Write Better

10 Funny English Idioms to Describe the Human Body

2012-01-31T07:54:00.000-08:00

by J. Reese

Many of us - no, most of us - tend to be dissatisfied with our bodies from time to time. Too thin, too short, too tall or too fat. Weight gain tends to be an issue at this time of year when many of us, especially the older ones among us, myself included, start to think of ways to compensate for recent overindulgences and the undesirable effects that they have had on certain areas of our bodies. Here is a list for ESL learners containing 10 funny (or not so funny) English idioms to describe the human body and its 'problem zones':

1. muffin top

A muffin top is a protruding roll of fat that spills out over the waistline of a skirt, pants or jeans. This fat looks like the top of a muffin. Today's low-cut jeans, unfortunately, don't do anything to minimize a muffin top - in fact, they can even emphasize it.

2. saddle bags

Originally, saddle bags were bags used to transport goods on horseback. The bags would hang on both sides of the horse. In terms of the human body - in particular, the female body - this idiom refers to an extra storage of fat on the outer upper thighs. As the idiom implies, this fat looks like saddle bags.

3. bat wings / bingo wings

Bat wings and bingo wings refer to the sagging skin and fat that hangs down on the underside of the upper arms. I can definitely see where the term bat wings comes from - the wings of bats do look similar to flabby arms; but where does the expression bingo wings come from? Do women and men who play bingo tend to have flabbier arms than others?

4. middle-aged spread

Middle-aged spread is not something that a lot of people in my age group like to think or talk about - because either they are about to get it, fear it, or already have it. Middle-aged spread refers to the increase in fat in the waist and buttocks area that typically occurs around the time of middle age.

5. spare tire/ spare tyre

A spare tire (American English) or spare tyre (British English) refers to an extra layer of fat that is wrapped around the waist area. As the idiom implies, it looks similar to the wheel of a car.

6. beer belly

While a beer belly is said to be due to the consumption of too much beer, eating too many delicious fattening meals and Christmas sweets is likely to produce a similar effect in the long-run. You can see Santa's post-Christmas beer belly at the top of this page.

7. turkey neck

The expression turkey neck refers to what is otherwise called a 'double chin'. It's an extra fold of fatty, loose skin that hangs under the chin. It is said to look similar to the neck of a turkey.

8. pot belly

A pot belly is simply another term for a fat belly - it' just like the term beer belly. If you've ever seen a pot-bellied pig, you will have a good idea of what a pot belly looks like.

9. chubby cheeks

Chubby cheeks refer to full or fat cheeks. Admittedly, on the right person, they can be cute.

10. stovepipe legs

This idiom refers to heavy or fat legs that, in terms of their form, look much like 'pipes' - in particular the large pipes that are used to connect stoves to chimneys.

Maybe this isn't the kind of article that is going to make you look forward to all of the culinary delights of the next Holiday Season, now, is it? But you will, perhaps, have some funny (or not so funny) new idioms to use when talking about the human body!

About the author
J. Reese has been an ESL teacher for more than 10 years, writes a daily English idiom blog at http://www.english-idioms.com and is a publisher of ESL learning materials, including "Focus On: Idioms, A Business English Card Game", which is available on http://www.prolexika.com.

How to Irritate Your Readers - 2 Things to Avoid

2012-01-23T09:21:00.000-08:00

by Desolie Page

So often people write basically the way they speak. That has its advantages - friendly, chatty, empathetic.
But it can also have its problems when used in non-fiction.

As writing has always been a more formal way of communication, some aspects of speaking don't transfer well into written language. It can be very embarrassing to read a transcript of, say, a workshop presentation or a discussion. Often sentences are incomplete or poorly structured. It's successful when speaking because there are visual and auditory clues that help the listener understand the message.

However, when writing, those clues aren't present. The writer has to compensate for that by using clear, precise words, and making the text as easy as possible for the reader - lessening the possiblity of irritated readers who don't finish reading the document.

The first item that can be irritating for readers is the use of 'double-speak'. That's when you say the same thing more than once. In formal terms - using a tautology. Because of the speed at which we speak, and the frequency with which tautologies are used, they're often not noticed. But they can be quite noticeable - and possibly irritating - in written language.

free gift: can a gift be anything but free?
extra bonus: a bonus is always something extra
a choice of options
unite together
simultaneously at the same time
continue on
future predictions
new innovations
reduce down
5 am in the morning

Yes, such 'double-speak' can be used to stress a point, but generally in non-fiction, you're wanting to get your message across to your reader as clearly and precisely as possible. So it's best to avoid tautologies unless you have a specific reason for them.
The second area is the use of cliches - you know those well-used phrases that we use simply because they're the latest buzz words or because they've been around for ever.

window of opportunity
move the goalposts
bottom line
the greatest thing since sliced bread

No, there's nothing wrong with any of those phrases in themselves, but finding a fresh way to express your thoughts makes for interesting writing that will hold your readers' attention.

So how about 'Preventing disruption is our most important issue' instead of writing 'Our bottom line is preventing disruption'. The readers' attention is immediately focused on what it is that is so important.
Your task as a writer is to get your message across so that your readers will take the action you're wanting them to. So avoiding 'double-speak' and cliches can reduce the possiblitly of irritated readers who won't be responsive to your message.

For more tips on increasing the effectiveness of your non-fiction writing, visit www.perfectpages.net.au

Desolie Page is an accredited editor and owner of Perfect Pages, a boutique practice that helps business and technical writers sharpen their writing. When you need help with editing, proofreading, copywriting or web content writing, contact me to find out how I can help. Needing to set up a style guide for your organisation? I can help you with that, and train your writers in how to use the guide. I've developed and present workshops for business and technical writers, an excellent way to sharpen your writing. All aspects of my work focus on the use of plain English and ways to increase the readability of your document. I can help you sharpen your writing: your readers will thank you. Find out more about me by visiting http://perfectpages.net.au

How to Write a Proposal for a Non-Profit Organization

2012-01-23T09:19:00.000-08:00

by Ian S Lauder

It's hard enough when times are good to get people to fund non-profit projects. When times are tough, deserving organizations have to compete for fewer and fewer resources. People who typically fund non-profits are stretched to their limits, and you need to put together a solid presentation to get their support.

You probably know your organization inside and out, but you might be new to proposal writing. Don't panic. Creating a non-profit business proposal might seem like a daunting task, but there are ways to make your job easier. Plenty of resources exist that will show you how to introduce yourself, highlight your organization, outline your needs, and help donors and supporters understand that you and your cause are worthy of support. Here's the key: you don't have to start by staring a blank computer screen. Using a product that includes pre-written topics and similar sample proposals can help you efficiently create your own winning proposal.

It doesn't matter if you are involved in retraining, education, helping the homeless, providing shelter, saving the environment, improving medical access, recruiting volunteers, or gathering goods for the holidays. The general structure of a non-profit proposal is the same.

New proposal writers sometimes make the mistake of talking too much about themselves and not focusing on the company or organization they are asking for support from. Don't do that. Simply asking for funding or talking about your organization is only part of the challenge. You write a non-profit proposal to persuade another party to give you their money or material support. This means you must gain the trust of the decision makers and convince them that you can effectively deliver the goods and services to those that need them.

In today's competitive environment, you may also have to do more than just show you have a worthy cause. While there are foundations and companies that will provide support and funding without strings attached or expectations of anything in return, you may have to think of asking for support or funding in terms of a potential marketing avenue for the donor. Your proposal will be more persuasive when you can outline all of the benefits you can provide to the supporting organization.

So you would benefit from including topics such as your Constituency, Market and Audience, Demographics, and so on. Combine these with a Marketing Plan and list of Benefits to show how the funding company would benefit from supporting your cause. Use topics such as Social Responsibility and Philanthropy to explain how supporting your organization will raise the visibility of the company in the community and show them in a positive light. You not only want to highlight your organization and what you have to offer, but also describe how beneficial the association of the two parties would be to the funding company.

As a general rule to prepare for writing your non-profit proposal, your first step should be to do research and gather information about the potential funding company so that you can present a proposal that is tailored to that funder. Yes, that might take some extra work, but the effort will pay off by making your proposal more likely to be accepted. You don't win in a competitive market by doing things half-way. Established organizations that provide funding usually have an established culture, strategy, and rules for accepting or rejecting requests. If you understand how those organizations operate and the types of projects they typically support, you can tailor your request accordingly.

After you've gathered information about your prospective funder, writing the proposal should be a reasonably straightforward process. That's because most proposals seeking funding or support follow a similar structure: an introduction, then a summary of the needs that are not currently being met which you are addressing, followed by descriptions of the services you will provide or the project you are proposing, as well as details and costs. Next, provide information to help the funder understand how their organization would benefit from supporting your cause. Explain the benefits you can provide to them in exchange for their support. Finally, the proposal should conclude with information about your organization, such as History, relevant Experience, Credentials, and Capabilities, Vision, Mission Statement, and so on.

The introduction section is usually only a Cover Letter and a Title Page. The Cover Letter should deliver a personal introduction, provide your organization's contact information, and state your request. The Title Page is just what it sounds like: a name for your proposal that indicates the project or scope of services you will provide. Some examples might be "Northridge Community Center Needs 100 Bed Expansion," "South Sound Wildlife Refuge Needs Cleanup Volunteers," "HIV Awareness Tour," or "Healthy Moms, Healthy Children."

Next, add topic pages to show the issues faced by the cause you support. Describe the financial and political support that you need and explain your goals. In this section, you would add pages with titles like Executive Summary, Needs Assessment, Goals and Objectives, Implementation Plan, Project Background, and so on.

After your cause is covered, add topic pages to show that you understand the organization you are requesting support or funding from. This is where you would outline what they would receive for supporting you: the pages here would have titles like Benefits, Philanthropy, Marketing Plan, and Social Responsibility.

After the sections describing the needs and showing the benefits to the funder comes your turn to talk about what you can do. Include topics like Project Management, Project Methods, and Personnel. The final section should be all about generating trust in your organization. This is where you will put topics describing your organization, such as Evaluation, Resources, Sources of Funds, Use of Funds, Sustainability, Future Potential, Supporters, Partnerships, Mission Statement, Tax Status, Legal Structure, Credentials, Capabilities, Programs and Activities, Awards and Achievements and so on. In other words, include everything you need to convince the funder that you can be trusted to deliver on your promises, that you have the resources to deliver, and (if needed) that you have a plan for the longevity of the program. Conclude your proposal with a call to action. You can use the Funding Request template to specifically ask for the funding, request other support such as Volunteering, or ask to schedule a meetin for further discussion.

After you have all the information written for your proposal, it's time to focus on making your proposal visually appealing by adding color and graphics. Incorporate your company logo and use a matching title page cover. Consider colored page borders and or adding custom bullet points and fonts that match your business style.

Once you feel your proposal information and formatting is complete, carefully proofread and spell-check all the pages. You should have someone who is unfamiliar with your proposal proof it as well, because it's very common to miss mistakes in your own work.

Finally, save your proposal as a PDF file or print it and then deliver it to the potential funder. The best delivery method will depend on your organization and your relationship with the funder. You might want to email a PDF file to your potential funder, but keep in mind that a printed and hand-delivered proposal might prove that you value the relationship enough to make a personal effort.

As you can see, a non-profit proposal will vary in details for each organization and project. But it's nice to know that non-profit proposals follow a similar format and structure, and you can find all the topic pages you need in a proposal kit. A kit of templates contains explanations of the information that particular proposal pages should contain, and they will guide you in writing and formatting your proposal sections. To further help you out, a proposal kit also contains a wide variety of sample non-profit proposals. Perusing these will spark your creativity and help you quickly craft your own winning nonprofit proposal.

About the author:
Ian Lauder has been helping businesses and individuals write their proposals and contracts since 1999. For more tips and best practices when writing your business proposals and legal contracts visit http://www.proposalkit.com

Citing References in Research Papers

2012-01-10T09:49:00.000-08:00

by Celia Webb

Style manuals contain standards for written works including how references should be listed. There are two widely accepted standards for citing references. The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, usually called the APA style, is used for psychology papers. Also, many high schools, colleges and universities require the APA style for research papers. The other accepted standard is the Modern Language Association Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, normally called the MLA Handbook. Find out which standard is required prior to starting your research as the information needed for the citation varies slightly depending on the required style manual.

Style manuals are updated annually so check for the latest version at your library or on the internet.

The full list of all works cited in your paper should be included in a section called References or Works Cited. Bibliographies follow the same formats as the References or Works Cited section but include all works consulted in the development of the paper. Arrange the reference citations alphabetically. Double-space the lines of the entry. Use one space after any punctuation mark.

APA Style. There are two formats for references.

1. The first format is used for notes included in the text. These documentary notes are parenthetical. The author's last name is followed by a comma and the date of publication. If the reference is to a specific page or pages in that text or includes a quotation, a page or chapter number must be included.

(Rosati, 2001)

(Rosati, 2001, p. 37)

(Rosati, 2001, pp. 37-110)

If the documentary note is for a publication without author credit, use the title and date of the publication. Italicize or underline such titles to match the way they appear in the reference list, but omit quotation marks.

2. The second format is in the reference list at the end of the paper. The reference list must include all citations in the text. Entries are double-spaced with a hanging indentation. The second line and following lines are indented a half an inch, which is a default setting in word processing programs. The examples below show entries for different types of reference material -- book, article in a journal or magazine, website, in that order. Note that website references are hyperlinked, but not underlined. To remove the underlining automatically supplied by software programs, highlight the URL, press CTRL, and then press the letter U twice. The linked reference will be displayed in blue or purple.

Book:

Rosati, P. (2001). Bookbinding Basics. New York, NY: Sterling Publishing.

Article:

Allen, M. (2004, January). The e-publishing shakedown. The Writer, 117(1), 15-16.

Website:

Halsted, J. W. (1990). Guiding the gifted reader. ERIC EC Digest E481. Retrieved from

"http://kidsource.com"
MLA Style. The MLA style also has two formats for references.

1. The first format is the in-text references (or documentary notes) which are parenthetical and include the author name and a page reference.

(Rosati 36).

2. The second format is for the reference list at the end of the paper. Examine the examples below which use the same example references as before. Note the differences in order, information included, and punctuation.

Book:

Rosati, Paola. Bookbinding Basics. New York, NY: Sterling Publishing, (2001). Print.

Article:

Allen, Moira. "The e-publishing shakedown." The Writer Jan. 2004: 15-16. Print.

Website:

Halsted, Judith W. "Guiding the gifted reader." ERIC EC Digest E481. 1990.

"http://kidsource.com"
There are exact specifications for each type of reference material. For a comprehensive list containing examples of different types of reference material, search the internet for "APA style examples" or "MLA style examples".

Celia Webb

President, Pilinut Press, Inc.

http://www.pilinutpress.com/

Publishers of advanced readers for children and ESL students

Beginning a Sentence with AND - a Violation or Not?

2012-01-10T09:41:00.000-08:00

by Brian Scott

Writers violate the laws of grammar most frequently when they use the conjunction "and" at the beginning of a sentence. A sentence begun with "and" weakens it rather than strengthens it by its use. If "conjunctions connect words and sentences" and "a period at the end makes a declarative or imperative sentence," then it is incorrect and improper to begin a sentence with the conjunction "and" immediately after a period.

No sentence, whether followed by a declarative, imperative, interrogative, or exclamatory sentence, should begin with the conjunction "and."

In almost any book, magazine, newspaper and on websites and blogs, we can find many instances where the writer could have avoided starting a sentence with "and" without any loss to the language. We can also find improper uses of "and" in works on grammar. Many writers on the subject of grammar are inconsistent with their own rules in this respect.

You should avoid using "and" to begin a sentence, especially if the sentence makes complete sense without it. If a sentence cannot sustain itself without the conjunction "and" standing before it, then the punctuation is faulty and you need to change it. You should supersede the period preceding the conjunction with a colon, a semicolon, or a comma.

Grammar 101 - When to Use Who Or Whom

2011-12-29T12:04:00.000-08:00

by KJ Hutchings

Knowing how to correctly use "who" and "whom" may seem a little out-dated and persnickety, reminiscent of grammar lessons by strict English teachers, but the correct usage remains important when writing in a formal manner. Awareness of the distinction is essential in this respect otherwise you could risk sounding rather pompous, not to mention grammatically confused. So, what is the distinction between "who" and "whom" and how do we use them?

Both words are pronouns but the crucial distinction is that "who" is used as the subject in a sentence, whereas "whom" is the object. Here's an example:

Who paid for the newspaper? Who photocopied the report? Who likes ice-cream?

Here, "who" is the subject in each of the sentences. Now we'll see how "whom" is used when we need to refer to the object of a verb:

To whom does this bag belong? To whom it may concern. Whom do I love the most?

Okay, so we know about subjects and objects, but it can still be tricky to decipher the usage. One way to do this is to ask yourself if the answer to the question is "he" or "him". If you can answer with "he", you need to use "who" and if you can answer with "him", you need to use "whom". This is a straightforward way of remembering how to use "who" or "whom" correctly. Let's see some more examples:

Question: To (who or whom) did the award go?

Answer: It went to him.

Therefore, the correct pronoun for the question is "whom" - to whom did the award go?

Question: (Who or whom) went to the beach?

Answer: He went to the beach.

So, the correct pronoun here is "who" - who went to the beach?

Finally, here is a handy mnemonic to help you remember the distinction between an object and a subject. In the phrase "I love you", the "you" is the object of your love and the object of the sentence. The "I" is the subject. Therefore, it is correct to say "Whom do I love?" because the answer is "you" (whom), the object.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
KJ Hutchings is the founder of KJ Language Services, offering editing, writing and proofreading services and advice on how you can make your English language documents the very best they can be. For more information, visit http://www.kjlanguageservices.com/

Use Metaphors and Similes to Find Nonfiction Writing Ideas

2011-12-15T13:24:00.000-08:00

by Katherine Ploeger

Two writing methods useful to spice up your writing and make it more fun is to use a metaphor or simile to illustrate a point in your writing.

METAPHOR OR SIMILE DEFINED

Both a metaphor and a simile are statements of comparison between two different items that share one aspect or trait in common. Unlike analogies that use five or six points of comparison, a metaphor or simile uses only one and lets the reader extend the thought on their own.

A metaphor uses the wording, "X is Y." For example, "Life is a banquet." The reader thinks about a banquet, picturing all the food, people, fun, and activities and then relates those images back to life, with the reader seeing the similarities. The point(s) of comparison are implied but rarely explained.

A simile uses the wording, "X is like Y" or "X is as Y," with the comparison being explicit, that is, with more of an explanation. For example, one of the famous line from Forrest Gump is "Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you will get." That simile actually gives an explanation in addition to the simile itself, just in case we do not realize that a box of chocolates usually have different flavors or types contained within.

In selecting the right metaphor or simile, make sure the point you are making with that figure of speech matches exactly the tone and topic of your writing. A mismatch will either sound strange or become unintentionally funny, neither of which would be a good reaction.

These comparisons are trickier to come up with than, say, examples, but they can add spice and interesting content to your writing when you get them right.

WHEN TO USE METAPHORS AND SIMILES

Use them when you have found one that really fits the writing situation. Do not overuse them, as their use should be a little added spice. Too much and the spice becomes overwhelming.

With that said, if you are trying for humor, an excessive number of metaphors and similes could work in your favor, but again, be careful to get them right.

TWO EXAMPLES

Here is another metaphor: "Life is a bouquet of flowers, varied and beautiful."

Here is another simile: "Life is like a picnic: it is best when shared."

QUESTIONS FOR DETERMINING USE OF METAPHORS OR SIMILES

1. Do you have a point being made that could really benefit from one of these?

2. Do you have a metaphor or simile that you would like to use in the writing? Find the right place to put it, making sure it fits exactly.

3. Do you need to give credit to an author for providing the metaphor or simile or is it considered common knowledge? Do check this out and give credit where credit is due.

4. If you feel you need to put a metaphor or simile someplace in your writing but cannot find one that someone else said, then come up with one of your own. Focus on the point you want to make with the figure of speech and then think. If one does not come to mind, think about something else, and let it come to you unheeded.

Using metaphors and similes can add spice and fun to your writing, but only if done well and sparingly.

Katherine Ploeger, MA, MFA, is a writer, editor, writing coach & consultant, and publisher. She writes practical, process-oriented publications for writers of all types. She publishes at Quilliful Publications ( http://quillifulpublications.com ). Her latest book is "Write That Nonfiction Book: The Whole Process." She also writes workbooks for writers. Two recently published are "Common Writing Errors Workbook" and "Time Travel Workbook for Fiction Writers." She also offers lots of free and helpful information at her blog, Katie's Writing Notes at http://katieploeger.com.

Creating the Positively Perfect Title For Your Writing

2011-11-28T13:54:00.000-08:00

by Lindsay Price

Titles are important and it's careless to think otherwise. The title is the doorway into whatever world you've spent time and effort to create. If you or your writing are not a known quantity, an audience will decide whether or not to pick up your novel based on the title. An audience will decide whether or not to see your play or movie based on the title. Titles can draw an audience in or turn them quickly away. Titles can make you a lot of money, or a little. That's a lot of pressure to place on a few words that took considerable less time to write than the work itself!

The art of the title is tricky. It's a tightrope. Titles have to convey something about the particular work. Titles have to entice an audience and make them want to know more. Titles have to be interesting, specific and efficient. But if they're too specific and too clever that can confuse an audience. A good title will put you on the right path toward finding an audience for your writing. How do you create the perfect title for your writing?

First or Last?

There are just as many how-to lists that will urge you to come up with the title at the start of the writing process as there are for you to wait till the very end. The truth is 'when' doesn't matter. If you come up with something right away, that's great. Write it down and once you've finished the particular project, use the title test below to see if it's still suitable. If nothing comes to mind right away, do not worry. Focus on the task at hand and when you're done writing, then worry about the title.

The Most Important Words.

The best starting point for any title is the work itself. Go through your writing and highlight individual significant words. Words that mean something to the story, to the characters, to the theme. Individual words are better than going after sentences or paragraphs: you're always looking to write a leanefficient title. Write out the words in a point form list. Are there any that go together? Any synonyms that might work? Is there alliteration? What is the most important word?

The Most Important Images.

After you search through the text for the most important words, write a list of images that come to mind when you read your work. Images are a powerful tool for titles: aim to create an image in the minds of the audience. If the audience can 'see' your work through an image in the title, it creates a connection between them and you. What are the most important images in your writing? What pictures come to mind?

Quotes Can Be Key.

Still stuck? Start looking up quotes inspired by the themes in your work. Famous quotes, inspirational quotes, quotes from literature. Lines of poetry are useful because more often than not they're written as images. Shakespeare is also another imagistic writer. What famous Shakespeare quotes can be connected to the theme of your work?

The Title Test.

You have a couple of titles you're kicking around but you're not sure which to go with. Give the titles to your family, friends, fellow writers,colleagues , anyone and everyone, and have them answer the questions below. It would be better if these outside eyes haven't read the work before hand; you just want to know the impact of the title.

Based on the title, what's this (novel, short story, play, movie) about?
Who is the main character?
What's the first image that pops into your mind?
What's the first emotion that pops into your mind?
What question does the title make you ask?
Do you want to know more about this work? On a scale of 1-10 how badly do you want to know more?

You'll want to give the title test to at least five people. This way you can see which questions garner similar answers, and which widely vary. And if every person talking the test would not want to know more, strongly consider changing that title!

Lindsay Price is the resident playwright for Theatrefolk, an independent publisher of playscripts for schools and student performers. http://www.theatrefolk.com/blog

Common Mistakes With Conjunctions

2011-11-28T13:50:00.000-08:00

by Manjusha Nambiar

In most languages of European origin, clauses are joined together by conjunctions in similar ways. However, students who speak non-European languages may have difficulty in using English conjunctions correctly.

One conjunction for two clauses

One conjunction is enough to join two clauses - we do not have to use two.

Incorrect: Although she is poor but she is honest.

Correct: Although she is poor she is honest.

Correct: She is poor but she is honest.

Incorrect: Because she was too angry to speak, so Alice said nothing.

Correct: Because she was too angry to speak, Alice said nothing.

Correct: Alice was too angry to speak, so she said nothing.

The conjunctions so and yet can be used together with and.

She doesn't have great looks, and yet she has enormous charm.

Relative pronouns and conjunctions

Relative pronouns are also connecting words. They join clauses like conjunctions. But note that a relative pronoun acts like the subject or object of the verb that comes after it. So we do not use another subject or object.

I have got a friend. He serves in the army.

I have got a friend who serves in the army. (NOT I have got a friend who he serves in the army.)

You were talking about a woman. She is my boss.

The woman that you were talking about is my boss. (NOT The woman that you were talking about her is my boss.)

The man that she married was an old friend of mine. (NOT The man that she married him was an old friend of mine.)

Leaving words out

Words for repeated ideas can be left out in the second of two coordinate clauses, but not normally in a subordinate clause.

He was worried and didn't know what to do.

He was worried because he didn't know what to do. (NOT He was worried because didn't know what to do.)

Punctuation

When a subordinate clause begins a sentence, it is often separated by a comma even if it is short.

If you are passing, come in and see us.

Come in and see us if you are passing.

That, where and when

That is often used instead of which or who in subordinate clauses. But note that we cannot use that instead of when or where.

The house where I live is very small. (BUT NOT The house that I live is very small.)

But note that that...in can mean the same as where.

The house that I live in is very small.

Manjusha Nambiar is the founder and editor of Grammar English.Org. Her blog gives free English Grammar lessons, quizzes and grammar worksheets.

How to Write Citations For a Book - Formatting

2011-11-15T12:47:00.000-08:00

by Glen Ford

Merriam-Webster, on its website, defines a citation as "an act of quoting; especially: the citing of a previously settled case at law" or "an excerpt, quotation".

But to a writer a citation is the description, the identification of the origin of that quotation or excerpt. And to be a good citation it needs to contain certain information and be in a certain format.

There are in fact a number of different formats used for quotations. As a result it is always important for the writer to confirm the format being used by the periodical being submitted to. Having said that, the most commonly used formats are those specified in the Chicago Manual of Style. This manual is the basis of many of the styles used by others. Typically, a single version of the formats is selected and consistency is the key to a well formatted citation.

There are two forms of citation. The standalone citation is the most common. However, the inline citation is often used when many citations are found in the text. This type always requires a standalone citation in a separate list. We'll be discussing only the standalone citation in this article.

A good citation consists of the following information:

i. Name of the Author(s)

ii. Title of Article or Chapter

iii. Title of Magazine, Periodical or Book

iv. Volume or other identifier

v. Pages

vi. Place of Publication

vii. Publisher

viii. Date of Publication

ix. Other information that may be needed.

The name of the author is typically shown immediately following any number used to link the citation and the excerpt. It is normally displayed using the standard font for the area it is being shown in. For example, if used in a footnote, it will typically be shown in a smaller than normal font size. The name can be either presented as is normal in English, (given then family name) for example George Smith, or in a filing order (Smith, George) but should be consistently presented. If there are two authors, the second is always presented in normal order (George Smith) regardless of the order of the first name. If four or more authors the contraction et al. is frequently used as in George Smith et al.. However, if the filing order is used it is more common to find all authors names stated. The author's name is always followed by a comma.

The title is normally shown immediately following the author. If this is a chapter or an article the first name is typically printed using the same font as the name with quotations. The name of the book or periodical follows immediately after but in italics. Frequently this is preceded by the word "in". The volume is considered to be part of the title but follows the title.

The place of publication and publisher follows with the two separated by a semi-colon. This is always presented in the normal font and size.

For most, formats, the date immediately follows the publisher. Typically, only the year is used unless the article is from a popular magazine or newspaper. If the normal name order is used then a round bracket is used to mark the end. However, a simple comma is used in all other versions. It should also be noted that in one of the filing order formats, the date is placed between the author's name and the title.

Finally, any other information such as a website is presented.

The entire citation is completed by a period.

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Do you want to read more free information like this? Go to my blog: http://www.learningcreators.com/blog/ Glen Ford is an accomplished consultant, trainer and writer. He has far too many years experience as a trainer and facilitator to willingly admit.

Manipulative Words of Equal Meaning

2011-11-15T12:42:00.000-08:00

by Norton Nowlin

Many words mean the same thing and may be used synonymously in context to make ideas and concepts clear in the process of standard writing. Some synonyms, however, may be used euphemistically to manipulate a reaction of the reader or listener to the context of a statement. Take the word "lie" for instance. The dictionary definition of the word lie is, "a false statement made with deliberate intent to deceive." In the year 2003, the definitional use of the word "lie" became ambiguous when applied to the statements made by President George W. Bush and Vice-President Richard Cheney regarding the imminent danger posed by Iraqi weapons of mass destruction to the United States.

We now know that Iraq did not possess weapons of mass destruction in the months leading up to the Iraqi invasion, nor did the country pose a grave danger to American security. According to the Downing Street Memo, which has been systematically downplayed by the media and ignored by Congress, there is undeniable proof of collusion and conspiracy by the Blair and Bush administrations, months prior to the Iraqi invasion, to deliberately deceive the American and British people into supporting the pending war. Nevertheless, the use of the word "lie" by the media, to apply to the conduct of the Bush Administration, was somehow not deemed proper.

They instead used the word "prevaricate," which means "to speak falsely, misleadingly, or so as to avoid the truth; deliberately misstate; equivocate; lie." Though the two words appear to be identical in definition, prevaricate doesn't carry the same blunt ring of accusation conveyed by using the word "lie." But is there any real difference? If I said that Peter took the money from an old man without permission, with the intention of keeping it, I might also correctly say that Peter stole the money. Moreover, if I said that Peter took the money and then denied doing it, I could also equivalently say that Peter lied about taking the money. What if I said, instead, that Peter took the money and then prevaricated about doing it? What would be the difference between my two statements? Would the use of the word "prevaricate" change the circumstances or mitigate the act of Peter denying that he stole the money? I think not.

A double standard has always been widely used when considering the conduct of kings, presidents, and prime ministers as opposed to the ordinary people of a nation-state. And the misuse of words and colloquial expressions has commonly been the means whereby the double standard has been applied. This is because kings, emperors, and other monarchs were historically considered sources of law, so they were also rendered as sacrosanct and considered incapable by the people of committing crimes.

If, for example, a divine-right king or emperor had provided the means for his close associates to evade interrogation during an investigation into crimes against the state, would the ruler have been culpable of obstruction of justice? In an historical reference, perhaps not. If the ruler claimed sovereign immunity to be able to commit acts, ordinarily considered crimes, with total impunity, which many kings did, the ruler had an out. Then how about an elected president or prime minister in a contemporary system of laws where everyone in the state are equally charged to obey the law? Equal protection under the law and equal liability for violating the law sound good when legislated as general principles. But by saying that presidents, prime ministers, and ordinary citizens are equal before the law, strict application and enforcement of guiding constitutional principles are ultimately necessary as proof that all people are judged equally in a nation of laws.

So has strict application and enforcement of criminal law been the case in the United States with regard to our Presidents, Vice-Presidents, U.S. Representatives, and U.S. Senators, and all other civil officers in accordance with Article 1, Section 3 and Article 2, Section 3 of the U.S. Constitution? Of the "infamous" sixteen federal civil officers impeached since 1789, only one senator, William Blount, was formally investigated in 1799 for high crimes, but was not convicted because, of all things, the Senate declared that it did not have the jurisdiction to try one of their own, which was constitutionally incorrect. The two Presidents on the list, Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton, were impeached but acquitted of their charges. Of the nine federal judges impeached, six of them were tried, convicted, and removed from office. Three were acquitted. The one Supreme Court justice impeached, Samuel Chase, was acquitted in 1805. No Vice-President has ever been impeached.

Does the foregoing disciplinary record say anything about double standards occurring in the federal criminal justice system? Is it possible that if each aforementioned impeachment acquittal was closely examined in retrospect by an honest county prosecutor, in strict accordance with federal law, would political skullduggery and Machiavellian compromise be found as expedient bases for the adjudged innocence? One prominent senator majority leader once publicly said that trying Presidents and senators for petty criminal offenses is a waste of the Congress' precious time.

The sanitized Congressional Record didn't reflect any opposition to this senator's statement on the Senate floor, so I suppose there were ninety-nine other senators who agreed with him. Perhaps if Richard Nixon had been tried by the Senate for the list of crimes with which he was charged, he would have also been acquitted. Perhaps not. But we do know that Gerald Ford pardoned him before he could be indicted by the Justice Department after resigning from the Presidency.

How about the Presidents, besides Nixon, who got away with committing high crimes while in office definitely like James K. Polk, Warren G. Harding, Franklin Roosevelt, and, possibly, Ronald Reagon and George H. Bush. What did Polk do? He lied to Congress about who started the fight with Mexico in 1848 in order to get a declaration of war against Mexico for the sake of Manifest Destiny. It was Gen. Zachary Taylor who actually started the Mexican War by having one of his soldiers shoot and kill (murder?) a Mexican cavalryman from across the Rio Grande River. Over two-thousand people, both Mexican and American, were killed in that unjust war.

Those Americans who have studied history know about the Teapot Dome Scandal and the acclaimed ignorance of President Warren G. Harding as to the money laundering that occurred between Harding's Secretary of the Interior, Albert B. Fall, and an oil operator, Henry F. Sinclair. Several people got rich in the illegal exchange of money, but Harding claimed he didn't know anything about what was going on. Fall was the only federal officer tried and convicted for the high crime of conspiracy and grand theft. Perhaps, in addition to being considered a failure as a President, Harding should have been impeached and tried by the Senate for presiding over the Teapot Dome Scandal and not doing anything about it.

According to meticulous historical research conducted by Dr. Charles Tansill, Distinguished Professor of Diplomatic History at Georgetown University who wrote "Back Door to War: Roosevelt Foreign Policy, 1933-1941," John Toland, distinguished writer, historian, and author of "Infamy," George Morgenstern, a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of Chicago who served as a captain in the U.S. Marine Corps and wrote the book, "Pearl Harbor: The Story of the Secret War," published in 1947, Charles A. Beard, noted historian and author of "President Roosevelt and the Coming of the War, 1941: A Study in appearances and Realities," and Frederick R. Sanborn, historical writer and author of "Design for War: A Study of Secret Politics, 1937-1941," Franklin D. Roosevelt covertly planned for the Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor and knew, at least 48 hours in advance, that the Japanese Fleet were going to devastate the vulnerable U.S. Naval Fleet. Because of the many secret documents and records kept from the purview of the Blue Ribbon Pearl Harbor Commission by U.S. Army Intelligence operatives, the commission was not able to ferret out the facts and the disturbing truth about Pearl Harbor and the American entry in World War II.

It wasn't until the late 1940's that documents were released by Harry Truman which showed that FDR conducted secret negotiations with Winston Churchill, from 1939 to late 1940, assuring the British prime minister that America would enter the war against Hitler. In knowing that Franklin Delano Roosevelt had knowledge sufficient to warn the Pearl Harbor Naval Command well in advance of the impending Japanese attack, but, instead, ordered his War Department staff to allow the surprise attack to occur, there is no alternative but to call Roosevelt a war criminal who deceived the Congress and the American people. If Congress had known about Roosevelt's secret negotiations with Churchill and his covert underhanded foreign policy with Japan, there is no doubt that the President would have been impeached for high crimes. Being a cripple and the purported American economic savior do not, in any way, mitigate FDR's cold calculated strategy to manipulate a neutral nation into world war.

How may less incriminating words be used to euphemize the unnecessary deaths of over 3,000 American GI's at Pearl Harbor? Isn't that what the Nazi leaders attempted to do in their defense at the Nuremberg Trials to justify the murder of millions of innocent people? The Iran-Contra Scandal involving Ronald Reagon and George H. Bush was also a play on words. Oliver North deliberately lied to Congress and became a popular folk hero from doing it. In response to allegations, Reagon shrugged his shoulders and simply said, "I don't remember what happened," and he was exonerated of all blame. Vice-President George H. Bush, former director of the CIA, testified before Congress that he was out of the loop while the sale of arms for money to support an illegal CIA war operation in El Salvador and Honduras was going on. And no one questioned his veracity. Strangely, he was believed and the investigation into Iran-Contra was halted.

You don't have to be a conspiracy nut to read between the lines and discover that contemporary American history reveals some startling facts about corrupt political behavior. Illegal agreements between federal officers to commit acts which are against the law and of the land and the interests of the people are called criminal conspiracies. In a nation of laws, criminal government conspiracies cannot be endorsed, tolerated, or ignored. Similarly, words of equal meaning cannot be used to lessen the severity of criminal acts committed by supposedly honorable public servants. When this happens, the darkest of evil may triumph under the guise of pseudonyms and aliases.

Norton R. Nowlin holds M.A. and B.A. degrees from the University of Texas at Tyler, an advanced paralegal certification, with honors, from Edmonds Community College, in Lynnwood, Washington, and one year of law school from Thomas Jefferson School of Law, in San Diego, California. In addition to the foregoing academic attainments, Mr. Nowlin has earned 70 post-graduate semester hours in economics, history, sociology, and business from Pepperdine and National Universities. In 1985, Mr. Nowlin successfully completed the 72nd San Diego County Sheriff's Academy, at Southwestern College in Chula Vista, California, as a San Diego County Deputy Sheriff. Mr. Nowlin is presently a paralegal specialist for the Board of Veteran's Appeals in the Office of Veteran's Affairs, in Washington, D.C., and the father of the three grown children. He is married to the physicist, mathematician, and professional tutor, Diane C. Nowlin. Mr. Nowlin resides with his wife and two very intelligent cats in Gaithersburg, Maryland.

Learning Syllable Stress and Word Emphasis in English

2011-11-12T05:29:00.000-08:00

by Ryan Kent-Temple

Word and syllable emphasis is more important than many people think. There are a lot of languages that use this emphasis in their everyday words. However, when you are trying to improve your English, this is an issue that can not be overlooked.

Word emphasis or word stress is a way of pronouncing an English word when spoken by a native speaker. The emphasis in a word, if pronounced incorrectly, can actually be mis-interpreted as another word. Quite possibly, someone might not be able to understand you at all. We're going to take a look at some examples and ways that you might be able to determine how and where to put your emphasis on certain syllables.
First, I want to explain to you what syllable is and how you can determine how many syllables are in a word. A syllable, simply put, is a part of a word consisting of a vowel with consonants surrounding it, usually prior to the vowel. For example, the word SPOKEN. There are two syllables in this word - SPO and KEN.

A syllable is a natural break in a word. Try saying the word "Spoken" just like it is above. Say it a couple times in that manner, then say the word normally. You should be able to feel the natural break that I am speaking of. Here is a list of words separated by syllables. Repeat each one a few times in its broken form, then say the word naturally. After you finish, I'll continue speaking on the word emphasis or stress. Here is a trick for learning the syllables in other words: Clap for every vowel you say in a word.

(clap) (clap)

GRAMM - AR...............GRAMM - AR...............GRAMM - AR................GRAMM - AR          Grammar

(clap) (clap)
IM - PROVE...............IM - PROVE................IM - PROVE...................IM - PROVE         Improve

(clap) (clap)
ENG - LISH................ENG - LISH..................ENG - LISH..................ENG - LISH           English

(clap) (clap) (clap)(clap)
DIC - TION - AR - Y..................DIC - TION - AR - Y..................DIC - TION - AR - Y
Dictionary

Word Emphasis or Word Stress is determined using the syllables as a basis. Word Emphasis is not something that is taught, but can definitely be learned using a proactive method of learning English. Like I have said many times before, listening is the key to this.

When you listen to spoken English, you will naturally be hearing the emphasis on words. This is learned subconsciously. Which is why you must listen to English as much as you can. I don't suggest trying to listen to the emphasis intentionally. You probably will not be able to hear it or understand when you do hear it. But the point of my article here is to explain what word emphasis or word stress is and how, when practicing pronunciation, you can make sure you are understood in your spoken English.

When pronouncing an English word, we use what is called Word Emphasis or stress. There was a movie that pointed out how the word emphasis can be confusing.

The person says "ASS es the window" but the word is assESS. The word ass in English is considered a bad word. So you can see that when the word emphasis is used incorrectly, you may alienate your listeners.
When you see the capitalized letters here, that is where you put the emphasis or stress on the syllable. (stay tuned in to World English Club because this will be easier to understand once I have added audio) When you put stress on the syllable, that means that you should emphasize that specific syllable. Emphasis is done in these three ways: Longer in duration, higher in pitch, and louder in volume. Try saying the word emphasis in these three ways.

EMphasis
emPHAsis
emphaSIS

First of all, do you notice that the capital letters in each set of words are the syllables? That is because the syllables are the basics for the word stress or word emphasis. Next, you should have noticed that each time you said a different word, it gave the word a different feeling.

Learning and listening to English and the syllable stress on words will help you learn how to speak more smoothly and fluently. This is a lesson often overlooked by teachers and learners of the English language. So continue to listen to English and start slowly with this topic. Soon you will improve your spoken English to a point where you will sound like a native speaker of the language.

By Ryan Kent-Temple at WorldEnglishClub.com
Ryan Kent-Temple is a webmaster helping people worldwide to 'Improve my English" online. He is also a moderator on the World English Club Forums which is available for everybody that desires improvement. If you want to find out more about this please visit http://www.WorldEnglishClub.com to Learn English Online, which is a leading site on the topic of how to learn and improve your English online by listening to English spoken word.

When Do I Use "I" And "ME"?

2011-11-04T12:51:00.000-07:00

by Heather R. Todd

It is interesting that many people around the world - whether their first language is English or not - still battle to know when to use "I" and when to use "Me" in a sentence. These two are very different types of words, yet they are often assigned to do the same task. When this is done the grammar of the sentence is incorrect and the sentence may sound clumsy or nonsensical. As writers / editors / academics or just ordinary users of the English language, it is therefore very important to understand the difference between "I" and "Me".

So, when do I use "I" and "Me"?

To answer that question, we need to take one step back. What type of word is "I" and what type of word is "Me"?

When you use "I", you are using the singular first person subject pronoun, e.g. You and I are going out tonight, I need some books, I take tablets for my condition etc. "I" is therefore the person involved in doing the action.

"Me", on the other hand, is object pronoun. This means that whatever action the verb is describing, it is BEING DONE TO "me", e.g. Take me home, Those things belong to me, She wants to talk to you and me.

When you have to decide whether or not to use either "I" or "Me", there is a simple test to follow. Take the sentence and see how "I" or "Me" fits into it e.g:

• She wants to talk to (Me / I) - She wants to talk to I (Wrong)

She wants to talk to me (Right)

• This house belongs to you and (Me / I) - This house belongs to you and I (wrong)

This house belongs to you and me (right)

• John and (Me / I) are going away - John and I are going away (Right)

John and me are going away (wrong)

When this method doesn't work, ask yourself the following question? Who is part of the action - I or Me?

John and I kick the ball - Here "I" is the one doing the action - the subject and therefore this sentence is correct.

They are looking at you and me - "Me" in the context is the one the action is being done to - the object and therefore this sentence is also correct.

As soon as you use a subject pronoun in the place of an object pronoun you are in dangerous waters. It will make your sentence seen "off" and clumsy, but also confuse your reader. The main questions are therefore:

1. Who is doing the action?

2. Who is the object of the action / who is the action being done to?

It becomes easier to distinguish as you practice with these and other, more complex, sentences. Test each sentence and ask the two main questions and they will give you guidance on then to you "I" and when to use "Me".

Lastly, it is important to remember that the words "or" and "and" have nothing to do with determining the use of "I" and "Me". They are merely there to join either the subject (e.g. John) with the object (me) or the other subject (I), e.g:

1. The threw stones and John and me

2. John and I had a pleasant walk

3. It was either John or me who washed the dishes

4. Tonight you or I are going to bath first

At the end of the day it just takes a little concentration to be able to answer the question: When do I use "I" and "Me"?

Ms. Todd is an award-winning, full-time professional editor, published writer and marketing consultant whose passion is to help others create a letter-perfect presentation in their writing. Her extensive experience in coaching and management has allowed her to independently consult for numerous international editing services and websites.

Ms. Todd is an independent contractor who provides advisory and consulting services worldwide to numerous corporations, a small sampling of such businesses include:
www.firstediting.com

It Was Greek To Me - Improving Your English By Knowing Greek Roots

2011-10-27T12:50:00.000-07:00

Greek provides many important prefixes, suffixes, and roots used in the English language. To understand the full meaning of a word, it is essential to know the original meaning of the roots used to form the word. Not only will your comprehension of the word be more complete and accurate, you will understand many more words since roots and other word parts (i.e. affixes, prefixes, suffixes) occur in many English words. For example, Webster's Dictionary has seventy-seven listings starting with the Greek root -chrom-.

Root words are most often combined with other word parts to precisely describe a particular phenomena, action, or thing. Continuing with the root word -chrom- an example of this type of combining is chromolithography =chrom (color)+lithos (a stone)+graphien (to write) which is a method of producing color printed pictures using stone or zinc plates. Many roots are much more productive than -chrom- and certain prefixes (like un- meaning not, lack of, the opposite of as in undo) and suffixes (like -ology meaning a specified type of speaking as in eulogy or the science, doctrine, study of, or theory of as in geology) are in hundreds of words. You can greatly improve your command of English by familiarizing yourself with these word parts.

Your command of English spelling will also be strengthened by knowing the origins of a word. Knowing a word originated from Greek gives clues to some of the tricky spellings in English like the silent initial p- in pneumatic and psychopathic.

Here are frequently used Greek roots and their meanings with an example word. Improve your memory of these roots by copying them into a notebook. Write down the root, its definition, and several examples of its use. You can add examples by looking for more in your dictionary. Practice using the words in sentences when writing and speaking. Look for words with these roots in newspaper, magazine, or books you read and underline them. Create flashcards with the Greek root on one side of the card and the meaning or the reverse. The more often you use the word in some way, the better you will remember it.

-aero- (air) aerobics

-angio- (vessel) angioplasty

-anthrop- (human) anthropological

-astro- (constellation) astronomy

-centre- (center) central

-chrom/o- (color) chromatic

-chron- (time) chronograph

-dem- (people) democracy

-hydro- (water) hydroelectric

-kinesis- (movement) kinetic energy

-leuko- (white) leukemia

-litho- (stone) neolithic

-metre- (to measure) meter, geometry

-morph- (form) morphology

-naut- (sailor, ship) astronaut

-path- (feeling, suffering) pathetic

-ped/o- (child, children) pediatrics (do not confuse this Greek root with the Latin root pedi-meaning foot)

-phil/o- (having a strong affinity or love for) philosopher

-phon- (voice, sound) phonograph

-phos-,-photo- (light) phosphorus, photography

-pneu- (to breathe) pneumonia

-pseudo- (false) pseudography

-psych- (soul, mind) psychoanalyze

-tele- (distant) telephone

-therm- (hot) isotherm

Knowing Greek roots can help you discern the meaning of a word and expand your vocabulary exponentially. Study them carefully and your ability to understand precisely what you read and hear will improve.

Celia Webb, President of Pilinut Press, Inc., publishers of advanced readers for children and ESL students. Check out http://www.pilinutpress.com for more free articles on developing reading-related skills, word games and puzzles, and activity sheets for the company's entertaining and educational books.

Business Report Writing - Useful Guidelines

2011-10-17T07:44:00.000-07:00

By Diane Mannion

Many of us are required to write business reports during our business careers, but some may be in doubt as to how to approach this task. However, business report writing needn't be a minefield; here are some pointers which should help:

1) Do thorough research and take notes. This could involve primary research, for example, direct interviews, questionnaires, or seeing a scheme in action. Alternatively, you may carry out secondary research, which involves researching documented sources such as books and the Internet.

2) Think about the readership and your readers' level of knowledge and requirements, and make sure that you write the report in a tone appropriate for them.

3) The writing style should be concise. This doesn't mean that the report should be short; it means that the writing style should be direct and to the point, omitting excess verbiage, but it should still contain all the essential elements and be written in accordance with the required length. The report should also be factual and informative with logical reasoning, and should be objective rather than having a personal bias.

4) Make sure that any facts you present are accurate. Check any information sources carefully.

5) Open with an introduction, which should explain what the report seeks to address and how this will be approached.

6) Draw up the outline first using headings and sub-headings gleaned from research information, and putting them in a logical order

7) Draw conclusions before you start writing the report. It sometimes helps to write these down first as this can give you a point of reference to work towards.

8) The main body of the report should substantiate the conclusions, and present the evidence and arguments.

9) Decide what information should go in the appendices. This is usually supporting information, such as facts and figures, graphs and questionnaires.

10) Label your tables and graphs fully and detail the sources.

11) Recommendations follow conclusions and these are suggested courses of action which have arisen from the findings of the report.

12) Spell-check the finished report, then proofread it thoroughly, usually after having left it for a while so that you can approach it with a fresh mind.

It is worth remembering that some companies have their own guidelines when it comes to business report writing. This could be a set layout in terms of numbering, headings, font, paragraph lengths or overall length. Therefore, you should always check this prior to writing the report.

About the author
Written by Diane Mannion proprietor of Diane Mannion Writing Services at: http://www.dianemannion.co.uk. We offer a range of copywriting, proofreading and editing services to a range of clients worldwide. As well as help with report writing we offer many other copywriting services for both online and offline media. We have a reputation for high quality, promptness and originality at competitive prices.

Learn to Avoid Common Adjective and Adverb Errors

2011-10-13T15:05:00.000-07:00

By Katrina Williams -

There are three basic forms for adjectives and adverbs: the basic form, the comparative form, and the superlative form. There are two basic rules to remember when using adjectives and adverbs in the comparative and superlative forms.

Rule One: For positive comparisons, to form the comparative, -er and more are used, and to form the superlative, -est and most are used. For negative comparisons, to form the comparative, -er and less are used, and to form the superlative, -est and least are used.

Rule Two: When comparing two items with one-syllable words, use -er. When comparing two items with words of more than one syllable, use more or less before the word. Never use -er and more or less at the same time. When comparing three or more items with one-syllable words, use -est. When comparing three or more items with words of more than one syllable, use most or least before the word. Never use -est and most or least at the same time.

Positive Comparisons: One-syllable words

Basic Form: tall

Comparative Form: tall + er = taller

Superlative Form: tall + est = tallest

Positive Comparisons: Words of more than one syllable

Basic Form: difficult

Comparative Form: difficult + more = more difficult

Superlative Form: difficult + most = most difficult

Negative Comparisons: One-syllable words

Basic Form: tall

Comparative Form: tall + less = less tall

Superlative Form: tall + least = least tall

Negative Comparisons: Words of more than one syllable

Basic Form: difficult

Comparative Form: difficult + less = less difficult

Superlative Form: difficult + least = least difficult

There are exceptions to the adjective and adverb rule. The adjectives good and bad and the adverbs well and badly do not follow the conventional rules for adjectives and adverbs in the comparative and superlative forms. The adjectives good and bad and the adverbs well and badly are irregular adjectives and adverbs, meaning they form the comparative and superlative differently than most other adjectives and adverbs.

For an easy way to remember when to use the adjectives good and bad and the adverbs well and badly in the comparative form, follow these rules. When comparing two items, use better or worse. Never use more and better or worse at the same time. When comparing three or more items, use best or worst. Never use most and best or worst at the same time.

Adjectives

Basic Form: good

Comparative Form: good = better

Superlative Form: good = best

Incorrect: The youngest child is a more better student than her eldest sibling.

Correct: The youngest child is a better student than her eldest sibling.

Basic Form: bad

Comparative Form: bad = worse

Superlative Form: bad = worst

Incorrect: The youngest child is a more worse student than her eldest sibling.

Correct: The youngest child is a worse student than her eldest sibling.

Adverbs

Basic Form: well

Comparative Form: well = better

Superlative Form: well = best

Incorrect: The youngest child plays piano more better student than her eldest sibling.

Correct: The youngest child plays piano better than her eldest sibling.

Basic Form: badly

Comparative Form: badly = worse

Superlative Form: badly = worst

Incorrect: The youngest child plays piano more worse student than her eldest sibling.

Correct: The youngest child plays piano worse than her eldest sibling.

There are two types of errors involving adjectives and adverbs in the comparative and superlative forms. One error occurs when both methods for forming the comparative and superlative forms are used-for example, using both -er and more or less to compare two items or using both -est and most or least to compare three or more items.

Incorrect: The youngest child is more taller than her eldest sibling.

Correct: The youngest child is taller than her eldest sibling.

Another error occurs when the comparative and superlative forms are used with the wrong number of items. The comparative form is used when two items are being compared. The superlative form is used when three or more items are being compared.

Incorrect: The banker made the more difficult decision in the bank's history.

Correct: The banker made the most difficult decision in the bank's history.

Following these basic rules for adjectives and adverbs in the comparative and the superlative forms will make using adjectives and adverbs hassle-free.

About the author:
Katrina Parker Williams maintains a blog of her musings about literature, writing, art, and culture at Stepartdesigns's Blog - http://stepartdesigns.wordpress.com/. She is the author of a fictional novel titled Liquor House Music and publishes writing and publishing articles online. Her work has appeared in Charlotte Viewpoint, Muscadine Lines, USADEEPSOUTH, and on the Wilson Community College website. Her work has recently been published at The Saints' Placenta and is forthcoming in All Things Girl, the Dead Mule School of Southern Literature, and Muscadine Lines.

Writing an Effective and Successful Consumer Letter

2011-10-07T09:06:00.000-07:00

By Phyllis Childs -

I've sent a number of consumer letters in my day, and the response I've received has been overwhelmingly positive and beneficial. I've written to an auto mechanic, a hotel, a florist, a grocery store and a candy company, among others, and each time I received either a full reimbursement or replacement of the defective product. If my complaint was about something intangible (like substandard service), I've gotten letters of apology with coupons or complimentary tickets.

There's definitely an art to writing an effective consumer letter, but I believe most of us are up to the challenge. If not, there are people who do this for a living, myself included.

It's always good practice to address individuals on paper with the same courtesy and respect as we would if speaking to them face-to-face. Insults and threats are not only offensive but can be counterproductive to our desired outcome. It has been my experience that you really do catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.

Three-to-five paragraphs should be sufficient. Anything much longer and you risk losing your impact.

In your opening paragraph say something positive about the product, manufacturer or store, such as:

[Brand name] has always been my favorite cereal...
I've worn [brand name] shoes almost exclusively since I was five years old...
I always shop at [store name] first because...

This approach 1) establishes a positive relationship and 2) supports the fact that you are a loyal customer, one they want to keep satisfied.

In the second paragraph, state your grievance. If it's a long story, several paragraphs may be necessary.

However, I recently purchased a box that was stale...
Sadly, the sole came off my shoe...
Unfortunately, the stereo I purchased has poor audio quality...

In the closing paragraph you can go one of two ways-either request what you want (reimbursement, replacement) or leave it open for them to offer compensation.

For example, about 25 years ago, a friend and I took a road trip through the Texas hill country. We stopped for the night at a famous historic hotel but were not told that it was being renovated. The only working elevator was the freight elevator, my friend was allergic to the dust in the air, and the next morning the water was cut off and we had to use the restrooms in a hotel across the street! When I got home, I wrote a letter to the hotel-first praising it for its long history and fine reputation, then recalling our grim experience-but I didn't ask for anything. The hotel wrote me a very nice letter of apology and reimbursed all of my costs except parking (they leased the garage from a private company) and one long-distance phone call.

I'm usually successful with one letter, but not always. If the stakes are high or the principle important, I typically persist and eventually win.

It's wise to save your receipts for at least six months. Keep records of names, dates, prior correspondence with sales people, managers, company representatives-anything that will support your experience.

Something helpful to remember is that most companies actually welcome feedback-good and bad. They want a healthy business; input from customers helps them to know what works and what doesn't.

About the author:
I am a Houston-based copywriter (ghost writer) and editor. I also provide word processing support to sole-practice attorneys and small business owners, and digital transcription for clients who need a searchable script of recorded events. I have no employees and never use subcontractors. I am solely accountable for the work I produce. You'll look good on paper! http://www.phyllischilds.net

Using Dashes, En-Dashes, and Em-Dashes the Right Way

2011-10-03T07:46:00.000-07:00

By Maria Walters

You have probably noticed that dashes seem to come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. If you've ever typed one in Microsoft Word and notice that it got longer, you might have even wondered why. Well, here's your guide to the different types of dashes and how to use them!

The Dash

The dash character on your keyboard is just a plain old dash (-). This dash is the multi-purpose dash that connects words (like multi-purpose). You also might notice it dividing a word in half if the word is split between two lines.

The En-Dash

An en-dash (-) is a little longer than a normal dash. In fact, it's about as long as the letter "n," which is how I remember the difference (though that's not technically how it got its name). En-dashes are not used very much; they are the unloved middle child of the dash family. Mostly, en-dashes are used to show ranges of numbers (like 3-13).

The more infrequent use of an en-dash is in connecting two phrases when one of them consists of multiple words. Civil War-era is a great example: the en-dash connects the phrase "Civil War" to "era" instead of just the word "War."

The Em-Dash

An em-dash (-) is even longer than an en-dash (like "m" is wider than "n"). An em-dash is used instead of a lot of types of punctuation: you can use it in place of a semicolon, two of them in place of parentheses, or just to show the pauses in a sentence. When it is used to join two separate thoughts (instead of a semicolon) it looks like the sentence about en-dashes above. When it is used instead of a parenthesis, a sudden interjection - like this - suddenly becomes acceptable. I am smitten with em-dashes because of their usefulness!

Using the right character online

Now that you know the difference, you might find yourself wanting to use it! In WYSIWYG programs like Microsoft Word, the correct character will often be substituted for you, but when you are typing online, it's not as easy! When entering HTML (like in some forums and comment fields), you can create an en-dash by typing – and an em-dash by typing — (don't forget the semicolons!). However, if you want to take the easy way out, a frequently-used alternative is to use two dashes (--) to represent an em-dash.

It's as easy as that! Now dash out there and use your dashes correctly!

About the Author

Maria Walters is a grammar-loving freelance writer who specializes in articles, blog posts, and website copy.

If you are looking for a quality copywriter, contact Maria at http://www.writtentoberead.com/

How to Write for Web Visitors and Search Engines

2011-08-29T08:20:00.000-07:00

By Brynn Alexander -

Visualize your site achieving top search engine results.

Now imagine the wonder you would feel if your well-ranked website's copy jumped off the screen, lodging itself in the mind of each site visitor, and unconsciously causing every one of them to take the action YOU want them to take.

Think it's rocket science?

Think again.

In fact, you're reading an example of this type of writing now. If you want to know how you can please the search engines AND your site visitors at the same time with your website copy writing, read on. Writing for site visitors or writing for search engines is certainly not mutually exclusive.

If your Web page isn't seen by potential site visitors in the first place by ranking poorly in the engines, it'll never be read. But... if it's only optimized for the engines and doesn't read well, people will click away without taking action.

I want to achieve both and I bet you do too.

After reading this, you will understand how to write in a style that greatly pleases the search engines, resulting in vastly improved rankings AND at the same time, causes people to take the action you want. The action is usually to buy something or fill out a form.

How Your Copy Appears:

First let's briefly consider the layout of your copy. Because if you want people to stay on your site, read your copy and take an action, the copy has to be very easy to read on a computer screen.

It's simple really. Just use lots of white space. See how so far my 'paragraphs' are very, very short? Sometimes it's just a few words. You ought to do the same. You can further break up your writing using sub-headings, bolded words, lists, bullets and boxes. See how I made the box above? Anything in a box will get read, and it's a great way to create white space.

Avoid big blocks of text at all costs.

The key to successfully formatting your Web copy writing is to make it as easy as possible for people to scan and skim through your text. People skim online copy, so the more you break it up and make the important stuff stand out, the better. Next, always remember who you are writing for. Hold a vision of your reader in your head as you write. Choose and combine your words in a way that speaks directly to each reader as if you're just having a conversation with them alone. Write like you talk.

Here are my other top copy writing guidelines:

• Use the word 'You'. Don't write about yourself or your organization. No one cares.

• Use an active voice, not passive. Use action verbs often and well.

• Appeal to people's emotions.

• Appeal to as many of the senses as possible. Paint a picture.

• As your grammar school English teacher constantly preached, "Show, not tell."

• Use stories to illustrate your theme. People relate to and remember stories.

• Describe how you can make your reader's life easier or better.

• Actually ask them to buy (or fill out the form) in your sales copy.

• Always describe the benefits and not the features (features tend to bore people to tears).

• Edit your work at the end to ensure it says what you want in the simplest and briefest way.

• Buy 'Hypnotic Writing' by Joe Vitale. I used some of his ideas in this article. Great book, thanks Joe!

The search engine algorithms today, especially Google's, are now getting so sophisticated that the line that separates good search engine copy and good people copy is becoming very blurred. In other words, the better you write in general, the better that writing will get ranked in the search engines anyway, all other things being equal.

Keep in mind that a large part of what makes a page rank well is made up of off-page factors, meaning the links and anchor text that point to your website have a big part in determining your site's rank. But on-page factors such as your copy writing for example play an important role too.

So you're writing to get ranked well, to convert visitors into customers or list members and to attract inbound links. As you write, keep these three important goals in mind.

On-Page Writing that Please Search Engines:

Think of each page of your website as its own one-page school essay. If you remember back to English class your teacher would ask you to write an essay and be sure to determine in advance what the theme, or thesis, of the essay was going to be. One theme per essay and that's what the essay was "about".

When it comes to Web pages, think in terms of themes too, but condensed down to a keyword phrase. Each page on your site should have one main keyword phrase that sums up the entire page. This is the phrase for which you want the page to rank well.

When you sit down to write copy for a particular page, first determine what its theme is going to be and then reduce that down to a descriptive and succinct keyword phrase.

For example, if you determine that the theme for the page is 'all the chairs we sell in our furniture store are listed on this page with prices and descriptions'. The keyword phrase for this could be 'wooden chairs with prices'.

Again, get inside the heads of the potential people you want visiting and buying from you and really try to determine what keyword phrases they would choose to type into a search engine to find the particular page you're creating.

Before you even start writing website copy the first step is to determine the page's main theme using a keyword phrase and then make a list of related words and phrases.

Grab some paper and a pen or open up Notepad and begin to create a list of these keyword phrases. Phrases that are two to five words in length are best.

Next, use an online keyword tool to find variations and add the good ones to your ever-growing list. The best tool in my opinion is Google's AdWords Keyword Tool.

Now that Google's Instant is live you can also simply begin typing a phrase into the search bar and a drop down box will appear suggesting ways to finish the phrase for you. Use some of these hints as well. Now you ought to have an excellent list of a words and phrases that are related to your main keyword phrase.

The idea then is to weave the words and phrases on your list into your website copy.

Think of it this way. While you're writing for your site visitor, while you're using the rules I spelled out in the bullet list above, try to use the related words and phrases from your list. Furthermore, use synonyms, antonyms, stemming, plurals, and various tenses, contextual words, supporting vocabulary and modifiers as well.

Let's look at an example. If the main keyword phrase of my page is 'antique wooden chair prices' then here's a possible list I would come up with first:

Aged, historic, old-fashioned, traditional, old wood chairs, antique rocking chairs, wooden chairs, seats, old seating, antique oak furniture, antique pine furniture, refurbished chairs, dining room furniture, tables, wood, cherry, pricing, affordable, cost, for sale, on sale, how much do wooden chairs cost

Get the idea?

So here's my try at using words and phrase from the list in my copy.

-----------------

Looking for old wooden chairs or wondering how much antique wooden chairs cost online?

Below you will find pricing for historic yet affordable antique pine, oak and cherry chairs.

Imagine finding the perfect old-fashioned chair with which to compliment your house.

Take in the intricate carvings and woodwork as you approach it. Feel the polished oak wood arm rests in your hands as you lower yourself onto the magnificent aged seat. Then hear your house guests compliment you on such a glorious and rare find that you had the good taste to buy.

You will find that our furniture return policy guarantees that you're taking no risk when purchasing antique wooden chairs from us.

And you'll notice that every chair we list below has an associated price.

Click the 'Buy Now' button and after a couple more clicks, you'll have one of our famous antique wooden chairs shipped directly to your home in no time.

-----------------

Not only will this sales copy appeal to readers, it will please Google too.

With people in mind, I used the word 'you' a lot. I appealed to their senses and their emotions, explained how it would improve their life and outright told them to buy now. I showed how buying a chair could make their lives a little better and explained how easy it is to accomplish.

With search engines in mind I made sure that almost every word and phrase supports the theme of 'antique wooden chair prices'. And I have used lots of synonyms (antique, aged, old fashioned, historic), stemming (price, pricing), modifiers (affordable, glorious, magnificent), and contextual and related words (chair, furniture, home, house, woodwork, carvings, arm rests).

It's important that you write for both search engines and site visitors, and now you know how. By following the layout conventions mentioned above, the copy writing guidelines and the ways to consider the search engines when writing that outlines, you'll be well on your way to pleasing both your visitors and search engines.

Brynn Alexander writes for The Net Gazette, a Web business e-zine, and writes for Oak Web Works, LLC, a Web writing and marketing company.

What is an Anagram?

2011-08-12T09:04:00.000-07:00

By Ann Richmond Fisher

Learn what is an anagram in this clear, brief explanation. Both simple and complex examples of this fun format of word play are included.

The American Heritage dictionary defines an anagram as "A word or phrase formed by reordering the letters of another word or phrase, such as satin to stain."

The dictionary, to be sure, answers the question, "What is an anagram?" but...Anagrams are way more fun than this! Anagram games and puzzles are a blast.

For example, can you change:

A seminar into a group of soldiers at sea?
A senator into an act of betrayal?

Can you think of:

4 letters that can spell both a bird and a predatory mammal?
5 letters that spell both a quality piece of meat and a boot with a blade?

If you are catching on to the idea of anagrams, you might guess the answers: seminar/marines, senator/treason and fowl/wolf, and steak/skate.

Anagrams can be made from words we use every day. Consider these sets of words: are/ear/era, dare/dear/read, and least/stale/steal/tales.

Sometimes it is possible to form an anagram that is related to the original word or phrase. These are known as cognate or perfect anagrams. Here is a clever example from the Encarta dictionary definition of an anagram: Astronomers is an anagram of no more stars.

The Anagram Dictionary by Michael Curl lists some interesting perfect anagrams which are almost unbelievable:

INCOME TAXES = Exact Monies

ELEVEN PLUS TWO = Twelve plus one

THE MONA LISA = Ah, not a smile?

VICTORIA, ENGLAND'S QUEEN = Governs a nice quiet land

Now that you know what an anagram is, you are ready to dive into the fun world of solving anagrams. There are many anagram sites online, and most newsstand puzzle magazines also contain a good selection of anagram puzzles. Anagram word games range from very simple to extremely difficult. Start out with the easy ones and work your way up. Once you are able to solve --or create--some tricky anagrams, you are sure to amaze your friends and family!

See more examples of anagrams, and find anagrams to solve at http://www.word-game-world.com/anagram-examples.html.

Ann Richmond Fisher is co-owner and chief puzzle writer for http://www.word-game-world.com. In addition to anagrams, you will find cryptograms, word searches, word scrambles, mad libs and original word games at this unique word game site. Ann is also the author of over 60 books and products for the educational market. She specializes in writing brain teasers, word and math puzzles and seasonal activities. Please contact Ann through her website to learn how you may include her puzzles in your newsletters, magazines or newspapers.

Sentence Structure: Do You Know the 4 Types of Sentences?

2011-08-11T15:02:00.000-07:00

By Elizabeth O'brien

What Are Sentences?

Have you ever thought about what it takes to make a sentence? We use sentences all of time, but you might be surprised at how difficult it is to define what a sentence actually is. There are a few ingredients that always need to be present in order to have a sentence.

Sentences are groups of words that have a subject and a verb and express a complete thought. That's it! Subject + Verb + Complete Thought = Sentence

Independent Clauses & Dependent Clauses

Before we talk about sentence types, there is one more thing that you need to know. Clauses are groups of words that have a subject and a verb.

There are two main types of clauses: independent clauses and dependent clauses. (Dependent clauses are also called "subordinate clauses.")

Independent clauses express a complete thought. In fact, these little guys can stand alone as complete sentences! After all, they contain a subject and a verb, and they express a complete thought. (Example: I love cookies.)

Dependent clauses don't express a complete thought. They need to be connected to an independent clause in order to make sense. They depend on independent clauses. You know what that means, right? Dependent clauses cannot stand alone as a complete sentence. (Example: Because I love cookies)

The Four Sentence Structures

We can categorize sentences based on their structure. When we do that, we have four different types of sentences. Check them out!

1. Simple sentences contain just one independent clause. These guys have just one subject and verb. (Example: I kicked the ball.)

2. Compound sentences contain two or more independent clauses joined with a coordinating conjunction. (Coordinating conjunctions: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so). These guys have more than one subject and verb. (Example: I kicked the ball, and it hit Tom.)

3. Complex sentences have a subordinate clause (Remember those from above?) and an independent clause. (Example: Tom stopped playing because I kicked him.)

4. Compound-complex sentences have two or more dependent clauses and one or more subordinate clause. Wow! That's a lot of clauses. (Example: Because Tom was hurt, he went to the doctor, and I went to the office.)

If you really want to understand sentence structure (and have some fun), I highly recommend learning how to diagram sentences. When you diagram sentences, you make the relationship between words visual. This makes it easy to see the difference between the four types of sentences.

You can learn about sentence diagramming at http://www.english-grammar-revolution.com/sentence-structure.html. You'll also find more information on sentence structure and making grammar fun and easy.

Elizabeth O'Brien invites you to learn more about teaching and learning English grammar at her website http://www.english-grammar-revolution.com

Check it out and join the grammar revolution!

Effective Written Communication: Useless Words and Phrases

2011-07-17T14:17:00.000-07:00

By Irene Watson

Every writer needs a good editor, whether it's another person or an internal editor who can adequately judge, cut, and rewrite sentences. Yes, an editor will check for grammar and punctuation problems, but a good editor will also trim down text to make it shorter and more readable. Authors, however, who want to be good writers, should not depend solely on an editor; they should also strive to hone their own writing skills and create the most effective and to-the-point sentences possible. Revision is all important because it's the process through which wordiness can be changed into effective communication.

When writing a first draft, the important thing is simply to get everything you want to say down on the page, no matter how badly written it might end up being. But once that first draft is written, revision is required. A good author will realize that revision includes cutting, trimming, and manicuring the sentences so they are as neat and precise as possible. Just like a gardener, a writer realizes it is not enough to have a bunch of words (flowers), but that those words need to be neat and orderly and not so profuse that the meaning (the best flowers in the garden) are not noticed amid a bunch of words (weeds). Every word should count and extraneous words should be deleted.

Whether you are writing a paragraph, an article, a short story, or a novel, a good rule of thumb is to aim to cut down 10 percent from the first to the second draft. If you write a novel of 80,000 words with your rough draft, your revision may well end up being 72,000 words after you trim down every little word and phrase you don't need. That doesn't mean you shouldn't consider the need to develop your writing and add details or examples to back up your points, but you should also look to eliminate wordy phrases and places where you tend to repeat yourself.

I have many friends who have taught writing over the years, and I've heard their war stories about the writing mistakes their students make. One difficulty students usually have is to fill the space required to write a four-page essay or whatever the teacher assigns them. And when the students do fill that space, they often do so with extraneous words that say nothing. I have often thought an effective way to teach writing would be to have a student assigned to write a 2,000 word essay and then actually count the words and make the student adhere exactly to that word count-not 1,967 words, not 2,038, but exactly 2,000 words. The student would then revise until every word counted.

In the movie "A River Runs Through It" there's a great scene where the father teaches his son how to write. The son brings his essay to his father, and the father crosses out passages and then tells him to redo it-and make it half as long. Learning how to say something in 2,000 words and then to say the same thing in 1,000 words, or even 50 words is something authors must constantly do when writing and talking about their books. Such practices are effective exercises. Whatever piece of writing you are working on, I challenge you to cut it by 10 percent, and then 50 percent, to see whether you can hone down its language to the most necessary words.

Following are some words and phrases I frequently see overused or that are completely unnecessary. I'll also give you a couple of examples of big words that can be replaced with smaller ones. Just as two or three words can be replaced with one, it's equally important to take the three syllable word and replace it with the one syllable word whenever possible.

I Remember

I often see sentences that begin with phrases like:

I remember one time when I was in sixth grade....

If you lived the experience you are telling us about, it's obvious that you remember it. It's implied that it's one of your memories. It's sufficient just to say:

When I was in sixth grade....

One Time a Friend of Mine

You'll notice in the rewrite above that I also deleted "one time." Let's look at another sentence using that phrase:

One time a friend of mine taught me how to fish.

It's perfectly fine just to say:

A friend taught me how to fish.

Notice also that I changed "a friend of mine" to "a friend." Unless the person is someone else's friend, like "my grandpa's friend" or "Joe's friend," it's implied that the person is your friend.

The Fact

Use of "the fact" is hardly ever necessary. For example, you could easily eliminate it in the following sentence:

I cannot change the fact that he does not like me.

Often, "the fact" is part of "due to the fact that" which is even more unnecessary. A good substitute for this wordy phrase is "because." Why use five words where one will do? Here's an example:

She put on suntan lotion due to the fact that it was a hot and sunny day.
She put on suntan lotion because it was a hot and sunny day.

Here's another:

Janet called to complain due to the fact that her billing was in complete disarray.

What a mess of a sentence! Why not just say:

Janet called because her billing is a mess.

There Are

Whenever possible, it's advisable to avoid starting sentences with "There are." Here's an example and its rewrite:

There are some researchers who believe that some cats don't like to eat mice.
Some researchers believe cats don't like to eat mice.

The sentence's real subject is "researchers" and "believe" is the verb so put them at the beginning of the sentence where they belong so the sentence is stronger.

Here's another example:

There are many reasons why you should visit the doctor regularly.
Many reasons exist for why you should visit the doctor regularly.

The original sentence isn't that bad, but "exist" as the verb allows the sentence's subject to be at the sentence's beginning where it rightfully belongs.

In Life (and other obvious places)

Here are some "in" phrases that really irritate me:

In life
In the world
In the world today
In today's society

Unless you're writing about "in death," it's implied you're talking about life. Unless you're talking about what happens on other planets, it's implied it's in the world, and unless you're comparing the present to the past, it's implied it's today. Here are a few examples of when these phrases are used and how to reword them:

In life, we must always strive to do our best. Obviously, we strive in life since we can't strive in death, so just delete "In life" completely.
In the world today, our natural resources are becoming depleted. In this case, you can just say "Today, our natural resources are becoming depleted." Or better, "Our natural resources are being depleted."
In today's society, girls are not afraid to show their belly-buttons. Again, here "Today" may be all you need at the beginning of the sentence, or you could say, "Girls are no longer afraid to show their belly-buttons." The "no longer" implies that the present is different than the past.

Big vs. Small Words

Never use a big word where a small word will do. People who tend to use big words usually do so because they are trying to impress someone, and big words used to impress are often misused by people who don't really know how to use them anyway. Even when using such words properly, trying to impress someone should never take the place of communicating with that person. Here's a perfect example. I once went to a conference where the speaker presented a paper about a classic novel, and the speaker kept going on and on about the main character's interior perceptions versus her exterior perceptions. What the speaker was really talking about was the difference between what the character saw and how she felt. A lot less impressive sounding, but a lot easier to understand.

I'm not the first person to complain about the word "utilize" or "utilization." I have yet to find a time when "use" and "usage" don't work just as well. Just as you should aim to shorten two or three words down to one that means the same thing, so you should aim to use a one syllable word rather than a three syllable one.

Writing dialogue tags are another perfect example. If an author writes effective dialogue, readers do not need to be told how the words were said with a tag like "Joe expressed adamantly." The words Joe says should be enough to show that they were said adamantly. It is sufficient after what Joe says, simply to say, "Joe said." If you use any words other than "said, replied, asked" for a dialogue tag, you're being wordy. There's no need for "questioned, queried, wondered, responded, retaliated, reiterated, exclaimed, suggested, proclaimed, declared, chortled, snorted" etc. Stick with "said" and rewrite what was said so Joe's meaning is there in the tone of how he says the words.

Finding the right word takes skill, but every word counts. Find the words that make the point as quickly as possible before you lose the reader in a flood of unnecessary words that fail to communicate. Big words and wordiness are the bane of communication and they don't impress anyone.

Irene Watson is the Managing Editor of Reader Views, where avid readers can find reviews of recently published books as well as read interviews with authors. Her team also provides author publicity and a variety of other services specific to writing and publishing books.

Uninterested and Disinterested - One Word is Cannibalising the Other

2011-07-17T14:12:00.000-07:00

By John James Carty

Teachers of English often point out the dangers of losing a good word from the language. For the last fifty years 'disinterested' has been abused and battered. Now it provides a meaning it was not meant to have while killing another word that already gave us the required meaning.

'Disinterested' has suffered this conversion because its cousin, 'uninterested', which should be equally useful and popular has been left out in the cold, unused and unable to do its proper job.

'Uninterested', is and should remain the opposite of 'interested' as in, 'he is not interested in his work,' 'she is not interested in her studies.'

It has become common to use 'disinterested' for this meaning. It´s wrong, of course, but even the best dictionaries and their experts concede that if the wrong thing is said often enough - at least in English - it will eventually become correct.

Fashion is as powerful in the English language as it is in areas like dress or music. Who wears a girdle or a waistcoat nowadays? Who listens to Al Johnson or Rudy Valee? For some reason, people like saying 'disinterested' and don´t know, or don´t like 'uninterested'

'Disinterested' means 'not having an interest in'. Perhaps it´s not surprising that it´s losing this correct meaning because the phrase 'to have an interest in' is also a bit out of fashion. One famous English law case of the last century was lost by the defendant (claiming in negligence because his property burnt down) because, as the judge noted, 'the defendant coolly adverted to his interest in the insurance office'. That is, he wasn't worried about the fire because he had insurance cover. We wouldn't talk about 'an interest' in that way now, although it's correct.

We have 'an interest in' something in this sense when, for example, we have shares in a company or a relative of ours is concerned in a particular project. Such an 'interest' might affect the decisions we make and that is why lawmakers, judges etc have to 'declare an interest' in matters they are dealing with.

So 'disinterested' simply means 'impartial', which is a positive, desirable thing; it does not mean that we are bored with the subject or lack interest - we might be keenly interested in a matter yet still be 'disinterested'. This word is necessary but we're losing it.

We really need to maintain both words with their proper meaning; 'uninterested' usually has a negative meaning, with a suggestion that the person should be interested, while being 'impartial' is generally positive and necessary.

It´s probably too late already, but if 'disinterested' only has it´s wrong meaning, what other word do we use for 'impartial'?

The free website [http://www.english-free123.com] teaches English as a foreign language (TOEFL) and as a second language (TESL).The English exercises are all originally written material. The site also provides opinions and ideas for teachers.

The author and publisher of [http://www.english-free123.com], John James Carty, is a retired lawyer and senior civil servant. He graduated LLB from London University (1972) and took the British National Training Certificate in 1995. He is a former editor of the snooker magazines Baulkline and Cue World. He now lives in Colombia, South America, where he teaches English.

More Effective Business Communication - Six Tips

2011-07-06T16:36:00.000-07:00

The Internet has made it both easier and more difficult for people to communicate. It is now easier than ever to send written correspondence; all it takes is the click of a button. But many people would rather send off a quick email than pick up the phone, which means more people than ever are putting even their quick, casual business communication in writing. If writing is not your strong point, you may not be communicating with coworkers, clients, and partners as effectively as you could be. Here are six tips to make your business communication skills better.

Never hit the send button right after writing. Even if you are not writing an emotionally charged email, hitting send too fast can hurt you. You might have sounded a little more harsh than you meant to, or you might not have written as clearly as you could have. Either way, give it an hour or two and come back to it with fresh eyes before sending. Often you are too close to the material just after you have written it to spot flaws in your communication.

Tone it down. You may not mean to come off harshly, but people are always taking your emails and memos the wrong way. If this happens to you, you may not realize how harsh you sound in your writing. Sometimes when people read something negative, it blocks them from absorbing your entire message. Before sending out your email, read it over carefully to make sure your message is not too negative.

Write in Microsoft Word first. Microsoft Word has the Spell Check feature, and your email probably does not. The feature does not catch every mistake, but it may help you spot some typos that you otherwise would have missed. If you have difficulty with spelling, write your communications in Microsoft Word first to take advantage of its Spell Check feature.

Break it up. People have difficulty absorbing long unbroken blocks of text. To make your emails and other communications more reader-friendly, break them up into shorter paragraphs, each containing a single main idea. This will make it easier for readers to understand your point.

Don't be too casual. The Internet has given rise to a lot of casual acronyms and shortenings of words, such as ur for your and u for you. Avoid these at all costs in business communications. They are too casual for a business environment.

Consider your audience. Are you writing to a marketing exec, a programmer or other technical employee, or the company president? Are you writing to one specific person or to a large audience with different levels of technical understanding? You should always tailor your communications to your audience. If you are writing to employees who are not technical, avoid specialized technical words and break concepts down so that laypeople can understand.

Every email and communication you send does not have to be a work of genius. But it does need to be easily understood. Use these tips, and your business communication is sure to improve.

Jennifer Williamson runs a successful business as an article writer and freelance writer in southern Pennsylvania. Visit her website for copywriting services that can help you boost sales and traffic online, or her freelance writing blog for up-to-the-minute writing advice.

Clauses: Noun, Adjectival And Adverbial Clauses

2011-07-06T16:29:00.000-07:00

This is a group of words that is grammatically arranged that contains a subject and predicate. It could as well be defined as a sequence of words arranged grammatically and which have in it the subject and the verb. The important points are that it -

• is a well arranged group of words that are grammatically meaningful
• must have a subject
• must have a verb

The two (2) most important type of clauses are:

1. THE INDEPENDENT/MAIN
2. THE DEPENDENT/SUBORDINATE

Examples include:

Independent dependent

• We found out / that the roof leaks

An independent clause (or main) is one that can stand alone as a complete sentence. It may be part of a larger sentence, but if it is removed from the sentence, it still forms a complete sentence by itself. For example -

• After we bought the house, we found a crack in it.

The underlined sentence is an independent clause. It is not begin with a subordinator, relative pronoun or a relative adverb. So, a dependent/subordinate one normally begins with a subordinator, relative pronoun or relative adverb and cannot stand alone as a complete sentence. Such a clause must be connected to or included in an independent/main clause to complete it.

dependent independent

• When the referee blew the whistle, / the match stopped.

A dependent/subordinate clause performs the same function as a noun, adjective or adverb.

TYPES OF DEPENDENT OR SUBORDINATE CLAUSES

There are three (3) main types of clauses and they are:

1. NOUN
2. ADJECTIVAL
3. ADVERBIAL

NOUN CLAUSE

It performs the function of a noun. It fills the position or positions that a noun or nouns may fill in a sentence. A noun phrase is typically introduced by that, who, what, whom, whoever, whichever, whether, where, when, why and how.

Examples:

Note: SVOCA (Subject, Verb, Object, Complement and Adjunct)

1. The insult greatly pained him (S,A,V,O)

This can be reproduced as in the sentence below -

That Tina insulted him greatly pained him

• It is a noun clause (NC)
• It functions as the subject of the sentence

2. The cook gave us food. (S,V, Independent Object, dependent object)

This can be reproduced as in the sentence below -

The cook gave us what to eat.

• It is a NC
• It functions as the object of the sentence

3. Honesty is what we want. (as subject complement in the sentence)

4. We call him what he like. (as object complement)

ADJECTIVAL CLAUSE

It modifies or describes a noun, pronoun or other groups of words serving as noun. An adjectival clause usually follows the words that he modifies and it is typically introduced by relative pronouns and relative adverbs.

Examples:

1. The lady whose car was stolen is here

• It is an adjectival clause (AC)
• It modifies the noun 'lady'.

2. This is the house where I live.

• It is an AC
• It modifies the noun 'house'.

3. Can you think of any good reason why I should go to class?

• It is an AC
• It modifies the noun 'reason'.

ADVERBIAL CLAUSE

It modifies a verb or an adjective. It is usually introduced by relative adverbs or subordinating conjunction like unless, because, as if, in case, until, before, although, in as much as, etc. Several kinds are recognized. Adverbial clause could be of time, place, manner, reason, purpose, condition, concession and comparison.

1. Simi hissed when she saw Joy (of time, modifies the verb hissed)
2. Mike left his book where it can be seen (of place, modifies the verb left)
3. She ran as if she had a lion chasing her (of manner, modifies the verb ran)
4. He apologized because he knew he was wrong (adverbial clause of reason, modifies the verb apologized)
5. She trained so that she might win (of purpose, modifies the verb trained)
6. You will fail if you are idle (of condition, modifies the verb fail)
7. Although, he is poor, he is honest (of concession, modifies the verb is)
8. He is not as old as I thought (of comparison, modifies the verb is)

Powerful Punctuation - Misuse and Over Use of Exclamation Points in Professional Fiction Writing

2011-06-28T05:35:00.000-07:00

by Michelle L Devon -

Ah, punctuation!

One of the most frequently misused forms of punctuation is the exclamation point or the exclamation mark. As an editor, I have frequently told authors with whom I work that I am going to remove the exclamation point from their keyboard. Don't get me wrong here, the exclamation point has its place in writing, but it is frequently overused or misused. When the exclamation point is misused or over used, it lowers its power.

The exclamation point is most frequently used in dialog, and it is usually used to denote a strong command:

"Stop!"

An exclamation point almost always comes at the end of a sentence, but occasionally, it can come in the middle when using dialog that has text tags behind it, such as:

He said, "Stop!" before he reached out to grab the file from her hand.

An exclamation point can also be used to indicate shouting.

He yelled, "I'm so angry!"

This makes a stronger impact than without the exclamation point, and clearly indicates that the person was shouting, emphasizing the point.

Exclamation points are also used to denote a surprise or a shock or something that is in some way astonishing or amazing, even when the person is not shouting.

He said quietly, a shocked expression on his face, "I can't believe he actually jumped out of the airplane!"

When used this way, exclamation points are a very important part of punctuation. However, there are two consistently misused instances of exclamation point abuse regularly seen on the internet that should be avoided in professional fiction writing:

Multiple Exclamation Points and the Exclamation / Question Combo

Let's look at multiple exclamation points first:

The window on his car was broken. "I can't believe this happened!!!!"

Many writers believe that multiple exclamation points will indicate that the comment preceding the exclamation point was very important, very loud, or had a lot of emotion behind it.

Unfortunately, this is a sign of an amateur writer, and a big tip off to editors in the publishing field that the author is inexperienced. We see multiple exclamation points all the time in blogs and personal writings, and I even use them on my own blogs, but multiple exclamation points are not acceptable in professional writing.

A good fiction writer can convey the additional emotion or loudness of the exclamation in their writing along with ONE exclamation point, and multiple exclamation points are simply not acceptable.

That sentence above could be rewritten to say:

He was completely shocked and dismayed to discover the window on his car was broken. He screamed, "I can't believe this happened!"

Not only have you drawn a better word picture of the scene to your reader this way, but you no longer need the multiple exclamation points. Of course, you may come up with even better descriptive than the example here, but it makes the point.

The other problem exclamation point usage is the question/exclamation combo.

"What?!" he asked. "I can't believe this. How could this happen?!"

This is a NO-NO for professional fiction writing. If you need to let the reader know the person is yelling or astonished, then do it in the dialog tags and descriptive text, and then only use the question mark in the actual dialog.

"What?" he screamed. His voice rang out in clear shock and disbelief. "I can't believe this. How could this happen?"

In a novel, the only time you should use an exclamation point is in dialog, unless it is written in such a way that the novel has a narrator speaking to the reader or the novel is written in first person, present tense (sometimes past tense works too), memoir style, and this is not the traditional, common writing style and a very hard one to sell to a publisher, not impossible, but hard. Placing an exclamation point in the text of a fiction novel that is not dialog is one example of something known as 'author intrusion', where the author is trying to lead the reader to what they should be able to clearly see by the words and description.

In a professional articles or writing other than fiction, you simply should not use an exclamation point, ever!

Well, okay, that's not entirely true. When the writing is technical, professional, newsprint, non fiction, you should not use an exclamation point. However, when writing with a more casual style, such as web content or opinion pieces, an occasional exclamation point to emphasize a specific point in the writing is acceptable, but you want to limit their use, never use more than one exclamation point in the same paragraph, and never use the question mark / exclamation point combo.

When an exclamation point is overused, the meaning of the exclamation point, what its purpose is, gets lost. Save you exclamation points for casual writing or dialog and only when you really need it to make a point, and the power of the exclamation point in writing will not be lost.

Michelle L Devon is a professional writer and a professional freelance editor, providing editing and writing services through her company, Accentuate Services. For more information and additional hints and tips about writing and grammar, as well as viewing verified and researched paying freelance print and web content writing calls and jobs, please visit her free writer's forum at www.writersforum.info [http://www.accentuateservices.com/forum], and visit the Paying Writing Jobs thread.

A Or An Before "historic"

2011-06-24T09:18:00.001-07:00

by Judy Vorfeld -

Have you ever been confused about when to use "a" and "an" before words beginning with "h"? You're not alone. Some of the most famous people in the world don't use the rules properly. Here's what the style guides say:

Prentice Hall Reference Guide to Grammar and Usage (2003) says that "a" is used before consonant SOUNDS, not just consonants. Use "an" when the word following it starts with a vowel or an unsounded "h."

The Gregg Reference Manual, Ninth Edition, concurs.

Chicago Manual of Style, 15th edition, University of Chicago Press, says: The indefinite article a, not an, is used in American English before words beginning with a pronounced h.

Examples: a hotel - an honor - a historical study - an heir.

Associated Press Stylebook 2003 says: A historic event is an important occurrence, one that stands out in history.

Many people say, "An historical occasion," but "an historical" isn't idiomatic in American English. Using "an" is common, but not universally accepted by experts. Here's how to figure out which article to use:

Before a word starting with a pronounced, breathy "h," use "a." Examples: A hotel; A happy time; A historical day; A healthy, happy baby.

You attend a history class, not an history class. Same with "historical." It was a historical occasion.

Honeymooners go to a hideaway, not an hideaway. The donkey carried a heavy burden, not an heavy burden. "Historical" is no different.

Use "an" with words beginning with an unpronounced "h." Examples: An herb garden; an hour; an honor; An heir.

Now, let's combine them: "Look! An herb garden in a historical setting. Let's stay an hour, then find a hotel."

In the UK and other countries with British influence, the "h" in "herb" is often pronounced. See what I mean about confusing? We'll almost always find exceptions to every rule. No matter. Just do your best to be a good communicator and move on!

Judy Vorfeld
Webmaster, Writer, Editor, and Photographer
http://www.editingandwritingservices.com
http://www.ossweb.com

Examples of Indefinite and Reflexive Pronouns

2011-06-12T10:43:00.000-07:00

by Elizabeth O'brien -

Can you name some examples of indefinite and reflexive pronouns? Do you know what they are? Before we look at examples, let's have a little refresher.

Pronouns

Do you remember the eight parts of speech? Well, pronouns are one of the eight parts of speech. They are words that take the place of nouns. (Nouns name people, places, things, or ideas.) Pronouns can do all of the things that nouns can do.

There are many different types of pronouns. Let's focus on two types, shall we?

Indefinite Pronouns

These are pronouns that don't refer to a specific person or thing. The prefix "in" means "not." That will help you to remember that these pronouns are not definite.

Here are a couple of example sentences with indefinite pronouns.

Everyone laughed at the joke.

Both of the boys brought her flowers.

Notice that in both of those sentences, we're not sure which nouns the pronouns are replacing. They did not specify which nouns they replaced. They are not definite.

Examples of Indefinite Pronouns

Here is a list of indefinite pronouns:

each, everything, either, everyone, someone, anything, both, many, several, few, all, most, none, one, some, much

Reflexive Pronouns

Reflexive pronouns end in -self or -selves, and they always refer to the subject of the sentence.

Here are a couple of example sentences using reflexive pronouns:

The baby looked at herself in the mirror.

I bought myself a cupcake.

Notice that the pronouns herself and myself end in -self, and they both refer back to the subject of the sentence, baby and I.

Examples of Reflexive Pronouns

Here is a list of reflexive pronouns:

myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, yourselves, themselves

Tip: Don't Confuse Reflexive Pronouns with Intensive Pronouns

Intensive pronouns are another type of pronoun that end in -self and -selves, but they are used differently than reflexive pronouns.

Remember that reflexive pronouns always refer to the subject, and they are a necessary part of the sentence. Intensive pronouns are only used to add emphasis to another noun or pronoun (not necessarily the subject), and they are not a necessary part of the sentence.

Here are two examples of intensive pronouns:

The trip itself was extremely fun, but some of the people on it were grouchy.

She asked me herself.

Do you see how we could take out both itself and herself from those sentences and they would still make sense? They aren't a necessary part of the sentence, so they are intensive pronouns.

Learn more about pronouns on my website! http://www.english-grammar-revolution.com/what-is-a-pronoun.html

You'll also find lists of the English parts of speech as well as lessons and exercises to help you learn or teach proper grammar.

Check it out! http://www.english-grammar-revolution.com

In Business, Writing Well is a Necessity

2011-06-10T08:33:00.000-07:00

by Jim Roe -

You can all relax. This is not a grammar lesson.

It is not enough to do a good job. You must also give the appearances of doing a good job. That is why writing well is so important. Writing well is not an add-on to your job skills. It is a central part of it. Your writing must communicate you doing a good job. Many who read your reports will never meet you. Yet they have powerful influences over your career. Their only vision of you is through your writings.

Since only your writings are available to them, the writing must be outstanding. You are outstanding. Your writing must reflect that.

Just what are we trying to achieve when we write? The US novelist Robert Stone said it best: "What you're trying to do when you write is to crowd the reader out of his own space and occupy it with yours, in a good cause. You're trying to take over his sensibility and deliver an experience that moves them just from mere information."

Writing is thinking on paper. Anyone with a clear logical mind can write well. You have such a mind or you would not be here. Writing well is a three-step process. And you have already mastered the first two:

Knowledge.

Without knowledge you cannot convince anyone to do anything. Our knowledge tends to be disorganized. We learnt a bit here, a bit there and a lot from some place else. It's all good stuff but gathered then stored in a random pile, so to speak.

Navigation.

You must plot a logical course leading the reader from A to B to C to your conclusion. Do not worry about the verbiage at this stage. Just have the logical sequence laid out Point form, broken sentences, whatever. Your readers will not tolerate your logic wandering. You cannot be like the man who rode his horse backwards. His friend said, "That is remarkable. You have visited all those wonderful places, yet you only ride your horse backwards! Just how do you do it?" "Oh, that's easy," he replied, "I only want to go where the horse wants to go."

Salesmanship.

This is what we consider as "Writing," putting the words on paper. The task is to guide and comfort the reader. At the end of each sentence they must have the feeling of "that makes sense, that's logical, that was easy to grasp, I'll carry on reading." Actually, it's writing and thinking. The tough part is the thinking. What is the next logical step? Think. What is the reader expecting next? Think. Is what I said what I meant? Think.

Do not expect to write and not have to rewrite, rewrite, and rewrite. If you think, you can write without having to fine-tune it, your readers will surely be in trouble. Many readers will not bother to finish reading it. How many times have you started to read an article and quit reading it? Not because the subject was boring but because the story wandered, was confusing or difficult to read.

Searching out the errors, roadblocks, and poor sentence structure makes for hard, time-consuming work. It is so easy to be ambiguous. It is so easy to say it poorly. My favorite example of ambiguity is a manager's memo requesting "a listing of all employees broken down by sex."

For some, writing is a chore, for others, fun. I cannot change that. Writing well will not change that. You are who you are. For myself, I find writing well hard work and time consuming but very enjoyable.

Authority

You are paid to be an authority. You are paid to make decisions.
If you are not an authority on what you are about to write, put the pen down until you are. It's that simple. With all simple things, there is a trick. We do not have to be an authority on everything. Just an authority on what we are about to write. I do not mean known a lot. I mean be a true authority on the very narrow topic.

If you are using a chemical, know everything about it. Who discovered it? What, why, and when is important. Know the history of the subject. Know all of today's applications. It's a narrow topic so it is not difficult. Putting some history in your report demonstrates your knowledge. It strengthens you implied claim of being an authority

Consider this brief statement:

"Mercury was first confirmed as a poison when the strange behavior of felt hat makers was investigated. It was discovered that they were being poisoned with the mercury used in felt manufacturing. The nervous Mad Hatter in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is a fairly accurate portrayal of a person suffering from the nerve damage caused by mercury exposure."

By implication, what does this brief statement tell the reader?
Just to know this you must be an authority. The hazard label is well deserved and not simply a hazard promoted by some activist. And most importantly: Reader, don't hassle me on what I am saying. I'll fight back if you challenge me.

Every subject has interesting historical facts. Search them out. You may be surprised what you will learn during your search. Typically, you can be an authority in a relatively short time. Remember, we are only talking about very narrow subjects. For example, I am an authority on mathematical sales forecasting. I studied it well. As a frustrated mathematician, it fascinated me. To me, exponential smoothing, seasonal variations, and probabilities are all great stuff.

I went to the library to study its beginnings of mathematical sales forecasting, it's history, and lore. A mathematician named Browne and a few others developed mathematical forecasting while in the US Air force during the Second World War. They developed the mathematics for the automatic aiming of guns to shoot down airplanes.

After the war they were unemployed. So they applied their principles to sales forecasting. I can still remember a magazine drawing of a gun, the bullets and airplane's path with the military formulas beside each. Beside the military formula the same formula was rewritten using business terms: past sales (airplane's path) etc. If you know how shooting down an airplane can help you forecast sales, please let me know.
As I said, I'm an authority: Mathematical sales forecasting is garbage. But it sells well.

Nomex® is an excellent electrical insulation. In the '60's I used it as electrical insulation in transformer design. Did you know the US government funded its development in the early fifty's specifically for space suits? That was years before we ever heard of Sputnik (1957). I was an authority on Nomex. A very narrow field, but I was an authority.

You do not need to know every regulation in the book. But be an authority on the ones that apply to you. Knowing when it was written, by whom and why was it promoted to be included in the regulations can be used to demonstrate your knowledge.

It's easy and it's fun for both you and the reader.

Fun: if you do not enjoy your subject, you cannot write well. Your writing must display both your knowledge and interest in the subject. Your reader must understand you enjoy making decisions, and do it willingly.

You are paid to be an authority. You are paid to make decisions. Nothing less. Your writing skills must be up to your abilities. When finished reading your report there must be no qualifiers. Say what must be done. Eliminate all those words that put doubt in the reader's mind. Words such as "rather," "perhaps," "may be necessary." It is necessary or it is not. These words put doubt in their mind about you. They are called "weasel" words.

You fail if the reader must sort out your options and make a decision. Every sentence must be positive. Your reader wants to read solid recommendations. Authority falters if you are not positive. No "perhaps we should." Say, "we must." Make the decision. Be bold in your statements. Don't be kind of bold. Be bold.

Passive Voice

Passive Voice is a grammatical term for an action statement that makes verbs become bland. Use verbs that convey an image. Smash, discharge, break, poison, gives positive images of the action.

Passive Voice is also an action statement without a person in them. In technical writing it is difficult to put a personal touch to a chemical reaction. We accept passive voice in technical writing. That is what makes technical writing boring. You can brighten it through your writing.

"The regulation is new" sounds weak. "The new regulation" has energy. "The motor was defective." is insipid. "The motor failed." conjures up a vision. Not "Transfer the fluid to the tower." Say " Pump the fluid" Pump is an action word. Using vision words brightens your writing.

Know Your Audience.

Know your audience. That's nonsense. We have trouble enough knowing ourselves, let alone others. I've been married for forty-two years. My wife is still a wonderful mystery to me. Write for yourself. Say what you want to say. But say it well. If the reader does not like it, tough. These are my thoughts, my feelings, and my recommendations. Take them or leave them. I am not compromising my standards for you or anyone else.
Above all, revel in the joy of being you.

Word Processors

Word processors are a great invention. Don't leave home without one. They are great for checking punctuation. Not bad for checking grammar. Not great, but pretty good. Spell checkers are great but dangerous to rely on. Word processors can point out our misuse of words. Take, for example, the word "approximate," a common engineering term. Odds are you would agree that it means: An inexact value adequate for a given purpose

Those educated in the liberal arts and business, such as many of our senior executives, know the correct definition of "approximate." It means "almost exactly." The correct term for our use of "approximate" is "about." The error we make is assuming "approximate" has the same meaning as the mathematical term "approximation."

Know what words mean.

Another example: the difference between "Committed" and "Involved." A chicken was involved in the preparation of your breakfast. The pig was committed.

Most grammar checkers object to using "but" and recommend "however." But "But" is correct. "However" is vague, boring. You run the risk of falling asleep before you finish saying it. "But" conjures up the vision of a smack in the head. It is a wake-up word. Use it.

Shorter words are more prone to promote an image and have energy. Short words are short because they were created to make a point. Mark Twain said it best in a speech in 1908 and I quote:

"An average English word is four letters and a half. By hard, honest labor I've dug all the large words out of my vocabulary and shaved it down 'till the average is three and a half. ... I never write "metropolis" for seven cents,- he was paid seven cents a word - because I can get the same money for "city." I never write "policeman," because I can get the same price for "cop." ... I never write "valetudinarian" at all, for not even hunger and wretchedness can humble me to the point where I will do a word like that for seven cents; I wouldn't do it for fifteen (cents)."

Spell checkers are great but use with caution. They only check to see if you spelt the word correctly. It does not determine if you used the correct word. And it is ever so easy to accidentally drop a letter. There is a difference between "public place" and "pubic place."

Most have a feature that estimates the reading skill require to understand it. It evaluates word size and sentence length. Ignore it. I am not interested in knowing if a grade eight reader can read it. The question is, can they understand it? That requires writing well.

A complex subject is, by definition, complex. Perhaps a grade eighter cannot understand it, no matter how well you write. Many everyday activities are so complex they defy writing clearly. For example, write me instructions on how to tie my shoelaces. You can write with clarity, you can write with brevity. But you cannot avoid the subject's complexity. If you could, then the subject was never complex.

But that does not mean you should accept the complexity. One must always try to simplify. You must reduce the subject to its simplest terms. Reduce it to a logical sequence of clearly thought-out sentences. This will help make it clear to your readers and yourself. You will learn if you knew as much about the subject as you had hoped. Writing out your knowledge in logical sentences will highlight your missing knowledge and faulty logic.

Few subjects are more complex than Einstein's Theory of Relativity. It is not an easy subject to understand. Yet his 1916 book, The Theory of Relativity is a marvel of logic. He understands the reader's knowledge of his theory is nonexistent. He leads the reader, step by step, going gently over the rough spots to help the reader. True, I get lost after the first half dozen chapters. But that is my weakness, not his carefully laid out logic.

Word processors compare our writing to famous authors, notably Ernest Hemingway. He only used short sentences and small words. It makes for easy reading. And to write a book for popular consumption - that is the way to success. We do not write books. We write technical reports and memos, usually on complex subjects.

A famous example of clarity, brevity and complexity is Lincoln's Gettysburg Address. He gave it at the dedication of the Gettysburg National Cemetery, honoring those who died in the Battle of Gettysburg. His brief speech was followed by the most famous speaker of the time, Edward Everett. Everett, clergyman, orator, educator, and diplomat whose many offices included US Representative from Massachusetts was the main speaker. He spoke for two hours. The newspapers praised Everett's speech and barely mentioned Lincoln's.

Yet Everett was so impressed with Lincoln's speech that he wrote him a letter the next day saying, "I wish that I could flatter myself that I had come as near to the central idea of the occasion in two hours as you did in two minutes."

As brief as the Gettysburg Address was- 270 words - it is a classical model of eloquence. It is famous not because it is American; it is famous because it is one of the most moving expressions of the democratic spirit.
Grammar checkers estimate it requires a grade thirteen education to comprehend it, five times as complex as Ernest Hemingway writings. It rates the sentence structure very complex, requiring well above the average vocabulary to understand it. Lincoln said what he wanted, was true to himself. He wrote for himself. He did not demean his subject by diluting it for the masses.

Ernest Hemingway commented on the speech by saying: "It wasn't by accident that the Gettysburg Address was so short. The laws of prose writing are as immutable as those of flight, of mathematics, of physics.

Word Quality.

I have talked about the importance of using short words and using vision words. Another word quality is how it sounds to the ear. While most of our writing is never read aloud, it is still heard in our mind.

Certain words are beautiful to say. Some are ugly. A few sound awkward. "Got" is an ugly word. I wince every time I use it. As short as it is, it offers no vision. But its crime is that it sounds like you are clearing your throat. It is such a waste of a short word.
"Filthy" is a beautiful word. Try it. It flows ever so nicely off your tongue. What a beautiful sounding name for a woman. "I would like you to meet my friend, Miss Filthy Smith."

"Orange" completely disrupts the flow of a sentence. "If you have an orange house, burn it." You have to stop in mid-sentence just to say it. Having selected the correct words one must construct the sentence that sounds right. Read you work aloud. Your ear will identify the phrases and sentences that do not sound right. While the thought may be correct, somehow the sentence may sound awkward. Here is a classic example "These are the times that try men's souls." Thomas Paine, author of the 1776 pamphlet Common Sense, calling for American Independence through revolution, wrote it. "These are the times that try men's souls."

Try rearranging the words to see if it can be made to sound better:
How trying it is to live in times like these! This sounds like someone is ready to give up.

These are trying times for men's souls. That makes it sound like wearying experience.
Soul wise, these are trying times. Let's do our best to survive. That is just plain bad.
All used the same words but only Paine expresses determination.
Reading your writing out loud is a valuable tool.

If you cannot repair a problem sentence structure then feel free to use my patented "Roe's Cure-all for Problem Sentences": get rid of it. It probably was not essential anyway.
Just as we tend to avoid large crowds, we surely avoid large paragraphs. Make them short. Looking forward to reading a long paragraph is not pleasant. It is viewed as a challenge. Most will say: "Why bother? I have enough challenges in my life - why voluntarily add one more?"

The Information Age

Appreciate the difference between information and knowledge. If you are writing to give information, you are wasting your time and the reader's. We are being buried in useless information. The Internet and mass publications flood us with information. Corporations sends out reams of information to us via email, faxes, computer reports, and pamphlets. 99.9% of it is useless to me. I do not seek information. I seek knowledge that I can convert to understanding and then, hopefully, to wisdom.

Business spends far too much time measuring and reporting what can be reported while deliberately ignoring what should be reported and investigated. Why? They dare not publish internal documents criticizing the company for fear of the shareholders or the government gets access to it.
Style

Lastly, writing style. Forget writing style. Write for yourself with clarity. That is a great style. I wish I could tell you how to write well but I can't. All I can do is to explain some of my thoughts on writing well. The rest is up to you and your ambitions.

As Vice-President of Manufacturing I presented this article to an environmental, health, and safety conference to about sixty of the corporations EH&S engineers. If they are to succeed their writing must reflect their abilities. Unfortunately few make the effort to master writing well.

Writing Business Memos - 5 Simple Keys to Successful Memos

2011-06-08T08:59:00.001-07:00

by Lynda Goldman -

Do you struggle to write business memos? Are you unsure of the different styles of business memos, or what is appropriate? The biggest problem with writing a memo is knowing what to write, and knowing the correct format.

Here are 5 simple keys to success:

1. Internal communication: Memos are used for internal communication, and are sent to colleagues and co-workers. They can be directed to a few specific people, but often address a group, team or department. Memos are best for announcing information such as policy changes, persuading people to take action such as attending a meeting, or presenting goals or expectations.

2. Specific format: Memos are less formal than letters, but they have a specific format. They are generally short, with one to four sentences. A longer format might have several paragraphs but should never be longer than one page. If you need to communicate more information it is better to write a report.

Use the standard format that your company provides, or check some guides for standard formats. You don't need a salutation or a closing statement.

3. Action-oriented: These documents that make things happen within an organization. They manage day-to-day arrangements such as requests, procedures and agreements. For example, they are frequently used to confirm a conversation or agreement, request information, or to announce a change in work procedure.

4. Single point: The topic should be narrow and apparent immediately. A good memo summarizes facts, analyzes pertinent issues, or makes a recommendation and supports it. The goal is to be brief, and to make your point quickly, clearly and effectively. Be factual, and use a positive or neutral tone.

5. Public property: A memo is not private. It becomes the property of the person who receives it. Don't write anything that you wouldn't say in person. Avoid emotionally charged issues, and anything that you don't want to have broadcasted to the public.

You are invited to use these tips to increase your communication skills.

You're also invited to receive a free report: "Breakthrough Communication Skills" packed with powerful tips for business success, at http://www.ImpressforSuccess.com when you join my Communication Capsules newsletter.

For examples of business memo formats, check out "How to Write a Persuasive Business Memo," a simple How-to Guide that gives you immediate results. http://www.goldmansmythe.com/howto.html

Creative Fiction Writing Workshop: Using Quotation Marks and Other Punctuation

2011-06-08T08:58:00.001-07:00

by Kat Jaske -

Don't let dialogue and punctuation marks outsmart you in creative fiction writing.

Dialogue between characters is one great way to engage in character development. Usage of quotes can become very complicated in your characters' dialogue, but you don't have to struggle with how to use quotes along with commas, periods, capitalization, the em dash, the ellipses, and other marks. Use the templates below for models on how to use quotation marks, and you will be a whiz at this in no time.

Your word processing program will probably use smart quotes. The quote marks curl toward the words. You may set your word processor to use straight quotes if you prefer. Be sure you are consistent and always use one or the other throughout your entire writing.

1. Using the ellipses to show the thought trails off, when the sentence is incomplete:

End with a blank, then the three dots, the quote, a blank.
"I, I, I . . ." he stuttered.

A non-quote new sentence follows: Capitalize the new sentence.
"Still she's reckless, and that temper of hers . . ." Not to mention the prickly pride.

A new paragraph follows:

"I don't know what to say, Aramis. They're your best friends, not my best friends. I've no right to tell them. But maybe . . ."

2. Using the ellipses within quotes when the sentence is complete:

A new sentence, within the same quote follows. Note there is a period before the three dots.
"He has my father's signet ring, and Papa never let that out of his possession. . . . They murdered my father in Belgium."

The quote sentence is complete and is followed by a new non-quote sentence:
"And Uncle Porthos even took me on his horse. . . ." Suddenly, the boy stopped as if realizing he had a crowd.

3. Quote starts the sentence; the "he said" is in the middle, and then the quote continues:

Don't capitalize the continued sentence.
"My father's out of the country," she began in a measured tone, "and a lone woman could hardly welcome a group of strange men to her home."

4. Quote starts the sentence, ends with a comma and quote and blank and the "he said.":

Do not capitalize the word after the closing quote unless it is a proper name or the word "I."
"He will see you now," the servant said, bowing as Athos thanked him.

Quote ends with a question mark and is followed by the "he said:"
Don't capitalize the "he said" part.
"Do we have an agreement?" the unofficial leader of the group asked.

5. Quote starts in the middle of the sentence:

Put a comma after the leading "he said." Have one blank, then the quotation mark, then the first word of the quote capitalized.
He shrugged his shoulders and said, "It was just a possible explanation. I know it's not a very good one."

6. Use the em dash to show a pause in the quote that is all one sentence:

Use no spaces before or after the dash.
"You know what I really wish? I really wish you could find it in your heart to trust me--to not always play the gentleman. However, it'd be more than enough if you just decided to be your real self."

Use the em dash to show one sentence trails off and then a new sentence begins:
Capitalize the new sentence. Use one space after the closing quote.
"Yes, but--" She silenced him with a kiss.
"I think so, but--On second thought, it's not true," he said.

Kat Jaske (C)2006 All rights reserved

The reviewer from ForeWord Reviews.com in her five-star review of For Honor by Kat Jaske, stated that Jaske was highly skilled in character development. Kat Jaske is an English and French teacher in Las Vegas, where her high school selected her first novel, For Honor, as the featured book for the 2006 reading incentive program. Jaske's second book in the series, Gambit For Love of a Queen, and the third swashbuckling, adventure novel, Righting Time, also feature the musketeers, sword fighting, and the lady musketeer and spy, Laurel. See the author web site http://www.forhonor.com for more information.

Title Capitalization In The English Language

2011-06-08T08:56:00.000-07:00

by Carsten Cumbrowski -

Titles of blog posts and web pages are very important. It important to make the title appealing and interesting at the same time, because it is usually the first thing people notice when people see your post or web page in the search results of search engines, feed readers (blogs) and news aggregations.

Interesting about titles in the English language is also the fact that they follow different capitalization rules for the words used in the title compared to the capitalization rules of regular content.

A simplified but wrong rule is to capitalize every single word in the title. It does look awkward in most cases, independent of the fact that it is just wrong to do it that way.

Using gut feeling is one way a lot of people do it, but following the specific rules that state which word needs to be capitalized and which word does not is probably a better way of doing it.

Most people probably heart about these rules and had them as subject at one point in time at school. The people who had it in school can consider this information a "refresher", especially if it has been a while since you learned it.

The Rules

In titles of songs or albums and band names, blog posts or articles, the standard rule in the English language is to capitalize words that:

1. Are the first or the last word in the title

2. Are not conjunctions ("and", "but", "or", "nor"), adpositions ("to", "over"), articles ("an", "a", "the"), or the "to" in infinitives.

Conjunctions

Correlative conjunctions are pairs of conjunctions which work together to coordinate two items. English examples include for, and, nor, but, or, yet, and so, both ... and, either ... or, neither ... nor, and not (only) ... but (... also).

Subordinating conjunctions, also called subordinators, are conjunctions that introduce a dependent clause; English examples include after, although, if, unless, and because. Another way for remembering is the mnemonic "BISAWAWE": "because", "if", "so that", "after", "when", "although", "while", and "even though".

Adposition

An adposition is an element that combines syntactically with a phrase and indicates how that phrase should be interpreted in the surrounding context. "Adposition" is a general term that includes the more specific labels preposition, postposition, and circumposition, which indicate the position of the adposition with respect to its complement phrase. Adpositions are among the most frequently occurring words in languages that have them. Examples: of, to, in, for, on, with, as, by, at, from

Articles

The words: the, a and an

Infinitives

The infinitive of a verb is its basic form with or without the particle to. Therefore, do and to do, be and to be, and so on are infinitives.

Conclusion

There are always border line cases so I would not worry about it too much, but it helps with the decision if or if not a word in the title should be capitalized if your guts took time off right at the time when you are finalizing a great post or article for your blog or website.

Carsten Cumbrowski is an author of articles about numerous different subjects, but writes primarily about internet marketing. He is also a blogger who writes for ReveNews.com and SearchEngineJournal.com. More Articles by Carsten Cumbrowski can be found at his website Cumbrowski.com.

Plain English = Plain Sailing

2011-05-30T10:21:00.000-07:00

by Eva Hussain -

Plain English is a writing style that readers can understand in one reading. It combines clear expression, effective structure and good document design. Sounds simple but why is it so hard to achieve, even for native speakers of the English language?

Our lives are littered with examples of bad writing, jargon and meaningless words in official documents, forms, emails, websites, contracts and instructions. Yet, we should be able to understand them at first reading-without a dictionary or a lawyer. When people understand information, they gain a sense of control and ability to make informed choices, and it is easier for them to communicate with you.

To stand out from the crowd, you should write to your readers as if you were talking to them, not at them. Try it! For the next thing you write, try putting things down the way you would actually say them. For example, do you use words like commence, instead of begin, prior instead of before, or assist instead of help when you speak?

When writing, ask yourself:

1. How much does the reader know about the subject?
2. What information do I actually need to give them?
3. What tone and style should I use?

Here are some basic principles of plain English writing:

1. Write the way you speak: keep your writing simple and use the first person instead of passive voice.
2. Use friendly, engaging and sincere language.
3. Respect your readers, adapting your style to their needs.
4. Use simple language when explaining technical terms.
5. Avoid jargon, cliches, trendy phrases and redundant words.
6. Keep your average sentence length to 15-20 words, with one idea per sentence.
7. Check your text carefully for errors, including spelling, grammar and punctuation.
8. Pay attention to fonts, design and layout of your text as much as to the language.

Remember, professionals use ordinary words. Amateurs use impressive words.

Avoid Use
Additional more, extra
Assistance help
Commence begin, start
Endeavour try
Forward send
Obtain get
Prior to before

And just to summarise: Think before you write - Write with the reader in mind. - Check before you send.

Yours sincerely,

Eva Hussain

With over 15 years experience in the language sector, Eva is a sought-after linguist, researcher, consultant and trainer. In addition to her native Polish, Eva speaks French, Russian, Turkish and Hindi. She's the owner of Polaron Language Services, http://www.polaron.com.au

English Grammar Rules - How We Got Lost on the Way to Grammar's House

2011-05-30T10:18:00.000-07:00

by Brad Nugent -

There was a time, way back in the murky past, when understanding English Grammar was considered to be one of the fundamentals taught at schools in the English speaking world. For some reason, this has changed over the past few decades and a more holistic approach to literacy instruction has been advocated. However, even highly intelligent students now seem to struggle when it comes to the conventions of writing in English. Clearly, there are some things that just don't automatically happen via exposure to language and texts. There are still some basic elements of language learning, including those pesky Grammar rules, which must be actively taught.

In fact, it is somewhat misleading to refer to English Grammar rules as 'rules'. They are not rules in the same way that we have rules of cricket, for instance. If we wanted to know about the rules of cricket, we would simply consult the official Cricket Rule Book. However, we cannot do something similar if we want to know about English Grammar rules. There is no official English Grammar Guide that contains all the laws of the language. These rules are not so much 'rules' as they are 'conventions', agreed upon quite informally over time by the majority of those who use the language.

So if they are not really rules at all, then why do we need to follow them? It is not mandatory to follow conventions. People are allowed to differ from the norm. The supposed English Grammar rules are not laws! I will not go to jail if I tell the police, 'I seen the man what robbed the place!' I will not have to face an officious magistrate if I am overheard telling a friend, 'There ain't nothing I can do about it.' And, assuming I was not supposed to be at work all weekend, I will not be fired if I tell a co-worker, 'Me and Billy was just down at the pub on the weekend, wasn't we Billy?'

The police officer, my friend and my co-worker would all understand me. They would get the message I intended to convey. Does this mean that understanding English Grammar is unnecessary? This would be the case if it were only the meaning of our communications that were important. However, this is clearly not the case. Successful communication between two people involves not only the sender of the message, but also the receiver of the message. And the perception formed by the receiver of the message can be vitally important. This perception will be influenced by the manner in which the message is sent. If the conventions of Grammar are followed, the message may well be received more favourably since both the sender and receiver of the message are using the same system for communicating.

Consider the case when the communication is not made verbally, but in writing. Writing is a far more formal medium. The expectation that goes along with this is that English Grammar rules will be followed more closely in writing than in speaking. There is no doubt that if my written statement, 'I seen the man what robbed the place!' was distributed to a jury, then my credibility would be somewhat reduced.

The way language is used does matter. English Grammar rules may not be rules per se, but we are still bound by them. The effective communication of our intended meaning and the perception of our message by those that receive it depend upon communicators 'playing' by the rules. There are times that our communications need to appear professional and credible. This is why understanding English Grammar should be reinstated as a fundamental focus of our study of language at school.

Brad Nugent is a school psychologist from Western Australia. He enjoys helping others to improve their learning outcomes, particular with regards to written expression.

You can visit Brad for more information at his Understanding English Grammar blog.

Proprioceptive Writing - Explore Your Mind Through Writing

2011-05-08T05:58:00.000-07:00

by Nancy Nicolazzo -

When I was a young girl I wrote in a diary - it had a pink plastic cover and a lock and key to keep my thoughts private. I never edited my thoughts. My diaries were written in a stream of consciousness. I wrote about my inner thoughts as a way of exploring them.

Through the years, as an adult, I have written in journals - sometimes without editing my thoughts, and many times watching what I wrote without really exploring my thoughts and feelings.

So I have been writing since the time I was quite young and I have been meditating for over seventeen years. Both practices of meditating and writing are good ways to understand ourselves, our thoughts, our actions and our feelings.

In Writing The Mind Alive, Linda Trichter Metcalf and Tobin Simon define the process of meditative writing as proprioceptive, which means to understand the awareness of your body.

When we practice proprioceptive writing, we write what we hear; listen to our thoughts without censoring, discriminating, or judging the meaning, origin, or purpose; and ask why those thoughts are presently in our minds.

Our brains take in and assimilate thoughts so fast, so autonomously, that we "tune out" our internal thoughts and concentrate on external communication. Once we become cognizant of the multitude of thoughts, we can follow proprioceptive writing guidelines:

1. Do not try to manipulate your thoughts, just record, writing the thoughts as they come and go. Our thoughts travel at such a fast rate it seems impossible to write them all down.

2. We often tune in to what we want to hear, and not necessarily listen to what we are really thinking. Imagine a line running directly from your brain to your pen, and write without inhibition, what you hear.

3. Become aware of what you are writing without editing, censoring, correcting, modifying, or embellishing your thoughts. Metcalf and Simon call this the "listening presence," where you focus your energies on what you hear: good or bad, outrageous or boring. Begin to explore those thoughts more deeply, by asking the "proprioceptive question".

This third guideline is pivotal step that separates proprioceptive writing from free writing, journaling, and other forms of open-ended writing.

When we think we often use generic words. For example, we might write "She thinks I do not have enough experience to be on the team". In proprioceptive writing, we become aware of what we are thinking and pursue questions to make our communication clearer. In proprioceptive writing we might write, "What do I mean by 'they'?" Then we are mindful of possible answers, trusting the process to take us to deeper understanding.

According to Metcalf and Simon, When we begin asking the proprioceptive question, "What do I mean by______," we are aware of the psychological or emotional context of the words, thus promoting stillness and calm. This state of stillness and calm is the same state one experiences in meditation.

When we finish writing, Metcalf and Simon recommend pondering four questions to extend our awareness and provide continuity to the next writing.

1. What thoughts were heard but not written?

2. How or what do I feel now?

3. What larger story is the writing part of?

4. What ideas came up for future writing?

Proprioceptive writing takes no more time than practicing meditation - the difference is that we are more aware of our thoughts because we are writing them down.

About the author:
Nancy is a twenty-year veteran of teaching, consulting and coaching. Assisting individuals and corporate professionals to find new skills to improve their professional and personal lives with skillfulness, compassion and mindfulness is the focus of Nancy's coaching.

Nancy leverages what she has learned as a mother, teacher and Buddhist practitioner to offer a unique, relevant and valuable perspective to the people she works with.

To learn more about meditation and mindfulness coaching, click here http://mindfulworkshops.com

Online Reading and Research App Allows Internet users to Annotate Web Pages

2011-05-08T05:51:00.000-07:00

scrible, Inc. has launched a new web application into public beta to advance a new way of working with online information. The cloud-based service allows Internet users to richly annotate web pages in any browser and manage and collaborate on them online. http://www.scrible.com/

scrible aims to bring Web-based research into the Internet Era. Instead of printing web pages to annotate by hand, or copying and pasting passages into documents and emails, users can mark and manage vital Web-based information online. The service combines a bookmarklet and web site for an online solution that works across browsers and operating systems.

While working online, users can use the bookmarklet to save web pages in case they disappear; richly annotate articles with intuitive tools including highlighters and sticky notes; and share annotated online research with others. Users' saved and shared information is stored in personal accounts at scrible's web site, where the information is indexed so it can be easily searched with keywords. Users can organize and manage their online research with power, speed and ease using tags and filters.

English Punctuation, The Hyphen Is Not a Dash - Part 2

2011-04-24T06:18:00.000-07:00

by Krystalina Soash -

For some of us the use of a dash versus the use of a hyphen may be confusing, so with that said, I'd like to summarize the definition and the use of the hyphen before we explore the definition and the use of the dash. In this second of two-part series you will find a summary taken from my previous writing on the use of the hyphen. Stay with me, this is really helpful.

The hyphen in summary looks like this (-) and its functions in the English language are to divide, compound, or to show a relationship. Examples of these are:

To divide: As in clarifying the use of numbers. Ask yourself, would you write 23 as twentythree or would you write twenty-three? What about 55, would you write fiftyfive, or fifty-five?

To compound words or names: To bring two or more words or names together to make one word or name as in: power-driven, goal-oriented, self-improvement, Editor-in-Chief, or Fischer-Johnson.

To show a relationship: As in dates between birth and death on a tombstone, an obituary, or historical information as in George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950), or keeping game scores, Turtles vs. Rabbits 14-15.

Now on to the dash!

The dash is surprisingly two hyphens put together and looks like this (-), more like an elongated hyphen (-). The purpose of the dash is to show a sudden or unexpected break in the flow of a sentence and its concepts. Notice that the use of the dash is very different than the use of the hyphen as you'll see shortly in the following examples.

There are two types and uses for the dash, and these are:

Afterthought: The use of the dash as an afterthought is used when a thought occurs after the initial sentence has been made; after a point has been expressed. So a sentence with an afterthought might look like this: "The young girl ran as fast as a super hero - or so she thought". Did you notice the afterthought? That is "... - or so she thought."

Parenthetical: The parenthetical use of the dash on the other hand, is an idea or concept placed in the middle of a sentence as if being in parenthesis. So a parenthetical sentence might look like this: "The Grand Canyon - if you've never been there - is a once in a life time sight to see."

So if you've been confused with the use of the hyphen and the dash, you are encouraged to read the previous article on the definition and examples of the hyphen and its uses.

Krystalina Soash is a freelance trilingual interpreter and writer with two published works, "Writing Tips for Student Projects and New Freelance Writers" and "Your Positive Potential: Action Steps for Self-Empowerment". You may visit Krystalina at http://www.yourpositivepotential.com/

English Punctuation, The Hyphen Is Not a Dash - Part 1

2011-04-24T06:15:00.000-07:00

by Krystalina Soash -

Ever notice the use of the hyphen and the dash? As a writer, I've wondered if anyone really notices. In this short two-part series we will explore the hyphen and the dash. First, the hyphen, and here's something really interesting, it appears that we only notice small parts of English grammar when we are given a writing assignment; when we want to place emphasis on a certain part of our writings, or when we want to improve our writing skills.

If you've been given a writing assignment and are wondering whether it would be better to use a dash or a hyphen, the following definitions and examples of the hyphen and its uses will give you a clearer understanding of when and how to use the hyphen.

The hyphen is a punctuation mark in the English language that looks like a short line (-) hanging in midair between two or more words. The three-fold purpose of the hyphen is to divide, compound, and/or to show a relationship.

The three main purposes for the use of the hyphen are:

To divide: The use of the hyphen to divide is mostly used to clarify the use of numbers. Though a number may sound like one word, it's really not. Take for example the number 23, would you write twentythree or would you write twenty-three? What about 55, would you write fiftyfive or fifty-five? Then what about 78 and so on?

To create compound words or names: Another use of the hyphen is to create compound words, which means bringing two or more words or names together to make one word or name. Examples of this use are: power-driven, goal-oriented, self-improvement, red-faced, Editor-in-Chief, Fischer-Johnson.

To show a relationship: The most common use of the hyphen is used to show a relationship between two concepts especially as in dates between birth and death on a tombstone, an obituary, or on historical information as in George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950). It is also used in keeping game scores, Turtles vs. Rabbits 14-15. And yes, even in Subject-Verb Agreement.
So if you've been someone who struggles with the use of a hyphen, then struggle no more. The main points to remember are that the hyphen is generally used to divide, to create compound words, or to show a relationship between ideas, concepts, or objects.

I hope you stick around because the definition and examples of the dash and its uses are just around the corner. Do stay tuned.

Krystalina Soash is a freelance trilingual interpreter and writer with two published works, "Writing Tips for Student Projects and New Freelance Writers" and recently published, "Your Positive Potential: Action Steps for Self-Empowerment". You may visit Krystalina at http://www.yourpositivepotential.com/

How to Format a User Manual

2011-04-18T05:57:00.000-07:00

by Elizabeth Armenta -

The traditional form of help documentation is a hard copy manual that is printed out, nicely bound, and functional. It serves as a reference manual - skim the TOC or index, find the page, and follow the directions step by step. The challenge with these types of documents is that user manuals can often become jumbled and hard to understand. And in an effort to fix this issue, writers can try to employ what I call "look over here" techniques to minimize the wordiness and simplify the content.

I have found this approach to be extremely ineffective most of the time. Why? Because user manuals are not meant to be flipped through 10 times for one task. That is what online help is for.

So how can we create a good user manual?

Well, we do so by dividing the content up and presenting it in a self-contained manner. In this way, ALL of the information necessary to perform that task is present in that section of content. Take this basic scenario of a sample page from a user manual, and see if you can tell what's wrong with it:

Logging into the application

1. Open the Start Menu. If you do not know how to access the Start Menu, see page 5.

2. Locate Application A, and double click to open it. For more information about how to do this, see page 2. If you do not see the program listed, go to page 6 for troubleshooting.

3. On the login screen, enter your user name. For more information about where to get your user name, see page 3.

4. Enter your password. If you have forgotten your password or are not sure what your password is, see page 4.

5. Click OK to log in.

Does it look concise and pretty? Yes. Does it appear easy to scan? Sure. But is it effective? No.

Why?

In the scenario above, we have turned five simple steps into an extremely complex, page-flipping process whereby the user has to go from page to page in order to perform a simple task. The workflow looks something like this: page 1, page 5, page 1, page 2 or page 6, page 1, page 3, page 1, page 4, page 1.

Why put the user through this? And imagine if the pages weren't close together or there were 20 steps in the process? Let's say the manual was 200 pages long, and the user had to flip from page 25, to page 72, to page 4, to page 169, etc...

The best way to format a user manual is to create self-contained modules that have all of the necessary information within the module. Page flipping should be minimized. However you must be careful to format the text so that it still maintains its readability. How do we do this? By using bullets and notes.

My rule of thumb is: have your main action in the step, and any supplementary instructions in bullets or a note. That way, if the user doesn't need the extra help, he/she can move forward quickly and not be encumbered by excess information. Visit the Technical Writing section of the blog on my website for an expanded version of this article, plus a correctly formatted version of the example user manual page above.

Elizabeth Armenta is a freelance writer/editor and marketing consultant. Visit her website at http://www.writerliz.com to learn more about her services and what she can do for you.

Learn to Avoid Common Adjective and Adverb Errors

2011-04-17T06:31:00.000-07:00

by Katrina Williams -

There are three basic forms for adjectives and adverbs: the basic form, the comparative form, and the superlative form. There are two basic rules to remember when using adjectives and adverbs in the comparative and superlative forms.

Rule One: For positive comparisons, to form the comparative, -er and more are used, and to form the superlative, -est and most are used. For negative comparisons, to form the comparative, -er and less are used, and to form the superlative, -est and least are used.

Rule Two: When comparing two items with one-syllable words, use -er. When comparing two items with words of more than one syllable, use more or less before the word. Never use -er and more or less at the same time. When comparing three or more items with one-syllable words, use -est. When comparing three or more items with words of more than one syllable, use most or least before the word. Never use -est and most or least at the same time.

Positive Comparisons: One-syllable words
Basic Form: tall
Comparative Form: tall + er = taller
Superlative Form: tall + est = tallest

Positive Comparisons: Words of more than one syllable
Basic Form: difficult
Comparative Form: difficult + more = more difficult
Superlative Form: difficult + most = most difficult

Negative Comparisons: One-syllable words
Basic Form: tall
Comparative Form: tall + less = less tall
Superlative Form: tall + least = least tall

Negative Comparisons: Words of more than one syllable
Basic Form: difficult
Comparative Form: difficult + less = less difficult
Superlative Form: difficult + least = least difficult

There are exceptions to the adjective and adverb rule. The adjectives good and bad and the adverbs well and badly do not follow the conventional rules for adjectives and adverbs in the comparative and superlative forms. The adjectives good and bad and the adverbs well and badly are irregular adjectives and adverbs, meaning they form the comparative and superlative differently than most other adjectives and adverbs.

For an easy way to remember when to use the adjectives good and bad and the adverbs well and badly in the comparative form, follow these rules. When comparing two items, use better or worse. Never use more and better or worse at the same time. When comparing three or more items, use bestor worst. Never use most and best or worst at the same time.

Adjectives
Basic Form: good
Comparative Form: good = better
Superlative Form: good = best

Incorrect: The youngest child is a more better student than her eldest sibling.
Correct: The youngest child is a better student than her eldest sibling.

Basic Form: bad
Comparative Form: bad = worse
Superlative Form: bad = worst

Incorrect: The youngest child is a more worse student than her eldest sibling.
Correct: The youngest child is a worse student than her eldest sibling.

Adverbs

Basic Form: well
Comparative Form: well = better
Superlative Form: well = best

Incorrect: The youngest child plays piano more better student than her eldest sibling.
Correct: The youngest child plays piano better than her eldest sibling.

Basic Form: badly
Comparative Form: badly = worse
Superlative Form: badly = worst

Incorrect: The youngest child plays piano more worse student than her eldest sibling.
Correct: The youngest child plays piano worse than her eldest sibling.

There are two types of errors involving adjectives and adverbs in the comparative and superlative forms. One error occurs when both methods for forming the comparative and superlative forms are used-for example, using both -er and more or less to compare two items or using both -est and mostor least to compare three or more items.

Incorrect: The youngest child is more taller than her eldest sibling.
Correct: The youngest child is taller than her eldest sibling.

Another error occurs when the comparative and superlative forms are used with the wrong number of items. The comparative form is used when two items are being compared. The superlative form is used when three or more items are being compared.

Incorrect: The banker made the more difficult decision in the bank's history.
Correct: The banker made the most difficult decision in the bank's history.

Following these basic rules for adjectives and adverbs in the comparative and the superlative forms will make using adjectives and adverbs hassle-free.

Katrina Parker Williams maintains a blog of her musings about literature, writing, art, and culture at Stepartdesigns's Blog - http://stepartdesigns.wordpress.com/. She is the author of a fictional novel titled Liquor House Music and publishes writing and publishing articles online. Her work has appeared in Charlotte Viewpoint, Muscadine Lines, USADEEPSOUTH, and on the Wilson Community College website. Her work has recently been published at The Saints' Placenta and is forthcoming in All Things Girl, the Dead Mule School of Southern Literature, and Muscadine Lines.

Some Good Old English Words

2011-03-30T05:42:00.001-07:00

by Ashish Kumar Roy -

There are some beautiful English words that are slowly going out of circulation. If you do a spell check on them you will probably get an error. The word does not exist, the spell checker will tell you. But they did exist in the tomes and diaries of yesteryears. I really do not know why they vanished because the lost English words that I am going to list here are really very evocative and define situations that would be otherwise ineffable. I really miss some of these wonderful words.

First in my list is petrichor. This is a quaint word probably used when the world held more surprises in every turn. The word means the smell of the parched earth after a first shower of rain. We all know this smell. It is so intoxicating. It is a smell that permeates your senses like an becalming intoxicating drug. I am not sure why this word is disappearing from all lexicons. It is really a word that defines a languid mood.

The second word in my list is potvaliant. This word should really be doing the rounds today. This means bravado under the influence of liquor. Such bravado still happens, doesn't it? You have seen glad creatures dragging themselves out of a bar and then picking up a fight with the nearest lamp post. The word evokes memories of the antics of Don Quixote and Sancho Panza. Don Quixote's fight with the windmills does remind me of the potvaliants. Such loveable creatures! Where have all the good words gone?

The third word in the list is limerence. Now this is a word that may have been overtaken by the twitter world. Limerence means - or use to mean - the first moments of love. Can there be any love-lier word than this? I mean, love's first moments are inexplicable except through limerence. Who has not woken up in the middle of the night feeling limerence all over himself? Some intangible feelings are oh-so tangible, like the shiver of anticipation. Can we please bring back limerence into our lives?

I can however understand why musophobist has become obsolete. Are there still any people around who are suspicious of poetry? That's what a musophobist means: a person who looks at poetry with suspicion. I mean you don't need a word that's not part of the real world. Do you know anyone who is suspicious of poetry? I don't.

http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/46294

How to Avoid Run-On Sentences and Sentence Fragments

2011-03-21T09:04:00.000-07:00

by Dr. Sandra Folk -

Possibly the most common English grammar problem people have in business writing is what I think of as "the curse of the run-on sentence." I have clients who send me material filled with run-on sentences.

A run-on sentence does exactly what its name suggests; it "runs on" too long. In fact, it's a mistake to think of a run-on sentence as expressing one thought. What they actually are is two or more sentences strung together with improper punctuation.

York University's Bethune College Writing Centre is a good online English grammar rules resource for determining how run-on sentences work. Here's one simple example of a short, but run-on sentence that I quite like, from their website:

"Gordon laughed at Sandy's joke it was lewd."

Leaving aside the fact that I would never make a lewd joke, (joke!), with the necessary punctuation, the sentence would correctly read:

"Gordon laughed at Sandy's joke; it was lewd."

In this example, the semi colon takes the place of the word "and," joining the two independent sentences together.

Why, you may ask, should run-on sentences be viewed as a "curse?" Here's why: If the sentence turns out to be quite a bit longer than the one that is used in the above example of a run-on sentence and there isn't correct punctuation or maybe it's just that there's too many individual sentences crammed into one it becomes confusing.

Have I made it clear?

If you're someone who suffers the curse of the run-on sentence, you may be wondering at this point how best to escape your fate. Really, it's not that difficult. Simply look at your run on sentences, and incorporate one of the following English grammar rules into your business communications:

Create two sentences
Use a semi-colon
Use a subordinating conjunction
Use commas, colons or dashes. (Correctly, of course!)

English grammar rule #4 may make you ask, "okay, but how do I use commas, etc. correctly." You may want to delve a little deeper into the matter through the many online resources that are ready available.

Now a quick word about sentence fragments. Like this one. Sentence fragments are easily identified because they're incomplete thoughts that cannot stand by themselves. Complete sentences, at the very least, have a subject and a verb. Here's an example:

Incorrect: All of these rules and regulations should be made aware of.

Correct: Clients should be made aware of all these rules and regulations.

It's true there is a time and a place for sentence fragments - in blog posts, possibly. Blogging is a style of writing that's less formal than business writing generally is. But when it comes to basic business communication, even in this day and age of tweeting and emailing and texting, there is still an expectation that correct English grammar and punctuation rule.

Are you suffering from "the curse of the run on sentence?" Then be sure to follow the four rules listed above.

Dr. Sandra Folk is a Toronto-based educational consultant and award-winning university lecturer. She set up The Language Lab to help business executives and employees write and express themselves more effectively. Find out more about the programs we offer to improve the communication skills of native English speakers and ESL learners at http://thelanguagelab.ca/

Semicolon - Punctuation Nemesis Tamed

2011-03-13T11:28:00.001-07:00

by Charlotte Babb -

One of the few concepts taught after fourth grade about writing is the semicolon, that mysterious mis-matched mark of mangled sentences. Some teachers ban its use entirely because some students use it too liberally, as if they had a semicolon shaker to scatter over their compositions. Where then, should you use a semicolon, and why?

Use a semicolon to attach a complete sentence to the end of another complete sentence:

1. when the second sentence is closely related to the first

2. when you want the sentences to have equal weight

3. when you want to elevate the tone of the writing to a more formal stance by using longer sentences.

Sentences joined with a semicolon are said to be "compound" having two equal parts.

The lower half of the semi-colon in a period. It works the same way as a period, showing that the end of a sentence has been reached, and that a new sentence is beginning. It implies that there is a relationship in the ideas of each part; it does not state the nature of that relationship.

The same thing can be accomplished with a comma and a conjunction: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so (mnemonic: FANBOYS).

I went to the store. It was closed.

I went to the store; it was closed.

I went to the store, but it was closed.

Usually at this point, another concept is added to the mix: conjunctive adverbs.

A conjunctive adverb shows some relationship between the two equal sentences: however, nevertheless, consequently, therefore. These adverbs are no less evil than any others; therefore, they should be restrained by commas to keep them from contaminating the rest of the sentence. Their lack of grammatical relationship to the other parts of the sentence is shown by the ability to appear in different positions, always separated by a comma:

I went to the store. However, it was closed.

I went to the store; it, however, was closed.

I went to the store; it was, however, closed.

I went to the store; it was closed, however.

Using a semicolon does not require the use of a conjunctive adverb.

Much of the confusion about comma splices and run-on sentences is caused by the confusion of complete sentences with dependent sentences. Dependent sentences form a pattern called "complex" with at least one dependent part and one complete part. As we know from life, unequal partnerships with dependents are always complex.

If you take a perfectly good sentence (I went to the store) and add a dependent word (When) to the beginning, the resulting sentence is no longer independent:

When I went to the store...

You might argue that you could say that as an answer to a question, but the word "when" tells us that more is coming to explain what happened at that time.

A comma is used at the end of this dependent part to let us know that the main part of the sentence is beginning:

When I went to the store, it was closed.

These two sentence parts are not equal, so you would not use a semicolon. In fact, if the first part were at the end of the main part, no comma would be needed because the word "when" announces the next section.

The store was closed when I went to it.

This dependent sentence pattern is the reason students create comma splices (using a comma where only a semicolon may tread). Since students learn the complex pattern first, they sometimes get the idea that only a comma is needed in the middle of a sentence regardless of the meaning or structure. They do not understand that the parts are not equal and independent.

Now that you know the secret code of the semicolon, you are armed with a plan. If you are not sure whether to use the semicolon, use a period to make two sentences. If that works, you can use a semicolon. Then if you wish, you can add a conjunctive adverb and comma after the semicolon like a cherry on top of whipped cream; alternatively, you can use the mundane comma and conjunction.

Just remember to look for a complete sentence on each side of the semicolon.

Looking for more ideas on how to get better grades on your writing or fewer sneers from your colleagues? Visit Charlotte Babb at her website: http://charlottebabb.com Her twenty years of teaching high school and college, online and on ground, have not yet deprived her of hope that everyone can learn to write well.

Freelance Copywriter Secrets: The Cure For The Boring Corporate Newsletter

2011-03-13T11:27:00.000-07:00

by Charles Brown -

As a freelance copywriter, I often find myself borrowing the techniques from one type of project to solve a problem I encounter in another. This is an article I originally wrote in 2005 to show how the techniques used in speech writing can be adapted to something else entirely.

What follows is not exactly a true story, but it comes close:

Roger was in a state of near panic. He had come out of his office to investigate the cacophony of unanswered telephones ringing throughout the office, and had been met with a horrible sight.
Everywhere he looked, he saw his employees slumped over their desks asleep or staring off into space, as if they had suddenly been struck comatose.

Not a single employee in his entire department appeared to be conscious, and all the while the ringing telephones continued unanswered.

Had some deadly virus suddenly struck his entire staff? Had a toxic gas come through the office ventilation system?

Roger had no idea what could be causing this horror, but he knew that he had to call 911 fast. As he rushed back to his office he saw his secretary slumped over her keyboard.

Suddenly he saw what she was holding in her almost-lifeless fingers.

It wasn't a disease. It wasn't a toxic gas that was causing all his people to fall into this stupor. It was something far, far worse.

Today was the day the corporation's internal company newsletter had been distributed to each employee.

There is no law that says internal corporate communications must be boring.

But you would almost think so wouldn't you? As you look through a lot of internal newsletters and other corporate communications pieces, it almost seems some writers are afraid they will wind up doing hard time with an overly-tattooed cellmate named Bruno if they anything out of the ordinary appears in their writing.

Not true.

I think the problem comes from attempting to apply traditional journalistic methods within the confined context of an internal communication. Straight news reporting is fine if you have a steady flow of really dramatic stories like the grandmother who foiled a home invader, the latest national security crises, or a winning professional sports team as material.

But if your subject matter is confined to the happenings within a specific company or industry, you may not have all that drama to rely on traditional journalistic methods. You may have to add a dose of creativity.

Use Good Speechwriters' Methods

A speechwriter, trainer, presenter or any other type of speaker has a very similar problem as a corporate communications writer. How to convey a lot of factual information and ideas, without putting the audience to sleep. Here are a few techniques used by speakers to balance factual content with style and (dare I use the word) "entertainment."

Humor. Humor can be dangerous in advertising or external communications, but generally, depending on your corporate culture, you may have more freedom to use humor internally. It goes without saying that humor can backfire on you in many ways if you are not careful, so use good judgment and get a second opinion before going to print.

Keep a humor file of amusing anecdotes, cartoons and photos that you can secure the rights to publish. Also, be on the lookout for the truly funny human beings that populate your workplace. Stories about these funny coworkers will do double duty as a humor piece and as an article where employees can read about one of their own. You can also solicit funny captions for photos and other ideas from the readers. Let your employees write your humor pieces for you.

Second Person When a speaker or writer addresses the listener or reader in the second person, she involves her audience. But even more, writing in the second person practically forces her to find ways to personalize her message and address the concerns and needs of her audience in every way she can think of.

Notice that after my introduction about Roger, I have used the second person to present all of my information, ideas and opinions since. Because I am not writing to a nameless "readership," I am writing to you, as an individual, and my mind is forcing me to explore ways to write about what you want to learn. Try second person writing on your corporate communications writing and see how it affects your creative process, as well as your readers' involvement.

Stories. A study of Readers' Digest magazine revealed that over half of its articles begin with a story, anecdote or narrative of some kind. Surveys of audiences have repeatedly concluded that speakers who scatter stories and anecdotes and stories throughout their presentations hold their hearers' attentions far better than speakers who bury them under a truckload of facts and information.

I made up the story about Roger because I wanted a way to illustrate the difficulty internal newsletter writers have in communicating their messages in an interesting manner. Stories not only hold your readers' fascination, they also convey your point with great power. Create your story by simply asking "what if" about the major problem you wish to address.

Build Curiosity. Curiosity, suspense, drama; they can all be added to even the most mundane subjects if you know how. Check out another article I wrote called, Freelance Copywriter Secrets: The Magic Bullet for Powerful Copywriting for ideas on how to build curiosity.

Turn Numbers Into Vivid Images. By its very nature, internal communications within an organization tends to be heavy on the statistics, earnings reports and other number-oriented material. But there are still ways to present your numbers without having your readers go into a stupor. Illustrate numbers with examples. If one employee out of 100 takes advantage of the company's tuition assistance program, interview that employee and tell her story. If the company lost $163,199 last quarter because of employee absenteeism, show how many new employees could have been hired for that amount to ease everyone's workload.

This is just a brief list of ideas, but I would encourage you to adopt the methods used by speakers and trainers to involve their audiences more. You will find a wealth of ideas that can easily be adapted to your internal corporate communications. In the meantime, please help Roger wake up his employees.

COPYRIGHT © 2005,2006, Charles H. Brown

Download your free copy of 99 Ideas For Writing Irresistible Web Content, written by Charles Brown, a Dallas, Texas based freelance copywriter who writes web copy, advertisements, white papers and direct mail. Read his "Freelance Copywriter Secrets" at http://dynamiccopywriting.blogspot.com or contact him at 817.715.3852 or **charbrow@gmail.com**.

Writing A Personal Mission Statement - Corporate Lesson #1

2011-03-13T11:26:00.000-07:00

by Mark McClure -

If you have never written an inspiring and effective personal mission statement but really want to do so, you should aim to build the following 3 qualities into yours: Vision, Focus and Brevity .

In this series of articles I will examine the published mission statements of well known corporations with the above qualities in mind. There is a lot to learn from how professional corporate image and brand builders go about their work.

Also, for a bit of educational fun, I will not name these corporations in the main body of the articles. If their mission statements are concise and relevant you should be able to guess them correctly - the answers for each corporation are at the bottom of the appropriate article. No peeking beforehand!

I used the internet 'wayback' archive machine to look up the mission statement from the year 2002. You can find it at this location: http://www.archive.org/
The August 2007 mission statement was located on the corporation's public website.

1- Corporation 'A'

2002: 'A's mission is to deliver the best search experience on the Internet by making the world's information universally accessible and useful.

2007: 'A's mission is to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful.

Now would you say that 'A's mission statement has expanded in scope from the 2002 version? Their business certainly continues to grow and prosper. You may even have used their services to find this article on the Internet!

From a coaching perspective I especially like the 2007 mission statement because they have clearly refined and expanded their vision and focus from that of 5 years ago - and replaced the reference to 'delivering the best search experience' with the visionary challenge of organizing all the world's information!

And their mission statement is also shorter - from an effective 17 to 11 words.
I like 10 words or less - nearly there guys and gals ;-)

When you create your own personal mission statement it is OK to start off with a couple of sentences. Leave it for a few days and then come back and reduce the word count as corporation 'A' has so powerfully done.

Getting it to 10 words or less can be done but may take time as your ideas and copy writing abilities evolve. Allow that to happen.

Start by editing it to 15 words or less - this implies a single sentence, starting with a verb. For example, "Your mission is to..."; and replace 'Your' with your actual name. You can get more detail on how to do this by reading my personal mission statement article.

OK - have you worked out the identity of corporation 'A'?

Answer: This is the mission statement of the Google Corporation. (www.google.com)

If you guessed it right away then that is a compliment to both the branding and the business success of Google Inc.

For more on writing personal mission statements and goals, download my FREE report: "Discover How To Create Incredible Yet Reachable Goals": Goal Setting Report

Read personal development, coaching and goal setting articles here: http://www.goalcreationmaps.com/art

Mark McClure is a Certified Career & Life coach and Internet Business Owner.

English Writing Tips - The Four Parts of Speech and Correct Usage

2011-02-28T09:12:00.000-08:00

by Patricia M Hines

The English language classifies words based on parts of speech. Parts of speech explain not the definition of the word, but how the word is used. Words can be classified as different parts of speech in different sentences.

The most common parts of speech that people think of first are the noun, the verb, the adjective and the adverb. However there are 4 more parts of speech in our language. They are pronoun, preposition, the conjunction and the interjection.

I will give examples and the proper usage of each part of speech:

The Noun:

The noun is defined as the name of a person, place, thing, or idea. There are Proper Nouns and Common Nouns. Proper nouns name a specific person, place or thing and is usually capitalized. Examples of Proper Nouns are: Mrs. Smith, The Rose Garden, or Washington High School. Common nouns are the names of general items and are not capitalized unless they are the first word in a Sentence. Examples are school, house, child, girl, store and so forth.

The Verb:

Verbs provide the action in sentences. They tell what the nouns are doing. The easiest and most common verbs are the action verbs. The girl (noun) danced (verb). There are other forms of verbs that are beyond the scope of this article.

The Adjective:

The adjectives job is to describe the noun. Adjectives are usually pretty close to the noun so they are quite easy to find. Examples are: red rose (red is the adjective that describes the noun-rose), pretty vase (pretty is the adjective that describes the noun-vase)

The Adverb:

The adverbs job is to modify the verb. They are often difficult to find. Adverbs tell us where, when, how, why, to what extent, and under what conditions something happens. Examples are: I can see clearly now. (Answers the question how do I see) The lady quickly made the dress. (Answers the question when she made the dress-Verb is made and quickly is the adverb).

Almost every sentence in our language uses these four parts of speech.

The pronoun:

Pronouns stand in for nouns. In place of the girl you may use the pronoun she. He can be used in place of Mr. Smith. There are many types of pronouns.

Prepositions:

A preposition links nouns, pronouns and phrases to other words in a sentence.

Conjunctions:

Conjunctions can be used to link words, phrases and clauses.

Interjections:

An interjection is a word added to a sentence to convey emotion; it is usually followed by an exclamation mark.

The parts of speech are the noun, verb, adverb and adjective. Followed by the pronoun, preposition, conjunction, and injection.

Patricia M. Hines invites you to visit her blog at http://luckyandhappyblog.com. To read more information about dealing with negative people http://luckyandhappyblog.com/2011/02/09/deal-difficult-people-tactfully/.

College English Composition Explains The Writing Process And Students Benefit

2011-02-28T09:10:00.000-08:00

by Natasha Bright

English Composition courses are essential for students to master early on in their college career. It is the foundation for their academic and professional lives, believe it or not. This course will teach students to think critically and write effectively and these skills are necessary for any career one chooses to follow.

A composition course will discuss the mechanics of the writing process and the different forms of writing one can choose to present information in. Here I will discuss the basic outline for what the writing process is, which includes: Brainstorming, Drafting, and Revising and Editing, which generally overlap in one way or another until the final product is presented.

Brainstorming is the prewriting stage of the writing process in which students begin to develop preliminary ideas. This is the phase in which students will answer questions such as what are they trying to communicate and who are they trying to communicate to. This phase will help students elucidate those issues and teachers will equip them with the necessary tools to do so. Tools, such as outlining or clustering, and elements, such as research, are usually addressed in this stage.

The next phase maintains that students will actually begin drafting or writing their paper. This will be a culmination of all of the student's ideas and research into well-written cohesive statements. A clear and specific thesis should be developed by this point and it will almost always be found in the first paragraph of your paper. Students will come back to this phase many times in order to improve upon what was originally written.

Once you've completed the backbone of your paper - the drafting - you can continue on with revising what you've written thus far. Students will focus on ensuring they've clearly identified their thesis and that it correlates to the body of the work. Students will also have to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses in their argument in order to repurpose, and if necessary expand upon the information presented. This phase is strictly about structuring an argument in order to produce the most effective written product possible given the time allowed.

Editing follows the revision process and this stage is all about the particulars of producing an error-free product. Sentence structure, word choices, grammar and other mechanical issues will be addressed in this stage, all in the hopes of building a stronger piece of writing.

As previously mentioned, one will often find these stages intersecting and overlapping each other in one way or another. It is often said of the writing process that one could continually improve upon a product if it weren't for deadlines. What you'll want to especially look for is continuity throughout your piece. Carry the idea through that you've presented in your opening paragraph, with a relevant conclusion at the end.

The writing stage is just one thing you'll learn while taking this course as you produce and evaluate English compositions - in the form of literature and student and professional writing. You've done writing for applications for college scholarships and grants, now take the class that prepares you for the writing you'll do for the rest of your life.

Top Five Business Writing Principles by Dr. Sandra Folk

2011-02-21T12:55:00.000-08:00

If you ever read To Kill A Mockingbird (or saw the movie for that matter) when you were in school, you may be as shocked as I was to learn that the book is sometimes "deshelved" in school libraries. The reason: some people object to its use of language.

I read about this absurd example of censorship the other day in a national newspaper article. The article describes the trial, which took place in 1960, regarding whether or not Penguin books was guilty of publishing obscenity when they released D. H. Lawrence's Lady Chatterley's Lover.

It's amazing, isn't it, that language and the words we use are powerful enough to trigger lawsuits. And today, fifty years after that trial, the controversy over language still flourishes. In fact, according to the newspaper article, last year in the U.S., around 400 books were officially challenged - and the numbers are rising.

What's even more shocking, some times books aren't just banned, they're burned. Among them, is a book by one of our great Canadian authors, Rohinton Mistry. Not only was his book, Such A Long Journey, recently banned by Mumbai University, copies of it were burned on campus! Although the reasons for this extreme reaction are political and complex, objection to the use of profanity was among them.

It may seem difficult to fathom this extreme response to Mistry's writing, given the amount of profanity that's visible (and audible!) daily, in our society. But what's deemed inappropriate or immoral not only changes over time, it also depends on the prevailing social or cultural viewpoint. However, when it comes to business writing it's a whole lot more straightforward. Of course, the possibility of offending a reader still exists. But if you stick to the following Language Lab business writing blueprint, the chances of banning or burning are slim.

Be Aware: The Language Lab's Top Five Business Writing Principles:

1. Be aware of your audience. Chances are it's a client, a potential client or other professionals. Naturally your language should reflect that same professionalism.

2. Be concise. Short sentences and straightforward language will ensure your message is transmitted as clearly and quickly as possible.

3. Be correct. Use correct grammar, spelling and sentence structure that reflect your professionalism and communicate your ideas clearly.

4. Be jargon-free. Using jargon may at best confuse your reader; at worst alienate her or him.

5. Be traditional. When it comes to writing business letters, use correct business letter format. Doing so reflects your professionalism, and the professionalism of your organization.

Meanwhile, I recommend always coming back to the above five Language Lab"be aware" principles in your own business communications. That way you can rest assured you're unlikely to create a document that anyone will want to ban...let alone burn.

Dr. Sandra Folk is a Toronto-based educational consultant and award-winning university lecturer. She set up The Language Lab to help business executives and employees write and express themselves more effectively. Find out more about the programs we offer to improve the communication skills of native English speakers and ESL learners at http://thelanguagelab.ca/

Business Writing - The Memorandum by Rhonda M

2011-02-21T12:53:00.000-08:00

In business writing, the memorandum is a common document. Typically it is a short informational message sent from one person in an organization to another. In business writing, the memorandum is sent in a number of different formats: e-mail (most common), electronically formatted and published emailed document, e-mail with an attachment, or hard copy. Often, the hard copy memo is a back-up for one that has been sent electronically.

How to set up a memorandum
Memos are set up in a specific format. The document usually has four tags: To - (enter the name of the primary receiver(s) of the message here; From- (enter your name if you're the author) Subject - (no more than six words describing the memo's main point, and Date - This is usually today's date, the date the memo is being sent. An additional memo tag is "CC", which technically stands for "carbon copy" and is meant for secondary readers, those to whom the message is also of interest.

Structuring routine memos
Most business messages are informational and written with a clear and direct opening explaining the main purpose and point of the messages (this is called front-loading). The middle paragraphs or sentences, give more concrete details, developing the message, and finally, the close winds the message down, ends on a note of goodwill and requests any follow-up.

Requests
In business writing, the memorandum is also used for routine requests. These are structured with the direct query somewhere in the memo's opening. That can be uncomfortable to those who prefer to beat around the bush in the opening and are unaccustomed to asking for anything directly up front. Don't be shy; be direct. Since this request is not meant to be terribly controversial or persuasive, the expectation is that reader will be receptive to the request. The body of the memo, then, develops some contextual details, and the close winds down, often giving an end date for the request to be met and asks for additional follow-up if necessary.

Different situations
Memos can also respond to requests, describe a new procedure, or announce some major news. They can be fairly short, such as the invitation to the company picnic. Or they could take up about a screen full of type (anything longer should be sent as an attachment, since the reader's on-screen attention is fairly limited, and typically, he or she is usually busy).

Writing Style
Use plain English and simple words, and keep the tone fairly conversational, using the active voice (please not the passive!). Be sure, too, to avoid using any type of Instant Messaging abbreviations (to ensure that your document has a professional tone). Also, as with any written document, don't forget to edit and proofread your work.

Rhonda M, also known as Profrhonda teaches business communications and job search to college students and writes about different communications topics.

Improve Your Writing Style by Maintaining Appropriate Sentence Length

2011-02-07T08:14:00.002-08:00

By Matt McCloud

Like a boat that contains too much cargo, a sentence that has too much information can be unwieldy. The reader may have difficulty navigating through the sentence's meaning. Consequently, he or she may be forced to read the sentence again or simply abandon the sentence altogether in hopes the author's style will become more comprehensible in subsequent sentences. Here's an example:

Like a boat that contains too much cargo, a sentence that has too much information can be unwieldy, making it difficult for the reader to navigate through the sentence's meaning, whereupon the reader may be forced to read the sentence again or simply abandon the sentence altogether in hopes the author's style will become more comprehensible in subsequent sentence, exemplified by the following: Like a boat.... Well, you get the point.

The first paragraph, consisting of three sentences, contains roughly the same number of words (66) as the single sentence that makes up the first paragraph, but the first paragraph is easier to read. Here are some common problems of sentences that are too long and their remedies:

1. Overuse of coordinate conjunctions (and, but, or) linking multiple independent clauses together. This is particularly problematic when three or more independent clauses are linked via conjunctions. If this occurs, take out the conjunction and use a period, or use a transitional phrase (e.g. therefore, however, in this manner).

2. Multiple use of prepositional asides, appositives, subordination, and coordination in a single sentence. Break up units of meaning into corresponding of sentences instead of cramming related meanings into one sentence.

3. Long lists in which the parts of the list are lengthy phrases.
In academic writing, parts of lists can often be information-heavy, containing technical terms and qualifying or context-building phrases. Items can also be numerous. A long list is sometimes better represented in a bulleted format rather than buried in the context of a lengthy sentence.

4. Lengthy phrases that interrupt the subject and the predicate. Defining information or asides that are placed between the main subject and the verb can interrupt the main idea of the sentence. An example:

"The first measure-a 12-item survey distributed to 240 participants and which contained the gift card incentive to motivate those participants to respond-had a response rate of 54 percent."

The defining information breaks up the subject-verb connection. This sentence is better off as two separate sentences.

5. Paragraphs that contain only one or two sentences. If a normal sized paragraph is composed of only one or two sentence, at least one of those sentences can probably be broken up into two or more sentences.

6. A high word count. Unless your name is William Faulkner, it is better to keep sentences between 10 and 30 words.

Sentences that are too long put the burden of comprehension on the reader's shoulders. Make it easier on your reader by breaking meaning and information into manageable, shorter sentences. And just because one should keep sentences at a manageable length does not mean all sentences should be short. Too many short sentences together can lead to a monotonous rhythm.

Matt McCloud has been helping dissertation students complete their ultimate educational goals for the last 10 years. He provides editorial, statistical, and research and design assistance. Find out more at http://apexdissertations.com/

Sentence Components by Sasi Krishna

2011-02-07T08:14:00.000-08:00

Each sentence is made up of essentially of the components of

1. INTERROGATIVE
2. SUBJECT
3. OBJECT
4. AUXILIARY
5. VERB
6. COMPLEMENT

We will see about each component one by one:

1. INTERROGATIVE: All sentences are in the two forms that is one may ask any question and the other may tell the answer. So one sentence will always be a question or an answer. If a sentence is a question, it should have one INTERROGATIVE part in it. Interrogative utterances are expressed in the words, such as

1. WHAT
2 WHICH
3. WHO
4. WHOM
5. WHOSE
6. WHERE
7. WHEN
8. WHY
9. HOW
10. HOW MUCH
11. HOW MANY
12. HOW LONG
13. HOW FAR

INTERROGATIVE PRONOUNS: In the above list of Interrogative words WHAT, WHICH, WHO, WHOM, WHOSE, WHERE, WHEN, and WHY are called interrogative pronouns.

INTERROGATIVE ADVERBS: In the above list of Interrogative words HOW, HOW MUCH, HOW MANY, HOW LONG, and HOW FAR are called Interrogative adverbs

2. SUBJECT: HE, SHE, IT, I, WE, YOU, and THEY-these words (PRONOUN) or any NOUN in a sentence especially in the beginning of the sentence form the SUBJECT part. A SUBJECT may be single in number or multiple in number, but there is only one TRUE SUBJECT. All other parts of speech in a sentence will support the subject part. A verb or an auxiliary verb will always come after the subject. All parts of speech in a sentence will focus towards this subject only and a SUBJECT is essential for a sentence.

3. OBJECT: HE, SHE, IT, I, WE, YOU, and THEY-these words (PRONOUN) or any NOUN in a sentence especially in the end of the sentence form the OBJECT part. An OBJECT may be single in number or multiple in number, but there is only one TRUE OBJECT. All other parts of speech in a sentence will support the object part. A verb or an auxiliary verb will always come before the object. All parts of speech in a sentence will target towards it. One OBJECT is essential for a sentence.

4. AUXILIARY: This is the wife of the verb. Yes, we can say AUXILIARY is the wife of the VERB. They both always must come in a sentence. They act as one unit. Even in some sentences verb or auxiliary may come separately, but in fact in those sentences the verb or auxiliary is making it quiet while the other is talking. But they act as one unit always. We can say an auxiliary is the assistant or helper of a verb. In English language, there are 15 words can act their own and act as verbs. They have the tendency to work both, as a verb or as an auxiliary. We can consider them as a verb in a sentence when they work lonely.

Example:

I AM a boy.

Here AM works as an auxiliary for the hidden verb BE, or we can consider AM as an separate verb, which means BE.

See the list of AUXILIARIES that can work separately in a sentence as a verb:

IS, AM, WAS, HAS, HAVE, HAD, DO, DOES, DID, BE, ARE, WERE, CAN, WILL, MAY,

See some examples:

1. I NEED your help.

2. Where ARE you now?

3. I HAVE only one pen.

4. I DID that project.

5. KEEP it up.

6. BE patient.

But these below auxiliaries cannot be used separately. They can be used with other verbs to give a meaning.

BEEN, BEING, COULD, SHALL, SHOULD WOULD, MIGHT, MUST, NEED, KEEP, KEPT, USED TO, OUGHT TO, GOING TO, DARE, NEVER

5. COMPLEMENT: This gives a sentence complete meaning. Complement in a sentence will be the answers for the interrogative questions. An adverb will always act as a complement in a sentence. Interrogative questions in a sentence such that HOW, WHY, WHERE, and WHEN, and the answers for these questions in a sentence will be the complement. This has no connection with the verb or auxiliary verb in a sentence.

Examples:

1. I am going to the temple to pray god.

In the above sentence,
I - is the subject.
Am - auxiliary verb
Going - verb
To the temple - subject
To pray god - is the complement

To pray god gives us the answer in the sentence of WHY, and to pray is an adverb, and the complement is giving a complete answer.

http://advanced-english-grammar-free-for-all.blogspot.com

Professional Writing Success Secrets - Importance of Proofreading in Quality Copywriting

2011-02-07T08:12:00.001-08:00

By Deepanjolie Figg

Trying to balance working at home with social, family and personal commitments, walking the fine line between caffeine fixes and zombie mode writing just so TAT (turn around time) is met in order to legitimately earn that respect a 'real' writer seems to have naturally enough though, with all the privileges of an orderly working environment and support services, shouldn't mean a compromise on the quality of copy you deliver. Not if you want to be taken as a committed professional.

As a freelance writer, you want to be taken just as seriously as your full in-house writing counterparts - you know the kind associated with leading magazines, newspapers, corporate report writing agencies, advertising firm favorites and web marketing writers that just seem to be on one long, happy, never-ending gravy train.

In fact, you even waste precious creative energy wondering how these guys seem to bag all the high paying projects and continue adding impressive company tags to their portfolio with diverse clips that signify their wide range of writing, if not a string of satisfied clients from all over the globe!

Well, the truth is actually pretty simple: they are not just delivering original, well researched content on a given topic, but doing a thorough job of editing with complete proofreading to ensure the client receives ready to use content!

Professional writers succeed with seemingly effortlessly delivered assignments because they maintain their focus on systematically completing a writing project. This means, not leaving any scope for further edits due to proofing mistakes.

Attention to detail is crucial to delivering error free copy and ultimately to professional writing success because of 3 reasons:

1) It ensures customer satisfaction that is a vital aspect of obtaining repeat business

2) Eliminates the need for additional proofing and editorial, saving time and money for the client

3) Boosts the reputation of the writer as a dependable and thorough professional and helps generate word of mouth business promotion, the best way to known in the business world!

This is why proofreading, though possibly not a hot favorite activity of any writer racing against a deadline, must be covered in ensuring you submit error free copy each time, in order to achieve professional freelance writing success.

So, when you are e-mailing that urgent newsletter content or even other types of time-bound writing assignments that require you send these in ASAP for meeting deadlines, it is important to take a little time out to proofread the document to ensure it isn't riddled with grammatical errors or excessive typos, which adversely affect your credibility as a professional writer.

Contact Deepanjolie Figg today to enhance your business presence online by getting yourself the quality Article Writing advantage from a professional writer focused on your online marketing success! The Write People Are Just A Click Away!

English Grammar Rules in Writing Numbers by John Lismo

2011-01-31T07:30:00.000-08:00

In the English grammar, writing numbers can become a bit confusing. When should one spell numbers out and when is it okay to use digits to represent them? These and other questions about the use of numbers will be answered in this article. So for those who have been committing mistakes in the department of writing with numbers, this article is here to help you out. Read on and your uncertainties will surely be resolved.

The first rule to remember is that the only numbers you need to spell out are zero to nine. From 10 onwards, it is okay to use digits to represent them. Furthermore, when it comes to bigger numbers, those ending with zero are usually spelled out, but for figures with varying digits, use numerals if doing so would be the shorter way to express them. Then again, if it is necessary for the big numbers to be spelled out, put the comma where you would it would be if it was written in figures and use the word "and" to represent a decimal point. Consistency is another key in the English grammar rules for writing numbers. This means that once you start spelling figures out for the reason that one of them is below a single-digit, then continue doing so. However, if a sentence entails using numbers to show the count of two or more categories, then use words to represent one set and digits for the others. Fractions such as one-half, two-thirds and three-fourths should always be spelled out too, just remember to put hyphens between the numerators and the denominators. For mixed fractions and decimals, on the other hand, using numerals is the usual choice. However, both should be spelled out when either of them begins a sentence.

Then when it comes to the English grammar rules for expressing numbers in dates, the usual practice is to use numerals. Then when conveying decades, it is more common to spell them out, but it is also okay to express them in figures. Just remember that the apostrophe comes before the period you are pertaining to and not between the numerals and the "s". For example, '70s is correct, but 90's is wrong.

As for the English grammar rules in showing the time of day, hours ending with o'clock, quarter, thirty or three-quarters, are usually spelled out. Only those which states exact times are commonly expressed in figures, with the addition of A.M. or P.M. to clarify whether the moment happened in the morning or at night. However, when it comes to differentiating which part of the day the twelve o'clock in question occurred, the words "midnight" and "noon" are used.

These are everything you need to know in order to effectively express numbers in any piece of writing. In summary, single digits are usually spelled out while numbers with two or more figures are more commonly written in numerals. Also, a number is used to begin a sentence, it should always be expressed in words. Remember these and the rest will come naturally.

Go to the official English Grammar website for more grammar lessons, rules, and news for everyday use - http://www.englishgrammar.org/

Free Suite of Must-Read eBooks Focusing On Crippling Pitfalls For Internal Communication Professionals

2011-01-31T07:25:00.000-08:00

At first glance, the title might sound a little pessimistic. Who really wants to focus on mistakes? But the reality of each page in this meaningful eBook is far more positive: Communications experts sharing their knowledge to help colleagues and peers, with inspiring takeaways and actionable tips for effective leadership and communication for 2011 ... and years to come.

Complied in David Grossman's eBook, The Greatest Mistakes (you don't want to make) is wisdom from smart communicators for some of the world's most recognizable brands that's bound to save you time, energy and improve business results - not to mention win you applause from the leaders you support.

"One of the best e-discussions I've been part of recently happened in a LinkedIn group that was pondering the question, ;What's the greatest mistake(s) a leader can make?' said Grossman. "It got me thinking about what we do, and the big no-nos you want to avoid. These aren't the mistakes that can cost you your job, but ones that can cause unnecessary frustration, aggravation and reduce your impact and results."

While leadercommunicators can - and need to - learn from their own mistakes; they can also learn from others when reading through the pages of this latest eBook. Additionally, Grossman offers up his own expert advice and provides additional perspective and solutions. "I've seen these ideas work irrespective of the economy, industry, leader's personality or style. You might even want to take a bow now ... for how much smarter you're about to become," said Grossman.

To download The Greatest Mistakes (you don't want to make), visit www.yourthoughtpartner.com/the-greatest-mistakes/.

Grammar 101: How to Correctly Use Conjunctions by KJ Hutchings

2011-01-24T06:53:00.001-08:00

Do you remember this little grammar song when you were young? "Conjunction, conjunction, what is your function?" Well, the word "conjunction" simply means to connect or join. It is a way of connecting the words, phrases and clauses of sentences together. Conjunctions can have different roles and there are in fact four types of conjunctions:

1. Coordinating Conjunctions: and, for, nor, yet, or, so, but

And - means an addition of something
For - to show reason
Nor- shows negative choice
Yet - shows contrast
Or - demonstrates positive choice
So - shows results
But - contrast

Here are some examples of how to use them:

John and Jane got married.
Jane liked her new jacket but wished she had bought a matching hat too.
John wanted to drive to the country, so Jane let him borrow her car.
To be or not to be, that is the question.
Jane liked neither cats nor dogs.
John thought the book was really useful in his job as a farmer, for it was written by Mr MacDonald.

2. Correlative Conjunctions

These work in pairs: either/or, neither/nor, both/and and not only/but also. Here are some examples:

Jane shouted, " Either you stop reading that stupid book on farming right now, or I'm going to throw it away."

Neither John's parents nor his brothers wanted to be farmers.

John decided that not only must he finish reading his book but also take Jane out to dinner and buy her flowers.

Closing the book with a sigh, John said, "Sadly, both my wife and my family think farming is a poor career choice."

3. Sub-ordinating Conjunctions

Sub-ordinating conjunctions are used to make one part of the sentence (a clause - a group of words) sub-ordinate to another. There are lots of sub-ordinating conjunctions. Here are some of the most common ones:

After, although, as, as if, as though, because, before, even though, if, unless, until, while, whilst, where, and when.

To get a better idea of how to use some of them, here are some example sentences:

Because John had stopped reading his book, he found it hard to sleep when it was time for bed.

John told Jane that if he could not read his book in bed, he was going to stay awake all night.

Even though Jane didn't like John reading his farming books, she realised it would make him a better farmer in the future.

3. Conjunctive Adverbs

Conjunctive adverbs can be used simply as adverbs (a word that emphasises either a verb or an adjective) and they can also be used as a way to join together two or more independent clauses and create a relationship between them. They can be grouped into the following categories:

Time - next, then

Addition - moreover, in addition, even more important, also, furthermore, likewise, similarly

Illustration - for instance, for one, in fact, for example, first, second, third, indeed

Contrast - on the one hand, on the other hand, however, nevertheless, otherwise, notwithstanding

Results - thus, therefore, consequently, subsequently, as a result

Here are some examples:

Jane decided she wanted John to be a better farmer; therefore , she promised that he could read his books in bed.

John gave her a big hug and said, "I hope you don't change your mind; otherwise , I'm going to have to get a job in an office."

After reading in bed for an hour, Tom glanced over at Sue to see if she was asleep; then he put down his book and turned off the light.

KJ Hutchings is the founder of KJ Language Services, offering editing, writing and proofreading services and advice on how you can make your English language documents the very best they can be. For more information, visit http://www.kjlanguageservices.com/

Can Journal Writing Help You Achieve Goals? by By MJ Schrader

2011-01-24T06:52:00.001-08:00

You may think of journal writing is for people with time or for others but not for you, yet you might be surprised by the benefits you can enjoy. Even if all you write is a few sentences you can receive multiple benefits. You might also be surprised at how easy it is.

Is journal writing hard?

It should be easy keeping a journal. This is not about writing perfectly, nor is about writing about a glamorous lifestyle. The purpose of this journal is not for others but for your benefit. Your journal should be for you, you can write a few sentences or much longer. You can write in sentences, prose or just take notes. It should be easy for you.

What do I write about in my journal?

You can ask a question and write the answer. An example question might be "What am I thankful for today?" or "How can I reach my goals?" You can write about things in your mind. Your journal is a great way to create plans, write ideas or just document what is or is not working right now.

Where should I write?

Some people like to keep a physical journal beside the bed, and write just before bedtime. Others keep a notebook. Some carry a small notebook or journal almost everywhere and write down ideas whenever and where ever the idea appears. An online journal with WordPress or blog site can be set to private, to allow for online writing. Others just use a Word or other office program to write on their computers.

When should I write?

It is important to decide on a regular time. It does not have to be everyday. You might choose to write every other day or only on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Writing at the same time each day will help you mentally prepare and make it easier to write.

But what are the benefits?

You can look back, days, months, years later and see how things have changed. You can write about goals, how you plan to achieve them, and when you do. When you look back you can make adjustments. Your stories can help you get things off your mind or get your mind moving by answering questions. Write freestyle with free thinking and you might be surprised by all the ideas your brain has hidden that can help you reach goals and solve problems. With journal writing you empower yourself and give yourself freedom.

Do you know how powerful you are?

Making your inner rockstar shine is the goal of MJSchrader.

If life has left you doubting or wondering if you have a rockstar inside, then you should visit her website.

Follow These Eight Steps to Develop Your Corporate Communications Plan

2011-01-24T06:51:00.000-08:00

by Brian R. Salisbury

Your company needs a corporate communications plan to help guarantee the success of your overall business plan. And the best time to develop a communications plan is during your annual budgeting or organizational planning process.

"Communications" includes all written, spoken and electronic interactions between you and audiences inside and outside your organization.

A plan will help you to organize and prioritize the communication tools and initiatives you use to deliver the right information to the right people at the right time. It will help you to keep your stakeholders informed and maintain their buy-in and support for your communications endeavors. It will solidify

Your choice of communications methods, initiatives and materials
What each communication program component must achieve
Your choice of key audiences
Timetables, tools and budgets
How you measure and evaluate program results

From a communications executive's perspective, in addition to the peace of mind it brings, such a plan will help you to
Establish priorities,
Determine day-to-day activities
Achieve order and control
Gain CEO and staff support
Protect against last-minute demands

Follow these eight steps to develop an effective corporate communications plan:
1. Define your goals and desired results.

What is your strategic purpose with regard to corporate communications?
What's the tie-in to your organization's business plan?

2. Conduct an audit to determine and evaluate your current communications materials and initiatives. You must determine
What communications initiatives each department is using
What each initiative is designed to achieve
Each initiative's effectiveness

3. Define your overall communications objectives, such as reinforcing
Customer service
Customer loyalty
Increased sales
Employee morale and teamwork
Employee retention and recruitment
Media relations
A positive corporate image and reputation
Crisis control

4. Determine which audiences you want to influence, such as
Current and prospective customers
Suppliers
Current and prospective employees
Federal, state and local legislators
Wall Street
The media

5. Decide which tools you can use -- and afford -- to achieve your goals and get your points across. Your tools can include:
Print publications
Online communications
Manuals
Meeting and conference materials
Media and public relations materials
Marketing and sales materials
Legal and legislative documents
Employee and customer newsletters
Corporate identity materials -- logos, print and packaging,
Quarterly and annual reports
Signage
Presentations
Website content
Blogs
Internet initiatives

6. Estimate the cost of each initiative, then establish a budget.
7. Establish your timetable.
8. Include methods in your plan that you can use to measure and evaluate results periodically, and to evaluate the program's overall results at year's end.
A written communications plan is as much a defense against chaos, confusion and wasted energy as it is a business priority.
Once in place, your plan will establish priorities, fend off last-minute and inappropriate demands and bring a semblance of order to a hectic job.

Brian R. Salisbury, a writer and a public relations and communications consultant, combines a wealth of communications know-how with an engaging writing style to help his clients shape the most effective messages and deliver them with the greatest impact where they count most. Visit Brian's website at http://www.BriansQuill.com and subscribe to his free public relations newsletter and receive his free report "Ten Key Components of a Successful Public Relations Program." Or send him an email at BrianSalisbury@BriansQuill.com.

The Coolest Verb by Derek Haines

2011-01-17T09:43:00.000-08:00

English has one of the coolest, and at the same time most mysterious of verbs. Verbs to me are the motors that drive phrases and sentences. Normally, as in most languages, these verbs are one word. But in English we have the special and totally cool phrasal verb. Sometimes now called the multi-word verb.

They are normally two words, but sometimes can be longer. For example, to put up with, to look down on or to get on with. Common two word verbs are give up, get over, take up or get by. All very cool, and should need no thought or consideration when writing. Except!

Well, two things really that may need a second though. In formal English, the use of phrasal verbs is not so cool. In fact they should be avoided at all costs if you wish to communicate in highly formal writing. A single word verb is much better. Job application letters, reports, letters of complaint and legal correspondence are examples of where they should be avoided. So to put up with would need to be replaced by to tolerate.

The second small matter is that of meaning. The phrasal verb to take out is a common example. But what meaning does it take? Consider these examples.

To take out the garbage. (to remove)
To take out my wife. (to invite)
To take out a loan. (to contract)
To take out a President. (to eliminate)

In these four examples we can see how context is the key. Try these.

To put a deposit down. (to secure)
To put a dog down. ( to kill)
To put your friend down. (to humiliate)

Then there are these.

To dine out.
To eat in.
To go away.
To get lost.

Just in these three sets of examples we have:

A change of meaning depending on the object.
A change of location for the object to between the verb.
A verb that cannot take any object.
In fact there are seven kinds of phrasal verbs in English and it is one of the most complex grammatical point in our language. Somehow though, we find them highly communicative, and without them, advertisers would be lost for words. The are finding there way into other languages as well because of their simplicity in message. Another interesting point about them is that each year new phrasal verbs are added to our language. One of the most famous of in recent times is the one attributed to Tony Blair. To sex up a dossier.

We are now so used to Googling someone up aren't we?
You can find more information here.

Derek Haines - Author, Songwriter, Poet, Idiot

How to Use Abbreviations in Written English by Louie Jerome

2011-01-17T09:41:00.000-08:00

In everyday written English abbreviations are often used instead of full words. It is not always easy to know when to use these and when to use full words instead. As a general rule it is acceptable to use these in informal writing but if you are writing a formal letter, or document, always write these words in full.

c/o: short for care of

Use this when writing the address on a letter to someone who does not live at a particular address but is having their mail sent sent there.

Do: short for ditto

Ditto is Latin for 'already said'. Use it to indicate that you are repeating something. The short form of the word 'ditto' is sometimes written with two commas (,,) which are placed underneath the word, or number being repeated.

eg: means exempli gratia

This is used to indicate that an example follows to illustrate a point. The words 'exempli gratia' are Latin and mean ' for example'.

etc: short for et cetera

This is Latin for 'and other things'. It is used when you want to let the reader know that the list could be longer. In formal English this is not really suitable (although not incorrect) and it is better to write 'such as' and then list some examples rather than use the abbreviation 'etc'.

i.e : short for id est

This is Latin for 'that is' and it can be used to clarify meaning by putting what has been written in another way.

NB : short for nota bene

This Latin expression means 'note well' and it often added at the end of a statement to indicate that it is a very important point.

PS : Short for post scriptum

This again is Latin and is used to add a bit more to the end of an informal letter. If you think of something you forgot to say it is correct to use PS at the end of an informal letter but if the letter is formal the whole thing needs to be rewritten to include the extra point, don't use a PS.

RSVP : French for 'please reply'

The French phrase 'repondez s'il vous plait' means 'please reply'. It is always abbreviated to RSVP and should only be used at the bottom of an invitation. For example a wedding, engagement, or birthday party invitation. Never use this in a formal letter.

ult : means last month

This too is Latin and is short for ultimo and means 'last month'. It is only used in very formal documents and letters, particularly in the legal profession.

If you are unsure about using abbreviations in written English, don't use them. The examples given above have very specific uses and using them in the wrong places will make your written English look and sound ridiculous. Only use the ones that you are comfortable with.

Copyright: Louie Jerome 2008

Louie Jerome is a UK writer, editor and publisher. She is also a teacher of English as a foreign language. Writer Soup is a monthly internet magazine for writers and readers. [http://www.learn-english-now.co.uk]

Adding an 'E' to the ABCs of Writing by Mike Consol

2011-01-10T10:43:00.000-08:00

Much is made of the ABCs of writing - accuracy, brevity, clarity - but there is a fourth more, advanced component to good writing. That's "euphony," a word many people do not know. It's time to change that. Euphony means agreeable sound, especially in the phonetic quality of words. Lyrical writing is euphony. To master the ABCs of writing will certainly make you a strong and effective writer. But you can be accurate, brief and clear and pretty dull if your writing is devoid of euphony. So it's something we need to pay attention to.

Creating a pleasing or musical sound between words sometimes requires adding a little extra verbiage, sometimes less verbiage. Either way the payoff is well worth it. More often it's a matter of choosing the right words and arranging them in a lyrical order. Word choice is always critical; so it the arrangement or order of those words. Take the example of music stars Darryl Hall and John Oates. When they explored on the music scene fans quickly shortened their name to simply Hall and Oates. It was a choice that demonstrated their sense of euphony. Compare that shorthand name to the alternative: Oates and Hall. It just doesn't flow. It lacks melody. It just doesn't sound right.

Similarly, the big public relations firm Hill & Knowlton would have called its sonic sensibilities into question if the partners had instead named the firm Knowlton & Hill. The latter isn't awful, just less melodious. Nuance is critical to good writing.

Let consider some other examples of word pairings.

Abercrombie & Fitch vs. Fitch & Abercrombie
Baskin-Robbins vs. Robbins-Baskin
Black & Decker vs. Decker & Black
Peter, Paul and Mary vs. Mary, Paul and Peter
Romeo and Juliet vs. Juliet and Romeo
Thelma and Louise vs. Louise and Thelma
Peaches and cream vs. cream and peaches

In each case the former is a combination that offers more word affinity than the latter. Those are just brief word combinations. Let's consider some full-length sentences. In his bestselling novel Bonfire of the Vanities author Tom Wolfe wrote: "The clerk was a bull-necked Italian named Charles Bruzzelli."

A lesser writer might have promulgated the same thought but settled for this less lyrical arrangement. Perhaps something like this: "The clerk was an Italian named Charles Bruzzelli and he was bull-necked."

Comedic Florida novelist Carl Hiaasen wrote: "As we glided through the woods to the music of birds and the splish-splash of our paddles stitching the black water, I tried to summon an image of Chapman."

An editor with a tin ear might have drafted the thought a little differently, maybe like so: "As we glided through the woods I tried to summon an image of Chapman to the music of birds and the splish-splash of our paddles stitching the black water."

British author Douglas Adams, of Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy fame, gave us this gem: "The turmoil of the day stood still for a moment and kept a respectful distance."

A sloppy spell of thinking from Adams might have instead produced this: "Keeping a respectful distance, the turmoil of the day stood still for a moment."

We can all be pleased that the legendary John Updike wrote: "He tries shaving without looking at his face, which is never the face he wanted. Too much nose, not enough chin," rather than, "He had too much nose and not enough chin, which wasn't the face he wanted. So have tried shaving without looking at his face."

Ditto for this Updike sentence: "It is important to strike within the first few moments of awakening, before the dream's delicate structure is crushed under humdrum reality's weight," which could have alternatively been drafted as, "Before the dream's delicate structure is crushed under humdrum reality's weight, it is important to strike within the first few moments of awakening."

The quality of the authors' thinking in every case makes even the lesser rewrites far more interesting than most English sentences. Still, the importance of nuance and arrangement in achieving the highest level of euphony is apparent.

None of this is meant to diminish the importance of the ABCs of writing. Accuracy, brevity and clarity are prerequisites to achieving euphony. You would be hard pressed to make flabby, muddled and inaccurate writing sound pleasing to the ear.

Simply put, euphony is required to take one from a good to great writer.

Mike Consol is president of http://www.MikeConsol.com. He provides corporate training seminars for communication skills, business writing, PowerPoint presentation skills and media training (both traditional media and social media). Consol spent 17 years with American City Business Journals, the nation's largest publisher of metropolitan business journals with 40 weekly newspapers across the United States. While at ACBJ, Consol held a variety of key posts.

Authorship: A Solitary Endeavor? by L Michelle Baker

2011-01-10T10:41:00.000-08:00

The image of the author as a solitary soul retreating into him- or herself for creative genius has taken on something of a romantic tinge in our culture. Ernest Hemingway, William Faulkner, and John Steinbeck have the reputation of being rugged loners, outcasts, and staunch individualists. Truman Capote, Philip Roth, and J.D. Salinger adopt the role of eclectic recluse, thereby earning a strange sort of fame.

Self-Reliance is the title of Ralph Waldo Emerson's master work. Henry David Thoreau retreats to Walden Pond to compose his reflections upon life in America. And Emily Dickinson spends her life gazing out the window at a society she is destined never to participate in but perpetually to influence.

So most of us are left with the idea that to be a great writer we must cloister ourselves from the madding crowd, chain ourselves to our desks, and wither away in our gables just to put words to the page. With these as our role models, we think authorship must depend upon solitude. And the more time we spend alone, the more we discipline ourselves to the task of writing, the better writers we will be.

I'd like to challenge that notion with other examples of writers equally as profound, who lived dazzling, brilliant lives of interactivity, and who found thereby their greatest inspiration. Homer, for example-the greatest poet of the Western world, whose twin epics the Iliad and the Odyssey have influenced every subsequent author to this day.

Homer (if he existed) was illiterate. He composed his poetry orally, taught it to apprentices called rhapsodes, who recited it verbatim, and continued to do so for hundreds of years until finally teaching it to scribes, who recorded it in manuscripts of which we have only fragments today.

Virginia Woolf, author of Mrs. Dalloway, To The Lighthouse, and Orlando, among others, began the Bloomsbury Group. Hers was a household filled with intellectuals, young people who gathered to talk about the important issues of their day and to publish the results of the conversations.

These are not the models of authors working in solitude. They are collaborative writing at its finest, a model that is perhaps more appropriate to the professional, technical, scientific, and academic worlds where much of today's writing is taking place. Perhaps for the creative writer solitude may allow for the emergence of the imagination, but for the more practical corporate writer, it seems to me that interaction, discussion, and cooperation are more viable, productive modes of articulation.

In particular, three situations call for a team instead of a solitary author. In the first, a project is simply too large for one person to complete in a timely manner. Many hands make light work. So call all hands on deck, parcel out the assignments, and have at it.

In the third, a variety of opinions are requested to gain consensus on a tricky issue. This is a situation that calls for diplomacy as many different interests are represented. The team must have the backing of its constituents, and its leader should have no obvious bias.

The second situation is one that most corporate professionals are currently using. It's a collaborative writing situation that requires a variety of experts to each weigh in on different aspects of the document. The problem most organizations face is that they are currently using a linear approach to such documents. One person, very low on the chain, writes the document, which then goes through many layers of review before being kicked back down to be completely rewritten.

That process is time consuming, demoralizing, and self-defeating. By turning the specialized collaborative writing project into a true team effort, organizations can streamline the process, use their time and resources more efficiently, and train their staff more effectively. In the next few blog posts we'll talk about how to do that.

In the meantime, I'd love to hear about the collaborative projects you've worked on. What are your own closely held beliefs about solitary authorship versus collaborative writing? What works on a collaborative writing project, and what doesn't? Send me an e-mail, or visit my blog to leave a comment!

L. Michelle Baker, PhD, is The Corporate Writing Pro. She has been teaching college students and adult professionals how to write faster, easier, and more clearly since 2000.

Michelle earned her PhD from the Catholic University of America in 2008. Her passion is literature-specifically Postmodern British literature. But her business is business. Michelle is on a mission to bring tools that work to the writers that need them most.

For more writing tips, subscribe to her blog, Keys to Easy Writing, at http://corporatewritingpro.com.

You can also email michelle@corporatewritingpro.com.

And for daily updates, follow her on Twitter, @CorpWritingPro.

Making Connections - Three Tips to Keep Your Readers Focused by L Michelle Baker

2010-12-27T05:59:00.001-08:00

Recently, I was milling about the lobby of a historic hotel, waiting for my husband to finish tooling around on the computer, and I heard a fellow complaining at the front desk. He had been under the impression that his room would feature a fireplace and was disappointed to find that it had been deactivated.

He soon realized that the hotel staff was accustomed to the complaint and skilled at ignoring it. Yet on he went, about how he had been so looking forward to settling down by a roaring fire until everyone's eyes were rolling. So I strolled a bit nearer and said, "did I hear you say you were looking for a fireplace?"

His eyes lit up as he rapidly nodded his head, and I continued, "because my husband and I are headed for this very cool English pub just down the street."

Apparently he found my silence baffling. So he asked, "does it have a fireplace?"

"No," I replied. "But it has a very pretty water fountain."

Readers need writers to make connections for them. There are a few simple ways to do this. One of them is by using a thesis statement. You should never compose a document without one. Take a look at my home page, and you'll see the one I wrote for my welcome statement: The key difference between associates and executives is the ability to communicate clearly.

A thesis statement acts as a signpost to show your reader where they are and where you will be taking them. It also helps you to clarify your thoughts and outline your main points. While you should think enough about your document to draft a thesis statement before you begin writing, you should go back and revise it to match the final product because the process of writing tends to clarify and even change our focus.

Another way you can make connections is by using topic sentences. Topic sentences announce the subject of a paragraph. They also include a transition that allows the reader to move from one thought to another while still keeping the big picture in mind. Take this paragraph as an example. My topic sentence is: Another way you can make connections is by using topic sentences. This paragraph is focused on topic sentences, in an article on making connections. The phrase "another way" signals that I'm introducing a new topic.

And that brings me to my final suggestion for today, transitions. Transitions are words and phrases that connect the dots. They're like the symbols in mathematical equations. A B C doesn't mean anything. But, A + B = C constitutes a statement that can be deciphered and understood.

Transitions include small simple words called coordinating conjunctions. There are 7 of them in English and you can remember them using the mnemonic FANBOYS: For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet, So. By the way, it's okay to use them at the beginnings of sentences, no matter what your high school English teacher may have told you.

You can also use transitional expressions. Short phrases, like "by the way" or "in addition" help move the reader through your document. Or you can get really fancy and add a conjunctive adverb: Therefore, However, or Moreover.

Whichever you choose, remember that you are trying to direct your reader. So be sure the transition makes logical sense in its context. Don't use a therefore unless you've actually reached a conclusion. Reserve moreover for times when you're truly adding more information and not just moving on to a different topic.

So what do a fireplace and a water fountain have in common? I'm not really sure myself. But you should have seen his face! Happy writing.

L. Michelle Baker, PhD, is The Corporate Writing Pro. She has been teaching college students and adult professionals how to write faster, easier, and more clearly since 2000. Michelle earned her PhD from the Catholic University of America in 2008. Her passion is literature-specifically Postmodern British literature. But her business is business.

Before returning to graduate school, she worked as a bookkeeper, a legal secretary, and an accountant. During graduate school, she worked with venture capital companies, dot com startups, real estate moguls, and information marketing specialists. After a decade of teaching college students and adult professionals how to write clearly, she's bringing her expertise to the corporate professional. Michelle is on a mission to bring tools that work to the writers that need them most. Simple strategies like learning the differences between developing and mature writers, mastering the 6 stages in the writing process, or structuring a process that uses the writer's triangle can transform corporate professionals into professional writers, propelling them to the top of their field.

For more writing tips, subscribe to her blog, Keys to Easy Writing, at http://corporatewritingpro.com. You can also email michelle@corporatewritingpro.com.

And for daily updates, follow her on Twitter, @CorpWritingPro.

Scientists map what factors influence the news agenda

2010-12-27T05:58:00.000-08:00

Computer scientists have analysed over a million news articles in 22 languages to pinpoint what factors, such as the Eurovision song contest, influence and shape the news agenda in 27 EU countries. This is the first large-scale content-analysis of cross-linguistic text using artificial intelligence techniques.

Every day hundreds of news outlets across Europe choose which story to cover from a wide and diverse selection. While each outlet may be making these choices based on individual criteria, clear patterns emerge when all these choices are studied over a large set of outlets and a long time.

The international team of researchers is led by Nello Cristianini, Professor of Artificial Intelligence at the University of Bristol in conjunction with Professor Justin Lewis, Head of the School of Journalism, Media and Cultural Studies at Cardiff University. An article published in the issue of PLoS ONE (Dec. 2010), has discovered that the news content chosen reflects national biases, as well as cultural, economic and geographic links between countries. For example outlets from countries that trade a lot with each other and are in the Eurozone are more likely to cover the same stories, as are countries that vote for each other in the Eurovision song contest.

Deviation from "normal content" is more pronounced in outlets of countries that do not share the Euro, or have joined the EU later. The analysis the researchers have conducted could not have been done in the past, due to the sheer scale of the data, but is now possible using automated methods from artificial intelligence because of recent advances in machine translation and text analysis.

Professor Nello Cristianini from the University's Intelligent Systems Laboratory in the Faculty of Engineering said: "Automating the analysis of news content could have significant applications, due to the central role played by the news media in providing the information that people use to make sense of the world."

The researchers selected the top-ten news outlets, established by the volume of web traffic, for each of the 27 EU countries using the leading news feed of each or the main page of the news outlet. In total they gathered 1,370,874 news items from the top stories of the top outlets of each EU country for six months, from 1 August 2009 until 31 January 2010. The non-English language news items, 1.2 million, were translated automatically to English.

Several expected connections between countries were found such as Greece-Cyprus; Czech Republic-Slovakia; Latvia-Estonia; United Kingdom-Ireland; Belgium-France. Links between countries not explained by borders, trade or cultural relations, could be due to other factors and could be the basis of further research.

Professor Justin Lewis said: "This approach has the potential to revolutionise the way we understand our media and information systems. It opens up the possibility of analysing the mediasphere on a global scale, using huge samples that traditional analytical techniques simply couldn't countenance. It also allows us to use automated means to identify clusters and patterns of content, allowing us to reach a new level of objectivity in our analysis."

While this approach lacks qualitative analysis provided by people, this new research is a significant breakthrough in the study of media content especially due to the recent availability of millions of books and news articles in digital format.

English Pronunciation - Word Stress by Joe Ehman

2010-12-20T08:43:00.001-08:00

Pronunciation is an important aspect of learning English. If you learn the incorrect pronunciation of a word, you may not understand it when someone pronounces the word correctly. Also, when you use the word, the person listening may not understand you.

Let me give you an example. An exchange student from Mexico asked me if we could go to a "boo-fet." I did not understand where he wanted to go. I asked him for clarification. He then asked if we could go to a "boo-fet" where you eat all you want. Now, I understood. He was trying to pronounce the word buffet (buh-fay). He learned the incorrect pronunciation from his teacher of English.

How many words do you know that start with photo? Let's make a list:

photograph, photographer, photography, photographic, photographed, photographically, photogenic

Do you know the correct pronunciation of these words? You probably can pronounce some of these words correctly.

In English, one syllable in any word is called the stressed syllable. The stressed syllable is the part of a word that you give the most emphasis to. Stressed syllables are often perceived as being more forceful than non-stressed syllables. Let's look at some examples. The following underlined syllables are stressed:

sofa, telephone, celebrity, computer

Here are the pronunciation rules. Remember, every rule has an exception or two.

When the word ends in -al (architectural), -crat (democrat), -ist (economist), -meter (thermometer), or -y, -cy, -gy, -fy, -phy, -ry, -try, the stress generally falls on the ante-penultimate syllable. For example, in architectural, "tec" is the ante-penultimate syllable.

architectural

ar chi tec tur al

al - ultimate syllable

tu - penultimate syllable

tec - ante-penultimate syllable

When the word ends in -ian, -ic, ics, -sion, -tion, the stress is usually on the penultimate syllable. For example, politician, "ti" is the penultimate syllable.

Politician

When the word ends in -ee,-eer the stress usually is placed on the last syllable.

Employee

Most other endings, for the most part, do not change the stress of the base word. For example, -able, -ed, -er, --ful, -ing, -ise, ize, -ist, -less, -ly, -ment, -ness, -ous, -ure.

architecture, employed, useless

Prefixes usally do not change the stress of the base word. Here are some examples.

generate / degenerate

believe / disbelieve

national / international

action / transaction

In the list below, underline the stressed syllable in the word families.

photograph, photographer, photography, photographic, photographed, photographically, photogenic

economy, economic, economist, economics, economical, economically

architect, architecture, architectural, architecturally

industry, industrial, industrially, industrious, industrialize, industrialization, industrialist, industrialism

democrat, democracy, democratic, democratically, democratize, democratization

employ, employer, employee, employing, employed, employment

use, used, user, useless, uselessly, uselessness, useful, usefully, usefulness, usable

Joe Ehman currently resides in Mexico where her spends the sunny days writing, reading, studying and relaxing. His blog, El Inglés is dedicated to students of English and their teachers. Joe publishes a newsletter which you can get for free by clicking here

English Grammar Rules on Subject-Verb Agreement by John Lismo

2010-12-20T08:41:00.001-08:00

In the English grammar, the subject-verb agreement is perhaps the most important ground rule that every writer should master, if not perfect. However, it also a pit into, which, many writers, especially novices, fall from time to time. By definition, the term agreement means "the state of being in conformity." In the world of grammar rules, however, agreement is understood to mean harmony in the person, number, gender, and case. A subject is in a state of conformity with its predicate, when the subject and the predicate verb agree in person (i.e., first, second, or third) and number (singular or plural).

The faults in the subject-verb grammar rules happen often because verbs, with the exception of to be, follow only one form for singular and plural subjects, as well as for three persons, unless it is third person singular present. There are usually two reasons why grammar lapses occur in the language. First, there is confusion as to the subject's number, due to the other words that come between it and the predicate verb. Then, a verb is sometimes used for a subject, not according to its grammatical form, but to its meaning. In correcting mistakes of this nature, the base or true subject needs to be extracted and determine its number.

There are instances, however, when nous, even though stripped of all its modifiers and auxiliaries, can be the source of confusion for the writer or speaker. It is good to watch out for those nouns that appear plural, but are actually singular, and should, therefore, agree with a singular verb. There is no definitive list of all these nouns; so, a dictionary should accompany any writing endeavor. These nouns often have to do with fields of discipline, such as mathematics, physics, economics, politics, and ethics. Sometimes, writers, even experienced ones, think that mumps, whereabouts, headquarters, and news are plural nouns, when they are not.

On rare occasions, certain nouns appear singular, when they are essentially plural. Nouns like data, phenomena, cacti, strata, and alumni, are the plural forms for datum, phenomenon cactus, stratum, and alumnus. On the other hand, the noun information is always singular every time it appears in a sentence.

Collective nouns also can be a source of confusion in the English grammar rules. When considered as a whole or as a unit, nouns like committee, clergy, family, herd, mob, orchestra, are taken as singular collective nouns, e.g., "The clergy called for a new meeting." The same collective nouns agree with plural verbs only when members of the group are identified or separated: "The (members of the) clergy are in disagreement with regards to the use of artificial contraceptives." It can be tricky, but sometimes, common sense is required; the latter sentence conforms more with the plural verb, because the idea behind predicate object calls for it.

At the end of the day, getting it right takes more than keeping in mind and mastering the grammar rules. It is always good to have a reference book on grammar and usage and a dictionary nearby whenever one is in doubt.

Go to the official English Grammar website for more grammar lessons, rules, and news for everyday use - http://www.englishgrammar.org/

Widening our perceptions of reading and writing difficulties

2010-12-20T08:37:00.001-08:00

Learning to read and write are complex processes, which can be disrupted in various ways, leading to disorders known as dyslexia and dysgraphia. Two new studies, published in a recent special issue of Elsevier's Cortex (http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/00109452) provide evidence of this variety, suggesting that effective treatment needs to take it into account.

A group of researchers from the Universities of Bari and Rome in Italy studied the reading and writing abilities of 33 Italian dyslexic children, comparing their performance with that of children with normal reading ability. Italian is an "orthographically transparent" language, meaning that letters tend to correspond to the same sounds, whereas many letters in the English alphabet change their sound from word to word (like the "c" in car and city). However, the new study showed that even in Italian, in which it is relatively straightforward to convert sounds into letters, children still have difficulties in spelling. Younger children with dyslexia generally performed worse than proficient readers; however, the older ones showed a more selective impairment when spelling words, suggesting that knowledge of vocabulary may be more important in spelling than previously thought.

The other study, from Tel Aviv University, Israel, provided the first systematic description of a type of reading disorder called "attentional dyslexia" in which children identify letters correctly, but the letters jump between words on the page, e.g., "kind wing" is read as "wind king." Teachers and neuropsychologists often notice that children substitute letters when reading, but in this type of dyslexia the substitutions are not caused by inability to identify letters or convert them to sounds; they result from migrations of letters between words. The findings showed that letters would mostly migrate to the same position in another word, so the first letter of one word would switch places with the first letter of another word. Awareness to the existence of this type of dyslexia is important, because it suggests a straightforward way to assist these children in reading - by presenting a ‎single word at a time, e.g., with the help of a word-sized window cut in a piece of cardboard.

Writing in English - 1 by Charles Nocis

2010-12-06T07:19:00.000-08:00

For writing in English, one has to follow certain rules.

Rules regarding position of words -

If several nouns in the in the possessive case are used together to express possession of the same thing by each of them, the possessive sign 's is affixed to the last, of the nouns only, e.g., Jadu and Madhu's plans were uncertain.
But if several nouns in the possessive case come together to denote possession of different things, the 's must be affixed to the end of each noun, e.g., Jadu's and Madhu's books were on different tables.
When a noun in the possessive case has another noun in apposition, the 's is placed after the latter, e.g., This is Rabindranath, the poet's house.

Writing in English: Rules of syntax:-

Personal pronouns agree with the nouns or pronouns, for which they stand, in Gender, Number, Case and Person, e.g., we do not know how long it will take our government to realize their responsibility in this matter.
Relative pronouns agree with their antecedents in Gender, Number and Person, but not Case; e.g., those who doubt the utility of science ask question like this.
When the pronouns each, either, neither, are subjects, they take a verb in the singular number, e.g., either of us is responsible for this.

Writing in English: Rules of using the adverb:-

"A" is used before beginning with a consonant; "an" before vowels, e.g., a book; an eagle.

"a" or "an" is used with a noun when we do not specify a thing.
"The" is used with a noun when it is something specified and particular.
All common nouns in the singular number must take an article.
Abstract or Material nouns do not take an article when it expresses a general idea or quality, e.g., Perseverance is a virtue.

However, when a quality is specially indicated, it takes an article.

Writing in English: Rules of Punctuation:-

Commas should, as a rule, be used between three or more words of the same parts of speech coming together, except that the last two words of the series are joined by "and", without any comma, e.g., the honorable learned and distinguished members.

But when a final adjective is closed to the noun than the preceding one, the comma is omitted.

Commas are not necessary if the words are connected with "and", e.g., he was a good and helpful and obedient son.

Commas should be used after, or before and after such words as 'however', 'moreover' etc. while writing in English.
Commas should be used to mark off the subordinate clauses, e.g., the professor, who was very eloquent, spoke for the best part of an hour.
The semi colon is used chiefly to separate sentences closely connected in the sense that are or ought to be joined by co-coordinating conjunctions while writing in English, e.g., the sun was rising; waves of light rippled across the sky; it was a beautiful scene.

Charles Nocis is an expert on a variety of niches such as WordPress help, happiness, travel destinations, gardening, weight loss among others. Read the articles that he publishes on Free Articles Sites like Malpri, a contributing writer's fantasy Today English is one of the most important things you can learn. While you might feel that you know the language exceptionally well, remember that not everyone can write English as well. We have numerous English grammar exercises that can help you improve your English communications skills. With our impressive tips on writing, you will be able to have a firm grasping on what are the best methods and practices of speaking English correctly and efficiently. With free writing tips, you can ow speak English better!

Writing Effective Proposals For Corporate Training by Juanita Ecker

2010-12-06T07:15:00.000-08:00

If you market your services as a corporate trainer, you have undoubtedly been asked to write a proposal. It can be stressful if you do not have a specific format in mind. Over the years, I have developed a template that includes the following sections-and I use it over and over to make proposal writing much easier. Feel free to use this template for your own proposals.

Learning Outcomes

List specifically what the participants will learn. For a business etiquette class, I might list how to remember names, make proper introductions, navigate cocktail receptions and be a host or guest at a client lunch.

Training Methods

Describe how you will train the group. Will you use role-play examples, case studies or interactive activities? Will you show slides or actual pieces of clothing? Will you use a workbook with fill-in-the-blank style, or will you provide handouts as a reference? Will you use a needs assessment or questionnaire that participants must fill out ahead of time? Will the participants have to complete an assignment prior to the session? Will they be asked to bring items of clothing? Will there be a system for follow-up after the training? The more details you provide in this section, the more your prospect will perceive the value in your services.

Outline

Include an outline of the topics to be covered. In your initial meeting, you undoubtedly uncovered the organization's particular challenges. Tailor the outline to fit those challenges.

Fees

Quote your fee for the session. If you are discounting your fee because you want the business or need the money, mention the discount in the proposal. For example, I cite my normal fee for a three-hour session, and then explain that I have adjusted the fee to the agreed-upon price. This is also helpful when the recipients of the proposal hire you again in the future. They won't assume the discounted rate is your normal fee.

Material Fees

List all reimbursable expenses for program materials. When I provide handouts, for instance, I normally charge $5.00 per person for the handouts. Include a statement to the effect that the program material is a proprietary product of your company, and that its use and reproduction are permitted only within the contract under which it was developed. This way, they cannot use your materials for another seminar. If you have additional training resources to sell-a book, training tape or video, for example-give the company the option to purchase those materials at an extra cost.

Payment

Explicitly spell out the terms for payment. Because most companies take six to eight weeks to pay-which can be brutal on cash flow-I require a 50% non-refundable deposit. I explain that the balance for the training is due the day of the seminar unless prior arrangements have been made. This way, the client has a check ready for me. To make the accounting for this arrangement easier, I provide a separate invoice for that check, so the client has the proper paperwork.

Equipment Needed for Training

Describe your equipment needs in detail. If you require an overhead projector, a flip chart, a slide projector or a screen, you will need to specify that in your proposal. Also, mention how you want the participants seated. I always request that no participant have his or her back to me (this eliminates round tables). Instead, I recommend the classroom or U-shape for training.

Travel Expenses

List any travel expenses that will be reimbursed-like mileage, hotel and food-and describe the procedure you will follow. Some consultants prefer to estimate the travel expenses and include these costs as part of the total fee. Other consultants prefer to turn in receipts and be reimbursed for the actual amount spent. Either way is acceptable.

Above all, as you develop your proposal, remember one essential fact: the more details you include, the better. It avoids confusion and misunderstandings later on.

With a clear, detailed proposal, you can enter your prospect's comfort zone, manage expectations, avoid surprises-and win more business. Happy selling.

Juanita Ecker, president of Professional Image Management, is a business etiquette and international protocol consultant. She can be reached by phone at (518) 279-9388 or online at http://www.professionalimagemanagement.com

Professors Use Twitter in Foreign Language Teaching

2010-11-29T06:51:00.000-08:00

Twitter -- the social media tool probably best known for celebrity rants -- is finding a more useful purpose in foreign language classrooms at the University of South Carolina.

Professors Dr.Lara Ducate and Dr. Lara Lomicka Anderson are using Twitter as a learning aid to inject a little fun and spontaneity into foreign language instruction.

"One of my main goals of using it in my French class is to build community," said Anderson, an associate professor in the Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures who, with Ducate, an associate professor of German, says Twitter can get students talking outside of regular classes.

Anderson also has her students use Twitter to converse with native speakers at École des Ponts Paris Tech, a French university, to "keep the conversation going all the time."

Ducate used Twitter last fall in a teaching methods class to connect students with peers in foreign language teaching method courses at other universities.

"It was a way to let the students find someone who is also teaching their language and learning how to deal with their first semester as a teaching assistant," she said. "They were required to Tweet three times a week on topics like how things were going in their teaching. This gave them a chance to get a little bit more personal attention and also support from more than just me and their USC classmates."

Anderson and Ducate both focus their research on technology in the classroom. They've used discussion questions on Facebook, Skype long-distance chats, and e-mail. They've also worked with podcasting, blogs, and Wikis.

The appeal of Twitter is that it offers a good way for students to get to know one another, the two professors said.

"The students are doing all kinds of interesting communication outside of class," said Anderson, who found that after two semesters, students who had Tweeted with one another were "really well connected and their community was very tight."

She also felt she got to know her students better and was interacting with them more.

Ducate discovered that she could use the subjects of her students' Tweets as a jumping off point for class discussions.

Tweeting is also less intimidating for students who might not be as outgoing as some of their classmates.

"They end up writing more than they would be likely to say in class," she said. "It gives them another outlet where they can express themselves."

Another advantage of Twitter for language instruction is that Tweets are short.

"It's easy for them to write one sentence quickly that doesn't require a lot from a proficiency standpoint," Ducate said. "I think they're more willing to do something like that than having to write a longer blog entry or something that takes more time."

"It's short and it connects them with the outside world and class discussion by bringing in news items and other things they want to share," Anderson said. "Students don't see [Tweets] as homework quite as much because they're fun and allow them to talk about themselves, which they love to do."

So, You Want To Write An Editorial But Do Not Know How? by Jimmy Hall

2010-11-29T06:49:00.000-08:00

Everyone of us naturally has opinions about many things, whether we dwell upon them or not. Occasionally we feel so strongly about something that we need to express ourselves in writing. This is the essence of what an editorial or op-ed is all about. An editorial or opinion column or letter to the editor is your outlet to share with the world.

The problem is that while everyone has various ideas about things, not everyone knows exactly how to formulate and convey them in an orderly written manner. That is what this column is all about, to teach you how to write an editorial or opinion piece that has at least a little bit of order and logic to it.

First of all, what is your opinion's subject? Politics? Religion? Current events? Sports? Do you know what you are talking about? Secondly, what is your exact slant? Anytime you express yourself in an editorial, you must confine your thoughts to a few precise points. Writing a little bit about everything related to the topic in the same piece is akin to writing about absolutely nothing. You must focus on limited ideas. Get the idea? The public has a short and limited attention span. Be simple.

Pick an interesting title first. Next, catch the readers' attention with a strong opening line or two, and show the reader that you are human and rational in the next couple of sentences; then, write individual short paragraphs about your three main sub-points. After this, provide a conclusion with a potential solution to the problem that you have explained. Simple enough, right? Maybe.

Amid the course of the editorial piece, it is important that you write with authority. What you type should be considered "as a given." It may be an opinion piece, but your readers must view what is printed as virtual facts. They need to respect you. Otherwise, what weight will your potential solutions carry? Is it your intent to just provide a minute or two of entertainment? (I hope not.)

Lastly, be prepared to catch feedback from your editorial piece. If you write it, readers have a right to reply. If you are not thick-skinned, this can hurt. (I know, believe me.) Furthermore, make sure to provide a way for readers to contact you about the opinion column. Do not hide in web-world. No one respects a person that can give their points of view, yet not accept sensible contrary ones back... Reply to all those that contact you! Whether it is on Facebook, in a magazine, or in newspapers, take your medicine. Believe it or not, most of your feedback will be good.

About the Author:
I'm Jimmy Hall, a freelance writer outside of Atlanta that specializes in business and corporate writing, website and webpage search engine optimization, general web-writing, professional projects, press releases, business letters, college coursework help, ad-columns, articles, and essays. I can help you or your organization at a reasonable fee or rate. Phone: 404-580-1501 E-mail: HJimmy577@aol.com
Webpage: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jimmy-Halls-Writing-and-Composing-Services/213480584583

Writing Is Therapy by Jimmy Hall

2010-11-29T06:47:00.001-08:00

In a fast-paced world, true friends are a rarity, priced at a premium. Friends, mind you, not simply acquaintances. Furthermore, someone like myself, with no natural siblings and few immediate relatives, is at a further disadvantage regarding companionship. Boredom and loneliness creep-up quickly within a quiet home. That's when the act of writing truly functions at its irreplaceable best. Yes, that's when my craft begins to comfort me. Writing helps.

Alone with pen and paper or computer, I step into another world apart from the physical space my body inhabits. Like a lonely but curious child daydreaming in his room, my mind wanders to regions I otherwise wouldn't experience, joining unique people outside of my realm and sphere of contacts. Unlike the characters in books I could read by others, the ones I write are tailored to be exactly as I wish, and seldom fail to amuse or excite me as I create them. They place me in touch with myself, and must do so; I go into them.

Developing characters or depicting places requires much thinking and intra-conversation within the writer's mind. In essence I am not alone, for I'm talking to myself via the running dialogue and descriptions being expressed and presented. In addition, my creations take on an existence, and speak to me as

I form them; I am no longer isolated. Indeed, in what other arenas or areas of life can someone obtain friends at will and have them say precisely the right words in exactly the correct circumstances? Few, if any.

I think, perhaps, the reader often fails to understand this close but abstract relationship between a writer and his or her work. An alert one can sometimes grasp what the author is communicating, but usually fails to understand the writer's experience while creating it, unless the reader also writes.

The simple truth is that a book, story, article, poem, or play is the baby of the one who penned it. The initially lonesome writer joys in its conception, growth, and maturation, and later enjoys sharing this special child with others. The reader normally could not care any less about that bond. Regardless, the item's publication is the second and sometimes final season of happiness. Inevitably this joy also dissipates and the trials and emotions of real life return, and the need will arise to instigate the process once again. I personally know this to be true.

Surely writing will continue to lift my spirits, and those of thousands of others who share our mutual love of designing the written word. For quite a number of years this has been the case. Let's hope it continues accordingly, because writing is great therapy for the author and the end product provides a solid activity for the readership.

About the Author:
I'm Jimmy Hall, a freelance writer outside of Atlanta that specializes in business and corporate writing, website and webpage search engine optimization, general web-writing, professional projects, press releases, business letters, college coursework help, ad-columns, articles, and essays. I can help you or your organization at a reasonable fee or rate. Phone: 404-580-1501 E-mail: HJimmy577@aol.com
Webpage: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jimmy-Halls-Writing-and-Composing-Services/213480584583

Guidelines for Writing an Editorial in Your Corporate Newsletter by Jane Sherwin

2010-11-21T13:11:00.000-08:00

Let's suppose you've just been asked to write an editorial for your company's newsletter. Your boss is overwhelmed with some new responsibility and has asked you to fill in. But, what are you going to say? And what is the best way to say it? This is, after all, an opinion piece, not just another news item.

Here are some key points that should help you get your editorial done right:

Know your purpose:

Start by being aware of the purpose of your corporate newsletter. Is it designed to attract clients to your services and products, or to reassure the world that you are in good financial shape? To bolster employee loyalty or provide helpful information to people in your marketplace? Your editorial should most certainly reflect your newsletter's goals.

Know your audience:

Next, get clear about who will be reading your editorial: Investors, employees, customers, vendors? Define your readers' interests, and think about content that will stimulate their interest, even if they may not always agree with you. You want to be sure that you are writing for the audience that you have, not the one you wish you had.

Get clear about content:

Now you are ready to start thinking about content. If it's an election year, would an editorial about politics and business be appropriate? Perhaps there have been safety issues in the news, so that an editorial about corporate responsibility would be timely. Are there topics or items you should definitely stay away from? It's a good idea to get in touch with your public relations department, if you haven't already, and see what they advise.

Word count:

As you begin to sketch out your editorial, be sure you know how many words your newsletter has room for. Unless you are a brilliant wordsmith, you'll want to keep your piece to no more than 400-500 words. You aren't doing investigative reporting, after all. As you write, keep an eye on your word count (there are simple software tools for counting).

Choose the right style:

Determine how personal your editorial can be, given the style of your newsletter-and your corporate culture. Does this assignment call for a folksy style along with a joke here and there? Is serious and plain and sober a better choice?

Use good models for ideas about style, openings and closings. Take a look, for example, at the op-ed pages in leading newspapers. A strong, brief opening statement will engage your readers and keep them reading. Avoid saying "I" and instead write about the company-for example "Our company has long believed" or "We firmly support." State your opinion clearly, so that people understand what you are talking about. And lay out the facts clearly, as well.

Proofing and reviewing:

Finally, be sure to get a colleague to review your draft for you-a second point of view can be invaluable. And take a couple of minutes to read your editorial out loud to yourself-this is a great way to see what you've missed in terms of tone and argument. Also, it goes without saying that you'll want your boss to take a look.

Who knows, your first editorial may turn out to be the beginning of a new career!

Copyright (c) 2010 Jane Sherwin. You may reprint this entire article and you must include the copyright info and the following statement: "Jane Sherwin is a writer who helps hospitals and other health care facilities communicate their strengths and connect with their readers."

Subscribe to Jane's free monthly e-newsletter at http://visitor.constantcontact.com/d.jsp?m=1101996057258&p=oi for short, powerful articles delivered directly to your inbox. Get practical tips on communicating effectively with customers, clients, employees and the public.

The Online Writing Lack-Of-Editing Debate by Lisa A Mason

2010-11-21T13:09:00.001-08:00

There are some who write or read content on the Internet and find themselves appalled at the "lax" editing process that is often involved in said content. I've had my writing criticized for it, even just recently. This started off as an email in reply to one of these aforementioned "grammar snobs" but instead, I figured why waste my time? Some people just need to feel important and who am I to try to take that away?

But I am going to share it with you here because chances are, you've been part of this equation- either on one side or the other and you might benefit from some insight into the battle over online content and its quality and/or lack of proper editing before publication.

Here's the argument: Online writing is sloppy and those publishing this dribble should not be calling themselves "professionals".

This has been a longtime debate for as long as I have been writing for the Internet and while I certainly see the point (I used to treat it the same way when I first started), I have also learned that most Web writing is just not meant to be this way. I lose money when I nit-pick over every single word and spend hours editing something that isn't going to be up for a Pulitzer or even a publishing house.

When I produce ad copy, books, promotional materials and other business and corporate writing, there is a higher level editorial process that goes into it. Typically, there is also at least 1-2 other people who will read the copy and we all create a final draft together.

Quick articles and blurbs for the Internet don't require this type of fine-toothed-comb editing. While I don't encourage sloppy or unedited writing, there is a limit to how long I will edit a piece that is only paying a certain amount. And the point of the matter is that it really isn't necessary. I've seen major news networks like FOX and NBC make typos, particularly in news they are trying to get out quickly. The Associated Press often has typos or grammar errors in their news feeds due to their attempt to be the first to get it "on the wire". Sometimes these mistakes are corrected later and often, they are not.

Why? Well, because there is no point. The point was to get the info out there. Those who needed to read it, read it, and as long as the typo or grammatical error did not hinder the reader's comprehension of the story, it won't typically be changed. In fact, the average reader won't even notice the type of errors these Grammar Snobs so gleefully point out.

The average Net reader is on a 5th-6th grade level, with the exception of technical and some niche-specific sites and blogs. This isn't to say that all Internet readers are uneducated. Instead, it takes into consideration stress, work, TV and other distractions that the person has going on when they come to read your article or website. Chances are, they were quickly looking for something and they are usually in a rush. Therefore, their reading attention spans are around that of a 12 year old, regardless of who they are, their age or their educational level.

Using large, stuffy vocabulary turns the average reader off. They don't want to read fluffy, flowery content; they want simple, to the point information about the topic they searched for.

"Intellectual" types will see this type of writing as bland, simple or uneducated but 90% of the time, I am not writing to the intellectuals. I'm writing to the average Internet reader.

One recent insult I received was "What are you, in high school?" No, but the majority of my readers have a high school education and possibly some college. It's all about identifying your reader and giving them what they want.

I don't write so that I can puff my chest out and snub my nose at those less educated than myself.

I don't write so that I can join an elitist club and sit by a fireplace sipping cognac and smoking expensive cigars mumbling, "Here! Here!" when one of my snob-buddies makes a self-righteous comment.

I write to help others, to provide information; to get to the point. I write to answer questions, to share my experiences and opinions and I write to help businesses find success.

There are some who will call me a "sell out" or say that I am bringing down the quality of the industry but you know what? These people don't sign my paychecks.

My tagline for Web copy is "Curing Internet illiteracy- one website at a time!" and this is something I have vowed to uphold each and every year that I continue to work in this business. I am human and occasionally I make mistakes but my clients have always felt that I create better content than they would have if they were doing it themselves (and some of them had). They always find a value in my services and I am compensated very well for that value.

So if I get the occasional self-righteous blogger who wants to insult me and debate it every now and then, we can just chalk it up to a casualty of the industry and move on. If you don't like the way I choose to write and run my business, we can respectfully agree to disagree and I'll move on and keep banking my cash.

About the Author:

Lisa Mason is a freelance writer with a specialty in Internet content and SEO articles and the author of How to Earn a Living Writing for the Internet. She has written thousands of articles, hundreds of ebooks and thousands of website pages and related content in more than 10 years as a professional writer.

Author of 100 Days to Better Article Writing as well as other books, guides and articles on writing and writing online.

Powerful Email, Business Writing Training Remains Critical in Texting Digital Age

2010-11-21T13:08:00.000-08:00

The primary written communications of an entire millennial generation that's now in the workforce consists of on-the-fly text messages -- "OMG dude, my boss is giving the most boring z-z-z presentation. R U going 2 night? :)"

Growing legions of smart phone users are adopting the same texting and email writing habits. User-generated websites, blogs, and other social media reflect the same weak writing skills. And, newspapers, which have cut editors, are filled with basic writing errors. All seem to ask who -- in an increasingly digital world -- really needs powerful business writing skills, observes Michael Whelan, president of Whelan Group Seminars, an internationally respected business writing and communications training firm.

"Business emails, decision memos, proposals, letters, reports, strategic plans, board reports, annual reports, white papers, speeches, PowerPoint presentations, and publications," Whelan emphasizes, "still demand professional, powerful written communications skills to achieve RESULTS."

What is Corporate Writing? by Pavan M Kumar

2010-11-14T05:56:00.001-08:00

Most companies use "We understand your business" as a heading in their websites to tell their clients in what way they try to understand the business of the latter. When you start reading what has written there, most of the times you find abstract thoughts of the writer without exactly mentioning what and how they does it. Welcome to the world of Corporate Writing!!! If corporate writing means using big obscure words and writing lengthy sentences without exactly telling what they mean, then it is nothing but an indication to revise the content of the website with immediate effect.

Writing is an art. If you want to convey something, then out of all the mediums, writing ranks first among the equals. Through writing, you not only convey your thoughts but also make the reader feel and excite about your stuff. Everything depends up on the words and sentences you use to write for your audience. Even a one-liner can lit the light of knowledge among thousands and millions of people, if written perfectly.

While writing for web, you need to present your points in a neat, trim, and perfect way. The readers will not spend much time on your site if they do not understand what you have written. Do not use words, which are nearly absent in our daily conversations. If you feel that using complicated words gives your site a corporate touch, then forget about the clients and business. Since clients have to first, understand what you have written on your website; if you challenge their understanding by using complicated words and sentences in the name of corporate writing, then forget about bagging business.

Nobody have time to spend deciphering what your abstract and complex words convey. Corporate writing rules say to write simple and easy-to-understand sentences for readers' consumption. Because your company is big, there is no need to use big words! In fact, your words and sentence choices may affect your company's business.

Corporate writing always says to stick to short sentences, easy words, and no verbose phrases. Stick to this principle while writing any corporate stuff. At the end of your writing, there are chances that you may get a clear, concise, precise, and clarified piece of writing, which everyone can understand. Avoid jargons, clichés, and abstract words and phrases in your writing. Always keep your audience, to whom you are writing, in mind; otherwise, chances are there that you may lose the track of conveying your purpose to the right audience. Think about your audience and always question yourself what they already know and what they are supposed to know now.

In summary, always remember that corporate communications are there to serve a purpose but not to convey abstract thoughts!

3 Email Land Mines? in Business Writing: Haste, Privacy & Wrong Addresses

2010-11-14T05:55:00.000-08:00

You're walking innocently across a field. Suddenly you stumble on a hidden land mine. Pow! Disaster strikes. This kind of event happens daily in organizations where people use email extensively. Elizabeth Danziger, author of Get to the Point! Painless Advice for Writing Letters, Memos, and Emails Your Colleagues and Clients Will Understand, 2nd edition, asked business people worldwide to talk about the Email Land Mines? they have uncovered. In a series of online articles, she shares the results of her research into this area of business writing.

The first land mine is: Writing in Haste. "Act in haste; repent at leisure," says the proverb. Something about the immediacy of email makes us feel pressured to respond immediately, often before we've fully thought out our response. In the rush to hit "send," we might respond before we have all the information we need, or before we've let negative feelings settle down. Most land mines could be avoided by simply not rushing to send out emails. For more on this land mine and ways to avoid it, go to article.

The second land mine is: Cherishing the Illusions of Privacy and Confidentiality. When we're sitting at our own work station, we develop the cozy feeling that "It's just me and my computer." Alas, this feeling is an illusion. In reality, emails last forever. They are stored on servers from which they can be plucked from oblivion by any IT person worth his salt. They can - and presumably will - be forwarded directly to the person whom we most do not want to read them. For more information and suggestions, go to article.

The third land mine is: Sending Email to the Wrong People. This is huge. One woman wrote of accidentally sending a list of reasons why a manager should be terminated directly to the manager. Another told of sending confidential deal details to a reporter whose name was similar to her colleague's. Yet another person told of receiving highly sensitive emails that are addressed to people whose names are similar to his. This article contains nine ways that people can stumble by mis-addressing - and this list doesn't even include hitting "reply all"! To read the complete list and see how to avoid disaster, go to article.

When Digital Meets Literate: National Grant Supports World-Class Authorship Studies

2010-11-14T05:53:00.000-08:00

In a society filled with right-brain and left-brain worlds, Dr. Patrick Juola straddles both hemispheres.

A literary specialist, he works and plays in Java as fluently as he does in English, pioneering a trend to bridge the humanities and technology.

Juola, associate professor of computer science at Duquesne University, has put Java together so that it can dissect another language--human language--and examine word usage and speech patterns. The National Science Foundation ( NSF ) is supporting Juola's groundbreaking work with a second grant, $1.6 million.

With this three-year grant, Juola and researchers in the new Evaluating Variations in Language ( EVL ) lab will simplify his program, which determines authorship across a range of fields--from the forensic study of a suicide note to politically critical policies, from Indiana Jones-type questions of biblical authorship to teachers' work-a-day-questions of possible student plagiarism.

"This new research in a re-emergent field has the potential to really change the way basic scholarship is done," Juola observed. "Google made it obvious there is money to be made in teaching computers to understand language, and a lot of literary scholars paid attention."

This work overrides what Juola calls "a purely artificial gulf" that has separated sciences and humanities since a scholarly divide was fostered in the 1950s.

"There is a big movement recently to bridge that gulf now," Juola said, pointing to creation of the Office of Digital Humanities within the National Endowment for the Humanities ( NEH ) in 2008, which awarded him a grant in its inaugural year.

This summer, he also received the international Developer's Challenge Award at the Digital Humanities Conference and instructed the next generation of world-class scholars in authorship, attribution and language variation at the University of Copenhagen.

Duquesne, Juola said, is uniquely positioned to forge ahead in this field because its computer science studies are housed within the college of liberal arts.

In tackling authorship issues, Juola started with a very broad question: "Can we infer personality from writing?"

His answer is obviously affirmative. Millions of minute idiosyncrasies in speech and writing offer telltale clues about who we are, evident in decisions such as choosing the words "large" or "big" over "enormous." Juola's Sherlock Holmes-like software successfully connects these clues to decipher the author's identity.

Spelling and grammar variations, even what prepositions people use are on the program's radar. "Our research goal is to enable a computer to look at a piece of text and say, "Yes, this play was written by Shakespeare" or "Yes, this ransom note was written by a man in his early 40s," Juola explained.

Juola, an adjunct scientist in the new Human Language Technology Center of Excellence at Johns Hopkins University, sees programs like his as just the beginning for the field of digital humanities.

"This gives scholars access to more information by letting the computer do some of the rote work," Juola said. "How many Shakespearean plays can I read? The computer can do that in seconds.

"What happens with the information? That's where the human comes in."

Writing Tips - Decoding the English Language by Dr. Sandra Folk

2010-11-09T07:24:00.000-08:00

Last night I was walking through my neighbourhood and passed a fruit and vegetable store. They had a sign out front advertising a real bargain: "Cherry Special, $3.49 a pound."

For a moment I amused myself by imagining they were selling a giant cherry. But of course it was just a case of someone not understanding the difference between singular and plural; what they meant was "cherries," plural, not "cherry," singular.

It made me think, not for the first time, how confusing the English language can be. And not just for non-native English speakers. All of us can find ourselves struggling to understand aspects of this tricky language.

There's a poem circulating on the internet called "English Is A Confusing Language" that sums it up perfectly - this is just an excerpt:

"We'll begin with a box, and the plural is boxes,
But the plural of ox becomes oxen, not oxes.
One fowl is a goose, but two are called geese,
Yet the plural of moose should never be meese.
You may find a lone mouse or a nest full of mice,
Yet the plural of house is houses, not hice."

So funny, so true. There are areas of the English language that simply are not logical. So how do you make sense of English, and use the correct words in your writing? Here's the bitter pill we all must swallow: sometimes you just have to memorize.

There are many situations with English where this is true, but today I thought I'd just focus on three common areas of confusion:

1. Plural versus Singular: Many plurals are formed by adding -s or -es to the singular noun. House becoming houses, (not "hice!") for example. But singulars that end with a "y," preceded by a consonant, become plural by using "ies." Thus more than one cherry becomes cherries.

2. One Word, Various Meanings: There are many examples of this. Take the word "bar" for example. It might mean the place you go for a drink at the end of a long day. It might mean something you leap over if you are horse. What I recommend when one encounters a word with various meanings is to use it in a sentence, so that the context helps to make the meaning clear. For example: "There was a bar at the door to the pub, but I leapt over it so that I could get a drink at the bar. (And after that they barred me from coming back.)"

3. Same Pronunciation or Spelling, Various Meanings (a.k.a. Homonyms): A classic example - "sight, cite, and site." If you see something, it's in sight. If you wish to quote something, you wish to "cite" it. If you are camping, chances are you have a camping "site." Some people are so fascinated by homonyms that they keep lists of them.

If there are aspects of the English language that confuse you, please do drop me a line by commenting, and I can take it up on the blog. Or if you have any funny examples you'd like to share, send those in as well.

Meanwhile, I leave you with this example of homonyms from another neighbourhood stroll, when I passed a café with a sly sense of humour. The board outside their door advertised the following special: "Leek and Pea Soup." Try explaining that to someone just learning English!

Dr. Sandra Folk is a Toronto-based educational consultant and award-winning university lecturer. She set up The Language Lab specifically to help business executives and employees write and express themselves more effectively. Find out more at http://www.thelanguagelab.ca/

Short Story Writing Tips For Beginners - Use Vv Mnemonic, Get Published

2010-11-09T07:22:00.000-08:00

by Sridhar Chandrasekaran

Are your verbs arranged sequentially while you write a story? Vv set is a mnemonic where "V" stands for Verb and the big letter V and small letter v visually symbolize the arrangement of the verb sequence. This succession could be representing anything that blows up in the beginning and narrows down towards the end of the story. It could be an idea, an emotion or an event that grows and fades. For instance, a narrative could be well thought-out from past to present, big to small, high to low or a set to a subset to absorb the audience consciousness.

Let us take 4 verbs that start with a bigger intensity and ends with a smaller intensity. For instance, "Run" is an intense verb when compared with the verb "stand". All other verbs such as rush, dash, jog, trot, walk would fall in between the verbs run and stand. Now, let us use them in writing a short episode to show a sequence of events of a character.

Tugging his loose trousers, John, a 20 year old hunter, ran hastily to save his life from this cruel untamed lion that fiercely dashed towards him in a thick Jungle. He altered his moving directions swiftly to brain tease the loin. After couple of hours of combating away from the eyesight of this ferocious animal, John thrived, ultimately. Soon, he was able to relax himself in a far-flung where he paused exhaustively breathing to calm himself from this horrendous nightmare.

In this incident, the highest intensity of "running" gradually comes down to "pausing" or "resting" meanwhile, the audience are taken on a roller coaster ride of intensely anxious emotion to a soothing restful frame of mind.

9 out of 10 novelists develop this kind of dramatic effect, striking dynamic feelings, to amuse the audience and occupy their mind till the end of the narrative tale.

View some of my light-hearted leisurely articles at squidoo

'I Can See Me' Webcam Research at K-State Helps Kids Improve Reading Fluency

2010-11-09T07:20:00.000-08:00

An interest in technology and a desire to help elementary school students prompted a Kansas State University professor and two graduate students to turn to webcams to improve students' reading fluency.

Timothy Frey, assistant professor of special education, counseling and student affairs, wanted to help elementary-age students reduce the number of errors they make when reading out loud. He worked with two K-State master's graduates: Abby Houlton, now a special education teacher at Brookridge Elementary School in the Shawnee Mission school district, and Elizabeth Gruis, who teaches in the Manhattan-Ogden school district.

The project aimed to improve reading fluency, which involves processing words in a meaningful way. When fluency improves, usually comprehension also improves.

"With testing and assessments, we know that generally the earlier you can catch things and find potential problems, the better off a student will be," Frey said. "This really can help students pick up on error patterns and help prevent them from having further reading problems."

The researchers turned to webcams, instead of audio recorders, to help students improve reading fluency. With webcams the students could both see and hear themselves read, which the researchers called the "I can see me" procedure.

During a 16-week period the researchers worked with teachers at Brookridge Elementary School to observe 27 second-, third-, and fourth-graders who tested on-grade level. The research actively involved the students. During designated reading time in class, the students went to the computers and read a selected reading sample in front of the webcams. Afterward, they could watch the video and pick out any mistakes.

"The video really seemed to change how students were engaged," Frey said. "They didn't just hear themselves read anymore, but they could see themselves reading, which they really liked."

All three student groups improved reading fluency in impressive ways. After only three to five weeks of using the webcams, the second-graders improved from averaging seven errors per minute to four errors per minute. Third-graders went from averaging six errors to four errors per minute. The group of fourth-graders improved from an average of four errors to two and a half errors per minute.

"We were really interested in interventions that students can do themselves or that build metacognitive skills," Frey said. "Having the students build skills and learn to detect their own errors rather than teachers trying to fix them over and over again is really important for students."

When one student excitedly said, "I can see me!" the researchers adopted the name for the principle of improvement using the webcams. Researchers said the students seemed to enjoy reading in front of cameras, and even students who disliked reading would read with the cameras.

"The students' ability to analyze their own reading through a guided discussion was truly what amazed me the most," Houlton said. "When I look at the big picture of what this project did, it was that it made the students more accurate readers because they were more aware of the mistakes they were making."

The researchers plan to use the webcams with other groups of students, such as students who are learning the English language, students with cognitive disabilities or students reading at a lower reading level. Houlton has also planned to use the webcams to help students prepare for oral presentations and understand geometry concepts, such as reflection.

"The students loved that I could make a DVD of their reading to show to their parents, or even e-mail the video to their parents," Houlton said. "We also saved videos throughout the year so they could see their improvement from the beginning of the year to the end of the year."

The researchers are preparing their research for publication and recently presented their project at the conference for the International Society for Technology in Education. Their research will also be published in the society's November magazine, Learning & Leading with Technology.

Video available: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PzlDr2f9zt0

Using Acronyms in Business Writing Without Confusing Your Reader by Desolie Page

2010-10-31T07:56:00.000-07:00

Acronyms are a useful way to succinctly express a concept.

Technically, in Australia, acronyms belong with abbreviations, contractions, initialisms and symbols as 'shortened forms'. Although there are distinct differences between the forms in their presentation and punctuation, for this article, they will all be called acronyms.

Acronyms are frequently specific to an industry sector or an organisation. The terms (and the concepts they represent) are well understood and correctly used by the members of the group, and simplify 'in-house' communication.

However, confusion can arise when acronyms are used outside the group. The term 'TOC' for a scientist means something completely different from what a report writer understands when using the term. How many times have you nodded your head wisely while the computer salesperson chatters on using acronyms that you're vaguely familiar with but not entirely sure about the meaning? Often it's easier to nod along than ask for simple, jargon-free explanations because we don't want to appear foolish or uneducated.

We're 'outsiders'.

Business writers need to avoid excluding their readers. You have a message and a call to action to communicate to them, and you need to do that as clearly as possible. Readers who can't understand your message will not respond to your call to action.

So time to look at some of the problems associated with the use of acronyms in business and technical writing, and how to avoid them.

Lack of clarity arises when writers assume readers understand the acronyms. Your readers will not necessarily be familiar with the specialised terms and acronyms you use every day - to them, it's jargon. So you need to decide which terms need to be explained in order to let your readers gain a basic understanding of what you're telling them. It can be useful to test whether or not to include a term by asking a few people outside the group.

Consistency in the use of acronyms is extremely important. Once you've decided which acronyms you'll use, make sure you use them exactly the same way every time. Readers will be confused at inconsistencies. If you've chosen to abbreviate 'Central Veterinary Clinic' as 'CVC', then sometimes refer to it as 'Central', it could be difficult to maintain your readers' concentration. Your task is to make it as easy as possible for your readers to understand your message.

How to present acronyms can cause concerns to writers.
In documents where only a few acronyms need to be explained, the easiest way is to give the term in full, followed by the abbreviated form in brackets. This needs to happen the first time the term is used; in longer documents it can be useful to repeat the explanation early in each section or chapter. When the term needs to be written again, just the acronym can be used. Thus: '... report for Southern Minerals Exploration (SME).' followed by 'SME continues to...'

However, when the shortened form is more familiar than the longer, use the acronym first, as in DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid).

In documents containing many acronyms, consider using a table or list of abbreviations. Usually, these are presented alphabetically, generally at the beginning of the document. However, if the list is particularly long, it may be better to include it at the end so that readers won't feel overwhelmed by an apparent requirement to understand so many terms. Take care in how you present the list: keep the space between the term and its explanation relatively narrow, making it easy for the readers' eyes to follow from one column to the next.

A footnote can also be used to give the explanation of an acronym used in the text. If there are only a couple, use symbols (, ^); in other instances, use super-scripted numbers in the text.
Use acronyms wisely, and always give the readers' need for clarity your top priority.

Desolie Page is an accredited editor and owner of Perfect Pages, helping business and technical writers sharpen their writing.

I work with you to understand your audience, and use clear, precise language to get your message across.

All aspects of my work focus on the use of plain English and on ways to increase the readability of your document so that your readers will enjoy reading what you've written while clearly understanding your message.

Find out more about Perfect Pages by visiting http://perfectpages.net.au/

Business Writing Mistakes - Learn What Not To Do by Rhonda M

2010-10-31T06:47:00.001-07:00

In the business world, poorly written documents can create misunderstandings and cost relationships, time, and money. Good business writing, though is not just about spelling, grammar and punctuation. It's also about ensuring that your document speaks appropriately and professionally to your reader. That's why it's important to learn how to avoid certain business writing mistakes. Here's what not to do.

Make your writing unclear

Clarity is very important in business writing. Your readers are busy and don't want to figure out what you are trying to say. Make sure your vocabulary is precise and correct for the situation. Use the correct verb and tenses, and ensure that you've used uncomplicated sentence structures. For those whose second language is English, it is especially important to be attentive to clarity because it is very easy to slip into the wrong vocabulary, verb tense or an awkward or confusing sentence structure. If your reader has to struggle to decipher your words, then you haven't communicated effectively.

Write in a wordy prose

Wordiness is another business writing mistake, a bad habit many writers have. Business writing needs to be concise, economical, and not waste the reader's time. Get to the point. Watch out for certain commonplace bloated phrases such as "at this point in time" (say now), "despite the fact that" (use because), and "until such time as" (until). Also, watch out for long lead ins. For example, instead of writing "I am sending this letter to let you all know that the office will be closed Monday", why not simply say, "the office will be closed on Monday". It really is that simple.

Use stiff, starch over bearing tone

Using a stiff, overbearing tone is another business writing mistake. Many people equate business writing with an authoritative tone. Actually, the tone of a business document needs to be conversational, convey a voice of professionalism and authenticity and be written as if your reader were sitting in front of you. Watch out especially for negative passive voice writing. ("It was decided that all internet use during work is strictly prohibited"). Also watch out for "lawyer language". There's no need for phrases such as "pursuant to your request, the undersigned wishes to advise you that".

Focus on the reader's concerns

Business writing is all about the reader. Many writers overuse the word "we", and don't put enough "you" in their documents. They also neglect one of the core purposes of a business document which is promoting goodwill with the reader and retaining their relationship with him/her. Write your document with empathy to the reader's needs and concerns. There's nothing worse than a business letter that whines to the reader about your problems.

Use outdated expressions

Plain conversational writing is in, and stuffy, old-fashioned writing is out. Here are some trite phrases that you should avoid: as per your request (why not say as you requested); pursuant to your request (why not say at your request); with reference to (why not say about).

Using too many negative key words

Your document is a dialogue with your reader. If you use negative words, you'll dampen the relationship on a subtle level. Writing can communicate consciously and even unconsciously. Try to keep your document as positive as possible avoiding negative words and phrases. Instead of writing "unfortunately, we can't fill your order until after November 5", why not write "we'd be happy to fill your order after November 5".

Use Chatroom or IM lingo

Watch out for lapsing into "chat room" or IM (instant messaging) lingo when you are writing a business email. This is a relatively recent phenomenon, but it can make you appear less professional in writing. Yes, you might text everyday in your off hours, but shortened and abbreviated language doesn't belong in a business document.

Make spelling and grammar mistakes

That might seem obvious, as I mentioned early. These days, I've observed my students have also become over-reliant on spell-checkers, and more reluctant to edit their work closely. Spell-checkers, however, are fallible. Do yourself a favor, and print out your document, then give it a hard-copy edit. Many people miss mistakes when they edit on-screen or use spell-checkers.

These are only a few of the business writing mistakes you can learn to avoid. There are no quick fixes, though. Practice makes perfect.

Rhonda M teaches communications and job search to college students. For more information see Profrhonda's Blog

Poor Wording : Email Error Helps Land Executive in Prison

2010-10-31T06:44:00.000-07:00

Email misjudgments can land people in jail. Just ask James A. Brown, the ex-Merrill Lynch executive who wrote in an email that Enron had "promised" that Merrill would get its money back in a suspicious deal.

The Wall Street Journal (10/23/10) reports that Mr. Brown, speaking from prison, says he wrote the email hastily and never meant to suggest an illegal guarantee.

Merrill Lynch and Enron are not alone in suffering from email errors. Goldman Sachs, Toyota, and many others have been blindsided by the reality that every email can be subpoenaed and published on the front page.

Elizabeth Danziger, author of Get to the Point! Painless Advice for Writing Letters, Emails and Memos Clients Will Understand, 2nd edition (Mesa 2010) notes that emails written quickly in the presumed privacy of one's office can cause terrible repercussions.

"As the proverb goes, 'Act in haste; repent at leisure.' People often forget that emails last forever," says Danziger.

Danziger's book offers ten tools for using email effectively. In addition to helping readers overcome the risks of email, Danziger shows how to use this vital business tool to maximum benefit. The email principles are reminders that courtesy is as important as brevity, so every email should contain a greeting and a salutation.

She also notes that readers judge writers' professionalism and intelligence by the grammar and punctuation of even a brief email. Danziger urges writers to clarify their purpose before they write and to state the main point in the subject line of every email. The author also shows how to avoid the brusque tone that often makes email recipients think the writer is angry.

Find out more about Elizabeth Danzinger at http://www.profnetconnect.com/Elizabeth.Danziger

Ghotit Releases Facebook Spell Checker For People With Dyslexia

2010-10-31T06:39:00.000-07:00

As part of the coming up Dyslexia Awareness Week (Nov 1-7), Ghotit is releasing a new Facebook Spell Checker application. This is the first and only Facebook application directly targeting Facebook users with dyslexia.

'Hidden Dyslexia' is the theme of Dyslexia Awareness Week 2010, developed to raise awareness of the challenges faced by people with a disability that presents no visible physical signs to the outside world. When a person with dyslexia communicates through Facebook, the fact that he is dyslexic is usually not known and his Facebook friends may misinterpret his bad spelling.

Social network's main means of communication is writing of posts, comments and messages. Dyslexics with writing difficulties often find it challenging to actively participate in social networks such as Facebook. They are concerned with their potentially embarrassing spelling mistakes.

Facebook does not support a spell checking service. However, any Facebook user using the Google Chrome or Firefox browsers can use the browsers' built-in spell checker. However, these spell checkers were not designed for people with writing disabilities, such as dyslexics. These spell checker address the needs of mainstream writers who occasionally misspell. The Ghotit Spell Checker was developed to address the severe spelling of dyslexics.

The Ghotit Spell Checker's algorithms are based on an analysis of the context of a sentence, and include intelligent phonetic and grammar correction algorithms. The result is accurate corrections to severely misspelled words that regular spell checkers have no clue with which words to correct.

The "Ghotit Spell Checker for People with Dyslexia" is a Facebook application that corrects the spelling of posts. The new Facebook application is very easy to use. Just type the text inside the Ghotit Spell Checker frame. Ghotit then offers corrections to both misspelled and misused (e.g the word "their" instead of "there") words, as well as grammar errors. Once corrected, the user simply shares the text with his Facebook friends.

"The new Ghotit Spell Checker Facebook application will be valuable to any Facebook user feeling awkward with his spelling. Using the Ghotit Spell Checker, dyslexic users will quickly see a dramatic improvement in their writing quality" says Ofer Chermesh, founder of Ghotit, and lifelong dyslexic. "Social networks have revolutionized how people communicate, and without a supportive environment people with dyslexia may find themselves on the sidelines of the online global discussion."

http://www.ghotit.com/

What Kind of Tone Should You Use in Business Writing?

2010-10-24T08:24:00.000-07:00

By Mary Simmers

We hear it all the time. Your business messages should carry an air of formality. Just saying something should be formal, though, still leaves plenty of room to commit mistakes. In the case of professional correspondence, your writing should strive to achieve several other qualities.

Confidence. Does your writing make you come across confident or does it betray your apprehensions? People want to conduct business with other individuals who are sure of themselves. If your writing says otherwise, you can end up leaving potential partners and prospects worried.

Courtesy. Being courteous can go a long way in the business, especially when you extend it to people that you can consider subordinates. Not only does it help avoid any misunderstandings, it can inspire loyalty and trust.

Appropriate emphasis and subordination. Put emphasis on important items of your messages, while delegating less vital information at areas of less focus. Short sentences, found either at the start or end of paragraphs and sections tend to attract the most attention.

Gender-neutral language. Unlike several decades ago, various industries now have participants from both genders in high positions. As such, it is always in your best interest to keep all language gender-neutral, avoiding any potential backlash from the half of the population you excluded. A message checking software should be able to catch deviations and bring them to your attention.

Benefits-focused. Let's face it. Many business correspondences are designed to compel the reader for something - sign a contract, set up meeting or close a deal. That's why it's important to always make a point of showing the reader how taking that action is in their best interest by putting a focus on the value they stand to gain.

Find out how to write perfect English letters, reports and emails by writing less. See Message Checking Software in action! Read more.