From the errors of others
Subtitle: how to avoid embarrassing mistakes in writing and speaking
By: Rebecca M. Lyles
Publisher: ArchwayPublishing
Published: 2016
Language: eng
Number of pages: 375
ISBN-13: 9781480828469; 9781480828476
Subjects: Interpersonal communication; Humor; Oral communication; Miscommunication; Written communication; English language
Other titles: How to avoid embarrassing mistakes in writing and speaking
Description: "From the Errors of Others is a collection of crisp, witty, and slyly informative essays for grownups with a sense of humor. The subject is communication--good, bad, and patently bizarre. The author is Rebecca Lyles, an experienced editor but not a wrist-slapping schoolmarm. Neither giggly nor ponderous, she eagerly tells tales out of school. There are boneheads and blowhards in our midst, she says, but we don't have to take them seriously. And we certainly don't have to imitate them. In this comprehensive collection, Lyles teaches how to: keep a professional tone; avoid awkward speech habits; communicate clearly without being pretentious; detect deception; and use a writing comfort zone. A seasoned editor and business manager offers concise essays that humorously explore communication stumbling blocks, reveal common errors, and provide time-tested advice on how to write and speak effectively"--Publisher's description.
Table of contents: title: All business. Three common profile mistakes ; Advice about revenge and duplicity ; What are you, five? ; Hypnotism by PowerPoint ; Who are the Jersey Boys? ; Your mission, should you choose to accept it ; World renounced doctor ; Credit card crimes ; Faking friendly ; Audio clutter ; Four steps to marketing speak ; What's in a name?; title: When you open your mouth. Vocalized pauses ; Yeh-yeh-yeh, perfect! ; Uptalk? Anyone? ; Has it all been said? ; Just name the place ; All in the delivery ; Medical jeopardy ; Words aren't pompous, people are ; Endangered syllables ; Asbestos I can; title: People who should know better. The online tutorial drinking game ; Back-formations ; Why do they say that? ; Me, myself, and I ; Sense of community ; With a defense like this ; Your Honor, I object! ; Sentence stuffing quiz; title: Yes, English is hard. Eluding trouble without further ado ; Homophones (no, not that) ; Now I lay me down to sleep ; Confounding compounds ; Sound-alike triplets ; A cautionery tale ; Almost-homophones for smart people ; Beg pardons, not questions ; The mother load ; Genteel or gentile? ; All my exes ; To e or not to e ; Verses versus versus ; Old words, new tech ; Tense moments ; Stick out your tongue and say, "Phtht!"; title: Not to be taken literally. Ironic; title: literally surreal ; Misheard melodies and mangled metaphors ; The game of gossip ; The kid gloves are off ; Animal idioms ; Beyond the pail; title: Borrowing from other languages. French revolution ; Et tu, Brute? ; Zut alors! ; Mamma mia ; Chasin' French ; Two kudos, one kudo? ; There is no trophy in catastrophe ; Lost in translation; title: Ads: do not try this at home. Do-it-yourself ads ; Artisans being artisanal ; Telltale signs ; Too much information ; Three times less sensible ; Write like you mean it ; Hyperbole out of control ; Slogans that went astray ; Anthropomorphize this; title: Chagrin and other misfortunes. The litmus test ; Writing it down ; Do we need grammar police? ; You know you're a geezer when... ; Single man seeking woman ; Single woman seeking man ; Just making conversation ; You know: humility; title: Write, edit, earn dozens of dollars. Show, don't tell ; Gender-bending ; We don't need no steenking editors ; Over the river and through the woods ; Verbizing, nounization, and pluralizings ; That's a word? Seriously? ; Who, whom, whose, and who's ; Let it be ; Six pack abs in an hour ; What is it? ; Dangers of porch-sitting ; 4G crosstalk ; Everyone's a tech writer ; Repetitious, unnecessary pleonasms ; Dead. Definitely dead ; Shouting about readability!!! ; Using the right F word ; Just-wring-enough word choices ; Five reasons to use numbers in headlines ; Apostrophe apoplexy ; Tag. You're it ; Taking out the fluff ; Not to be. that is the answer; title: Communication with evil intent. Warning: deception ahead ; How to be a weasel ; Seven habits of highly effective trolls ; Double negatives are a no-no ; Purgers and hack-quisitions ; Infrequently asked questions ; Voice of the customer ; Humblebragging ; Sneaky self-congratulation ; Tone of voice ; Truth cards; title: Playing with word. Useful insult words ; Heaven help us ; Text underlay ; Jackalopes and mermaids ; Flubtitles ; Marketecture ; Edupreneurism ; Off-putting is so... off-putting.