Grammar and Writing Advice

Punctuation can be confusing and sometimes frustrating. If you want to better understand the fundamentals of punctuation, this podcast will help. It includes five key punctuation rules that will ease your frustration.

Writing a scientific paper is different than writing, say a theory paper, and there are certain things your professor will be looking for. This podcast will tell you how to write a clear thesis and produce a proper scientific paper.

It is important to sell your skills and experience in your resume, but it is also important to be honest. Resume fraud is unacceptable. This helpful podcast defines resume fraud and provides tips on how to make your resume stand out without being dishonest.

Plagiarism is the act of representing someone else's ideas as your own and is a serious offense. As discussed in this podcast, properly citing your sources is one way to avoid plagiarism.

Proper business writing can help you engage your audience and map out your ideas. If you are looking to decide on a topic for a business pitch and want to make connections between your gathered information. This podcast has helpful tips for you, including how to organize your subtopics.

Writing a book report can be a detailed process and the first step involves taking notes. Tips for taking notes and what you should be looking for, such as character patterns and symbolism, are discussed in this podcast. These tips will help you build a foundation for your report.

Redundancy comes across as unprofessional in business writing, so it is important to be clear and concise instead of overly wordy. This podcast will supply you with ways to improve your business writing skills so you are precise and professional.

Understanding sentence structure and grammar can be difficult. In this podcast, we discuss appositives and provide examples. This podcast gives the rules for using appositives correctly.

Are you looking for a good way to end your story, searching for the best way to leave your protagonist and resolve your plot? This podcast will help you decide the best way to end your plot with its insightful tips regarding protagonists and how to avoid a "paper dragon".

This podcast provides detailed definitions of the three brackets commonly used: Square, Curly, and Angle Brackets. We elaborate on these definitions using multiple examples of when each bracket is appropriate.

When am I supposed to use capitalization? If this is a question you ask yourself, then listen to this podcast.

When giving a presentation, visual aids can be both helpful to the speaker and enticing to the viewer. This podcast will give you helpful tips for making an attention grabbing PowerPoint presentation, such as spending time on your opening and closing slide and incorporating a striking visual theme.

In formal academic writing, the placement or improper use of "only" is a mistake that can affect the clarity of your work and potentially change the overall meaning of your sentences. This podcast details how to avoid the wandering only and also gives examples.

Having a great idea isn’t enough; you have to know how to communicate it. This podcast provides suggestions, such as avoiding repetition or using original thought, to help you better express your ideas in writing.

If you are considering furthering your academic career, it is important you know what will be expected of you when writing your dissertation or thesis. The difference between the two is discussed in this podcast.

Both native English speakers and English learners alike find it difficult to grasp the difference between "which" and "that." Part of the confusion that surrounds these two words stems from the fact that the two words are essentially interchangeable in British English. However, in American English, "which" and "that" are used to distinguish between restrictive and non-restrictive clauses and to modify the properties of pronouns. We know that sounds intimidating, but it's easier than you think. This podcast episode will walk you through the main differences between "which" and "that" to help you use the correct word every time.

After you have an outline and have researched your subject, it is time to write your essay. This podcast details the steps you should follow to produce a successful essay and improve your overall writing.

As a form of official political or business writing, a white paper is supposed to point out problems and ways to fix them. This podcast details what a white paper is, how to format one, and ways to distribute and publish one.

If you are asked to write an employee letter of recommendation, it is important you have all the information you need to present the employee in an appropriate light. In this podcast, we offer suggestions, such as stating why the employee is a good worker and describing the characteristics that make them successful. A powerful conclusion also helps!

It is important to think of an introduction as a map to your paper. A good introduction can immediately set your paper apart from those of others. This podcast outlines the steps to help you write a powerful opening, such as including a well-constructed thesis statement.

Dialogue in a story should not be stiff, but should suit the characters. One way to add realism to dialogue is to use interjections. Ways to add realistic human touches using interjections are discussed in this podcast.

Whom you select to be a part of your thesis committee is one of the most important decisions of your educational career. These people (usually professors) are there to provide guidance and mentor you through your research. The professional relationship between student and professors needs to be beneficial for all parties, so pick your committee with care. Arrange to meet, and ensure that they can provide the time and knowledge you'll require as you complete the project. When trying to find members of your thesis committee, it is important to be as professional as possible. Scribendi offers email editing and proofreading services so you can ensure your outreach emails are engaging, polite, and free of errors.

The first time around, your thesis draft isn’t going to be at its top potential, the mechanics of thesis editing need to be developed in order for your essay to communicate your ideas as clearly and precisely as possible. In this podcast, we discuss such things as choosing a style and being consistent throughout the editing process.

If you are a writer nearing the end of your writing project, it may be time to consider your publishing options. If you are wondering whether to use a publishing service or self-publish, this podcast provides basic information about both options in order to help you make a decision.

If you want your work sold worldwide, you need an International Standard Book Number. In recent years, various changes have been made that affect authors. We explain these changes in this podcast.

Application Programming Interface may sound complicated, but this podcast will give you a simple understanding of how to incorporate the use of APIs as a way to save time and money by addressing basic questions, like “what is an API?” and “Why Use One?”

Thinking of a thesis topic is only the first step. If you are ready to refine your research questions and thoroughly plan your paper, you will want to write a literature review. This podcast outlines the goals of a literature review and prepares you to organize, write, and edit one.

Everyone wants to sound smart and professional in their academic writing, but there are instances when an attempt to do so can come off as unappealing or difficult to follow. If you are a student or academic, this podcast can help you determine what to avoid in your writing.

Now that you have taken notes and organized your thoughts, it is time to write a book report that will include an analysis of the material you read. At this point in the book report-writing process, you get to make connections, support your theories, and draw conclusions. This podcast will help you write an engaging introduction, summarize your thoughts, and keep your ideas structured. The reader should be able to flow from one point to the next easily and without interruptions. Make sure your review is error free, as grammar issues can distract from your writing’s message.

If you are asked to write a research paper, you must find valid sources and use appropriate formatting. In this podcast, we explain the whole process.

This podcast details the anatomy of a research proposal. While there may be no wrong way to write a proposal, the style you choose must complement your content. Having a clear description of what you wish to research and the necessity of demonstrating your knowledge are just two points covered in this podcast.

What information you choose to include in your resume is just as important as how you format it. Your resume might look great, but if the content doesn’t impress potential employers, you won’t be hired. This podcast outlines the different types of resumes so you can tailor your resume to suit specific employers.

As you are writing your novel, it is helpful to keep some tips in mind that will help strengthen your overall storytelling. One way to improve your writing is to use the active rather than the passive voice. If you are interested in learning more about active and passive voice, listen to this podcast!

If you have to write an expository essay, but don't know how, then this podcast is the perfect tool to help you learn. After becoming informed about the characteristics of an expository piece, how they are formatted, what should be included and methods to writing them, you will be ready to begin!

Writing your dissertation or thesis is a detailed process that will run smoothly if you keep organized. If you are looking for help on how to write the first draft of your dissertation or thesis, this podcast is perfect for you!

Welcome to part two of our How to Use Quotation Marks podcast, the perfect resource for learners who want to hear about quotation marks instead of just reading about them. Are you ready for another "nonstop riot of grammatical chills and thrills"? Knowing where to place quotation marks and which type to use can be confusing. That's why Scribendi's editors have prepared this podcast explaining the use of quotation marks in meta-language and highlighting cases of unusual and/or incorrect usage.

Social networking sites have become a popular way to communicate for both personal and business motives, so this podcast gives you a foundation for understanding online social networks, including Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. We also highlight the importance of expanding your networks and portraying yourself favorably with your profile.

Using semicolons and colons in your writing allows you to include more information; however, the proper use of these valuable punctuation tools can also be confusing. This podcast will help you understand how to use semicolons and colons appropriately.

An incorrect preposition can drastically change your intended meaning. Although little words such as at and on can seem insignificant, believe us when we say that they are quite important. Using them appropriately will make your writing clear and easy to understand, but this can be difficult if you are inexperienced with writing English. If you are interested in better understanding what prepositions are, how to use them properly, and how to avoid confusion, we hope this podcast will prove helpful.

A plot skeleton can also be called a plot outline—the structure or bare bones of a story. How to write a successful plot outline that incorporates characters, plot, and climax is the subject of this podcast.

While The Comma-Part 1 looked at the basic meaning and rules behind the comma, this second instillation goes farther into addressing when to actually use this form of punctuation. By giving an explanation and examples of incorporating commas appropriately into writing such things as dates, titles, addresses, and coordinate adjectives, this podcast is beneficial to those wanting to learn how to communicate clearly through the proper use of the comma.

Technical writers have to be clear and concise to convey complex information to a general audience. If you want to learn more about how to write manuals, training material, or other documentation of a technical nature, then this podcast will be of use. Pointers, such as know your audience and inject some personality, are included in this podcast. These and other basic rules will help make you a good technical writer.

If you need some clarification on whether to use single or double quotation marks, this podcast is for you. Knowing the appropriate way to use these quotation marks is critical for clearly articulating what you want to say.

Formatting your report is one thing; writing it is another. This podcast provides ten key suggestions, such as to approach your document with as much professionalism as possible and begin each paragraph with a topic sentence. These tips will help you write a successful lab report.

How you format your lab report is important if you want your work to be organized and clear to readers. This podcast details how to format your report properly.

Are you in a science program that requires you to write lab reports or a scientific paper? If so, it is important for you to follow the correct citation style. This podcast details scientific citation styles.

A query letter is a way for you to attract the attention of an editor who may not otherwise read your unsolicited manuscript. Editors read query letters to find new content, and writing one that uses a business format can help. Of course, having a good hook is critical!

Press releases are important to any business that wishes to highlight company events. Such releases generate public interest and awareness of a business, product, and/or service. This podcast outlines how to write an effective press release.

If you have decided to write a preface or have been asked to write a forward, you may require some guidance. In this podcast, we explain a preface and a forward, as well as what to include in them.