Author Archives: Campbell Aitken

Anson Cameron’s piece on the difference between the reaction of cannibals to their witch doctors’ demands for sex and the Australian response to pederast priests (The Age, 10th November 2012) is one of the best bits of writing I’ve seen for some time.

Last week I heard an academic refer to the ‘Werribee Sewerage Treatment Farm’ during a story about the birdlife attracted to the huge lagoons at the facility that treats just over half of Melbourne’s human effluent. In fact, the stuff that arrives … Continue reading →

Many people confuse these words. It’s not really difficult though – practice is a noun and practise is a verb. For example: My father retired from legal practice in August 2008. Do I have to go to netball practice tonight? … Continue reading →

I don’t really know why I look at the motoring section in the Saturday big paper but I’m glad I did on the 11th of August 2012. An article by Tony Davis alerted me to the joys of the Conservapedia, … Continue reading →

More great writing tips (this time from Good Advice on Writing: Writers Past and Present on How to Write Well, compiled and edited by William Safire and Leonard Safir (Simon & Schuster, 1992), and found at http://grammar.about.com/od/writersonwriting/a/safirerules.htm). 1. Avoid run-on … Continue reading →

Apostrophes are simple creatures with multiple uses. They can indicate possession: the criminal’s intentions … as well as the number of subjects with possession. The example above referred to one criminal, whereas the next refers to more than one: the … Continue reading →

‘Not only … but also’ is not only the title of a classic English comedy show starring the legendary Peter Cook and Dudley Moore (sadly, both deceased), but also a word combination much loved by many but better avoided (as … Continue reading →

George Orwell was one of the greatest writers in English, as famous for his beautifully economical style as for his searing social and political commentary. In his essay ‘Politics and the English Language’ (Horizon, April 1946), Orwell gave the following … Continue reading →

Know the website White Whine (A Collection of First-World Problems)? It’s an occasionally hilarious collection of rich-kid whinges about all sorts of topics – things like being really annoyed that your sister hogged your iPad for twenty minutes, or reporting … Continue reading →

Colons (:) and semicolons (;) have distinct uses. A colon should be used when a statement is made and then explained or expanded upon – particularly if a list is involved. For example: Campbell edited three theses last month: one … Continue reading →