English must change.Read the manifesto.
Adam FrickEFFECTIVE ENGLISH
EDITOR · WRITER · EDUCATOR

Effective
English

Hi folks, my name is Adam Frick. I am a professional teacher, trainer, writer and editor. More fundamentally, I help writers and speakers to maximise their effectiveness through English. Whether you are a teenage BA student, a seasoned postdoc or a professional in private industry, my goal is the same: to make you and your skillset as clear, competent and cohesive as possible.

No shortcuts. No ornamentation. No busywork. I am here to help you put your own abilities on full display.

Tell me about your project. Read my manifesto.
Based in the Netherlands · Working in English
MY PUBLISHED WEBSITE01 / PURPOSE
Notes on a sentencePAGE 01
Effective English provides text solutions for any need you might have, with longstanding relationships with academia, government and private industry.
What changes?
A SHORTER ALTERNATIVE
I edit texts and teach writing for academia, government and private industry.
The shorter version gains directness but loses the reference to longstanding relationships.
Make the sentence work.PURPOSE
COMES FIRST.
Read the original wording on my existing website. ↗
THE MANIFESTO / THE SHORT VERSION

We need a new
consensus grammar.

A proposal by Adam Frick
Shared conventionsExplicit relationshipsEqual responsibility

I propose a new consensus non-native grammar for native and non-native users alike. English needs conventions that serve its global majority. Every writer shares the responsibility for making meaning clear.

The proposalA shared language needs shared agreements.
Two speech bubbles lead to one shared agreement.
Native EnglishEnglish learned laterOne shared responsibility
Read the full manifesto. Explore the grammar in practice.
SMARTS AND SIMPLICITY

The right words
for the room

Think of choosing a jacket for an appointment. Your writing needs the same judgement. Match the complexity to your reader and the occasion.

A T-shirt above torn jeans.
Too casual?A direct sentence can lose needed detail.
A blue jacket over a plain shirt.
Right for the room?Give your reader the detail the occasion needs.
A formal suit with a waistcoat and bow tie.
Too formal?An elaborate sentence can feel stiff or distant.
No outfit suits every occasion. No sentence suits every audience.
Compare the gains and losses.

The longer version

The longer version gives Effective English the presence of an established business. The reference to longstanding relationships adds a sense of experience and continuity that the shorter version drops. For a reader choosing a dependable professional partner, that reassurance may matter. At the same time, “text solutions” and “any need you might have” can sound broad or vague, while the formal phrasing may strike some readers as stiff or old-fashioned.

The shorter version

The shorter version introduces a person and names two concrete services straight away. A visitor looking for an editor or writing teacher can quickly recognise the offer. The same directness can also be reductive: the sentence loses the established relationships and gives less room to the wider work of helping people communicate. For a reader weighing experience or breadth, those omissions may matter more than the words saved.

Another possibility
I help writers and speakers communicate effectively in English, drawing on longstanding relationships with academia, government and private industry.

This version restores the reference to established relationships while keeping a personal voice. The broader description makes room for work beyond editing and writing instruction, but tells a visitor less about the specific services. I would choose between these versions after considering the page, the reader and the information that comes next.

Experience across education, research and culture

Institutional projects and work with individual academics

Universities

  • Delft University of Technology
  • Erasmus University Rotterdam
  • Leiden University
  • Radboud UniversityRadboud in’to Languages
  • Tilburg University
  • University of Amsterdam
  • University of Groningen
  • Utrecht University
  • Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
  • Wageningen University & Research

University medical centres

  • University Medical Center Utrecht
  • Erasmus MCUniversity Medical Center Rotterdam

Arts and research

  • Museum Beelden aan Zee
  • Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences
01 / WHAT I DO

I help your words
do their job effectively.

You know your subject; my job is to help you share that knowledge. Perhaps you are putting the finishing touches on a paper, finding your way through a book or preparing to speak to colleagues. We begin with what you want your audience to understand, then work out how your English can help.

01A magnifying glass finds a clear action on an edited page.

Academic
editing

You know the research. I help your reader follow the argument. If your meaning is unclear, I ask before changing the text.

  • Research papers and dissertations
  • Scholarly books and chapters
  • Nominations and institutional texts
Discuss your text.
02An open manuscript has a red bookmark and lines of text.

Book & manuscript
editing

I edit the language across your manuscript. A shared style guide keeps decisions consistent. You can review my questions as we work.

  • Detailed language and line editing
  • Consistent terminology and style
  • Author queries and collaborative revision
Tell me about your manuscript.
03A named connection joins two speech bubbles.

Writing
instruction

We work with real sentences. You try a revision and discuss the difference. I explain the choices so you can use the same skills again.

  • Academic writing courses
  • English for professional purposes
  • Feedback, revision and writing practice
Talk about teaching.
02 / THE DIFFERENCE AN EDIT MAKES

Effective writing starts
with a purpose.

A shorter sentence is not automatically a better sentence. Sometimes a reader needs more explanation; sometimes an unusual turn of phrase gives a passage its character. The published examples below let you compare a few possibilities and see the reasoning behind my choices. Pay particular attention to the literary opening, where I would keep the original.

PUBLISHED ORIGINAL
Long, complex phrases tend to come at the ends of clauses; this is called “endweight.”
AN ALTERNATIVE TO CONSIDER
English often places longer phrases towards clause endings, a tendency known as end-weight.
THE CHOICES AND TRADE-OFFS

Wasow describes a pattern, then gives the pattern a name in a separate clause. My revision brings the name alongside the description, so the reader can follow one continuous explanation. Notice the word “often”. English has tendencies as well as rules, and an edit should preserve that distinction.

Source: Thomas Wasow, “Remarks on grammatical weight” (1997)

I have chosen these examples from published sources, with a link beneath each comparison. My revisions demonstrate an editorial decision rather than work commissioned by the original publisher. You can read the source and decide whether my explanation makes sense.

01

Purpose first

Before changing a sentence, I want to know what you need your reader to understand. The answer gives us a reason to choose one version over another. A revision earns its place by helping you communicate that meaning.

02

Your voice matters.

Your writing should still sound like you. A good edit can make a point easier to follow while keeping the humour or emphasis that gives the passage character. I explain my suggestions so you can decide which changes belong in your work.

03

Judgement, explained

You deserve more than a page of corrections. When I suggest a substantial change, I explain the problem and show how the revision addresses that problem. You can question the reasoning, weigh the alternatives and use the same principle in your next piece of writing.

A SMALL SENTENCE WORKSHOP

Give the sentence
a direction.

Think of a sentence as a little train. The subject sets off first, followed closely by the main action, with the extra detail travelling behind. That order gives your reader a way into the sentence before the heavier material arrives.

A compact locomotive leads two carriages that grow towards the end of the train.
A metaphor for reading order
ILLUSTRATIVE WORDING TO REVISE
Cost, access and support after publication shape the team’s decision.

By the time you reach the action in this sentence, you have already worked through three items. I use this example to show why I prefer a compact subject near the beginning. Use the button to see how the same information can follow a different route.

Explore the principle.
03 / SELECTED WORK

Experience with
work that matters

My work takes me from university classrooms to the pages of scholarly books. The scale changes, but I still need to understand what the writer wants to say and what the reader needs to know. Here are a few examples of that work.

01
SCHOLARLY BOOK · RADBOUD IN’TO LANGUAGES

Keeping a substantial book
clear and consistent

When I edit a substantial scholarly book, I keep the whole manuscript in mind while working through each sentence. I maintain a style guide so a decision made early in the book remains consistent in later chapters. If a passage raises a question about meaning, I take that question back to the author.

Language editingStyle & consistency
02
INSTITUTIONAL EDITING · UNIVERSITY OF AMSTERDAM

Careful English for an
important nomination

I edited an English-language nomination for membership of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences. A nomination needs to convey the significance of someone’s work without leaving the reader to guess why a detail matters. My attention went to the language, tone and clarity of the case being made.

PrecisionInstitutional writing
03
ACADEMIC WRITING · UTRECHT & ERASMUS UNIVERSITY ROTTERDAM

Helping writers understand
their own decisions

In my academic writing courses, I help writers understand how a reader follows an argument. We work through examples together, looking closely at what a sentence says and how a paragraph develops. The discussion matters as much as the revision. I want participants to leave knowing why a change helps and when the same approach might help again.

TeachingPractical feedback
Adam and three of his children strike playful poses in front of mountain peaks.
A family adventure in the mountains
04 / HELLO, I AM ADAM.

An editor’s eye
A writer’s curiosity
A teacher’s patience

I spend much of my working life helping other people find the words they need. I also write fiction, so I know the feeling of having a passage in mind and struggling to get that passage onto the page. Moving between teaching and editing lets me approach the same problem from different directions. I can help you improve the text in front of you and understand the choices behind the changes.

I also like to flex my own muscles as a writer. My Substack gives you a chance to see that side of my work. Come have a read and see what I get up to beyond the classroom and the editor’s desk.

Read my writing on Substack.

Away from work, I am a father of four and enjoy exploring with my children and our dog. Our adventures take us from the beach to city streets and mountain paths. The photographs below give you a glimpse of that side of my life.

Find me on LinkedIn.
Adam plays with two of his children on a sunny beach.
A sunny day at the beach
Adam poses with his children and their dog at Checkpoint Charlie.
A playful moment in Berlin
Four children and their dog stand in front of colourful painted sections of the Berlin Wall.
Exploring Berlin together
Adam and his dog pause on a mountain walk beneath a blue sky.
A walk with a view
05 / FROM THE EDITOR’S DESK

On Effective Writing

I have plenty to say about writing, as my students will tell you. These essays explain the principles I teach and the reasons behind my recommendations. Start with the manifesto, then follow whichever topic speaks to a problem you recognise in your own work.

START HERE. / THE MANIFESTO.

English belongs
to its users.

I propose a new consensus grammar for native and non-native users alike. The manifesto explains why English’s global role calls for that agreement. The practical essays below show how the proposal translates into choices a writer can examine.

DRAFT FOR REVIEW Adam Frick · Revised 16 October 2026
Read the manifesto.
DRAFT FOR REVIEW SENTENCES

How to write an
effective sentence

A sentence can carry a complicated idea without making the reader struggle through complicated grammar. I begin with the core, then show how you can build around that structure. The goal is room for your meaning and a clear route for your reader.

Read the first essay.
Explore On Effective Writing.
06 / WORKING TOGETHER

We begin with a conversation
and agree how to proceed.

  1. 01 / START WITH THE PURPOSE.

    Tell me what you need.

    • Your text
    • Your audience
    • Your deadline
  2. 02 / AGREE THE SCOPE.

    Agree on the work.

    • Scope
    • Price
    • Delivery date
  3. 03 / WRITE EFFECTIVELY.

    Work through the details.

    • My suggestions
    • Your questions
    • Our agreed revisions
07 / DISCUSS YOUR PROJECT.

What are you
trying to say?

You do not need a polished brief to get in touch. Tell me what you are working on, who you want to reach and what is giving you trouble. Include your deadline if you have one, and we can talk through the next step.

adam.effective.english@gmail.com

The form opens a draft in your email application. You can check the message and add anything you have forgotten before sending. If your email app does not open, use the address beside the form.