Carol Waites
@carolkw.bsky.social
Online teacher of writing skills for international organizations. Also writing my memoir of my time at the United Nations in Geneva. I love spending time in my various home countries in Australia, Spain and the Swiss mountains. Drawing: Christine Lefeaux
This week's writing tip deals with the possessive apostrophe. It addresses general rules and tricky aspects. You can also practise!
carolswritingtips.com/how-do-i-for...
carolswritingtips.com/how-do-i-for...
How do I form the possessive of nouns? - My WordPress
We generally form the possessive of singular nouns by adding an apostrophe and an “s”. And we put the apostrophe after the plural “s”. Examples: Jean’s report and the members’ (several members) or mem...
carolswritingtips.com
November 18, 2025 at 9:08 AM
This week's writing tip deals with the possessive apostrophe. It addresses general rules and tricky aspects. You can also practise!
carolswritingtips.com/how-do-i-for...
carolswritingtips.com/how-do-i-for...
This week's writing tip is to use active voice in your correspondence.
carolswritingtips.com/use-active-v...
carolswritingtips.com/use-active-v...
Use active voice in your correspondence - My WordPress
Passive voice shifts the responsibility and can sound impersonal. The active voice puts the person back into the writing and makes the reader feel included. It is action-oriented. When writing emails ...
carolswritingtips.com
November 9, 2025 at 8:10 PM
This week's writing tip is to use active voice in your correspondence.
carolswritingtips.com/use-active-v...
carolswritingtips.com/use-active-v...
Here is today's writing tip about pruning your text.
carolswritingtips.com/pruning-your...
carolswritingtips.com/pruning-your...
Pruning your text to get rid of redundant words - My WordPress
“all, relevant, appropriate, duly, due, specific, closely, close” Do you tend to use these words? They’re words that are commonly found in writing in international organizations and can usually be del...
carolswritingtips.com
November 4, 2025 at 10:15 AM
Here is today's writing tip about pruning your text.
carolswritingtips.com/pruning-your...
carolswritingtips.com/pruning-your...
This week's writing tip is about using correct tenses in reports and minutes of meetings.
carolswritingtips.com/tenses-in-re...
carolswritingtips.com/tenses-in-re...
Tenses in reports and minutes of meetings - My WordPress
Report writing is a formal task requiring careful command of tense shifts, use of correct structures following reporting verbs, and careful use of reporting verbs. Time expressions also shift back in ...
carolswritingtips.com
October 27, 2025 at 9:52 PM
This week's writing tip is about using correct tenses in reports and minutes of meetings.
carolswritingtips.com/tenses-in-re...
carolswritingtips.com/tenses-in-re...
This week's writing tip is about writing more concisely and clearly.
carolswritingtips.com/sound-more-e...
carolswritingtips.com/sound-more-e...
Sound more engaged and action-oriented by avoiding “impersonal” beginnings - My WordPress
To make your writing sound more alive, don’t use dull and impersonal expressions such as “it is”, “it was”, “there is”, “there was”. Not only do these carry little or no meaning but they also introduc...
carolswritingtips.com
October 20, 2025 at 8:05 PM
This week's writing tip is about writing more concisely and clearly.
carolswritingtips.com/sound-more-e...
carolswritingtips.com/sound-more-e...
careers.un.org/jobSearchDes...
Spread the word. Part-time language teachers being sought in the six official languages in Geneva. See the requirements in the ad.
Spread the word. Part-time language teachers being sought in the six official languages in Geneva. See the requirements in the ad.
UN Careers
United Nations
careers.un.org
October 16, 2025 at 2:47 PM
careers.un.org/jobSearchDes...
Spread the word. Part-time language teachers being sought in the six official languages in Geneva. See the requirements in the ad.
Spread the word. Part-time language teachers being sought in the six official languages in Geneva. See the requirements in the ad.
This week's writing tip is about eliminating wordy expressions.
carolswritingtips.com/eliminate-wo...
carolswritingtips.com/eliminate-wo...
Eliminate wordy expressions and empty phrases - My WordPress
Prune your writing – remove the redundant and replace wordy expressions with short ones. Here are some things to avoid: Impersonal beginnings e.g. expletives (there is/it is) and ‘waste words’ like ‘t...
carolswritingtips.com
October 16, 2025 at 1:13 PM
This week's writing tip is about eliminating wordy expressions.
carolswritingtips.com/eliminate-wo...
carolswritingtips.com/eliminate-wo...
This week's writing tip is about choosing the right style for your workplace.
carolswritingtips.com/deciding-wha...
carolswritingtips.com/deciding-wha...
Deciding what style to adopt in your writing - My WordPress
When deciding what style to use in an organization website or documents, here are some key points to decide on for consistency. They relate to United Nations style. 10 key style points Spelling – use ...
carolswritingtips.com
October 7, 2025 at 9:21 PM
This week's writing tip is about choosing the right style for your workplace.
carolswritingtips.com/deciding-wha...
carolswritingtips.com/deciding-wha...
This week's writing tip is about writing clearly.
carolswritingtips.com/for-easy-rea...
carolswritingtips.com/for-easy-rea...
For easy reading, keep your subject and main verb close together - My WordPress
English follows the “subject – verb – object” word order in sentences that sound natural. All of the Plain English campaigns recommend you adopt this writing technique to sound clear and be easily und...
carolswritingtips.com
September 28, 2025 at 6:54 PM
This week's writing tip is about writing clearly.
carolswritingtips.com/for-easy-rea...
carolswritingtips.com/for-easy-rea...
Test yourself to see if you use unfortunate email beginnings! carolswritingtips.com/unfortunate-...
Unfortunate email beginnings - My WordPress
Today in international organizations, we’re writing emails to so many different people in different locations that our email language is sounding less and less English and more and more mixed across l...
carolswritingtips.com
September 23, 2025 at 6:04 PM
Test yourself to see if you use unfortunate email beginnings! carolswritingtips.com/unfortunate-...
This week's writing tip is about dates and how to write them. carolswritingtips.com/how-to-write...
How to write dates in UK and US English - My WordPress
In both UK and US styles, there is a difference between how we say and how we write dates. Compare the spoken versus the written versions: UK“We received your email on the 1st of July 2025.” We receiv...
carolswritingtips.com
September 15, 2025 at 9:32 AM
This week's writing tip is about dates and how to write them. carolswritingtips.com/how-to-write...
Behind the Flags is my personal memoir of my time at the United Nations in Geneva. It is now available for purchase in paperback or ebook format.
Lulu.com
Colour version
www.lulu.com/shop/carol-w...
Amazon.fr
ebook
www.amazon.fr/dp/B0FLWPGGWK
Paperback
www.amazon.fr/dp/B0FLWVM4CR
Lulu.com
Colour version
www.lulu.com/shop/carol-w...
Amazon.fr
ebook
www.amazon.fr/dp/B0FLWPGGWK
Paperback
www.amazon.fr/dp/B0FLWVM4CR
August 28, 2025 at 7:11 AM
Behind the Flags is my personal memoir of my time at the United Nations in Geneva. It is now available for purchase in paperback or ebook format.
Lulu.com
Colour version
www.lulu.com/shop/carol-w...
Amazon.fr
ebook
www.amazon.fr/dp/B0FLWPGGWK
Paperback
www.amazon.fr/dp/B0FLWVM4CR
Lulu.com
Colour version
www.lulu.com/shop/carol-w...
Amazon.fr
ebook
www.amazon.fr/dp/B0FLWPGGWK
Paperback
www.amazon.fr/dp/B0FLWVM4CR
Now available on Amazon.
I’m proud to share the launch of my memoir:
Behind the Flags: A Personal Memoir and Insights into a Career at the United Nations in Geneva
After three decades teaching English and writing skills at the UN in Geneva, this book reflects on life behind the scenes.
I’m proud to share the launch of my memoir:
Behind the Flags: A Personal Memoir and Insights into a Career at the United Nations in Geneva
After three decades teaching English and writing skills at the UN in Geneva, this book reflects on life behind the scenes.
August 11, 2025 at 12:56 PM
Now available on Amazon.
I’m proud to share the launch of my memoir:
Behind the Flags: A Personal Memoir and Insights into a Career at the United Nations in Geneva
After three decades teaching English and writing skills at the UN in Geneva, this book reflects on life behind the scenes.
I’m proud to share the launch of my memoir:
Behind the Flags: A Personal Memoir and Insights into a Career at the United Nations in Geneva
After three decades teaching English and writing skills at the UN in Geneva, this book reflects on life behind the scenes.
This week's writing tip is on using GenAI to help you write emails. carolswritingtips.com/what-is-gene...
What is Generative AI and how can I use it when writing emails? - My WordPress
Generative AI (GenAI) tools are software applications powered by artificial intelligence that can create new content, designs, or data based on the prompts or training data you give them. They leverag...
carolswritingtips.com
July 28, 2025 at 12:50 PM
This week's writing tip is on using GenAI to help you write emails. carolswritingtips.com/what-is-gene...
Writing tip: Did you know that present simple tense is used for effect in headlines and narration
carolswritingtips.com/present-simp...
carolswritingtips.com/present-simp...
Present simple tense used for effect in headlines and narration - My WordPress
If you look in a grammar book on uses of the present simple, you will usually find the following explanation: The simple present tense is used to express a variety of grammatical functions, including ...
carolswritingtips.com
July 23, 2025 at 3:11 PM
Writing tip: Did you know that present simple tense is used for effect in headlines and narration
carolswritingtips.com/present-simp...
carolswritingtips.com/present-simp...
This week's writing tip is about confusing words we use in emails. "Sorry" is one of them. carolswritingtips.com/sorry-a-word...
“Sorry!”: a word with multiple meanings - My WordPress
In professional writing, “sorry” can convey an apology, empathy, responsibility, bad news or a desire to maintain positive relations. But its usage requires caution. According to Tony Thorne, an acade...
carolswritingtips.com
July 14, 2025 at 8:58 AM
This week's writing tip is about confusing words we use in emails. "Sorry" is one of them. carolswritingtips.com/sorry-a-word...
Avoid sounding insensitive and old-fashioned in your writing. Use gender-sensitive terms. carolswritingtips.com/use-gender-s...
Use gender-sensitive language - My WordPress
Avoid sounding insensitive and old-fashioned. Use gender-sensitive terms in your writing. What is the best gender-sensitive alternative to this kind of dated language? Try to give at least one for eac...
carolswritingtips.com
July 7, 2025 at 8:22 PM
Avoid sounding insensitive and old-fashioned in your writing. Use gender-sensitive terms. carolswritingtips.com/use-gender-s...
This week's writing tip is about getting the tone right in emails.
carolswritingtips.com/getting-the-...
carolswritingtips.com/getting-the-...
Getting the tone right in emails - My WordPress
When we’re writing emails at work, it’s important to distinguish between casual usage and more formal language. A casual tone is appropriate when we’re writing to our colleagues, but we need a differe...
carolswritingtips.com
June 30, 2025 at 12:45 PM
This week's writing tip is about getting the tone right in emails.
carolswritingtips.com/getting-the-...
carolswritingtips.com/getting-the-...
This week's writing tip is about US vs UK spelling. carolswritingtips.com/some-differe...
Some differences in spelling between UK and US English - My WordPress
Most agencies in the United Nations system use UK spelling (based on the Concise Oxford Dictionary). There are a number of differences in spelling between UK and US English. Here are just a few for yo...
carolswritingtips.com
June 16, 2025 at 11:39 AM
This week's writing tip is about US vs UK spelling. carolswritingtips.com/some-differe...
This week's writing tip is about journalistic style. See how it's done by the journalists.
carolswritingtips.com/tips-for-new...
carolswritingtips.com/tips-for-new...
Tips for newsletter or journalistic style - My WordPress
When they draft newsletters, writers in international organizations often have overlong sentences and use an academic style. A more journalistic style would help engage the reader. English sentences c...
carolswritingtips.com
June 10, 2025 at 3:39 PM
This week's writing tip is about journalistic style. See how it's done by the journalists.
carolswritingtips.com/tips-for-new...
carolswritingtips.com/tips-for-new...
Wonderful workshop in Olten, Switzerland with other volunteers in the English Teachers Association, Switzerland (ETAS)
May 27, 2025 at 9:57 AM
Wonderful workshop in Olten, Switzerland with other volunteers in the English Teachers Association, Switzerland (ETAS)
This week's writing tip is about oral vs written English carolswritingtips.com/oral-vs-writ...
Oral vs written language - My WordPress
I am listening to the BBC breaking news programme and the broadcaster is describing an accident with “a large amount of police” arriving. But what is the correct written form? “a large number of polic...
carolswritingtips.com
May 27, 2025 at 9:55 AM
This week's writing tip is about oral vs written English carolswritingtips.com/oral-vs-writ...
This week's writing tip deals with how to address people in work-related correspondence. carolswritingtips.com/how-to-addre...
How to address people in work-related correspondence - My WordPress
Use of Miss, Mrs., Ms. and Dr.Titles and their usage often vary from one culture to another. In French, for example, Mademoiselle and Madame relate more to age than marital status; whereas in English,...
carolswritingtips.com
May 18, 2025 at 5:17 PM
This week's writing tip deals with how to address people in work-related correspondence. carolswritingtips.com/how-to-addre...
Test your grammar with this week's writing tip: carolswritingtips.com/confusing-pa...
Confusing “past” tenses in English - My WordPress
Tenses are often used differently from one language to another, even among European languages (e.g. English, French, Portuguese). This is particularly true of present perfect vs. simple past. And spec...
carolswritingtips.com
May 12, 2025 at 9:04 PM
Test your grammar with this week's writing tip: carolswritingtips.com/confusing-pa...