About Naomi Tepper

Are you considering going back to school, yet you are concerned that you may be (gasp!) too old? “You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.” – C.S. Lewis Well the good news is that you’re definitely not too old to go back to school—if...

If you’ve been writing without the help of an editor, you’re not giving your words a fighting chance. The results are likely a piece of writing that isn’t as coherent, powerful, and brilliant as it possibly could be. I’m not saying this from...

Stop hitting snooze! There is a better way to wake up early and get to your 8AM class on time. Sure, it takes discipline to become accustomed to a new habit (some studies show that it takes an average of 66 days to get into a new habit), but waking up earlier is...

Are you ready to quit your job but aren’t sure how to write a resignation letter? It’s smart that you are thinking twice before dashing something off and sending it to your manager. The reality is the tone and message of your resignation letter can...

How are you going to pay for your college tuition? Scholarships can give you the financial support you need so that you can focus on your studies and still be able to eat name-brand macaroni and cheese. They also make it possible to offset student loans so that...

When you apply for a job through a job board or big corporate website, there’s a risk that your resume will never even be looked at by a human recruiter. It’s true. Complex algorithms are the first gatekeepers, weeding out, filtering, and...

Writing can be intimidating! It’s no wonder that writers tend to procrastinate. It doesn’t matter whether you are a seasoned writer or you are building your writing skills in a college English class, facing a blank page and a blinking cursor can be akin...

An English contraction occurs when two words combine to make one word—words like “don’t,” “I’ll,” and “let’s.” Contractions are nothing new. In fact, they have been commonly used since 7th century Old English...

Of all the writing tasks that you will have in your life, putting together a great resume is one of the most critical. Writing a strong resume can mean the difference between landing your dream job and spending countless days sitting in your boxer shorts and eating...

Good transition words guide your reader from one thought in your writing to the next. They allow you to arrange your ideas in a clear and meaningful way that the reader can easily follow. If you think of writing as being a type of journey, you can think of transition...

Adverbs are a misunderstood part of speech. Linguists and authors alike have accused adverbs of being “evil” and “monsters.” However, like any other part of speech, adverbs are an essential part of the English language. This post will teach...

This topic is an important one for ESL writers because it covers two small but incredibly important words in the English vocabulary: “the” and “a.” These two seemingly insignificant words are called articles. If you are an ESL writer who...

When you get into debates with friends or family members, do you tend to win or lose? The art of arguing is closely related to your ability to harness compelling facts, statistics, and concepts that support your viewpoint on a topic. When you lose an argument,...

Relying on passive voice can be the pitfall of any well-meaning writer. This unwieldy construction of lifeless verbs and passive subjects is a sure way to take the power right out of your words. Horror author Stephen King described passive voice as being weak,...

If you want to be a better writer, you should learn to avoid writing sticky sentences. Not sure what makes a sentence sticky? No worries, I’m about to tell you. This post breaks down six sticky sentences and shows you how to revise them. Next time you get...

In a 1971 fight, Joe Frazier famously floored boxing champ Muhammad Ali with a strong left hook, leading to Ali’s first ever professional loss in the boxing ring. This is most definitely not the source of the word “hook” in writing, but the analogy...

Let’s address one of the most annoying grammar mistakes: the dangling modifier.  Like its cousin, the misplaced modifier, the dangling modifier can unintentionally turn your writing into a comedy of errors. Being funny is only funny when you’re...

Of all the possible grammar errors you can make, inserting a misplaced modifier into your sentence can lead to the most hilarious writing mistakes. In this post, I’m going to help you become a better writer by teaching you to recognize and correct problems...

One of the most challenging tasks in any class is facing the in-class timed essay. There is something extra difficult about having to write a strong essay under the pressure of a ticking clock. This blog post will give you all the tools you need to learn how to...

If you want to sound smarter in your next writing project, don’t use words that sound smart. Instead, use words that are smart. There is a big difference between the two. What makes a word smart? Is it determined by how many syllables it has? Is the word...

Who needs good grammar anyway?  Grammar rules are so boring to learn and totally pointless! Isn’t it good enough that people can understand what you’re trying to say? But wait! Did you know that having good grammar increases your chances for finding...