Writing in English: Tips for Language Learners and Native Speakers: Recent Episodes
Alessandra Suuberg
About the Podcast: English-language writing rules aren't always set in stone. They can vary by, e.g., country, context, or style guide. However, it is possible to identify certain common rules or patterns that, when followed or adopted, can make writing look more "polished" or "correct" from the perspective of someone who grew up reading, writing, and speaking English. My goal is to help language learners get acquainted with some of these rules and patterns. I am not a professional English teacher--so listeners can take my suggestions with an appropriate grain of salt--but I am undoubtedly a native speaker, and I promise to cite my sources. // About the Host: Alessandra Suuberg was born in the United States and grew up in a trilingual household, frequently traveling and living abroad for periods of time. She has studied more than a dozen foreign languages in a variety of settings. She has completed degrees or programs of study at Brown, Tulane, and Harvard, and has developed a familiarity with English-language writing through work as a student journalist, a law journal editor, a GMAT instructor, and most recently a peer reviewer for scientific publications.
What do these fancy Latin abbreviations mean? How should you use them? Listen and learn. Questions, comments, or requests? Reach out at https://alessandrasuuberg.com/contact/.
This episode provides an overview of article (a/an/the) use in the English language--and addresses the not-so-straightforward use of articles in front of country names and languages names. Accompanying links: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Article_(grammar)#Variation_among_languages (Wikipedia, on articles in various languages), https://www.aje.com/arc/editing-tip-basics-article-usage/ (AJE, providing a helpful flowchart), https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-18233844 (BBC, on use of "the" with some country names). Questions, comments, or requests? Reach out at https://alessandrasuuberg.com/contact/.
I’ll break today's discussion down into two parts: first, capitalization of titles and headings, and second, capitalization within the body of a document or text. A note in the interest of precision: the cited lists aren't included here word-for-word, so interested listeners can refer to https://www.grammarbook.com/blog/capitalization/capitalizing-titles/ and https://www.thesaurus.com/e/grammar/when-to-capitalize-words/ for the full lists. Questions, comments, or requests? Reach out at https://alessandrasuuberg.com/contact/.
An acronym is an abbreviation made up of initial letters of words or major parts in a term or name (e.g., HIPAA, NATO, SCOTUS). Two common points of confusion that I have noticed over the years have to do with (1) introducing acronyms in a piece of writing and (2) using punctuation within acronyms. Here I address each of these topics one by one. Questions, comments, or requests? Reach out at https://alessandrasuuberg.com/contact/.
Most simply put, the Oxford comma is the optional final comma in a series of listed items. Should you use it? Listen and learn. Questions, comments, or requests? Reach out at https://alessandrasuuberg.com/contact/.