The Scribe

07/08/2018

A thought-provoking post from the Economist that examines clichéd descriptions careful writers would generally avoid.

10/05/2018

The NZ Herald reported the derailment of a train in Auckland's Britomart Station on 9 May 2018 - luckily the passengers were unhurt. However, one of the phrases in the article stopped me in my tracks: "Trains coming in and out of the station have been suspended indefinitely." https://bit.ly/2KLroyt
That wording conjures up an image of a weird sculpture park, for some readers (including me), with trains suspended indefinitely.... For other readers, it just sounds odd. But if "train services in and out of the station" had been suspended,we'd have simply sighed and read on.

Trains in and out of the station have been stopped.

08/12/2017

Yes, words are essential for clear thinking, self expression, reading and learning...The sooner little ones start building their vocabulary and reading, the faster they'll learn.

23/11/2017

An editor for The Economist comments on Americanisms and British English usage - an interesting, neutral point of view.

04/10/2017

Clear, concise communication - the graphic expression of the giant pandas' plight; the speeding pencil conveying the need for urgent action.

24/07/2017

Richard Dawkins's The Selfish Gene, published in 1976, has won the most votes in a public poll to find the most influential science book of all time. The poll was commissioned by The Royal Society to mark the 30th year of The Royal Society Science Book Prize. He is a wonderful writer with a rare ability to simplify complex concepts for lay readers. https://royalsociety.org/news/2017/07/science-book-prize-poll-results/

26/09/2016

Every time I read George Orwell's "Why I Write", his comments on the use of language strike home. This one has been my mantra today: "Good prose is like a window-pane."

31/08/2016

Tidy example of chiasmus.

From 2015

29/08/2016

Truly a heroic figure. And he set a great example himself..

John Locke was born on this day in 1632

13/07/2016

Mark Forsyth on diacope, anadiplosis and the American elections.

29/06/2016

A wonderfully expressive map!

Europe on the brink. From the archive

25/05/2016

It's certainly a good start. Unfortunately, it is taking a while to catch on...

Polish astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus—founder of Copernican heliocentrism—died on May 24th, 1543. Earlier that year he published "De Revolutionibus Orbium Coelestium" ("On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres"), which rejected the commonly held belief that the Earth was the centre of the Universe. His ideas were seminal for Renaissance astronomy and the Scientific Revolution