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WRITING FOR BUSINESS VS. WRITING FOR AN AUDIENCE

4/3/2019

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It’s critical to consider your tone and voice when writing. Word choices have a massive impact on your writing style as well as whether your readers will relate.

Typically, we recommend writing in a conversational tone for Inman; this video will help you think about the formality of the language you use when writing. I find that many agents will go the formal route because that’s what their day-to-day consists of (conversations with clients, reading contracts, composing emails, etc.) when a more conversational tone would better-suit the piece and the audience.
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10 GRAMMAR MISCONCEPTIONS

12/4/2018

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Attention all word nerds: Turns out, those rules you've been taught since you were in grade school are up for debate, and even grammarians don't 100 percent agree. Here are 10 grammar misconceptions you should know about. 
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79 WORDS YOU MIGHT BE MISPRONOUNCING

11/6/2018

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This is a pretty eye-opening video that'll help you sound smarter. See how off you are on your pronunciations. 
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38 COMMON SPELLING AND GRAMMAR ERRORS

10/3/2018

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Here's a stellar video from Mental Floss that goes over the most common spelling and grammar errors, and, outdated TV references aside, it's actually fun to watch. There's a ton of information here, so I recommend taking notes or watching it multiple times. 
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MOST COMMON GRAMMAR MISTAKES

9/11/2018

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Whether it's listing descriptions, correspondence with clients or other agents, or articles for your own website (or perhaps a trusted news source, ahem, like Inman), learning not to make these grammar mistakes will make you clearer, more concise writer with far fewer errors. 
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MORE CONFUSING WORD MEMORY TRICKS

7/10/2018

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This is an excellent video to help you remember when to use some of the most confusing words in the English language. 
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CONFUSING WORD MEMORY TRICKS

6/6/2018

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Here are some memory tricks to remember some of the commonly confused words according to Grammar Girl.

Affect vs. effect: The RAVEN Trick 

I remember how to use affect and effect by thinking of a big black raven. A raven? Yes, a raven! Because raven has the letters A-V-E-N in it, and those also stand for: 

Remember Affect: Verb Effect: Noun

Fix that image of a raven in your mind, and you’ll always remember the most common way to use these words. I actually remember the sentence The craven raven flew down the avenue, because craven, raven, and avenue all have the A-V-E-N sequence, and in my mind, the evil raven is flying down the avenue of a German town with those timbered white Bavarian-style houses. I don’t know why. I have a wild imagination. Find yours, and really imagine that affect-verb-effect-noun raven so you’ll always remember it.

Compliment vs. complement 

It can be difficult to remember the two spellings and meanings of the words we pronounce as "compliment." They’re homophones—one is spelled with an i and the other is spelled with an e, and even though they sound the same, they mean different things.
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Compliment
A compliment, with an i, is a kind or flattering remark. If a friend says he likes your new shoes, he’s giving you a compliment. He’s complimenting you.

Complement
A complement, with an e, is a full crew or a set, and when something complements something else, it means they go well together. You might talk about a picture frame that complements a photo or the crew complement needed to operate a ship.

A Trick to Remember the Difference
To remember the difference between the spellings of these words, be a nice person and tell yourself

I like to give compliments.

Put the emphasis on the I when you say or think it. The I can remind you that the type of flattering compliment is spelled with an i. 

Desert vs. dessert

This last one is a trick someone taught me in grad school that has come in handy many times. A desert is a barren landscape with little water. A dessert is a tasty treat I typically can’t get enough of.

The easy memory trick here is: Desserts is stressed spelled backward. And what do you want when you’re stressed? More dessert please!

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CONFUSABLES

4/30/2018

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One of the toughest part about English and mastering grammar, is that there are so many confusing words, a.k.a. confusables.
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To help us get started on this topic, here’s a video from Oxford Living Dictionary.
This list, also from the Oxford Living Dictionary, will help you keep these words straight. Half the battle is just knowing that they exist — then you'll start remembering to look them up when you see them in your writing. Next time, we’ll talk about how to remember what’s what using memory tricks.
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GET YOUR ADVERBS HERE

3/20/2018

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We all need a little break, right? Here's a little grammar video for funsies. 
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SUBJECT-NOUN AGREEMENT: COLLECTIVE NOUNS

1/15/2018

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Collective nouns are one of the trickiest aspects of grammar to grasp. This video breaks down collective nouns in an easily understandable way. Take a look, and next time, we'll talk more about subject-noun agreement. 
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