Sometimes it's good to be pedantic

Many of us here at Qube have our roots in copywriting and web content, so we appreciate a well structured, properly punctuated sentence, with accurate grammar. Attention to detail shows you have high standards and are professional.

Recently we've run some workshops and have been putting together writing style guides to help our clients with their online writing. We love to be helpful, so we've decided to share some of our hints and tips with you - and point out some common stumbling blocks!

Watch out for jargon

Using technical language or jazzy product names can alienate your audience. When you write, remember people in general may not be aware of the latest industry buzz words or in-house terms and acronyms. Call a spade a spade, not a hybrid wood and metal digging device.

Be active, not passive

Use active verbs when describing your company. They convey energy and confidence whereas passive verbs can suggest a lack of conviction. For example: 'Projects are managed by our team' becomes 'Our team manages projects'.

Plan before you write

You wouldn't set out on a journey without planning your route. Writing is the same. Know where you're going or you may get lost. Make a bulleted list of the points you want to make and structure it clearly, before you flesh your writing out.

'I was sat'

This is a bugbear of ours. Use of the phrase 'I/she/he was sat (on the floor)' is increasingly common. However it is grammatically incorrect. You would not say 'I was ate a biscuit' or 'She was ran a mile.'

The correct form is: I was sitting (on the floor).

However, depending on the context, you could also use 'I was seated on the floor' – past imperfect implying a continuing past action, or 'I sat on the floor' – past perfect, implying an action that was completed in the past.

Think you could benefit from one of our writing workshops? Get in contact - 01273 689672