No-nonsense words

Botox copy

No, I am not promoting beauty treatments. I'm looking at what happens when words become frozen and expressionless

Oct 2 • 

Mark Jones

1

August 2025

The Sausage, the Spa and the Abstract Noun

A set of writing rules from the author of Narnia sets me thinking about the classic divide between showing and telling

Aug 22 • 

Mark Jones

5

3

July 2025

Writing, science and the law of levity

Why do writers and broadcasters think they have to present science in a 'lighthearted' way? The YouTubers and conspiracy theorists don’t

Jul 31 • 

Mark Jones

2

1

June 2025

Bullying nouns and sneaky adverbs – inside the Grammar Class

Wouldn't it be nice if all the parts of speech got on together? Dream on...

Jun 18 • 

Mark Jones

The Grammar Class, deconstructed

Are adverbs really sneaky? Are nouns bullies?

Jun 18 • 

Mark Jones

1

May 2025

Let's make punctuation fashionable again

🥺🧓🏫🤹♾️🪛

May 14 • 

Mark Jones

6

It’s rude not to point

In this subscriber-only blog, we look at full points, colons and one of the most controversial things on your keyboard – the exclamation mark!

May 14 • 

Mark Jones

March 2025

Everything should be shorter, Part 1

We kick off a new series on business English with some invaluable ideas for saving you and your organsation time and trouble

Mar 25 • 

Mark Jones

2

2

The golden rule: everything should be shorter

Lesson one: nouns versus verbs, verbiage versus clarity

Mar 25 • 

Mark Jones

February 2025

Here's your new job sharer

Emma is the face of AI – in German tourism circles, anyway. How does she – and it - write and sound?

Feb 6 • 

Mark Jones

7

2

January 2025

You're a writer – what have you got to smile about?

Because AI is coming for you. What hope is there?

Jan 21 • 

Mark Jones

4

1

December 2024

Trump, Gisèle and how to turn a narrative on its head

The story of 2024, as shaped by a perpetrator and a victim

Dec 30, 2024 • 

Mark Jones

4

4