What Does Being Inclusive in Writting Look Like? 

Simple! Accessible formats like text-to-speech exist for people who are visually or hearing impared. Without text-to-speech, visually impared rely on braile- but there's no braile on a webpage!

Thoughtful Words

When we address someone in person, we may use more lax language. "Hey dude! What's up?". This is fine if we are having a informal conversation with someone we know, but this isn't the proper way to communicate professonally. We should use proper pronouns when addressing someone and never use deragatory language or words that discrimnate or offend. The best language to use is YOU.

Common Sense

There is no debate that inclusivity is important. The debate of using someones correct pronouns, now that's new! Just think of how you are addressing someone and always remember to address them how they want to be addressed.

My Suggestion

Inclusivity does not end at correct pronouns and proper verbage. Inclusivity in writting should include multiple languages so anyone can read it. 

Be sensitive to other cultures, beliefs, and ideas.

Image

Writers use hyphens to connect words and clarify meaning. They help ensure readability and prevent confusion, especially in compound modifiers and certain word constructions. 

However, the necessity of hyphens is often debated, as some believe they clutter writing, while others argue they improve comprehension. Hyphenation can be a useful tool for clarity, but does every compound need it? Where should we draw the line? 

Questioning the Rules & Looking for Examples? 

• Well-known author vs. The author is well known

• High-risk investment vs. The investment is high risk

• State-of-the-art technology vs. Technology that is state of the art

• Up-to-date information vs. The information is up to date

What Is the Debate?

Some writers believe that excessive hyphenation disrupts readability, making sentences unnecessarily complex. They argue that modern digital content often bypasses hyphens unless absolutely needed. Others insist that hyphens prevent confusion and enhance clarity by ensuring phrases are correctly interpreted.

Grammar experts like those behind the Chicago Manual of Style (CMOS) advocate for hyphenation when it improves understanding. Meanwhile, the AP Stylebook tends to favor minimal hyphenation to keep writing clean and efficient.

What Is my Recommendation? 

I think our team should go with a clarity-first approach, following CMOS guidelines. Hyphenation should be used when it helps prevent confusion, but we don’t need to overdo it, especially for words that people already recognize without a hyphen.

Still not sure? Check out how CMOS and AP differ on hyphenation and see how readability changes depending on the style. Understanding these differences can help us make smarter choices in our writing!

Chicago Manual of Style (CMOS) 

AP Stylebook Hyphenation Guidelines

Have you ever noticed how some words can be spelled in more than one way? Think about color versus colour, center versus centre, or grey versus gray. All are perfectly acceptable, depending on whether you lean towards American or British English. It's important for writers to pick one style and stick to it so we stay clear and consistent for our readers. 

What's the deal with different spellings?

It all boils down to whether you lean towards the British or American English spelling. Over time, spellings for some words have evolved slightly, which makes it interesting to see how different people use them. It's not really about being right or wrong, just different preferences on what you choose. So, with these different but valid options, which spelling style should we consistently use?

What should we use?

When it comes to what we should be using, I feel it's best to use American English. A lot of what we read online follows American English already, and it is likely what our audience is used to seeing as well. Sticking with American spellings will probably make our writing feel more familiar and easier to digest for a wider group of people. Plus, it helps avoid any confusion caused by unexpected letters in words like flavor. 

Where can we find the most-used words?

For a solid guide on what the best word to use is, you can't go wrong with Merriam-Webster Dictionary. It's the best place to look if you are curious about what you should be using or what is suggested. If you look up words with both British and American spellings, you'll often find that the American version is listed first. This shows how common and accepted these spellings are in writing and online content. 

By choosing to use American English spellings, we can make sure our writing is consistent, easy to understand, and feels natural to a broad audience. 

Gender-neutral pronouns has a place in writing style guide. Writers should feel at ease writing online accommodating Gender-specific vs Gender-neutral.

Link for image: Add a heading - bbb - GENDER-SPECIFIC AND GENDER-NEUTRAL PRONOUNS SHE HER HE HIS Gender Specific - Studocu 

My suggestion I would say it is up to the writer's preference to use gender-neutral pronouns and gender-neutral words. However, writers as for our class should take into consideration adapting to gender-neutral pronouns and gender-neutral words as it fits the writing. It gives an appropriate respect for whom it may concern and appropriate respect to those understanding the neutrality point of view.

 source: Harvey Mudd College Style Guide 

By: Benjamin Davidson

By Cindy Jimenez

Most writers will agree that single spacing after punctuation is the correct and more asthetic way of writing. Others may argue that double spacing after punctuation makes it clearer to the reader when a sentence is finished. 

What is the debate?  

Double spacing was the norm when typewriters were being used because all the letters took up the same amount of space. It was hard to understand where the sentence ended and the next one started. Since then technology has advanced enough to not need the two spaces because every word is proportionally spaced.

What is my suggestion?

I recommend sticking to single spacing after every punctuation because a lot of us are used to this spacing style. Although, some may find double spacing easier to read, it is not needed now and would make our writing look unnatural. 

If you would like to learn more on this topic I found an article that helped me understand more.

Image Sources: YourDictionary.com 

By Eric Kaprian

Image sources: Learn UI Design 

By Alex McDonald

In a world where we like to shorten words and abbreviate nearly everything when we are texting for speed sake. How do we appropriately apply abbreviations, in a professional setting?

The Debate

Not every organization  that add abbreviations in their writing is the same. Often  times knowing  when to add abbreviations, will be based upon what writing style your organization uses. For this example we will be using University of Oxford's Style Guide.  

Rules and Examples

• Bases on Oxford's style, a good general rule is not to use full stops after any abbreviations, contractions or acronyms  and to close up space between your lettering.

• When using acronyms  that may be unfamiliar to your readers, spell it out in full the first time it is mentioned.

• Ampersands should be only be used for official title and names.

•  Use a space to separate initials.

• When discussing large numbers in text, it is fine to use k/m/bn as shorter ways of spelling out 1,000/1,000,000/1,000,000,000 .

What is my Suggestion

Every writing style is probably going to have a pretty similar abbreviation style but some may want you to be more formal with your abbreviations, contractions, and acronyms; while others may let you abbreviate days, months, States, titles, you name it. So its very important to follow your organizations style guide  closely to be consistent and professional with your readers.

Sources: 

University of Oxfords Style Guide  

University of Portland

Image Source: 

Editor's Manuel 

What Are My Suggestions?

Will, when using verb tenses, I prefer using the present tense, as it's easier to read rather than the past or future tense. 

• Image source Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 and Call of Duty: Warzone Season 03 Reloaded: All the Details 

It's common to hear that you should never start a sentence with because.  In our younger years, many of us were told that starting a sentence with because is a grammar mistake. Well, that's not entirely true. It mostly depends on how the sentence is written. 

What is The Debate?

Writers who avoid starting a sentence with because, often favor more traditional or clean sentence structures. Some writing instructors & style guides discourage beginning sentences with because in academic contexts. They argue that it can create unnecessary sentence fragments. For example, compare:

• Because students were confused, the assignment was extended.

• The assignment was extended due to student confusion.

The first sentence seems informal, while the second sentence seems more formal & straight forward. Here's another example:

• The report was revised due to missing data.

• Because the data was missing, the report was revised.

The first sentence feels more direct, while the second sentence feels more conversational.

Defenders of sentences starting with because argue that it can make writing more fluid & natural while still being clear. When used correctly, starting with because emphasizes reasoning, which can be especially helpful in persuasive or analytical writing. 

My Suggestion For the Class

While starting a sentence with because is acceptable, make sure it's part of a complete & well-structured sentence. This structure can help explain reasons & improve the flow of ideas. However, it should be used carefully & not too often. Maybe instead of avoiding it completely, we should focus on using it correctly & only when it improves the sentence. 

Sources

Image 

Can You Start A Sentence With Because By: Ashleigh Ferguson 

Should we use contractions in business writing/advertising?

By Jason Sutton

A contraction is a combination of two or more words that creates a shorter form. These contractions have been used since the Elizabethan era to communicate more effectively and in a more common/familiar manner. The use of contractions has been hotly debated through history and has often fallen in and out of favor regarding their usage.

So, what’s the big deal?

The debate has raged on for decades whether it is appropriate, or even correct, to use contractions in business writing and advertising. While a contraction lends a more familiar feel and less formal tone, it can be seen as a lazy short cut. Contractions tend to allow your workflow to be easier to read and thus can help build trust with your client. Not using contractions is seen as more formal and can seem like a directive. While this can be a bonus in business it is also a fine line between connecting with your clientele and coming across as pushy, or contentious.

What should we do?

Personally, I would use contractions, but it would also depend on the context and product I was looking to advertise. If I am looking to connect to a younger clientele, or if I am advertising a very causal product, I would use contractions. Contractions will help connect with the younger crowd, and the more relaxed tone can help embody the tone of the product. If I was looking to connect to a more mature clientele or working on a contract for an advertising campaign, I would not use contractions. When I am looking to convey more formality or a more significant tone contractions would not be used.

Sources

1.        Cullen, Mary. “Should Contractions Be Used in Business Writing?” Business Writing Courses, Instructional Solutions, 11 Oct. 2024, www.instructionalsolutions.com/blog/contractions-in-business-writing.

2.     Karve, N. (2023) When to use (and not use) contractions in English, The Editor’s Manual. Available at: https://editorsmanual.com/articles/contractions-when-to-use/ (Accessed: 08 May 2025).

By: Makaela Thomas 

Is it acceptable in web, professional, or academic writing? 

Yes, and when used correctly, it is not only okay but can be effective. 

I remember being told at some point not to begin sentences with conjunctions but that is not an actual rule—it is more of a style guide or preference.  

So when should or shouldn't you use this?

Why You Should Start with a Conjunction:

• Clarity and Flow: Beginning a sentence with and, but or so can make writing feel more natural and conversational. Making it feel more human in noticeably in things like digital content, emails, or storytelling. 

• Emphasis and Contrast: It call help draw readers in and add a "punch" like:

• But that was not the end of the story.

• So, what does this mean for our team? 

• To Break Up Sentences:  If your sentence is packed with too much and you want to make it clearer, splitting it with And, But or So means sometimes starting he sentence with a conjunction. 

Why You Shouldn't Start with a Conjunction:

• Avoid Fragments Without Context: It should not leave the reader hanging and be followed by a complete thought. 

• Use it Sparingly: Repeating starting your sentence this way can be seen as repetitive, lazy or sloppy.  Mix things up make a smooth reading experience. 

• Match the Tone: Consider your context for very formal writing like legal documents or some academic writing you might want to avoid it. Know your audience and use your best judgement.

Resources: 

• Grammarly 

• Grammarist 

• English Notes  

When writing headings for web content, should we use sentence case (capitalizing only the first word and proper nouns, e.g., “How to write effective headings”) or title case (capitalizing major words, e.g., “How to Write Effective Headings”)? 

Both styles are widely used, and each has implications for readability, accessibility, and visual consistency. Sentence case is often seen as modern and conversational, while title case can appear formal and emphasize key words. The choice affects how users scan our content, especially since web readers rely on headings to navigate quickly, as Ginny Redish emphasizes in Letting Go of the Words.

I suggest that we use sentence case for all web content headings. I believe this approach enhances readability, aligns with the conversational tone ideal for web writing, and supports accessibility by reducing visual clutter for diverse users. For example, I recommend writing “Create a user-friendly style guide” instead of “Creating a User-Friendly Style Guide” to keep headings clear and concise

Reference

Redish, G. (n.d.). Letting go of the words.