In a brief respite from danglers and who/whom problems, here’s another small sampling of sparkling prose from the last few weeks. After Deadline http://ift.tt/1i9Km0N

Hyphens cause us no end of confusion, perhaps because the only overarching rule is this: Use them when they are needed and don’t when they aren’t. Of course, that distinction may not always be clear. After Deadline http://ift.tt/1k6WPm7

Our reporters interview people all the time — sometimes over lunch, dinner or coffee. Often, though, the reference to what someone is consuming seems rote or pointless. This write-by-numbers effect is even worse if we use cliched descriptions like “nibbled,” “munched” or “picked at.” After Deadline http://ift.tt/1j7OZFD

When “as such” is used correctly, with a clear antecedent, you should be able to substitute that antecedent for “such” and have the sentence make sense. But we frequently misuse “as such” in a much looser way to connect two thoughts. If there’s no clear noun antecedent for “such,” think again and rephrase. After Deadline…

A slightly unusual word choice can enliven a story. But we should make sure we know what our slightly unusual word actually means. Here are several recent cases where we reached for a word, only to come up with the wrong one or to use it incorrectly. After Deadline http://ift.tt/1e0kyf1

Always double-check the spelling of names, our most common source of errors. And let’s triple-check names with multiple popular versions — like “Katherine,” “Katharine,” Catherine,” “Cathryn” and “Kathryn.” After Deadline http://ift.tt/L6nTSQ