Foreign language instruction should begin in kindergarten

Tip – repetition should be on everyone’s editing checklist

One of my top tips is that everyone should have a mental checklist of the type of errors they look for when they check their work – “I’m going to look for any mistake” doesn’t really work. The point here is that even the best writers can subconsciously get stuck on words and keep on repeating them if they are not careful.

Tip – if you can’t find another word, repeat it in a different form

Sometimes there is only one correct word. In this case, the best advice is not to find another word that may well be wrong, but to change the word slightly. This can mean using the noun form and not the verb form (ban becomes impose a ban on) or to qualify it with another word so ban becomes ban entirely.