Writing Tips

Writing Tips contains concise observations on and examples of English grammar, usage and style problems encountered daily by writers. Writing Tips explains modern-day Canadian usage in a straightforward and uncluttered manner. The examples used to illustrate these language problems reflect Canadian society, past and present.

Linguistic recommendations and reminders

Linguistic recommendations and reminders are now in Writing Tips.

Linguistic recommendations

The linguistic recommendations propose solutions to contentious language issues. They help standardize elements such as vocabulary, spelling and usage in texts produced by the Government of Canada.

• addresses on envelopes and parcels (Linguistic recommendation from the Translation Bureau)
• American dollar (symbol) (Linguistic recommendation from the Translation Bureau)
• audit and derived terms (Linguistic recommendation from the Translation Bureau)
• Canadian dollar (symbol) (Linguistic recommendation from the Translation Bureau)
• date: order of elements (Linguistic recommendation from the Translation Bureau)
• First Nation(s) (Linguistic recommendation from the Translation Bureau)
• gender-inclusive writing: correspondence (Linguistic recommendation from the Translation Bureau)
• Government of Canada (Linguistic recommendation from the Translation Bureau)
• Internet, Net (Linguistic recommendation from the Translation Bureau)
• Inuit, Inuk (Linguistic recommendation from the Translation Bureau)
• names of Canadian universities (Linguistic recommendation from the Translation Bureau)
• names of government departments (Linguistic recommendation from the Translation Bureau)
• new French spelling (Linguistic recommendation from the Translation Bureau)
• ombudsman (Linguistic recommendation from the Translation Bureau) New
• public service: capitalization rules (Linguistic recommendation from the Translation Bureau)
• telephone numbers (Linguistic recommendation from the Translation Bureau)
• Twitter terminology (Linguistic recommendation from the Translation Bureau)
• Web (Linguistic recommendation from the Translation Bureau)

To begin your search, go to the alphabetical index above and click on the first letter of the word you are searching for.

Note: Writing Tips is available in English only. However, a similar writing tool, Clefs du français pratique, is available in French.

© Public Services and Procurement Canada, 2024
TERMIUM Plus^®, the Government of Canada's terminology and linguistic data bank
Writing tools – Writing Tips
A product of the Translation Bureau