Writeability

Principles/Principals

2009-03-20T14:06:00.001-04:00

There are at least five uses of the word principles(pals) but two different ways to spell it.

Principle: Guideline or rule

Exmaple: The basic principle of investing is to buy low and sell high.

Principle: Moral guideline or conduct

Exmaple: It's against my principles to lie.

Principal: Main or major

Example: The principal reason I called this meeting today.

Principal: The head of a school

Principal: Capital sum of money, as distinguished from interest.

The Passive Voice

2009-03-19T15:50:00.001-04:00

Avoid the passive voice. It tends to sap energy and power from your writing.

Example: "Darwin's theory of evolution" instead of "the theory of evolution that was formulated by Darwin."

Who is doing what to Whom?

2009-03-18T13:00:00.001-04:00

If you are uncertain about whether to use who or whom ask yourself "Who is doing what to whom?"

The subject -the one that does the action- is who. The object -the one that gets something done to it - is whom.

I laughed, I cried, I nearly died

2009-03-17T11:58:00.003-04:00

A hyperbole is a figure of speech that is an exaggeration which denotes extremes. It is common in both everyday speech and in written English. Despite its prevalence using a hyperbole in a professional setting is frowned upon. A hyperbole is ideal for a story, poem or informal e-mail.

Examples: "I cried so much I nearly died." "I laughed so hard I thought my cheeks would fall off."

Among and Amongst

2009-03-16T18:46:00.002-04:00

Among and amongst have the same meaning and can be used interchangeably.

Among is more commonly used in American English. Amongst is seen to be a little old-fashioned but is still grammatically correct.

Capitalization

2009-03-12T14:44:00.002-04:00

Most of us know (or should know) that the first word of a sentence and the pronoun I are always capitalized.

There are other ways capital letters are used (and often misused). What follows is a short capitalization guideline.

The first word of a sentence

The pronoun "I"

Example: The first time I went to New York I was overwhelmed.

Proper nouns (the names of specific people, places, organizations, and sometimes things)

Example: The United Nations, Golden Gate Bridge, Vancouver, Winston Churchill

Family relationships (when used as proper names)

Example: I sent a get well soon card to Aunt Tina.

The names of God, specific deities, religious figures and holy books

Example: the Qur'an, Zeus, Buddha

There is an exception to this. Do not capitalize the non-specific use of the word "god."

Example: The word "polytheistic" means the worship of more than one god.

Title preceding names,

Example: He is the assistant to Mayor Blumenthal

but not titles that follow names

Example: I interview Candice Bee, mayor of Lakeville

Directions that are names (North, South, East and West as sections of a country but not as compass directions)

Example: The Lees live in the Northeast.

The days of the week, months of the year and holidays

Example: Thanksgiving, March, Saturday

The seasons when used in a title

Example: The Summer 2009 semester

The names of countries, nationalities and specific languages

The first word in a sentence that is a direct quote

Example: Shakespeare once wrote, "To be or not to be..."

Members of national, political, racial, social, civic and athletic groups

Periods and events

Exmaple: Elizabethan Era

Trademarks

The abbreviations of specific names

Example: RBC (Royal Bank of Canada), UN (United Nations)

Writing

2009-03-11T15:21:00.002-04:00

On this blog we have tended to focus on formal or business writing practices.
This is because using proper grammar and spelling is essential for communication and this is especially true in a professional setting.
The way that we write an e-mail to our friends is very different from an e-mail we would write to a client or co-worker.
Creative writing practices require little attention to grammar and spelling. In fact subverting accepted rules and common practices is often the aim of such writing.
When writing a personal or informal situation spelling and grammar are important because you are still trying to convey a message in a clear and concise way but convention is relaxed because a mistake will probably not effect the way that person views you.

In any setting it is good practice to set your ideas out as clearly as possible.

2009-03-09T14:44:00.000-04:00

When writing:

Be selective in the ideas that you include. Pick your best ideas but make sure they relate to each other and your topic.

Don't stop once you start writing. Get into the groove. Revising and editing come later. Just let the ideas flow.

A plural with no singular

2009-03-06T19:49:00.003-05:00

You call a two-bladed cutting tool "scissors" or "a pair of scissors". The word scissors is a plural that has no singular. Scissors comes from the latin word for cutting tool "ciscoria" and became intermingled with the latin word for tailor (scissor) sometime during the 16th century.

Other words that are also pluralized in their singular forms are:

measles

pants

Dangling Participle

2009-03-05T13:02:00.003-05:00

Participles are adjectives that end in -ing (and sometimes -ed). Participles modify nouns. The antecedent, the noun to which the participle refers, must be clear to readers in order for them to understand what is being stated. If it is unclear then the action might be mistakenly attributed to the wrong player.

Example: The child ran from the teacher, still holding the marbles in his hands.

In the sentence above holding is the participle and it is unclear who is holding the marbles in his hands, the child or the teacher. This is a dangling participle because there is no clear antecendent.

Dangling participles are considered unacceptable in writing and should be avoided. Modify the sentence so that the subject is clearer.

Example: The child, still holding the marbles in his hands, ran from the teacher.

This and It

2009-03-03T11:07:00.003-05:00

Starting sentences with"this" or "it" is very vague. When you find yourself writing this way, ask yourself what it is that you are really trying to say. Be clear and specific to the point you are making, if there is another way to convey your message without starting the sentence with "it" or "this"try it out.
Example: This leads one to believe that vacations are most popular in February.

This what? Even if the preceding sentence contains the info needed to understand what "this" refers to, it is best to clarify, ie. This study, This information, etc.

Example: It requires a lot of thought and consideration and should not be entered into lightly.

In this sentence the reader does not know what "it" refers to.

Mondays

2009-03-02T18:31:00.002-05:00

Instead of a 'Daily Tip' I'm offering something a little different to start this week off. For better of worse most people learn to write at school. This article explores tips and tricks to increase interest in writing through science.

Pronouns & Numbers

2009-02-26T12:02:00.007-05:00

There are so many different kinds of pronouns. They can replace both a noun or another pronoun to make phrases less cumbersone and repetative but you should not use them without thought. One of the things to remember is to keep the number consistent when using pronouns. This means that the pronoun is either singular, if it refers to one thing, or plural, if it refers to several.

Example: (singular)
That man is deciding which car to buy.
He is deciding which car to buy.
Example: (plural)
Those men are deciding which car to buy.
They are deciding which car to buy.

In some cases, "their" might be more appropriate if you are looking to refer to both sexes, write inclusively, - but know this is not grammatically sound and some do not consider it acceptable in formal writing.

Example: No individual should have to forfeit his right to free speech. (his or her, not their)

To & Too

2009-02-25T19:23:00.006-05:00

To is a preposition (acts as a link or introduction to nouns, pronouns and phrases) that begins a prepositional phrase or an infinitive (to + verb = infinitive).

Example: We went to the park. (preposition) We like to watch cooking shows. (infinitive)

Too is an adverb meaning "also" or "excessively."

Example: I like chocolate, too. ("also") She tans too much. ("excessively")

Than and Then

2009-02-24T14:57:00.002-05:00

Than is used in comparison, while, then is used to denote time.

Examples: First you sift the flour and baking powder together, then you add it to the wet mixture.
Sylvia is more athletic than Mary.

Relating to things in groups

2009-02-23T12:29:00.004-05:00

When relating to things in groups of two or more the second of the two or the last of several is referred to as the latter.

Example: If deciding between apples and oranges you should consider that the latter is currently in season.

When relating to the first in order of two or more things we use the term former.

Example: Color and colour are two common ways of spelling the same word. Of the two given, the former spelling is more common in American English.

Religion, Sexuality & Mystery

2009-02-20T09:59:00.002-05:00

A college class was told they had to write a short story in as few words as possible. The instructions were: The short story had to contain the following three things:

Religion
Sexuality
Mystery

Click here to view the only A+ short story in the entire class.

Mix it Up

2009-02-18T12:29:00.004-05:00

When writing it is a good idea to consider sentence length. Earlier we had a look at the sentence. If you use simple sentence construction too often your writing will lack fluidity. If you are prone to using complex or compound sentences this can lead to confusion on the part of the reader. Use all types of proper sentence construction to keep the reader's attention and to best convey your message.

2009-02-17T12:25:00.002-05:00

When writing a letter to an unknown recipient use: To Whom It May Concern.You may also use: Dear Sir/Madam if you know the sex of the recipient but not their name. If you know the name of the recipient the letter should start: Dear Mr/Mrs/Miss/Ms/Dr X.

A colon is traditionally used at the end of a formal greeting.

Example: To Whom It May Concern:

If you used To Whom It May Concern, custom dictates that you capitalize each word.

Poetic License

2009-02-13T16:01:00.003-05:00

Poetic license is a term, or euphemism that is used to mean the distortion or ignorance of fact, language or grammatic convention. It can also be applied to the changing of an established fact, undertaken in the name of art. It is used intentionally at the discretion of the writer, poet or artist for effect. It is also known as artistic license.

The Colon

2009-02-12T11:19:00.002-05:00

To follow-up on Tuesday's daily tip, I thought it would only be appropriate to explore the semicolon's older, stronger, brother - the colon.

The colon is most often seen following what could be a stand alone sentence. Its use, in such scenarios, brings together the first "annunciatory" phrase with a second complete thought that expands on the first. For instance:

There is only one rule to observe when living in this house: no cookies before breakfast!

When there is more to be explained about the first phrase, the second phrase is also preceded by a colon, as seen in the example:

My mother does not drive at night: her astigmatism is too severe.

A colon can also act as the yoke between two opposing statements:

You talk: I'll drive.

Aside from its ability to exemplify, restate, elaborate, undermine, explain or balance that which comes before (Truss, 2003: 120), you can tell from my use of colons throughout this post that it also fulfills the role of "introducer" quite often:

When starting lists
When separating main titles from subtitles of books or films
When separating character names from their dialogue in a script
To start off long quotations

The colon creates a stronger pause than the semicolon, yet it does not elicit the full-stop of a period. Similarly, the semicolon provides a stronger pause than the comma, which one can think of as the baby of the punctuation family - perhaps that would explain its popularity!

Signing Off

2009-02-11T12:02:00.003-05:00

Business Correspondence: If you start a letter with "Dear Mr/Ms/Mrs/Miss/Dr X", end "Yours sincerely" or "Sincerely yours".

If you know your reader quite well, you can start "Dear + first name" and end with "Best wishes" or "Best / Kind regards" or "Regards".

If you don't know the name of the person you are writing to and start "Dear Sir or Madam", end with "Yours faithfully".

You can also start and end emails in the same way as letters. If you are writing to more than one person, you can omit the salutation completely and start with your objective. Other ways you can end emails is by writing "Thanks" or even "Cheers", but never "Bye".

The Semicolon

2009-02-10T10:52:00.004-05:00

Ah, the semicolon. A mystery that continues to elude the masses, the semi-colon is one punctuation mark that most definitely deserves some attention.

According to Lynne Truss, author of Eats, Shoots & Leaves, "Expectation is what these stops are all about; expectation and elastic energy. Like internal springs, they propel you forward in a sentence towards more information..." (2003:114).

As a general rule, the semicolon is used to join two related phrases in one sentence in such a way that a comma alone would not suffice. For example:

The garbage truck woke me this morning; it was out on the street earlier than usual.

I remember when you were just learning the alphabet; now you're a teacher with your own students!

The semicolon can also be used to add clarification when writing out lists. Using only commas, it can be difficult to decipher one item on the list from another. For instance:

I've lived in Mississauga, Ontario, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Sydney, Australia, and Lanciano, Italy.
vs.
I've lived in Mississauga, Ontario; Halifax, Nova Scotia; Sydney, Australia; and Lanciano, Italy.

You may also find that the semicolon, in some cases, is interchangeable with the dash or ellipsis (...). The choice really depends on the style of the author. Lynne Truss reminds us, however,

so long as there remain sentences on this earth that begin with capital letters and end with full stops, there will be a place for the semicolon. True, its use is never obligatory, because a full stop ought always to be an alternative. But that only makes it the more wonderful (Ibid., 123).

En Dash vs. Em Dash

2009-02-09T09:59:00.004-05:00

Em dash...or en dash? What's the difference anyway?

Well, it's really all about length. The Em dash is the length of an "m" while the En dash resembles the length of an "n". The En dash is most familiar, and is typically used in the following scenarios:

Indicating a range: 1954 – 1967, pg. iii – iv, ages 5 – 11, etc.
Connections or relationships: father–son baseball game, Obama–Biden campaign.
Non-related compound adjectives: Canadian–American relations

The En dash (with spaces on either side) can also stand in for a semi-colon or a set of two commas that separate an injection or secondary thought/phrase within a sentence. For example:

I went to the gym every day – except for Wednesday – so now I'm feeling pretty tired.

Depending on the style school you to which you subscribe, this example above could be said to require Em dashes rather than En dashes. When using an Em dash, spaces are not required given the length of the dash already.

I went to the gym every day—except for Wednesday—so now I'm feeling pretty tired.

In some publications such as newspapers and magazines, where space is limited, En dashes are the way to go given the smaller character size. Otherwise, the Em dash is used to place emphasis on stand-out clauses in prose or dialogue.

If working in MS Word, a single hyphen will extend into an En Dash when you use it in a sentence. To create an Em dash, type two hyphens after a word, followed by the next word and then a space. You'll notice the difference between the two instantly.

The Sentence

2009-02-06T15:02:00.005-05:00

A Simple Sentence

A sentence is a phrase that conveys a complete thought. The basic English language sentence is called a simple sentence and it requires a subject and a verb. An independent clause is the part of a sentence that contains a subject and a verb and constitutes a complete thought. Ordinarily additonal words are included to explain the subject.

Example: I fell down (subject: I, verb: fell)

A Complex Sentence

A more elaborate way of constructing a sentence is a complex sentence. It contains an independent clause and a subordinate clause. The independent clause can function as a complete sentence on its own while the subordinate clause, which also contains a verb and a subject, cannot.

Example: We enjoyed the view as the sun set over the harbour.
(Independent clause: We enjoyed the view, Subordinate clause: as the sun set over the harbour)

A Compound Sentence

A compound sentence contains two independent clauses. The independent clauses may be joined by a comma, a conjection, colon or semicolon. There can be as many independent clauses and subordinate clauses written into a single sentence as your imagination will support. However, reader comprehension declines as complexity increases.

Example: He eats hot dogs, but she prefers hamburgers.
Example: At a traditional birthday celebration for a Korean baby girl, objects with symbolic associations are place before the child and might include: a doll to indicate the likelihood of her becoming a good mother or a needle and thread to forecast her future role as a talented seamstress.

Plural

2009-02-05T11:15:00.004-05:00

To pluralize nouns that end with -fe change f to v then add -s

Example: knife - knives

To pluralize nouns that end with -f change f to v then add -es

Example: wolf- wolves

To pluralize nouns that end with -o add -es

Example: potato - potatoes

To pluralize nouns that end with -us Change -us to -i

Example: nucleus - nuclei

To pluralize nouns that end with -is Change -is to -es

Example:crisis - crises

To pluralize nouns that end with -on Change -on to -a

Example: phenomenon - phenomena

To pluralize some words irregular endings are required

Example: mouse - mice

Some words are unchanged when either singular or plural

Example: sheep

Some singular words are completely different words when pluralized

Example: person - people

To pluralize some singular words the vowel must be changed

Example: tooth - teeth ; man- men

When pluralizing words do not use - 's

I and E

2009-02-04T10:30:00.005-05:00

Complement: something that fills up, completes, or makes perfect : the quantity, number, or assortment required to make a thing complete : counterpart

Example: Her shoes complemented her new dress.

Compliment: an expression of esteem, respect, affection, or admiration ; especially : an admiring remark : formal and respectful recognition : honor : plural : best wishes : regards

Example: Brent received several compliments about the excellent pot roast.

[sic]

2009-02-03T11:58:00.004-05:00

Sic is a Latin word meaning "thus", "so", "as such", or "in such a manner".

While writing, sic is placed within square brackets and usually italicized [sic] . It is used to indicate that quoted material has been reporduced verbatim to include incorrect or unusual spelling, phrases or punctuation from the original source and is not a transcription error.

Example: Andrea said she would chuse [sic] any of them.

S & Dates

2009-02-02T11:06:00.002-05:00

When adding an -s to the end of a date (ie. 1980) there is no apostrophe between the two.

Example: The 1970s were a time of social change.

Numbers

2009-01-30T10:59:00.002-05:00

Numbers zero to nine are written out

Eamples: one dollar
two o'clock in the afternoon
three days

Any number greater than 10 is written in numerals

Examples: 11 dollars
in 1980
page 997

Journalistic style requires that numbers below 10 be written out and above 10 be written numerically. The following are a few tips to keep in mind:

Repeat numbers in legal or commercial writing.
Numbers in series and statistics should be consistent.
Write out numbers beginning sentences.
Use a combination of figures and words for numbers when such a combination will keep your writing clear.

And

2009-01-29T13:02:00.004-05:00

What is the difference between these two sentences?

- Please remember to bring the blueberries, the flowers, and the plates.

- Please remember to bring the blueberries, the flowers and the plates.

Answer: In the first sentence there is a comma in front of the word and. In the second sentence there is no comma. Using a comma immediately before a grammatical conjunction is called a serial comma (also known as an oxford comma or a harvard comma). Both of the above sentences are grammatically correct, although most American texts recommend the use of the serial comma. As with yesterday's daily tip the key here is consistency. If you include a serial comma continue to do so throughout a text.

Towards and Toward

2009-01-28T11:33:00.003-05:00

Toward is a preposition and thus adding an -s at the end does not make it plural. Therefore, the words toward and towards can be used interchangeably. Toward is used more commonly in American texts and towards is used more commonly by the British. Although the words are identical in meaning it is best to be consistent while writing, choose one style to follow and stick with it throughout.

A Quote within a Quotation

2009-01-27T10:48:00.003-05:00

Single quotation marks are used when there is a quote within a quotation (please note that the punctuation remains inside both sets of quotations marks):

Example:
She said, "Mark said, 'I wish I could go to the game.'"

s and the apostrophe

2009-01-26T11:38:00.004-05:00

The apostrophe accompanied by an s is used to indicate possession.

•'s - apostrophe -s
Add 's to the singular form of the word, even if it ends in -s:

Example:
the butcher's cat
James's apartment

Add 's to the plural forms of words that do not end in -s:

Example:
children's toys
the geese's nests

Add 's to the end of compound words:

Example:
my mother-in-law's cooking

Add 's to the last noun to show joint possession:

Example:
Vicky and Christina's vacation

• ' - the apostrophe
Add ' to the end of plural nouns that already end in -s:

Example:
all employees' desks
brothers' names

The Legacy of Language

2009-01-21T15:08:00.005-05:00

I looked at my alarm clock this morning at 7:45 and thought to myself, "Right now Barack Obama is sitting down to his first day at the office...the Presidential office. I'm still in bed. He attended 10 inaugural balls last night. I went and saw Marley and Me with my mom. Perhaps I don't deserve to hit the snooze button after all."

As a matter of fact, I think the new President of the United States was responsible for getting a lot of people out of bed this morning and equipping them with a renewed sense of purpose. What I appreciate most about his message - "a new era of responsibility" - is that it can be applied to everything we do on a daily basis. In other words, whatever it is you choose to spend time doing today, from brushing your teeth to minimizing your ecological footprint, do it with integrity.

This is the approach we are taking to the written word. Whenever I put pen to paper, or, truth be told, finger to keyboard, I want whatever flows onto the screen to carry with it a sense of purpose and intention. What better example of this than Obama's inaugural address? Take five minutes to humour me and read the transcript. To see the words on paper allowed me to process his speech in an altogether different way than listening to him speak. It proved that, while his impact as an orator cannot be denied, the foundation of this speech was built from a seamless composition of language, metaphors, and imagery, none of which is possible without the right words.

So although you may not be Obama's speech writer, artful means of communication need not fall by the wayside. In our attempt to lead by example, the wordsmiths at Writeability will use this blog as a forum in which to flex our linguistic muscle, bringing to light different topics of interest in a way that highlights our passion for the written word. And if you are one of many for whom the semi-colon remains a mystery to be unraveled, tune in on Monday when we post our first of many daily tips and tricks to use when tackling your own writing projects.

Until then,

Cecily
Chief Executive Wordsmith
writeability.ca