• Tech Tips

    How to Use MS Word for Proofreading

    If you are not already using MS Word’s many settings designed to ensure accurate proofreading, you are doing yourself a disservice. After spending countless hours writing, you want to ensure you are presenting your work as professionally as possible. In this article, I explain how to get the most out…

  • Symbols

    What is the Difference between ‘Single’ and “Double” Quotation Marks?

    British/Australian English Uses ‘Single’ Quotation Marks In British/Australian English, we use these single quotation marks when quoting or indicating speech: ‘   ’. It is American English that uses these double quotation marks: “   ”. American Conventions Entering Australian English American English has permeated British/Australian English to such an extent that many people…

  • Writing

    How to Write a Great Introduction: The Basics

    An introduction is the first paragraph in an essay. To write an introduction, you must: Only begin writing after you have completed your research. Answer the essay question with your thesis statement. Preview the topics you will discuss in the essay. Provide any brief relevant background information to the subject (optional). What…

  • Grammar

    Commonly Confused Words: ‘Advice’ and ‘Advise’

    Welcome back to our ‘Commonly Confused Words’ series. We hope this series has been helpful and informative for you. If this is your first time reading a ‘Commonly Confused Words’ article, we encourage you to read our earlier instalments on practice and practise; alternate and alternative; their, they’re and there; lay and lie; and affect…

  • Writing

    Avoiding Colloquial Language in Academic Writing

    Academic writing demands a formal tone characterised by careful language choices to convey ideas to readers as precisely and unambiguously as possible. Colloquial language, defined as language that is ‘normally restricted to informal (esp[ecially] spoken) English’ (Burchfield, 2004), does not satisfy this need for exactness of expression. Instead, as Pam…

  • How to

    Furnishing Small Spaces Without Sacrificing Style

    Living in a compact space doesn’t mean surrendering your design dreams or settling for cramped, cluttered rooms that lack personality. The challenge of creating a beautiful, functional home within limited square footage has become increasingly common as urban living dominates modern life.  With strategic planning and smart furniture choices, you…

  • How to

    Best Ways to Meet People Online

    In the era of our digitalized social networking the internet is our ultimate instrument to finding new people to meet. From friendships to romantic relationships, professional networking or just someone to talk to, there are plenty of opportunities for meeting and greeting through the web. For students interested in participating,…

  • How to

    Automatic Translations in Healthcare: The Dangers You Need to Avoid

    With the dawn of modern computers, automatic translation tools emerged and changed the way communication occurred between languages. As useful as these tools may be in casual use, in medical applications—including pharmaceutical translations and veterinary translation services—that’s a whole other story. Please remember that it is a little perilous, if…