Writing Tips (Amaze Your Friends!)

My personal favorites. I got this one from an article in MSN Slate several months ago; I don't recall who wrote it, but she was female, so if there's a gender sorter or something you might have some luck.

Concerning the use of "ie." versus "eg.", eg., when making a list:

First off, eg. is easiest to use. It just means "for example". Actually it means something else in Latin, but when you see it, just think "for example", because THAT IS WHAT IT MEANS.

Secondly, ie. is also Latin for something. BUT. It does NOT mean "for example". Just think of it as standing for "in essence", and you will be correct about 90% of the time.

Or you could try Googling it and picking apart the Latin yourself, if you wanna be all hardcore like that. Personally, I like this trick as it stands; it's so easy to remember! ^_^

This one came from my fourth grade English teacher. I LOVE YOU MISS ROBERTS!!1 <3 *Ahem.*

Concerning: "Bob and I" versus "Sally went with George and me".

GASPU. HOW CAN YOU TELL THE DIFFERENCE?

In speaking, I, uh, can't. XD BUT. In writing! There is one really simple way to do this.

Just be selfish. Pretend the sentence is only about you.

Think about it; you don't usually say "Me went to the store." Unless you're a total sped. So, "Bob and I went to the store."

See? This idea by itself fixes most of that problem, and it's not hard to do at all.

Better written English needn't be snobbish and painful.