Editors are paid to ensure a piece of writing reads well—although not everyone with the title “editor” does actual editing. (The BBC’s Middle East editor does not edit news articles and neither does the education editor of a national newspaper.)

It is the editor’s job to ensure a reader does not struggle with what they are reading. Editors’ work falls into two main categories: micro editing and macro editing.

Micro editing is what many editors do, especially if a piece of writing is well written. (Note: We have not added a hyphen to “well written”, and we will explain why.) Editors look closely at every word, every sentence and, by extension, every paragraph to ensure syntax (the way words and phrases are put together to form sentences in a language) is correct.

They correct grammatical and punctuation errors. They check names (of people and places), dates, footnotes, references, etc to make sure everything is as it should be.

Regarding micro editing, editors make structural edits. Whole paragraphs can be re-written to enhance readability. Editors also look out for non-sequiturs—statements that do not logically add up—and remove inconsistencies or logical fallacies.

But not every piece of writing gets an editor’s pair of eyes. Many writers are their own editors. This is why knowing what to do (and when) matters, especially for people who do professional writing.

These days many people are turning to AI for quick edits. ChatGPT and other AI chatbots are doing the heavy lifting, but the chatbots can make errors and sometimes fail to spot errors.

Here is a good example: We took this screenshot which had two errors— “In one his many…” and “none-sinners”—and asked ChatGPT to tell us what was wrong. It caught the first error but missed the second.

Another example: We asked ChatGPT to write a sentence with “hand in hand”, and it added hyphens where they were not required. If you do not know when “hand in hand” should be hyphenated, you may miss the error.

So, when do you hyphenate “hand in hand”?

Simple! Read the following sentence carefully. “They had an evening hand-in-hand walk.” Hyphens are used because “hand-in-hand” modifies “walk”. It describes “walk”, the noun. In other words, it tells you the kind of walk the pair had.

The screenshot below from Merriam-Webster dictionary makes the same point. Look carefully at the red rectangles.

Now, you may remember, we promised to tell you why we wrote “well written” (third paragraph above) without a hyphen. That is because “well written” does not modify anything. Take note of the difference in these sentences. “The sentence is well written.” “It is a well-written sentence.”

So, next time you see “The list is up-to-date”, you have to conclude the hyphens are redundant.

We also observed that ChatGPT used “forcefully” where it had to use “forcibly”. And now we ask: Do you know when to use “forcefully” and “forcibly”?

Let us dive in. In the following sentence, the use of “forcefully” is correct: “The curtains were forcefully drawn shut, blocking out the bright sunlight.” You can also say: “She said forcefully that she was not dating Amos.”

But if the Ugandan police are clamping down on protesters on Kampala’s streets and are removing/dragging them, you would not say: “The police are forcefully removing the protesters from the streets.” The correct sentence should be: “The police are forcibly removing the protesters from the streets.”

The real difference? “Forcibly” has an element of using physical power, even violence, amid resistance. By contrast, “forcefully” means “strongly assertive” or “powerful”.

These sentences make the difference clearer.

🔴 She shut the door forcefully as he was trying to force his way in.

🔴 They argued forcefully that sanctions should be imposed on the coup plotters.

🔴 The police forcibly removed students from the university campus.

🔴 They have plans to seize the land forcibly.

You do not have to know everything in English and neither do we—but it helps to know what you should know.

And if you have an editor, they should know these differences. That is part of their job. The best way to learn is not to assume you know, but to ask: How do I know what I know? Precision in language and writing is not pedantry; it’s clarity.

🔴 If you care about good writing and grammar, make this section a regular stop. With time you will realise why coming here regularly is an efficient use of your precious time.