even when used properly, figures of speech and idioms, what we might generally call “poetic language,” can be inappropriate for academic writing.

I think it’s safe to say that the majority of adults who live in Western societies hold a job with regular hours and some degree of financial security. Whether they earn a salary or an hourly wage, they go to work in the same place and receive a certain, predetermined income. Others, however, find themselves in circumstances where keeping a regular schedule is difficult, if not impossible.

We’re talking about the recipe on the page, the step-by-step instructions for making the food, which requires being specific enough to reassure cooks they’re doing the right thing without distracting them with information they don’t need in the kitchen.

I never intended to become an independent contract proofreader, working from a lounge chair in a tropical forest on the Pacific coast of Mexico. But I love words and water, so that’s what happened.

It’s a good time to talk about formal vs. informal texting and texting vs. writing emails.

Quotes from outside sources are useful and necessary in research papers. If your paper includes a literature review in which you discuss your field’s relevant literature, you will use quotes to add clarity and precision to your summary and analysis.