Quick quiz

Im in the throws of packing and moving this week. So todays entry is actually going too be a quiz. Lets see how many errors you can find in this post. Their are more than 6 and less then twenty. My advise is to look four grammar or style and usage mistakes. The winner gets nothing but my complements.
Good luck and let me know how much you find.

Rite on!

For Whom the Cookie Crumbles

One of the questions people ask me most often is when to use whom instead of who. It seems that most people know that they should use whom, but don’t know when or why. First, the good news. I’m happy to report that in most informal situations, it is perfectly acceptable to use who instead of whom. And it is certainly more acceptable to use who, than to use whom incorrectly. So let’s not let that happen.

The rule is actually quite simple. You see, who is a subject, (like he or she) and it does something.


"Who ate the cookie?" "She ate the cookie."

Whom is an object, (like him or her) and has something done to it.

"You gave the cookie to whom?" "You gave the cookie to him."

OK? So to see if you should use who or whom, just substitute whom with him/her or he/she. If you would use him, use whom. If you would use he, use who. Another way to remember is to ask yourself, “Who is doing what to whom?” (Who is doing the action. Whom is receiving the action.)

But whom is a tricky word. Because it has become used less frequently in recent years, you run the risk of sounding stuffy or pretentious if you use it in certain situations.

“For whom did you bake those cookies?”
“I will share my cookies with whomever I choose.”

Although both of the above sentences are correct, we rarely speak that way. So to keep your writing conversational and informal; use whom correctly, yet sparingly.

Write on!

The Editor's Eye

The way people write says a lot about them. Some writers are minimalists; they use no more words than necessary to get their point across. Others use lots of adjectives, adverbs and intensifiers to express themselves. I’m of the opinion that our writing style is a reflection who we are as individuals, but the bottom line for all of us is this: clear, concise writing is more impactful and easier to read than wordy, redundant fluff.

I’ll never forget the first time I had an article picked up by a newspaper. When the editor told me how much she liked it, I was thrilled! Then she asked if I could edit it from 1200 words to 500 and my excitement turned to indignation. How dare she ask me to cut precious words out of my perfect story? When I politely suggested that she might want to loosen her word count restrictions to accommodate my brilliant piece, she gave me a patient chuckle and some of the best writing advice I’ve ever heard. “Don’t worry, Elizabeth, you’re the only one who will know what’s not there.”

In retrospect, editing that article was one of the best writing lessons I’ve had in my career; a Zen writing experience if there ever was one. Now, I’m not suggesting that you need to go to such extremes to improve your writing, but using an “editor’s eye” is rarely a bad thing. Take the following sentence for example:

It can really be very annoying when writers use way too many more words than absolutely necessary to get their basic message across to their readers.

If that sentence reads like something you could have written, you might want to consider simplifying your message. Imagine a whole document of sentences like that. After a while, the reader’s eyes start to glaze over and they miss the key points of the document because there are too many unnecessary words piled on top of each other. How about something like this instead?

It can be annoying when writers use more words than necessary to get their message across.

Clearer, simpler, easier to read, right? I’m not saying that you should avoid using modifiers and intensifiers altogether, just reminding you to be careful with them. They are like the words that "cried wolf." Using them strategically throughout your document can help you highlight important points and add emphasis, guiding your reader’s attention to the truly important stuff. But overusing them bogs your readers down and makes them wonder why they are reading in the first place. And that’s a bad thing.

Try this on your next important project: pretend that you have to cut out one-third of the words. (The word count is in the lower, left-hand corner of your Word document.) Go through the piece and omit any extraneous intensifiers, adverbs, redundancies, slang – anything that doesn’t need to be there. I’ll bet you find a lot of extra words covering up your core message. (Hint: The ones I see most often are very, really, so, absolutely and totally; so keep yourself on high alert for these.) And don’t worry, when you’re done, you’ll be the only one who will know what’s not there.

Here’s another exercise for you. In the name of, “we teach what we need to learn,” I skipped the editing phase of this composition completely. As I look over this post, I’m finding many words and phrases that I would normally delete. How many can you find?

Write on and on and on! ;o)

I I Me Me My

Quick – which is correct?

She made the cookies for Simon and me. Or,
She made the cookies for Simon and I.

This is one of the most common problems I see in writing (and hear in speech). I think it's because when we were young, most of us had it drilled into our heads that instead of saying things like, “Me and Simon want cookies.” We should say, “Simon and I want cookies.” And that is correct. But many of us took that rule too far and assumed that we should always use the pronoun I when speaking or writing about ourselves in a group. But this is an incorrect assumption.

So in the above example, which sentence is correct? The answer is: the first one. Why? Because I is the subject form of the pronoun, yet in the second sentence it is being used as an object. Now, don’t freak out, you use subject and object pronouns correctly without even knowing it most of the time. For example, you might say, “I want a cookie.” But you wouldn’t say, “Me want a cookie.” And you know that it would be incorrect to say, “Give the cookie to I.” So why would you say, “Give the cookie to Simon and I”? You wouldn’t.

Subject pronouns (I, you, he, she, it, we, they) are subject pronouns because they do something.

I want chocolate chip cookies. (I is the subject, because it is doing the wanting.)

You remembered that peanut butter chocolate chip is my favorite! (You is the subject, because it is doing the remembering.)

Object pronouns (me, you, him, her, it, us, you, them) are object pronouns because something is being done to them.

Simon gave the cookie to me. (Me is the object because it is receiving the action.)

She made chocolate chip cookies for him. (Him is the object because it is receiving the action.)

You can also check to see if you are using the correct pronoun, by inserting the objects one at a time.

Please give all the cookies to [Simon and] me.

I will be sad if you take the cookies away from [Simon and] me.

Here are a few more examples, for good measure.

Incorrect: Him and me are going to eat all the cookies.
Correct: He and I are going to eat all the cookies.

Incorrect: I made cookies for you and they.
Correct: I made cookies for you and them.

And one more hint: if the pronoun comes after a preposition (to, for, of, with, etc.) it usually takes the object form. (As in, the object of the preposition.)

Can it really be that simple? Of course not. There are many other pronoun forms that I haven't even mentioned here (reflexive, possessive, relative, etc.). My hope is that you will be encouraged to send me a note with your questions, concerns or confusions so that we can work on them together.

By the way, I put that in about the peanut butter chocolate chip just in case you're planning on doing some baking anytime soon...

Write on!

To Err is Forbidden

The other day, while sending a message promoting my new Page on Facebook, one of my worst professional nightmares came true. In the millisecond between hitting the “Send” button and seeing the happy, “Message Sent!” window, I caught a glimpse of an egregious typo. I was mortified.

Now, I know that most of the people I sent the message to probably didn’t even notice. And those who did notice probably assumed that I was just in a hurry and typing quickly (both true), but it’s a tough pill for me to swallow nonetheless. I suppose the thing that bothers me the most about this error, is that I wasn’t practicing what I preach. I always tell my clients and audiences that when composing a message online, they should write the message in Word (or another app that has a spelling checker), then cut and paste it into the online document. But I didn’t do that. I was in a hurry and just shot it off without thinking. Shame on me.

I realize that as a writer I am held to a higher standard than most when it comes to such things. And this is as it should be, because I put myself out there as an expert. After all, you wouldn’t continue to see a chiropractor who constantly complained of aches and pains or a tax preparer who was routinely audited, would you? Of course not. So when I make an obvious error like the one I made on Facebook, I tend to beat myself up over it.

But in the light of a new day, I can honestly say that I’m glad that it happened. OK, maybe glad is a strong word, but every once in a while I need a swift kick to remind me to slow down and take my own advice. And you can learn from my mistake, too. Remember to follow these steps when writing anything:
Plan
Write
Read
Check
(And if possible, share.)

And now, this week's grammar lesson:

Plural Possessives (Aw, c'mon! It'll be fun!)

Making a noun possessive is easy. You add an apostrophe 's, right? Well, almost. You have to consider the form of the word before the apostrophe, because it shows how many owners there are.

If the word is a singular noun (one owner), always add 's, regardless of its ending.

Elizabeth's typo
The dress's hem
The ox's hoof

If the word is plural and ends in s, just add the apostrophe.

Both kids' cookies
The dresses' hems
The boss' office

If the word is plural and doesn’t end in s, add 's.

The children's cookies
Men's shoes
The oxen's hooves

But make sure you have formed the plural correctly before adding the possessive. Most of the confusion in this area comes from proper names, so here are the rules for that: Usually, you will form the plural of a name simply by adding s.

There were two Claires in the room.
Both of the Roberts are tall.

But, if the name ends in s, sh, ch, z or x, add es.

The Gomezes are coming to dinner. (More than one Gomez)
The Marxes ate all the cookies. (More than one Marx)

Now that you have formed the correct plural, (Gomezes, Marxes) you can add the possessive by following the rules above.

The Marxes' cookies (The cookies belong to more than one Marx.)
The Gomezes' children (The children belong to more than one Gomez.)

Simple, right? If not, send me your specific examples (Thanks, C.P.) and I’ll try to help you out.
And thanks for sending in your questions and comments. They really helped me to know what kinds of grammar issues you struggle with. I find them very inspiring.

Write on!

Capital Punishment

Today, I’m going to introduce you to a very good friend of mine. Readers, this is Shift Key. Shift Key, these are my readers. You might remember each other from many years ago back in school, but I’m really hoping you can become reacquainted. Because, readers, you want Shift Key to be your friend. Really you do, because if Shift Key is not your friend, he will tell the world many ugly things about you. For example, he will let the world know that you don’t think enough about yourself to capitalize the pronoun, “I.” And then – oh, how people will talk!

Seriously, we all know what the shift key does, but I’ve noticed that many people are reluctant to use it because they aren’t sure what, exactly, to capitalize. So here they are, the basic rules of capitalization. Read them. Learn them. Memorize them. Share them. Ready?

1. The first letter of a sentence is always a capital letter. Always. No exceptions. This includes a quoted sentence within a sentence.

The woman said, “You should share your cookies with me.”

2. The pronoun I is always capitalized. Always. No exceptions. I mean it. Don’t mess with me on this one.

3. Proper nouns are always capitalized, including the names of countries, organizations, languages, buildings, deities, athletic groups, courses and nationalities. (Hint: If it's a name -capitalize it.)

English
Starbucks
Disneyland
Scotland
Microsoft

Algebra II
Green Bay Packers
Wood’s Humane Society

The Virgin Mary

4. Capitalize the days of the week and months of the year, but not the seasons unless they are used in a title.

Friday
October
My favorite season is autumn.
The 2008 Summer Olympics

5. A person’s title is capitalized when it precedes a name.

Queen Elizabeth
President Obama

Or, when it follows a name on a signature line.

Sincerely,

Elizabeth McGregor, Cookie Monster

Or, if you are using it to directly address someone.

Are cookies bad for me, Doctor?

But not when it is used to describe someone.

Elizabeth is a cookie monster.

6. Directions that are part of a name or region are capitalized.

They moved to the Northeast.
She is from Southern California.

Compass directions are not.

Turn east on Marsh Street.

7. Capitalize abbreviations and words derived from specific names.

USA
Freudian slip
Napoleonic

Unless they are commonly used in a general sense.

french fries
pasteurized milk

8. In the title of a publication or printed work, capitalize all words except articles or short prepositions, (a, an, in, the) and always capitalize the first and last word, regardless of length and part of speech.

A Whack on the Side of the Head
The Old Man and the Sea

To Kill a Mockingbird

Now that I’ve overwhelmed you with all of these rules, I’ll drop the other shoe. While it has been my experience that most people avoid the use of the shift key, there are some who feel the need to Capitalize almost Every Word. I have a dear friend who capitalizes pronouns as though they were proper nouns, bless his heart. He’ll write things like, “Do You ever hear from Her?” In his case it’s endearing, but incorrect nonetheless.

Capitalization is notoriously one of those language issues that causes scholars and grammarians to fight like little schoolchildren. The Chicago Manual of Style dedicates about 15 pages to the subject of capitalization and all of its rules and exceptions to rules. Like most things in our language, there are clear rules of usage, and rules that are open to interpretation. The above list is not intended to be the last word in rules for upper-case usage, but a basic guide to assist you in determining when to use your new friend, Shift Key. If you have any question and you can’t seem to find your copy of The Chicago Manual of Style, give me shout; I’ll be happy to help.

Write on!

Is it it’s its or who’s whose?

If you ever get the it’s/its or whose/who’s rule confused, don’t worry, you’re not alone. Some of the smartest people I know get this one mixed-up, and it’s all the fault of that pesky little apostrophe. The apostrophe is one of those omnipresent signs that we only really pay attention to when we need them - like stop signs or the Starbucks logo. But the apostrophe is actually quite a handy little gadget. It has two main uses that we're going to address today, and you’d better pay attention, because not only will it cure you of your its/it’s/whose/who’s confusion, it may clarify some other issues as well.

The first thing you need to know is the difference between a possessive and a contraction. A possessive shows ownership; nouns use an apostrophe to show possession:

This week’s blog
Elizabeth’s cookie
The dog’s bone

A contraction is a combination of two words that uses an apostrophe to mark the missing letters:

Don’t = do not
I’ve = I have
Let’s = let us
You’ll = you will

The second thing you need to know is that it and who are pronouns, and pronouns don’t take an apostrophe when they are possessive; they morph into new words (like whose and its). You already knew that, though, because you would never say, “That cookie is not she’s; it is me’s!” Instead, you replace those pronouns with their possessive counterparts, hers and mine.

So in the case of it’s and who’s, those little apostrophes are making contractions, not possessives. The apostrophe is there to let you know something is missing. It’s is really saying it is (or it has) and who’s is really saying who is (or who has). So instead of, “Whose been eating all the cookies?” You would ask, “Who’s (who has) been eating all the cookies?” And instead of, “Its been too long since I’ve had a cookie,” you would say, “It’s (it has) been too long since I've had a cookie.”

To check yourself as you are writing, try replacing the contraction with the omitted word, like this:

It’s time for me to have a cookie. Becomes, It is time for me to have a cookie.

If the sentence still makes sense, you have it right. And if you have any questions about pronouns, contractions, apostrophes or any other grammar grapples, you know where to find me.

Write on!

Run-on and on and on!

My friend (and fellow word geek) Lori suggested I dedicate this week’s entry to run-on sentences. I agreed, but as I sat down to write, I began to regret my decision.

You see, to address the issue of run-on sentences, one must also cover dependent and independent clauses, fragments, comma splices, coordinating conjunctions and – well, you get the idea. Frankly, this can of worms is better left to a class than a blog post, but since I’m committed (or should be); I will give you a basic overview of how to get control over your run-on sentences.

The first thing you need to know is that the length of a sentence has little to do with whether it is a run-on, as long as it is properly punctuated. There are different kinds of sentences that grammarians would call called run-ons, but for the sake of clarity, let’s just lump them all together.

Basically, a run-on is a sentence with two (or more) complete thoughts that are not joined correctly:

Lori made cookies she wouldn’t let me have one.

A little hard to read, isn’t it? That’s because there’s nothing to let you know when the first complete thought ends and the second one begins. So how can we fix it? Well, we can make the two clauses into two sentences by adding a period:

Lori made cookies. She wouldn’t let me have one.

But that sounds a little choppy, doesn’t it? Let’s try using a semi-colon to separate the clauses:

Lori made cookies; she wouldn’t let me have one.

Or, for a less formal tone, try using a coordinating conjunction:

Lori made cookies, but she wouldn’t let me have one. (Note the comma before the conjunction but.)

That’s better. It gives us a clear indication of separation between the clauses.

Giving your readers visual clues in the form of punctuation, not only helps them know when they should pause or stop, it also helps to convey the tone of a piece. Short, simple sentences tend to sound formal and uptight, while longer ones that combine clauses by using punctuation or connecting words, usually sound softer and more casual. Keep in mind, too, that varying the length and complexity of your sentences can help with the rhythm and flow of your piece.

So, if your sentence has more than one complete thought, consider rewriting it as two sentences. Or, use punctuation or connecting words to separate the clauses. See how simple that is? (And if you have any questions about comma splices or dependent clauses, let me know.)

And to learn more about Lori and see her fabulous Web site, visit
www.wardrobewisdom.com.

Write on!

My Book List

Within an arm’s length of any good writer’s keyboard, you will inevitably find a number of tattered reference books. There will be a dictionary for spelling and definitions, a thesaurus for synonyms, and several stylebooks for – well, style. And why do writers have these? Because the English language has an infinite number of rules, exceptions to rules, evolving rules and obsolete rules and it is the writer’s job to strike a balance between what is acceptable and what isn’t.

Over the years, I’ve spoken with countless writers, editors and successful business people about what books they read and I’ve stumbled across many of my own resources that I simply could not live without. And today, I’m going to share a few of them with you - no charge! This is certainly not the last word in reference book lists and I’m not saying you need to run out and buy every book on it, but if you are serious about your writing, the top five are a great place to start to build your library.

1. Any large dictionary (no, not the “pocket” kind). Mine’s a Webster and yes, I use it almost every day.
2. Roget’s Thesaurus (and/or www.thesaurus.com)
3. Microsoft Manual of Style for Technical Publications. Don’t let the name fool you. If you have ever agonized over things like clipart or clip art; email or e-mail or disk or disc, this is the reference for you. Honestly, every business owner should have this book.
4. Strunk & White’s Elements of Style – Because it’s a classic, and chock-full of fundamental writing principals.
5. The Chicago Manual of Style – The granddaddy of all stylebooks. If you are even considering publishing anything ever, you will need this book.
6. AP Stylebook or www.apstylebook.com – another definitive resource (especially if you ever write newspaper articles or press releases).

If all you want to do is brush up on some of the basics, here are a few of my favorite fun, helpful books (but you still need that dictionary):

Woe is I – by Patricia T. O’Conner
Eats, Shoots and Leaves – by Lynne Truss
Grammar Snobs are Great Big Meanies: A Guide to Language for Fun and Spite – by June Casagrande

Have a favorite? Share it with me!
Until next week,

Write (and read) on!

The Power of Proofreading

Greetings and Happy June!

Today's post is very important, so read it, study it and talk about it with your friends. And as always, I welcome your comments and suggestions.

There is a critical part of the writing process that separates the good communicators from the not-so-good ones. It’s proofreading. I can always tell when someone has taken the time to edit their writing because they have fewer errors, clearer ideas and a more readable style than those who send their work off thinking it’s “good enough.”
Because it’s so hard to switch your brain over from writer to reader, I believe the best way to edit yourself is not to edit yourself. The longer you have worked on a piece, the more emotionally attached you are and the more you need a fresh set of eyes to look at it. So my very first tip is: whenever possible, have someone else do your proofreading for you. I can almost guarantee they will see things that you have missed. Chalk it up to human nature, but we are much more inclined to see errors in other people than in ourselves.
However, if you happen to be short a minion, spouse or business partner, keep these tips in mind as you are editing yourself:

Put some time between you and your document before proofing. Overnight is best.

Use spell-check first because it may catch things that you might have missed, like extra spaces between words. (But don’t rely on it for your final proof.)

Print out your document. I know, that’s not very “green” of me to suggest, but reading on a monitor is very different from reading on paper. Use scratch paper and set your printer to the “draft” setting to save ink.

Proof for each element separately. Go through the whole thing once for spelling, again for consistency, etc.

Turn the paper upside-down and read from bottom to top, right to left. This may sound silly, but it forces you to focus on each word so you are less likely to get lost in the message and miss critical mistakes.

As you edit, don’t stop to fix errors or rewrite. Read through the entire document, flagging each item as you go. Then go back and make corrections.

Once you have done this a few times, you may begin to see patterns in your writing that indicate areas you need to work on. For me, it’s overusing the passive voice. For you, it might be verb tense or run-on sentences. Whatever the problem, the best way to begin fixing it is to have someone you trust look at your work, then edit yourself with a critical eye.

And if you have any questions, be sure to drop me a note. I’d be happy to help.

Write on!

Keep It Simple

“The art of art, the glory of expression and the sunshine of the light of letters, is simplicity.” -Walt Whitman

I stumbled across an interesting definition online. See if you can figure out what word is being defined.

“…an anomalous juxtaposition of incongruous ideas for the sake of striking exposition or unexpected insight… ."

I love it! Seriously, doesn’t it seem that the author of this entry is a bit of a blowhard? Isn’t the purpose of a definition to clarify, not confuse? So here's this week’s advice: simplify.

I see too many business writers these days who are under the impression that stuffy, formal writing is more professional or more impressive than clear, simple writing. It’s not. And it further complicates things when those writers use complex words incorrectly or inappropriately because they don’t consider the meaning or implied meaning of those words. It isn't hard to replace a straightforward word with a complicated one, all you need is a thesaurus and an inferiority complex. Showing off your fancy vocabulary won’t make your readers think you’re smart. (But it might make them think you’re pretentious.)

Now I’m not saying that you should “dummy down” to your readers, or avoid the thesaurus entirely. What I am saying is that you should – c’mon, say it with me – write the way you speak! (I know, I’ve said it before, but it bears repeating.)

So go forth and attempt to utilize this indispensable recommendation in your impending documents and manuscripts. The receiver of your communiqué will be infinitely indebted to you and your contemplation of his emotional condition.

(Keep it simple. Your readers will thank you.)

Have a funny example to send to me? Please do! (And you get extra points if you can tell me what word is defined above.)

Write on!

Recently, while browsing in my happy place (the bookstore), I came across an interesting find. It’s a book titled, The Artful Nuance: A Refined Guide to Imperfectly Understood Words in the English Language by Rod L. Evans, Ph.D. What this little volume lacks in humor and creativity, it makes up for in fascinating language facts. It is chock-full of interesting distinctions between similar words and usages that have been lost over the years. Some are obvious to those of us who study the language, others are more obscure and trivial, but all are worthy of at least a moment of our consideration.

Now, I realize that I’m in a shrinking minority of people who actually care about this kind of stuff, but when I start thinking and learning about commonly confused words, I find it difficult to stop. For example, do you know there is a difference between a rascal and a scoundrel? A bush and a shrub? An obstacle and an obstruction? Most people don't, nor do they care.

So that begs the question, does it really matter? If 90% of the population couldn’t care less about the difference between avert and avoid, why should you? Well, because if you ever write or speak, you never know when some smart-ass word geek might be waiting to pounce on your misuse or misunderstanding of a word or phrase. And we can’t have that now, can we?

So here’s a quick test. Do you know the difference between:

Delay and postpone?
Intellect and Intelligence?
Partly and partially?
Naked and nude?
Young and youthful?
Number and numeral?
Glue and paste?
A harbor and a port?

No, I’m not going to give you the definitions for these pairs of words; you have to find those for yourself. But that’s a good thing, because that means you care more than 90% of readers and writers. And the next time someone calls you a “twit,” you can say, “No, you may think I’m a contemptible, insignificant twerp, but I am not a foolish twit. A twit would likely be too stupid or silly to know the difference between a twit and a twerp. That makes you the twit and me the twerp, you twit.”

Or something like that.

Write on!

Do you know what drives me crazy? Redundancies. It makes me nuts when people repeat themselves. I get irritated when writing is repetitive. I feel frustrated when people say the same thing over and over and over again.

OK, I think you get my point.

I’m a busy person. I don’t have time to wade through a murky muck of unnecessary words to figure out what message someone is trying to convey. I want to get to the point. Move forward. Carry on. Get on with it. (See, isn’t that irritating?)

This is a favorite topic in my presentations, because most people don’t even realize they’re committing this particular offense. When I show them how common it actually is, they feel enlightened.

The fact is, the pleonasm has become so ubiquitous in our language that we hardly notice it anymore. But if we stop and take the time to look at our writing and do just a little quality editing we can cut out unnecessary words, redundant phrases and repetitive ideas, and make our writing clearer and more enjoyable to read. So how do we get a grip on this issue? First, be aware.

In his wonderful book, Write Tight, William Brohaugh suggests that we, “Learn not just what words mean, but what they imply, what they embrace.” And that is a great place to start. For example, if you know that the definition of the word pleonasm is a redundant phrase or expression, then the phrase redundant pleonasm sounds pretty silly, doesn’t it?

Here is a short list of some of the more common redundant phrases that we exploit. See how many you’re guilty of using.

~~~~~~~~~~

Each and every (Use each or every, not both.)
And also (They mean the same thing. Use one or the other.)
Added bonus (All bonuses are added. That’s what makes them bonuses.)
Join together (How do you join something apart?)
Complete and total (As opposed to complete and partial?)
Surrounded on all sides (Can you be surrounded on only one side?)
Past experience (There’s no such thing as a future experience.)
Free gift (If you have to pay for it – it’s not a gift. It’s a product. Sheesh!)

And here are a few more that you might be familiar with:

advance warning
share together
close proximity
raise up
now pending
forward progress
but however
excess waste
absolutely essential
genuine sincerity
condense down
end result
identical match
I myself
repeat again
previous history
might possibly

You get the idea. And there are hundreds more where those came from. Have some favorites? Send them to me! I love getting your e-mails and comments about writing issues that confuse you or drive you crazy.

Until next week!

Write on!

Breaking the Rules

My proofreader and I have a running dialogue that we enjoy. It goes something like this:

Proofreader: “You started this sentence with and.”
Me: “I know.”
Proofreader: “You’re not supposed to start sentences with and.”
Me: “I know."
Proofreader: “But you’re going to do it anyway, aren’t you?”
Me: “Yup.”

OK, it’s possible that I enjoy it more than she does. My proofreader used to be a high school English teacher, so she gets the willies every time I bend or break the rules of grammar and style. And I do it quite a bit. (See there? I did it again.)

But, (You’re not supposed to start a sentence with but, either. But sometimes I do.) I know the rules, so that makes it OK for me to bend them. I know I’m not supposed to start my sentences with conjunctions, or end them in prepositions, but if I think it will improve the flow of my writing, I just might do it. That doesn’t mean I’m relieved of the responsibilities of following the basic rules of the English language -- I still need to spell my words correctly and capitalize proper nouns -- but if I choose to sacrifice some of the rules of style or grammar in certain situations, I give myself permission to do so.

(That also doesn't mean that I don't make mistakes. After many years of studying and writing, I still make errors and get stumped from time to time. Hard to believe, I know, but it happens.)

Our language is a dynamic beast. Its rules are constantly being revised and modified to adapt to modern usage; even many of the more “conventional” rules of English have become open to interpretation. We have all fallen victim to really bad writing that is grammatically correct and had the pleasure of reading really good writing that is technically incorrect. The bottom line is, which would you rather read?

In my presentations, I teach people to, “Write the way you speak.” This is known as “conversational” style and it is more acceptable today than it was even ten or fifteen years ago. However, we do need to consider what we are writing. If you are composing a term paper or a grant proposal, it’s usually best to avoid the casual vernacular and keep your writing a little more conservative. However, if you are writing – say, a blog – your readers will probably thank you for your casual tone.

Please remember, however, there is a big difference between bending the rules to make your writing more appealing to the reader and breaking the rules because you’re lazy or you don’t know any better. Because you can be sure that if you don't know the difference, your reader will.

So feel free to begin your sentences with and or but. But don’t forget to start them with a capital. And end them with a period.

~~~~~~~~~~

Here is this week’s lesson:

(No, you may not break this rule.)

A reader wrote in and brought up one of the most common grammatical confusions:

“When do I use that and when do I use which?”

This one trips up most of us sooner or later, so here’s the rule:
If a clause (a group of words with its own subject and verb) is essential to the point of the sentence, use that.

I ate the cookie that looked the least fattening.

If you can drop the clause and not lose the meaning of the sentence, use which.

The cookie, which looked innocent enough, was fattening.

Here’s another easy way to remember. Which begins non-essential clauses and goes inside commas.

The cookie, which I’m not supposed to eat because I’m on a diet, is chocolate.

Clauses that are essential to the meaning of the sentence have no commas and use that.

The diet that I’m on prohibits eating chocolate cookies.

Got it? Great!

Thanks for all of your comments and e-mails -- keep them coming!

Write on!

Elizabeth

Welcome to my blog!

Remember the old adage about the cobbler whose kids had no shoes? Well, consider me the modern version: the writer who had no blog --that is -- until now!

Thanks for stopping by! I know there are many bloggers out there who want your time and attention, but I want this blog to be your favorite, so I'm going to keep things simple.

In my posts, you will find only the most interesting things that I learn in my life as a small business owner and my work as a writer and editor. That's it. Just happy little tidbits that will make you smile, useful tips to make you smarter, and maybe the answer to a dilemma or two that has been keeping you up at night.

But here's the catch: I need your help!

Each post, I will address one style/grammar/punctuation/writing etiquette question from a reader. You see, it is my personal goal to rid the world of bad writing. OK, maybe not the world, but my little corner of it. And I'm not talking about the typos and missteps that we all make, but the sloppy and lazy writing of smart people who should know better. It has gotten out of control and it needs to stop. Because the way we write speaks volumes about us.

So send me your grammar goofs, your punctuation predicaments, your style snafus and let me help you figure them out. You know, things like, "What's the semicolon for?" Or, "Do I use who's or whose? Lay or lie? Advice or advise? Who or whom?" I love this stuff, so post your questions in the comment field! You don't even have to reveal your true identity.

To start things off, I'll answer a question that many people have asked me about the "less/fewer" conundrum. (You're gonna love this!)

We would never say, "How much cookies do you want?" Or, "You poured too many milk!"

So, why do so many people confuse less and fewer? Here's an easy way to remember which one to use:

Fewer refers to number and less refers to quantity. In other words, if you can count it (men, cookies, incorrect sentences) use fewer. If you can't (milk, oxygen, beach sand) use less. (Unless you're counting grains of beach sand, then use fewer. And get a life.)

So the next time you see that sign at the grocery store that calls for, "Ten items or less!" Smile! You're smarter than a sign painter!

See how much fun that is? So send me your questions and stay tuned.

Write on,

Elizabeth