkups No Comments
For the Love of LanguageRead more

Are We Doing Enough Good?

Are we doing enough good for others? Could we do more? I read an excellent short post by Bruce Kasanoff  (Am I Doing Enough Good?) this morning about doing enough good for others. His premise was that there are all kinds…

Susan RooksJanuary 7, 2020March 3, 2020 Random Thoughts, Thursday's Thoughts
Are We Doing Enough Good?Read more

What Do Editors Do, Anyway?

What do editors do, anyway? Authors usually know they need another pair of eyes once they’ve gotten their thoughts together in a draft form. But they can become confused about who they should talk to, especially as there’s no 100%…

Susan RooksJanuary 2, 2020December 17, 2020 Editing Hacks
What Do Editors Do, Anyway?Read more

Is THIS missing from your articles?

Is THIS missing from your articles? Do you get full value from publishing articles on social media? Or are you among those who seem to get little value from LI or other social media platforms? Are you among those who…

Susan RooksDecember 14, 2019December 25, 2020 Random Thoughts No Comments
Is THIS missing from your articles?Read more

Seriously? I’m an Editor?

Seriously? I’m an editor? Yup, I guess so. But I still laugh to myself and probably always will … When did I become an editor? Oh, right. When a good friend – Sandra Elaine Scott – asked me to help her…

Susan RooksDecember 12, 2019March 4, 2020 Random Thoughts, Thursday's Thoughts
Seriously? I’m an Editor?Read more

Who Are You Calling Old?

Who are you calling old? I saw a question this morning on Quora about the difference between old folks now and 70 years previously. This article sprang up full-blown, as so many seem to do. First of all, what age…

Susan RooksDecember 11, 2019December 25, 2020 Random Thoughts, Thursday's Thoughts No Comments
Who Are You Calling Old?Read more

Are You Making the Most of YOUR LinkedIn Profile?

Are you making the most of YOUR LinkedIn profile? I joined LinkedIn in October 2005, and basically did NOTHING for years. I had no idea how or what to do … and didn’t know anyone to even ask. I had…

Susan RooksOctober 8, 2019December 25, 2020 Random Thoughts, Thursday's Thoughts No Comments
Are You Making the Most of YOUR LinkedIn Profile?Read more

Uncover Your Smothered Verbs!

Uncover your smothered verbs! Why? Because you’ll shorten and sharpen your writing, and your readers will get more out of the experience. So what’s a smothered verb, you ask? It’s a verb that we changed into a noun, a word…

Susan RooksSeptember 23, 2019December 26, 2020 American Grammar & Usage TIPS, Writing for Success No Comments
Uncover Your Smothered Verbs!Read more

Do You Compete … or Collaborate?

Do you compete or collaborate? Just today I saw an article about not wanting our competitors to be seen on LI by anyone who would be looking for someone who has the same type of job that we do. The basic…

Susan RooksSeptember 12, 2019December 25, 2020 Random Thoughts, Thursday's Thoughts No Comments
Do You Compete … or Collaborate?Read more

Using the “Self” Pronouns Correctly

Using the “self” pronouns correctly can be tough! Those are the ones that end in “self” or “selves.” Many speakers and writers use them everywhere, but these pronouns have a very limited grammatical purpose: They’re meant to be mirror image…

Susan RooksAugust 5, 2019December 25, 2020 American Grammar Checkups, Monday Grammar Checkups No Comments
Using the “Self” Pronouns CorrectlyRead more

Visually Smooth Out Your Writing

Would you like to know how you can visually smooth out your writing?  As a copyeditor, I work on a wide variety of articles every week, some so well written my jaw drops in awe. Occasionally there’s one that needs…

Susan RooksJuly 21, 2019December 24, 2020 Editing Hacks 4 Comments
Visually Smooth Out Your WritingRead more

If You Don’t Know …

The question is simple: If you don’t know … are you willing to ask for help? Do you remember being a kid and wanting to grow up and know everything about everything, the way so many adults appeared to do?…

Susan RooksJuly 18, 2019December 24, 2020 Thursday's Thoughts
If You Don’t Know …Read more

More Cross Words!

Funny how “more cross words” and “more crosswords” can seem to be the same but are actually so diferrent. In this article, clearly the words are good ones, not cross ones. But to get your attention, I broke the word…

Susan RooksJuly 17, 2019December 24, 2020 Wednesday Words No Comments
More Cross Words!Read more

It’s Quiz Time Again!

It’s quiz time again, folks! I see a lot of errors in articles, many likely made due to confusion about what’s considered correct in the American grammar system. While our system has a lot in common with all others, it’s…

Susan RooksJuly 15, 2019December 22, 2020 American Grammar Checkups, Monday Grammar Checkups
It’s Quiz Time Again!Read more

It’s a Numbers Game!

It’s a Numbers Game! A good buddy, Jim Saelzler, wrote to me recently asking about using numbers as the first “word” in a sentence and asking if we should follow them with a capitalized word. He wondered if anything had changed…

Susan RooksJuly 8, 2019December 22, 2020 American Grammar Checkups No Comments
It’s a Numbers Game!Read more

Keys to Success?

Have you ever heard these “keys to success”? Everyone line up quietly. Go in order. If you’re #1, you go first. If you’re #2, you always go right after #1. Start on the left and move to the right. Start…

Susan RooksJune 25, 2019December 24, 2020 Random Thoughts, Thursday's Thoughts No Comments
Keys to Success?Read more

Are You Always an Expert?

Are you always an expert, even when you’re “off duty”? Do you have trouble balancing your professional and personal roles? I saw a magazine advice column recently where a professional was wondering how to respond to those who asked for…

Susan RooksJune 21, 2019December 24, 2020 Random Thoughts, Thursday's Thoughts No Comments
Are You Always an Expert?Read more

Instinctive and Instinctual

While the words instinctive and instinctual share a common bond, they’re also subtly different when used accurately. That said, many writers do use them as they see fit, even if the word isn’t the right one, probably because so few…

Susan RooksJune 18, 2019December 29, 2020 Wednesday Words No Comments
Instinctive and InstinctualRead more

The Impossible English Language!

Talk about showcasing how impossible the English language can be! Thanks to John Philpin for sharing this on one of our mutual BIZCATALYST360° sites in response to something I wrote in my column “All in All.” There are many much shorter versions…

Susan RooksJune 13, 2019October 3, 2022 Language Matters, Random Thoughts, Wednesday Words No Comments
The Impossible English Language!Read more

Rein it in, partner!

Rein it in, partner! is what I often want to say to those who come on too strong too quickly! How about you? The Internet is a wondrous place, especially for those of us who grew up long before it…

Susan RooksJune 13, 2019December 29, 2020 Random Thoughts, Thursday's Thoughts No Comments
Rein it in, partner!Read more

Cross Words

Now, before you write and tell me that crosswords is usually written in solid form, trust me: I know that. But cross words is exactly what the right term is for these challenges in a recent puzzle in the Boston Globe Sunday magazine…

Susan RooksJune 5, 2019December 29, 2020 Wednesday Words
Cross WordsRead more

Grammarly or Humanly

Grammarly or Humanly? That’s a question a lot of people ask.  Many readers know that I am a columnist with BIZCATALYST 360°, having been invited onto the platform by its founder and editor in chief, Dennis Pitocco. I love being…

Susan RooksMay 13, 2019December 28, 2020 American Grammar Checkups, Monday Grammar Checkups No Comments
Grammarly or HumanlyRead more

Successfully Giving Feedback

Susan RooksMay 9, 2019February 15, 2022 Random Thoughts, Thursday's Thoughts No Comments
Successfully Giving FeedbackRead more

Personal Branding: A Harsh Lesson

Susan RooksMay 2, 2019December 25, 2020 Random Thoughts, Thursday's Thoughts No Comments
Personal Branding: A Harsh LessonRead more

Ideas Are Like Fireflies!

Susan RooksApril 25, 2019December 25, 2020 Random Thoughts, Thursday's Thoughts No Comments
Ideas Are Like Fireflies!Read more

Using Quotation Marks (American Style)

Using Quotation Marks (American Style): Sometimes I get lucky and a connection asks a great question that turns into an article, like this one. Recently, Donna Shattuck asked about using quotation marks or parentheses, but because this article is already…

Susan RooksApril 8, 2019December 23, 2020 American Grammar Checkups, Monday Grammar Checkups No Comments
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Networking Success Tip #1

Networking Success Tip #1 is the first of four to help everyone succeed at this, whether in person or virtually. As of March 2020, in-person networking disappeared, and it may be a long time before we practice it that way…

Susan RooksApril 2, 2019January 15, 2022 Random Thoughts, Thursday's Thoughts No Comments
Networking Success Tip #1Read more

Apostrophes — Again!

Apostrophes — Again! This isn’t the first article I’ve written on using apostrophes, and given the confusion surrounding them, it probably won’t be the last. But since I can’t know who will read what I post or who needs to…

Susan RooksFebruary 11, 2019August 25, 2022 American Grammar Checkups, Monday Grammar Checkups
Apostrophes — Again!Read more

Who is to blame?

There really should be a game show called “who is to blame,” shouldn’t there?  I can’t tell you how many thousands of times I’ve moved too fast and missed something important because I thought had learned all that I needed…

Susan RooksJanuary 11, 2019December 25, 2020 Random Thoughts, Thursday's Thoughts No Comments
Who is to blame?Read more

The Long, Dark, Puffy Coat

“Some women think they can escape the long, dark, puffy coat. But many have succumbed.” That’s the online headline of a well-written story (by Beth Teitell) in the Boston Sunday Globe newspaper: In the newspaper itself, the headline is “What the puffy…

Susan RooksJanuary 10, 2019December 25, 2020 Random Thoughts, Thursday's Thoughts No Comments
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Confuzzled by These English Words?

The title — Confuzzled by these English words — obviously contains a word that is made up. But I think it conveys the truth: Many words in English are tough to understand! In English, these words are known as homophones,…

Susan RooksJanuary 8, 2019August 25, 2022 Tricksters, Tuesday Tricksters
Confuzzled by These English Words?Read more

One Comma or Two?

One comma or two? Why? I love the picture above, and although it may not seem to connect with showing us some American punctuation rules … it actually does for many rules, especially commas. There’s a rule that says where…

Susan RooksJanuary 7, 2019December 23, 2020 American Grammar Checkups, Monday Grammar Checkups No Comments
One Comma or Two?Read more

Happy Holidays — All of Them!

So, you might be asking, what’s with this “Happy Holidays — all of them” stuff! Were you expecting Merry Christmas? Well, OK. Merry Christmas! And Happy Hanukkah! And Happy Kwanzaa! And Happy Cookie Day! And Happy Laughter Day! (OK, I…

Susan RooksDecember 20, 2018December 25, 2020 Random Thoughts, Thursday's Thoughts No Comments
Happy Holidays — All of Them!Read more

Social Media Trolls

Are you familiar with the term “social media trolls”? We’re seeing evidence of them everywhere on social media, which is a shame. As a verb, troll can mean “to post inflammatory or irrelevant material on an electronic forum to provoke responses; as…

Susan RooksDecember 13, 2018December 25, 2020 Random Thoughts, Thursday's Thoughts No Comments
Social Media TrollsRead more
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Most Recent Blog Posts

  • Commas!
  • Colons, Commas, and Dashes, Oh My!
  • Saying Thank You
  • The Real Problem with Swearing
  • Kick these old grammar rules away Part 2
  • Pity the Poor Semicolon!
  • Simple Pleasures of Life
  • They Never Meant to Kill
  • Lessons learned from playing cards
  • April 2020: Describe Your Life
  • We All Have a Role to Play
  • Why Are We All So Frightened?
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