Got style? Get our style guide

Eleanor Meecham | January 29, 2018

Are you a slave to the latest fashions? Or do you prefer a timeless look? Either way, there’s one type of style you should always follow.

Style in writing is all about attention to detail. Just as the right scarf or hat can make an ordinary outfit outstanding, the right embellishments will turn your writing from scruffy to slick.

If you write at work — even if it’s ‘just’ emails — you need a good style guide to keep your words looking sophisticated and up to date.

The Write Style Guide tells you how to wear your hyphens and when to brandish your abbreviations. You’ll learn the right way to arrange your apostrophes, when to show off your slashes, and how to get your plurals perfect.

Style gurus and dedicated followers of fashion, take note. Your writing should be as stylish as you are.

Buy The Write Style Guide — in either e-book or hardcopy

What’s changed from past editions

We’ve changed our style guide quite a lot since our last printing four years ago. You’ll find more advice, better examples, and links to online tools that will help you do complex things quickly and simply.

For example, we’ve added sections on:

• macrons (those little punctuation marks that show long vowels in te reo Māori)
• slashes
• plurals
• greetings and farewells
• names of places and organisations
• copyright and Creative Commons.

Among other things, we’ve also added more advice on how to:

• place apostrophes
• punctuate quotations
• use italics to differentiate between print and web publications
• handle names with irregular capitalisation (iPod, eBay)
• use respectful language, such as gender-neutral job titles and appropriate pronouns
• write descriptive headings and meaningful hyperlink text
• make your words plain, concise, and active.

Get your copy now and find out what else has changed.