You can use Microsoft Word’s Find and Replace tool to delete extra spaces all at once. Or, you can find extra spaces in Word by customizing your proofing options and then deleting them individually as you type or during a Spelling & Grammar check. These three tasks are explained in this tutorial: Customize Word’s Proofing […]
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Writing Tips for the Real World
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Recent Posts
How to Write the Names of Ships and Boats
Ships and boats hold a special place in the human experience. Our ancestors marked this importance by giving thoughtful names to their watercraft just as we do today.1 In fact, we even have guidelines for how to write the names of ships and boats to set them apart from less adventurous modes of travel, like […]
Other Recent Posts
How to Change the Font and Font Size of Comments in Word
By default, Track Changes in Microsoft Word inherit preset styles from the body content. However, you can change these styles to make your edits more noticeable or easier to read. For example, you can change the font and font size of comments in Word, as shown in this tutorial. This tutorial can also be used […]
Three Types of Books Every Writer Should Own
As a copy editor, I frequently talk with people about the reference books they use when writing. Oftentimes, the books mentioned are outdated or insufficient. If you’re interested in updating or expanding your reference library, here are three types of books every writer should own: a style guide, a dictionary, and a grammar manual. (Yes, […]
How to Create Internal Links in PDFs with Adobe Acrobat (Tutorial)
Today’s tutorial explains how to create internal links in PDFs with Adobe Acrobat Pro DC. My last software tutorial showed how to create external links in PDFs and how to delete both external and internal links. Although the two processes are similar, the steps for creating internal links are a bit more complex. Note to […]
How to Use Suspended Hyphens
Suspended hyphens sound like troublemakers, don’t they? Before we accuse them of cutting class or being chronically late for work, let’s look at their less-than nefarious definition. We’ll follow up with five guidelines for how to use them in your writing (without getting into mischief). What Are Suspended Hyphens? Suspended hyphens, also called suspensive hyphens, […]
How to Create External Links in PDFs with Adobe Acrobat (Tutorial)
This tutorial explains how to create external links in PDFs with Adobe Acrobat Pro DC. Twenty years ago, PDFs were flat files—basically, they were the onscreen equivalent of a piece of paper. You could read them but not interact with them. Today, PDFs can be highly interactive (although, they can still be flat if necessary). […]
When to Hyphenate Numbers with Units of Time
Do you have a minute? The following three guidelines explain when to hyphenate numbers with units of time such as hours, days, months, years, and centuries. Before we begin, here are a couple of brief words on multi-word descriptions: multi-word descriptions, such as three-hour, that come before nouns are called compound adjectives, compound modifiers, and […]
How to Convert Individual Footnotes to Endnotes in Microsoft Word (and Individual Endnotes to Footnotes)
Here’s the scenario: You’ve just completed a twenty-page report with seventy-five footnotes when you realize that several of those footnotes should be endnotes. Rather than deleting those footnotes and manually creating new endnotes, follow the steps below to convert individual footnotes to endnotes in Microsoft Word. These steps can also be used to convert individual […]
Three Tips for Starting a Sentence with a Number
The writing world is riddled with “rules” based on misunderstood guidelines. One such rule is that we should never start a sentence with a number. While this blanket ban is understandable—depending on the content, starting a sentence with a number can be confusing or disruptive for readers—doing so is generally grammatically acceptable if you follow […]
How to Search Within Comments in Microsoft Word
In my last software tutorial, we viewed comments from specific reviewers in Microsoft Word. Today, we’ll look at how to quickly search within comments in Microsoft Word without having to search the whole document. For added efficiency, this tutorial includes an option to search all comments or limit the search to comments from specific reviewers. […]
How to Write Compass Points in Sentences
The cardinal directions (north, south, east, and west) and the intercardinal directions (northeast, northwest, southeast, and southwest) are commonly referred to as compass points. Today’s post outlines how to write compass points in sentences. First, we’ll look at the guidelines for capitalizing them and then we’ll explore the guidelines for abbreviating them in addresses in […]
