Writing is not only a fundamental form of communication that spans multiple platforms, it is an artform. As a communication tool, it must be clear and understandable. As a form of art, the written word should be digestible, pleasant, even musical; not jarring. Here are some tips that can make your writing better as both.

Accountability. When we write, those words are forever frozen in time. In fact, that’s one of the reasons the great philosopher Socrates never wrote anything down. Keeping this in mind, we must always be conscious of the words we craft.

One of my biggest rules for any written communication comes from journalist Olivia Nuzzi. She’s the Washington Correspondent for New York Magazine. In December of 2014, she tweeted, “Dance like no one is watching; email like it may one day be read aloud in a deposition.” It’s funny, and it’s great advice.

Acronyms and Initialisms. When using either, always spell it out on the first reference and include the appropriate letters after. You can use just the initials or the acronym in subsequent references. For example:

• Acronym. The American Society of Composers, Artists, and Producers (ASCAP) is the major music licensing organization in the United States.
• Initialism. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends people over the age of six months get a flu vaccine every season.

And v. Ampersand. In academic and business writing, spell out the word “and.” Do not use an ampersand (&) in its place. The ampersand should only be used if it is established as part of the title of a work or the name of a company like Simon & Schuster Publishing.

Audience. It is always important to take your audience into account. Remember that writing is communication, so whenever you write, you will have an audience. Knowing the audience will affect the way you present your content.

Based on v. Based off. Always based on; never based off. Think about it this way: When you establish or create a physical base or foundation, you build upon it, not off it. It you build off your base, then that base was not needed in the first place.

Capitalization. Although these two concepts were covered some time around the second grade, mistakes abound among today’s students. First, the word “I” is a first-person personal pronoun and is always capitalized. Always, always, always. Second, the first letter of the first word of any sentence (declarative, exclamatory, or interrogative) is always capitalized.

Otherwise, capitalize proper nouns, not common ones. Proper nouns include names of specific people (e.g. Liza Minnelli), places (e.g., Metropolitan Museum of Art, Scranton, Mulberry Street). Titles of works and publications should be capitalized (e.g., “The Raven,” A Christmas Carol, The New York Times). Finally, capitalize the first word after a colon only if it begins an independent clause.

Criteria v. Criterion. There is a common misunderstanding surrounding the use of these two words, particularly the former. It’s actually simple “criteria” is plural and “criterion” is singular. Never say, “The criteria is …” Subject/verb agreement is needed. “The criteria are …” is the correct phrasing. The same applies to curriculum (singular) and curricula (plural).

Dates. The “th,” “rd,” etc. in dates are somewhat antiquated. A date reads much better as May 23, 2023, rather than May 23^rd, 2023. They mean exactly the same thing. Plus, the former is how one formats the date in a letter, so be consistent.

Every Day v. Everyday. This one is not as hard as it seems. “Everyday” is an adjective which means commonly or often used. So it can only be used to describe something. For example: Today is nothing fancy, so I’m wearing my everyday shoes. “Every day” refers to each day. For example: Bob eats breakfast every day.

Names. When writing about a person, use the person’s full name (and title if applicable) on the first reference. On subsequent references, just use the person’s last name or title and last name. If you’re unsure of how/if to use a title and last name, opt for just the last name. That is always acceptable. For example:

• Title. Pennsylvania native Dr. Jill Murray is the current president of Lackawanna College. Dr. Murray started with the college as academic dean and earned several promotions before being named president.
• No title. In 1964, Cole Porter died of kidney failure at the age of 73. Known for his musical work, Porter composed scores for Broadway shows including Anything Goes, Kiss Me Kate, and Can-Can.
• Combination. On November 15, 2021, President Joseph Biden signed a bipartisan infrastructure bill into law. This legislation was a major point of Biden’s presidential campaign.

Numbers. The American Psychological Association (APA) and the Associated Press (AP) have this rule for numbers: Spell out numbers one through nine, use numerals for numbers 10 through 999,999, and use a combination for numbers of 1 million, 1.5 billion, and above.

The Modern Language Association (MLA) rules are slightly different and more vague. MLA says to write out numbers that are not too long. For example: one, nine, two hundred. When in doubt, defer to APA/AP.

Person / Point of View. In academic and business writing, one should avoid writing in the second person (you, your). That point of view is really only appropriate when writing to a specific person (e.g., email, card, letter). Third person (he, she, one, people, humankind, etc.) is almost always the best option. First person (I, we) should be used sparingly and really only when writing about oneself or crafting a work that takes the reader and author on a journey together.

Quotation Marks. These are among the most overused and misused forms of punctuation. Here’s a good rule of thumb: Only use quotation marks if you are directly quoting a person or article (in which case a citation is required), or if you are citing the title of a song, poem, etc. in accordance with your formatting style (i.e., APA, MLA, Chicago, etc.). If you’re trying to emphasize or discredit a word, use additional words of your own to do so.

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Run-on Sentences. It’s easy to fall into this trap when we want to convey a lot of information in a single thought. Complex sentences are an important part of good writing. Mixing in short and simple sentences creates variety and even musicality to a written work. Here’s a good rule of thumb to avoid a run-on: In most cases, if a sentence takes up more than two or two-and-a-half lines (or an entire paragraph), it’s probably too long. Break such sentences up to make it easier for your reader to understand the message.

Spell American. While British spellings of words are not incorrect, they can look odd to your reader causing a loss of focus or a feeling that something is off. It is best to stick with American spellings when writing for an American audience. For example: Opt for learned over learnt, color over colour, and realize over realise.

That v. Who. When using a pronoun to refer to a person, opt for “who” rather than “that.” While they are both grammatically acceptable, “that” can also refer to a thing, an object, so it kind of dehumanizes your subject.

Time. When referencing times, include “a.m.” and/or “p.m.” unless it is otherwise obvious in the sentence. For example:

• We are meeting tomorrow at 6 a.m. (Now we know whether the event is occurring in the morning or the evening.)
• I woke up at 5:00 in the morning. (Here, “a.m.” is not necessary because the writer established that the event occurred in the morning.)

Where v. in Which. The word “where” refers to a location. For example: Yankee stadium, where the New York Yankees play their home games, is a major landmark in the Bronx. The phrase “in which” refers to a container. For example: Philosophy and theology are the academic disciplines in which I thrive. These are not interchangeable.