A recent study from the Harvard Kennedy School at Harvard University — called The Formality Effect — is providing a new perspective on effective government communications. The main finding is that ...

To write a formal letter to the Queen, the convention is to open with ‘Madam’ and close the letter with ‘I have the honour to be, Madam, Your Majesty’s humble and obedient servant’. Formal writing ...

If you asked me to identify the most clichéd sentence in on-the-job writing, that sentence would be my nominee. Yes, it's common. Yes, it's handy. Yes, it's readily understood. (And no, this column ...

In the war over proper grammar, one of the biggest minefields writers must navigate is when to capitalize a person’s title. For PR and marketing professionals, there’s no way to avoid title ...

Weighted automata extend classical finite automata by assigning weights, typically drawn from algebraic structures such as semirings, to transitions. This quantitative enhancement enables the analysis ...

The phone rings. You answer. “May I speak with Ms. XYZ?” the caller asks. You’re Ms. XYZ. How do you reply? A reader in Orange County isn’t sure. “Many will respond with ‘This is she.’ I usually reply ...