Copywriting Tips and Ideas

Word Play - Verbs and Their Uses

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 13:38:00 +0000

In this next series we are going to look at verbs! This is unfortunately only a short post; a more lengthy and in depth explanation will follow with regards to verbs and their associations with grammar.

So what is a verb? A verb is a “doing” word and the verb will usually express a certain action taking place.

The teacher wrote on the blackboard – The word wrote is the verb and it comes from the expression “to write”.

Her mummy bought the toy – The word bought is the verb in this sentence and it comes from the expression “to buy”.

Verbs don’t have to describe physical actions such as the ones above. Verbs can also describe mental actions.

Richard guessed the right combination – The word guessed is the verb in this sentence and it comes from the expression “to guess”.

Of course, there are also verbs that express no action whatsoever, but they are still just as important in our writing. It is thought that the most used and common verb is “to be”; this can be seen in many forms such as are, were, is, was, will be and so on.

Richard is the tallest person in the area – The word “is” is a verb that is formed from the verb “to be”.

I am – the word “am” is the verb that is formed from “to be”.

Facts about verbs

Verbs are not usually the cause of any major grammatical/usage mistakes. However, as there is some grammatical terminology that is associated with verbs, they can then cause some confusion. This is what we will look at in the next post. We will be looking at infinitives, past and present tenses, direct objects and so on.

Spelling - Loose or Lose?

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 18:53:00 +0000

It isn’t uncommon to see the words “lose” and “loose” mixed up.

There are simple ways to remember which word to use in what circumstances.

The word “lose” means that you have or you are about to fail, or you have misplaced something. Variations of the word “lose” can be lost, loser and losing.

You really should lose the tank top!

She is losing the race.

Don’t you think it’s a bit harsh to call her a loser?

The word "loose" means that something doesn’t fit quite right. It can also be used when referring to coins – loose change. The word “loose” can also be used when talking about a person and their behaviour.

Those trousers are looking a little loose.

Do you have any loose change?

She was called loose Lucy at school; she had far too many boyfriends!

A quick and easy way to remember which to use is this:

When spoken the word has a ‘z’ sound, use “Lose”.

When spoken the word has an ‘s’ sound, use “Loose”.

Are you dangling your participles in public?

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 20:01:00 +0000

Dangling participles can inject a little humour into writing, of that there is no doubt. However, this probably isn’t the intention of the writer. Dangling participles can appear funny simply because they radically change the sentence and its meaning.

Dangling or hanging participles could be called this to show what the reader is left doing after reading! The dangling participle is part of a participial phrase that creates confusion as it doesn’t modify a word in the sentence clearly enough. This is what changes the overall meaning of the sentence and can cause great confusion.

The reason the participles are left dangling is because they have nothing to cling to. So, if the participle has nothing to cling to in the sentence, it is left not only dangling, but changes the whole meaning.

Strolling through the woods, the trees looked beautiful.

If you look at the above sentence, it reads as if it is the trees that were strolling through the woods. Now, we know full well that the speaker/writer doesn’t mean the trees are strolling through the woods, but it is the invisible writer/speaker strolling.

As I strolled through the woods, the trees looked beautiful.

Here are some more examples of participles that have been left to dangle!

After swinging it around until dizzy, the cat played with the ball on the string.

Oh my goodness! Who on earth is swinging the cat around? Consider this sentence instead:

I swung the ball on the string around until I was dizzy, then the cat played with it.

I saw the monkey peeking through the window!

I don’t doubt for a second that monkeys can’t peek through windows. But, I think we can establish early on that this isn’t the point of the sentence!

I saw the monkey as I was peeking through the window!

Sometimes, dangling participles don’t cause as much confusion as the above examples. They look and sound quite normal. However, they should always be avoided. The problem is, no matter how normal it sounds, the dangling participle will confuse your readers. Even if your reader stops for a second to fully understand what you mean, the flow of reading is interrupted and the momentum is lost.

Fixing the Dangling Participles

There is an easy way to fix dangling participles. Simply move the dangling participle so it actually follows what it is describing.

So instead of this:

Hanging by their claws on the tree trunk, the kids watched the squirrels struggle.

Try this:

The kids watched the squirrels struggle as they were hanging by their claws on the tree trunk.

All about Participles

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 21:05:00 +0000

All about participles as requested by Nessa @ Nessas Place

Identifying Participles

Participles are the words that are formed from a verb. The participle can also function as a section of verb phrases.

Has been

A participle can also work on its own as an adjective.

Working man

There are actually three different types of participles: present participle, past participle and the perfect participle.

Facts about Present Participles

A present participle will end in “ing”.

Present participles will always take the “ing” form of a verb.

Nearly every word that ends in “ing” is a present participle.

I am learning Spanish. (The present participle here is the word “learning” and is part of the verb phrase 'am learning')

We were walking to the shops. (The present participle here is the word “walking” and is part of the verb phrase 'were walking')

Present participles can be used as an adjective as well.

I am what they call a working man. (The present participle here is the word “working” and is used as the adjective)

Facts about Past Participles

The past participles are used to indicate completed or past actions or time. It is usually called the “ed” form as they are actually formed by adding either “d” or “ed”.

These are added to regular verbs, but can also be formed and used in other ways when with irregular verbs.

I have learnt Spanish. (The past participle here is the word “learnt” and is taken from the verb phrase “have learnt”)

Past participles can be used to also create passive voice.

His hair was very well brushed

Past participles can also be an adjective.

She had a broken leg. (The word “broken” is the adjective)

Facts about Perfect Participles

Perfect participles show completed action. The perfect participle can be created by adding the present participle “having” in front of the past participle.

Having finished

Having read

Having spoken

Having done

Perfect participles can also be used to form passive voice.

Having improved his Spanish, Peter could now understand his Spanish girlfriend.

Dangling participles to come in the next post!

Writing - Book Deals

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 17:31:00 +0000

Hi everyone!

Thank you for all of your support and comments so far. I hope you will continue enjoying reading the posts as much as I enjoy writing them.

Anyway, enough of the nostalgia, I'm welling up!

I have been approached for a book deal with topics such as grammar, punctuation, spelling and so on.

The books will not read like your standard education text books, but instead be more readable and more enjoyable... I would hope anyway!

The point of posting is to get feedback to see if people would actually be interested. To do the books, I may have to take time off from freelancing or try to cram it all in at least!

Would you read it, would you buy it and do you have suggestions for what you would like to see/read?

It would be interesting to hear your opinions on this!

Thanks everyone!

Sarah

Commas Part Four

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 20:10:00 +0000

Using Commas with Conjunctions, Interjections, Quotations and in the Vocative Case

In this article we will be looking at how we should be using commas with conjunctions, interjections, quotations and in the vocative case.

You can read the other Using Commas articles here:

Using Commas Part One

Using Commas Part Two

Using Commas Part Three

Using Commas with Conjunctions

Conjunctions are words like ‘and, ‘but’ and ‘or’. There are of course many others, but these conjunctions are the ones you are most likely to use day to day.

Conjunctions are commonly used to bring two separate sentences together. When we use conjunctions in this particular way, they will have a comma before them. It is known as a co-ordinate conjunction when used in this manner.

She looks great in that outfit, but it still looks a little tight!

I may look at that today, or I may look at it tomorrow.

You should be able to do that today, and do it tomorrow as well.

If you write a sentence and it seems to have a lot of commas within it, it may be possible to use a semicolon to streamline the sentence.

Yesterday, they came around to the idea; and we, the occupants, decided to go ahead with the plans.

Using Commas with Interjections

Interjections are certain expressions used within sentences. These expressions could be ‘indeed’, ‘yes’, ‘well’, ‘absolutely’ and ‘no’. When we use interjections in a sentence, we should use a comma after the expression.

Yes, I think I do like that house rather than the other.

No, I am not sure about the overall feel of the house.

Well, why don’t we venture out there tomorrow when the weather is better?

You don’t have to just use a comma after an interjection. You can also use an exclamation mark to emphasise the expression.

No! I don’t want to go back to that terrible restaurant.

A good point to remember when using interjections is that they are not typically used in business writing. Interjections are only really when writing spoken words.

Using Commas with Quotations

Commas can be used before any quotations in a sentence. When using commas in this way, it allows the sentence to be more streamline when reading.

The little girl stated, “I want to go to the park”.

The sign clearly states, “There is a bend in the road”.

Using Commas in the Vocative Case

The term ‘Vocative Case’ is used for when someone is being addressed directly. The name, or how someone is being addressed should be separated from the rest of the sentence.

Isabelle, please stop doing that.

What do you think you are doing here, you cheeky monkey!

Blogging - Moving To Wordpress - Help Needed

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 19:34:00 +0000

I am considering, like many others, to move away from Blogger and go to Wordpress instead. I promise to keep you all in the know and give you dates of changes and downtime, (if any).

This post is also a request for help! I have been reading many sites on how to move from Blogger to Wordpress, I still feel none the wiser! I am looking for either someone who has done it before or someone who can actually do it for me! Of course, I don’t expect to have someone do it for me and not be compensated! This can be discussed if there is someone willing to do it.

I obviously want to keep the domain name as it is... Is this even possible?

I have no idea if I need my own hosting or not, or which is the best option.

If you can help by either pointing me in the right direction or doing it for me, let me know and I will get in touch.

Thanks everyone.

Sarah

Commas Part Three – Using Commas with Introductions

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 18:25:00 +0000

You can catch up with part one and part two of using commas here:

Using Commas in Lists - Part One

Using Commas in Lists - Part Two

In this article, we will be looking at using commas when a sentence starts with an introduction of some sort. It is important to remember that the introductions can vary massively, but these are the common uses that you will more than likely come across.

Stating a time

Stating a condition

Stating a place

Stating a condition

Stating a frequency

Stating a fact

The introductions are essentially words that set the scene for the information in the sentence. The introduction could be anywhere from just a single word to a long clause.

On Tuesday 22^nd of May, Isabelle was born.

Having talked to Richard, I can confirm that we are out on Saturday.

Today, we went for a walk on the beach.

We call it an introduction because it is always at the beginning of the sentence. The words setting the scene for the sentence could appear anywhere, not just the beginning. Remember to only use the comma if the words are at the beginning of the sentence.

Other introductions within sentences are used to link sentences together. If you write a sentence that requires another sentence after it, you can bridge it together by adding a transitional word to make the sentences flow together. The transitional phrase will always have a comma after it.

The following transitional phrases are commonly used:

Consequently

However

Therefore

In summary

In conclusion

Of course

As a result

Let’s see them at work in sentences!

Isabelle was born on the 22^nd of May. Therefore, she is a Gemini.

I fell ill a few days ago. Consequently, I wasn’t able to work.

There are times that you may be able to use a semicolon rather than a transitional phrase. There is no right or wrong here, which you use will depend on your preference and the sentence itself. The following examples using commas and transitional phrases, and semicolons are both correct.

We can go to the fair on Saturday. However, we cannot stay very long.

We can go to the fair on Saturday; however, we cannot stay very long.

A common mistake many make is to use a comma before the transitional phrase as well as after. Never use a comma in front of your chosen transitional phrase. In this instance, either use a full stop or use a semicolon.

We can go to the fair on Saturday, however, we cannot stay very long.

Commas Part Two - Using Commas in Lists

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Fri, 30 May 2008 21:10:00 +0000

We have looked at using commas in lists in the last post, but there are a few more things that need to be pointed out when using commas in lists.

See the first post here:

Using Commas In Lists - Part One

Commas can also be used to introduce additional information to a sentence and this is known as parenthesis.

My sister, Maxine, has a son called Samuel.

You can see that I have used the commas to add more information about my sister.

You may be wondering what this has to do with using commas in lists, but don’t worry I am getting to it!

So, if you are using commas before a conjunction in a list, it may make the sentence look like parenthesis and cause a lot of confusion.

See, I told you we would get there eventually!

I left the shops with my sister, Maxine, and Samuel.

How many people does it look like I have left the shop with in this sentence? If we read the sentence properly, it looks like I have left the shop with two people – Maxine and Samuel.

I left the shops with my sister, Maxine and Samuel.

In this sentence, you may be confused as to how many people I have left the shop with. I could have left with my unnamed sister, Maxine and Samuel.

So you have to be careful when using commas in lists just in case it ends up looking like parenthesis and changes the message you are trying to put across.

We often use lists in creative writing as well as for information purposes.

There is often the need to write more than one adjective, (describing word), in a list when writing creatively. The rules are more relaxed when using commas with adjectives, but they should still be adhered to when you can.

Depending on the message you want to portray will depend on whether you use a comma or not. All three of these following examples are correct when using two adjectives in a creative writing list.

Gigantic, unwelcoming house

Gigantic unwelcoming house

Gigantic and unwelcoming house

These following two examples when using three or more adjectives are correct.

Gigantic, unwelcoming and cold house

Gigantic, unwelcoming, cold house

The next two examples are incorrect when using commas with adjectives.

Gigantic unwelcoming cold house

Gigantic unwelcoming and cold house

Don’t worry if you are feeling a little confused with all this talk of adjectives and commas! Basically, you cannot go far wrong when using two adjectives in a list. Using three adjectives in a list is normally quite rare.

Commas Part One - Using Commas in Lists

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Thu, 29 May 2008 20:33:00 +0000

Commas can be tricky little blighters! If you want to make your writing easier for others to understand, commas are an absolute must. Commas have lots of different uses, some of which we will look at this next series of articles.

Using Commas

One of the reasons why commas exist is to separate items in a list. If you don’t separate the items in a list, people could easily misconstrue what you are trying to say!

You may need the commas to separate items on a shopping list...

We need to buy broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, potatoes and peas.

Shall we go to the park, the beach, the woods or the shops?

As you can see, there is the word ‘and’ at the end of the list. The ‘and’ in this instance is known as a conjunction. There doesn’t need to be a comma before the conjunction. Other conjunctions can be the word ‘or’ and the word ‘but’.

There is an exception to this rule however. When there is some ambiguity to what is in the list, a comma may be needed in front of the conjunction.

The show will be on after Big Brother, Bagpuss, and the news.

If you leave out the comma before the conjunction, this is how it reads:

The show will be on after Big Brother, Bagpuss and the news.

Without the comma, it looks like there is a new show called ‘Bagpuss and the news’. Plus it reads much easier with the comma before the conjunction.

You may also need to put a comma before the conjunction if the word ‘and’ appears a few times. This is mainly due to avoid confusion for the readers.

I like the stars and stripes, the reds and yellows, and the greens and blues.

More information on commas will follow shortly. Subscribe to Copywriting Tips and Ideas to make sure you don’t miss the next instalment!

Spelling - Anymore or Any more?

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Tue, 27 May 2008 22:00:00 +0000

Anymore or Any more?

There is a lot of opinion about the use of the word ‘anymore’ and the phrase ‘any more’ in sentences.

Where exactly do you stand on the opinion? Chances are you will fall into one of three dividing camps:

You don’t believe that the word ‘anymore’ actually exists and is a common misspelling.

The word ‘anymore’ and the phrase ‘any more’ are two ways of saying the same thing.

The word ‘anymore’ and the phrase ‘any more’ are very different in meaning.

Which camp you fall in may depend on where you come from. If you are American you will more than likely fall into either the second or the third camp. If you are British, you will possibly fall into the first camp or the third camp.

The first two don’t really need any further explanation, whereas the third one needs elaborating a little.

Let’s look at what they represent in sentences.

The word ‘anymore’ is used in a negative construction and is used as one whole word.

She doesn’t live here anymore

He doesn’t come round to see me anymore

The adverb ‘anymore’ is sometimes used in a positive construction rather than a negative one! When used positively, it is used with the meaning ‘nowadays’.

This is all we do anymore.

When used in a positive construction, in my opinion, is based on dialect and not good grammar. You may disagree with me on this one, but to me this is slang rather than acceptable grammar in constructed sentences. The word ‘anymore’ when used as a positive construction is used more commonly in the US.

I would advise against using the word ‘anymore’ in a constructed sentence when using it positively. I would suggest to leaving it as speech/slang rather than in writing.

The phrase ‘any more’ can be used as an adverb plus an adjective or an adverb plus a noun and can be used in the following ways:

I don’t need any more

I don’t want any more cake

The difference between the two is acknowledged by some, but not by all.

You can clearly see the difference between them when they are used together in a sentence.

I don’t buy videos anymore because I don’t need any more.

Where do you stand on this matter? I would love to hear your opinions!

Copywriting - Adding Exciting Content to your Website

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Sun, 25 May 2008 21:51:00 +0000

There are so many ways to add new and exciting features to your website to make people want to come back time and time again. I have always thought that while you should focus on getting people to your website, you have to be able to make them return for more.

You don’t have to be selling something to have a successful website. A website that has no apparent income stream could earn from advertising for other websites that do sell something. So, with this in mind, what can you add to make your website unique and interesting?

Read over the following and use your imagination!

A calendar of upcoming events – This is a great idea for websites that have frequent competitions, stores that sell new releases and so on. A calendar will up your readers’ anticipation of a new release, a book signing, an open house viewing and so on.

Local or national maps – If you have a real estate website, an outdoor activity website, a travel website and other services or information related to location, maps are essential. You can pinpoint various locations or explain where you will be holding a specific event.

Uploading Photographs – A great feature for a website is to have the option for readers and customers to upload photographs. This is a great feature for a parenting website, wedding website, travel website and photography websites. Use your imagination with this one; nearly every website will be able to have this feature if you wanted it.

Print out sheets – This is a great feature for a website that is focused on teaching or for children. You can have print out colouring sheets, print out activities and so much more. You could even have a running competition for completed activities or colourings. You should consider this even if your website is focused primarily on children. If you have a travel website or you are selling something, you can have a print out activity or colouring sheet that links to that product or place.

Adding a forum – Having a forum added to your website is a fantastic way to involve your readers and customers. It is also a great way to promote your business or services for free.

Interviews – Why not contact another expert related to your niche and interview them on your website. An interview can be a great way to put fresh content on your website. You could strike up a deal with the interviewee and get them to interview you as well. This builds up links to and from your website and gains exposure.

Reviews – This is particularly appropriate if you are selling products or you are an affiliate. There is nothing better than an honest and candid review and your readers will thank you for it. List the positives and the negatives and the reader can then make an informed decision. If you think that you are going to be too biased, consider hiring someone else to review the products for you.

Freebies – Everyone loves getting something for nothing! You could tie in the freebies with the above reviews. Send out certain items to customers for free in return for an honest review of the product or service.

Competitions – Competitions are a great way to gain exposure and get people returning over and over. The great thing about competitions is that they relate to any website and any niche.

How many more can you come up with?

Copywriting - Tips to Improve Your Website's Content

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Sun, 25 May 2008 20:26:00 +0000

Always write your content for the people you are reaching out to. Don’t make the mistake of writing for the search engines. Search engines don’t read your content, so if you have stuffed your content full of keywords that don’t appear to make sense, people won’t read it. The key is to mix your chosen keywords into your content without it sounding forced. If you write your website content and you can’t fit the keywords in without it sounding odd, leave them out.

Look at your website as a long term plan. There are too many websites that are stagnant on the Internet at the moment. People forget that updated content is what keeps people returning to your site. People either become disillusioned or bored with updating content, so always write or choose something that you are a truly passionate about.

Seeing as though we are talking about being passionate, find your niche rather than being too broad with your content. If you are trying to sell something or teach within a certain area, stick to it. It’s okay to be broad within your niche, but being broad generally is what will confuse you and your readers. If you have a lot of ideas and thoughts running around inside your mind, why not have a business website and a personal website. This way people searching for your business will not be bombarded with your personal opinions.

There are lots of ways to add regular and exciting content to your website or your blog; this is what will be covered in the next instalment.

To ensure success and longevity, think of your website as a living and breathing entity – Something that is living needs food to survive. Think of your content as food for your website, this keeps your website alive and growing.

Blogging - 3 Column Template

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Fri, 23 May 2008 22:37:00 +0000

This is a little off topic I know and I apologise!

Does anyone have any tutorials or can anyone point me in the right direction to change this template into a 3 column one?

I love the look of the 3 column templates, but I don't want a new template, I actually want to edit this one into a 3 column one.

I hope someone out there can help me!

Thanks in advance to all you lovely Blogger experts!

Spelling - Building Words - Suffixes and Rules

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Fri, 23 May 2008 19:47:00 +0000

Here are a few rules that will help you remember when to change the spelling of a word before adding the suffix.

Just a quick note – There are certain exceptions to these rules, but there are a great starting point.

These are the spelling rules are where double letters are concerned.

Spelling rule 1 – For the majority of the on syllable words that end in a single consonant you will need to double up the last letter before adding a suffix. This doesn’t count for one syllable words that end in any of the vowels.

Run + y = Runny

Tin + y = Tinny

When the word has more than one consonant at the end of it, it doesn’t need to be doubled.

Wing – ing = Winging

Lump + y = Lumpy

Spelling Rule 2 – Usually when you have a word that has more than one syllable and it ends with the letter ‘l’, you will need to double the letter ‘l’ before adding the suffix.

Grovel + ing = Grovelling

Travel + ed = Travelled

Spelling Rule 3 - For the words that are longer than one syllable and they have the stress on the end syllable when you say them out loud AND if they end in a singular consonant, you will need to make the last letter double.

Begin + ing = Beginning

Prefer + ed = Preferred

If the word doesn’t have the stress on the last syllable and it ends with a singular consonant, you don’t need the last letter double before you add the suffix.

Benefit + ing = Benefiting

Offer +ed = Offered

Spelling Rule 4 – If the word ends with a consonant and the suffix starts with a consonant, the last letter doesn’t have to be doubled.

Abandon + ment = Abandonment

Abolish + ment = Abolishment

This next rule is known as the ‘y to i’ rule.

When adding a suffix to a root word that ends in a consonant and a ‘y’, the ‘y’ needs changing to an ‘i’.

Happy + ness = Happiness

Empty + ness = Emptiness

There is, as always, an exception to this rule. When you add the suffix ‘ing’ to a word that ends in ‘y’, you will need to keep the ‘y’.

Busy + ing = Busying

Bury + ing = Burying

Convey + ing = Conveying

This next rule is called the ‘silent e’ rule.

When a word has a ‘silent e’ on the end of it, such as love, like or noise, you don’t really hear the ‘e’ when you say the word. If you are adding the suffix ‘y’ onto one of these words, you can remove the ‘e’ and add the ‘y’.

Noise + y = Noisy

If you add the suffix ‘ing’ to a root word that ends in a ‘silent e’, you drop the ‘silent e’.

Like + ing = Liking

The exception to this rule is when the words end in ‘ce’ or in ‘ge’. You will keep the ‘silent e’ if the suffix you are adding starts with an ‘o’ or an ‘a’. This is to keep the ‘g’ or the ‘c’ soft when sounding it out.

Manage + able = Manageable

View the other articles in this series here:

Building Words and Understanding Where They Come From

Prefixes Part One

Prefixes Part Two

Suffixes Part One

Spelling - Building Words - Suffixes

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Fri, 23 May 2008 18:25:00 +0000

We have already looked over what root words are and what prefixes are. In this next instalment of the building words series we will take a closer look at suffixes.

Catch up on the other instalments here:

Building Words and Understanding Where They Come From

Prefixes Part One

Prefixes Part Two

Suffixes are what we add to a root word to change it. Suffixes are different to prefixes as we add them at the end rather than the beginning. If we look at the root word ‘talk’ and add the suffix ‘ing’, we can see it makes the word ‘talking’.

When we add a suffix to a root word it can change the meaning of it or add to it in some way. The most important aspect of a suffix is that it tells us exactly how the word will be used in sentences. Using a suffix will tell us if it is a verb, a noun or an adjective.

Using suffixes on root words helps us to make grammatical sense in a sentence. If you look at the following sentences:

I was walk to work

I was walking to work

We can see that adding the suffix ‘ing’ to the word work, the sentence now makes more sense grammatically.

Here are some of the more common suffixes that are used:

‘ed’ – Park + ed = Parked

‘ing’ – Walk + ing = Walking

‘er’ – Small + er = Smaller

‘tion’ – Perfect + tion = Perfection

‘sion’ – Divide + sion = Division

‘fully’ – Thank + fully = Thankfully

‘al’ – Accident + al = Accidental

‘est’ – Small + est = Smallest

‘ness’ – Tidy + ness = Tidiness

‘y’ – Laze + y = Lazy

There are a few spelling rules where suffixes are concerned that need to be mentioned. We will look at these in the next instalment.

Spelling – Building Words – Prefixes Part Two

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Wed, 21 May 2008 21:20:00 +0000

This is the third article in the building words series and we are taking another look into prefixes and their meanings.

The first two articles can be found here:

Building Words and Understanding Where They Come From

Prefixes Part One

Prefixes are what we add to the beginning of root words to make a new word.

Bi + cycle = Bicycle

Mis + fortune = Misfortune

Un + kind = Unkind

There are a few exceptions when adding prefixes to root words and we will look at a few here. Normally, we add the prefix to the root word and the spelling of both of them stays exactly the same. An exception to this rule is as follows:

All + together – l = Altogether

All + ways – l = Always

All + ready – l = Already

Suffixes are what we add to the end of a root word to change it to a new word. Prefixes can be added to root words that already have suffixes on them.

Re + play + ed = Replayed

Un + want + ed = Unwanted

Prefix Meanings

Take a look at some of these other prefix meanings.

The prefix ‘re’ means again, so if we add it to the root word ‘play’ we get ‘replay’. Replay means to play something over again.

The prefix ‘trans’ means through or across, so if we add this to the root word ‘Atlantic’, we get the word ‘transatlantic’. The word transatlantic means to cross the Atlantic.

The prefix ‘super’ means beyond or in excess. If we add this to the root word ‘sonic’, we get the word ‘supersonic’ and this means to go extremely fast or faster than the speed of light.

There are so many prefixes and root words we could be here all night listing them all.

Why not see how many you can come up with! You will be surprised at how many you find now you know what they are!

Spelling – Building Words - Prefixes Part One

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Tue, 20 May 2008 20:44:00 +0000

This is the next article in the building words series. See here for the first article to catch up!

Building Words and Understanding Where They Come From

What are Prefixes?

Prefixes are a group of letters that can be added to the start of a root word. Adding a prefix to a root word will change the meaning of the root. See here for a more in depth look at root words:

Do You Know What Root Words Are?

So if we added ‘dis’ to the root word comfort, we would get discomfort.

Do prefixes have meanings?

Yes, the prefixes do have meanings. Let’s look at the word ‘unclear’. The prefix ‘un’ actually means ‘not’. So if we add this to the root ‘clear’, we get the word ‘unclear’.

There aren’t any hard and fast rules to remember which of the prefixes you should be using, knowing what they mean when unattached to a root can help you remember which to use.

Look at these examples of prefixes and their meanings.

The prefix ‘mis’ means ‘badly’ or ‘wrong’. If we add this to the word ‘spelled’ or ‘spelt’ we get the words ‘misspelt’ and ‘misspelled’.

The prefix ‘pre’ means ‘in front of’, ‘before’ or ‘superior’. If we add the prefix ‘pre’ to the word ‘natal’, we get the word ‘prenatal’ which is care for the mother and the baby before birth.

The prefix ‘sub’ means ‘under’, so if we add this to the word ‘standard’ we get the word ‘substandard’.

In the next instalment we will look at adding prefixes to words in more detail and look at more prefixes and their meanings!

Spelling - Building Words and Understanding Where They Come From

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Mon, 19 May 2008 20:33:00 +0000

This is a new series of articles looking into root words, prefixes and suffixes and how to build words. I hope you enjoy the series and if you don’t want to miss the next part you can subscribe to this site by entering your email address into the subscription box at the top of the page.

Increasing your vocabulary

Whether you write factually or creatively you are probably wondering how to build your vocabulary. The best way to do this is to read the dictionary from front to back. Wait, I am kidding! It would be a great way to increase your vocabulary, but who has the time or the inclination to sift through the whole thing!

Building words with blocks

After reading the dictionary, the next best thing is to learn how to build words and to understand exactly how they are put together. There are three essential building blocks that make up the words we use every day – roots, prefixes and suffixes.

The roots of a word

The root of a word is the part that gives us the meaning. If you look at the Latin root word ‘grav-‘ it actually means heavy. This helps us to understand certain words such as ‘grave’, ‘gravity’ and ‘aggravate’. You can read more about root words here: Do You Know What Root Words Are?

Prefixes

The prefix is an affix, which is one or more letters or sounds, and this can be connected to the start of a word, phrase or root to then produce a derivative word. If you look at the prefix ‘ante-‘ it means before, this helps is to decipher and understand complex words.

Antedate – This word can be used in a variety of ways, but its main meanings are to predate, to go back to an earlier time, to make something happen quicker and so on.

Anterior – In humans, the word anterior is to describe the front plane of our bodies. In botany, this word describes the front side. Anterior is opposed to posterior.

Antecedent – Another word that can mean different things. It can be used to describe your ancestors. It can be used to describe a preceding event, circumstance or the like.

Suffixes

The suffix is also an affix that is placed at the end of the word, the phrase or the root and it tells us its function. If you look at the suffix ‘-ian’ this tells us that a thing or a person is connected with something. When you add it to the word Canada, it shows us that a Canadian is someone who was born and raised in Canada or someone who lives there.

All about prefixes and suffixes coming soon!

Writing - Why You Should be Skimming and Writing for Those That Skim!

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Sun, 18 May 2008 19:44:00 +0000

What is Skimming?

Skimming is a special reading technique that helps you to read quickly and decide whether or not you want to keep reading.

Skimming is a great way to read fast and seeing as though we have less time now than ever before, you should learn how to skim and how to write for the skimmers.

Is skimming different to scanning?

Skimming a text is often confused with the term scanning. When you skim a piece of text, you are getting the overall gist of what the text is about. You might begin to skim a book or a website to see if it is the right one for you. After deciding you can either read the book or the website in full or go somewhere else.

When you scan a piece of text, whether it is in print or online, you are getting specific information from the text. You might scan to find a phone number or an address.

Can you skim and scan?

Some people both skim and scan. They begin by skimming the text to see if it is on the right lines, then they may go on to scan for specific nuggets of information.

How to start skimming

When you are doing the skimming, remember you are not reading everything word for word. Look for titles, subtitles and perhaps related images. If you know what you are looking for it will be easier to determine whether or not you are reading the correct text.

Read the very first sentence and the last sentence to see if that gives you information about the general theme of the content. These sentences will usually give you a lot of information about what you are reading; they should contain the introduction and the conclusion.

Skim the text for related keywords to the information you are looking for.

How to start writing for skimmers

If you are writing for people who skim content, and a lot of web readers do, you need to do a few things to make it easier for you and for them.

Start by making your title related to the content or include a couple of sentences at the beginning of the content to summarise what information is included.

Make sure to include subtitles where you can, this will make it easier for your readers to skim the text and to scan for specific information.

Include related keywords to your content. Don’t be tempted to overstuff the content with keywords as it can make for difficult reading.

Skimming is a great way to find information that you are looking for quickly and easily and by writing for people who skim, you are making sure your readers are targeted ones.

Spelling - Double Letters

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Sat, 17 May 2008 18:53:00 +0000

Some people become confused as to whether or not certain words have double letters in them and which letters are double.

There are lots of fun ways to remember the double letters in words by coming up with phrases to help you remember.

Necessary – Is it necessary for a shirt to only have one collar and two sleeves?

Can you come up with phrases for the following words with double letters?

Tomorrow

Accident

Occasion

Committee

Disappoint

Recommend

Succeed

Accommodation

Embarrass

Making your memory phrase

You can make your phrase specific to you by making it personal or maybe even rude!

Try to link the phrase with the actual word you are trying to remember. This makes it easier when remembering the phrase and the double letters!

Competitions - Adverbs Competitions!

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Fri, 16 May 2008 19:46:00 +0000

Can you spot the seven adverbs in this recipe? The first person to correctly comment on the right adverbs will get $10 into their PayPal account! I know it isn’t a lot but I am going to start putting more competitions onto the site over time, and the prize fund will eventually grow!

So read over the three articles on Adverbs and see if you can correctly spot the seven adverbs in this recipe!

Adverbs Part One

Adverbs Part Two

Adverbs Part Three

Good luck and don't worry, this isn't an English lesson or test, it is just a bit of fun!

Bring a pan of water to boil.

Drop the spaghetti into water. If the pan you have is smaller than the spaghetti, slowly put it into the water and bend the spaghetti to fit.

Rapidly boil the spaghetti for 10 minutes or so.

Heat the oil.

Add steak or mince and fry it quickly until brown.

Add the tinned tomatoes and the red wine.

Add a dash of Worcestershire sauce.

Slowly crumble the stock cubes and stir.

Allow the Bolognese to simmer slowly. Regularly stir to avoid sticking to the pan.

Drain spaghetti and divide into portions.

Spoon the Bolognese onto plates.

Garnish and promptly serve while hot.

Grammar - Facts About Adverbs - Part Three

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Fri, 16 May 2008 18:48:00 +0000

How to spot an adverb

Adverbs can be quite complicated. This is because you cannot tell an adverb by looking at it. You can tell an adverb by what it does in a sentence.

The play went well – The word ‘well’ describes the verb ‘went’, so ‘well’ is the adverb.

The well had to be drained by noon – The word well in this sentence names something, therefore it is a noun

The well water tasted foul – The word well in this sentence is used to name the type of water rather than being a describing word. The word well in this sentence is not an adverb.

When you see ‘ly’ on the end of a word in a sentence, this is usually a good indication of an adverb as this is how many adverbs are created.

The word careful is an adjective, when you add ‘ly’ to make it carefully, it becomes an adverb.

However, this isn’t a hard and fast rule and some adverbs are irregular. Not all words that end in ‘ly’ are actually adverbs. There following words do end in ‘ly’ but are not adverbs:

Friendly

Lovely

Lonely

Some words are adverbs as well as adjectives. These are words that can be used in different ways in a sentence and how they are positioned will tell us whether or not they are adverbs.

The two words ‘hard’ and ‘early’ are adverbs and adjectives. When they are adjectives they tell us about people, things and places. When they are adverbs they give us more information about the verb used.

They arrived early – adverb

She works extremely hard – adverb

It is still early – adjective

She is a hard woman to get along with - adjective

You can read the other articles in this series here:

Part One

Part Two

Grammar - Facts About Adverbs - Part Two

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Thu, 15 May 2008 20:43:00 +0000

Where to place adverbs

There are usually three places where adverbs can be positioned in a sentence.

Adverbs can be placed at the beginning:

Suddenly I had stomach ache

I recently had a headache

Adverbs can also be placed at the end:

I had severe stomach ache suddenly

I had a headache recently

The majority of adverbs can be placed mid sentence which would be before the verb:

I’m usually working on Fridays

I never said I didn’t like you

To make sure your adverb fits into your sentence, read it aloud to see if it makes sense.

Read the other articles in this series here:

Part One

Part Three

Grammar - Facts About Adverbs - Part One

noreply@blogger.com (Sarah) — Thu, 15 May 2008 20:13:00 +0000

Adverbs are the words that give us more information about verbs. The adverbs add information to the verb. An example of a verb is a doing word or a being word – feel, walk.

When you use adverbs in sentences it makes them much more interesting.

Every verb you use in a sentence can have an adverb added to it.

The boy smiled nervously

The girl grinned sheepishly

We usually use adverbs to describe how something happens:

The couple walk (how?) quickly

We also use adverbs to describe when or where something happens:

We met her (when?) yesterday

We use adverbs to describe how often something happens:

He gets a taxi (how often?) daily

Adverbs are usually formed from adjectives. Adjectives are describing words that tell us more information about nouns. This is done by adding ‘ly’ at the end of the adjective.

Slow – Slowly

Some words may change in spelling when they change to adverbs. If the adjective ends with the letter ‘y’, you will have to change that ‘y’ into an ‘I’ before you actually add the ‘ly’.

Scary – Scarily

Happy – Happily

Heavy – Heavily

You can read the other articles in this series here:

Part Two

Part Three