Easy Editing

Tips for Writing Persuasive Web Copy

2014-11-18T14:00:00.000+02:00

When writing your web copy, remember that is it is totally different from print copy. Web copy is scanned. Or glanced at. Not read. Web visitors are hunting for information or products and want to make quick decisions. Here are ways to write persuasive copy for them:

Put your most important information first

Your customers want to know the big picture first.

Basically: What do you do? Or what can you do for them?

Don’t try to be overly clever or creative

A reader won’t hang on to every word you write. They don’t have time.

Simple statements that get to the point work best.

Write for scanners

How many people read web pages? Hardly anybody! Most people scan. So, use this checklist:

· Does your headline communicate what you’re about?

· Does your image caption communicate a sales message?

· Do your sub headlines summarise your key points?

· Use bullet points – they reduce wordiness?

Use familiar copy

Your reader is looking for familiar words with a scent trail that tells them they in the right place – that is all! They don’t want to make an effort to read your text, so make your copy easy to read using:

· Short paragraphs

· Short sentences

· No unnecessary words

· No jargon

· No needless repetition

Expect people to arrive anywhere on your website

Most web visitors will not start reading at your home page. They may arrive on any page. So each page should:

· Be easy to scan

· Clarify to people where they are & and what your site is about

· Have a call to action telling people where to go next.

Make a visual impression

Web copy and web design should work together. The visual appeal of your website influences whether web visitors can quickly understand what you’re about.

Does your website offer what they’re looking for? And can they find it easily?

I’d love to tell you that writing persuasive web copy is easy, but the truth is that writing simple, useful copy is hard. Don’t be wordy and show off your extensive vocabulary. Know who you are and what you do. If your positioning is clear, it’s much easier to stand out on the web and to be found.

Be clear. Be specific. Be bold.

“Can” versus “May”

2014-09-26T16:41:00.000+02:00

This is a tough one!

Ability or Permission?

There was once a time in the land of Strict Grammar Rules when “can” suggested physical or mental ability and “may” denoted permission or authorisation.

It WAS NOT acceptable to use “can” if you were talking about permission. You could hear citizens of this land saying, “May I accompany you to the ball, Miss Ruby?” and “Why of course you may, my dear.” This young lady would perhaps ask her suitor about his dancing ability: “Can you do the cha-cha?” and he would answer that he did have the ability: “Why of course I can, Miss Ruby.”

“Can” Instead of Traditional “May”

Nowadays, the rules aren’t so cut and dried! Since the second half of the 19th century, “can” has been used in informal contexts to denote permission.

You’ve probably heard someone ask, “Can I go to the party?” If we lived in strict-grammar land, the authorities would complain about this usage, but these days it is acceptable to use “can” in this manner if you’re speaking informally.

If you’re a teacher of young children, you probably often hear “Can I go to the bathroom?” Parents probably hear their children whining, “Can I have a cell phone?” So are the kids to blame for using “can” instead of “may”? Well, they just repeat what grown-ups say, and grown-ups are apparently moving away from the sometimes prissy-sounding “may.”

“May” Is OK

Nowadays, “may” does have its rare place. If formality and politeness are of utmost importance, you should use “may” to denote permission. So it would be better to say to the waiter at a fancy restaurant, “May I have more water, please?” than “Can I have more water, please?” If you’ve just knocked on a door, you should probably say, “May I come in?”

Hope this clears the confusion.

How to use the Hyphen!

2014-09-08T15:15:00.002+02:00

A short video teaching us the basic rules of using a hyphen. Watch here!

What is Word Stress?

2014-02-11T11:05:00.000+02:00

In English, we do not say each syllable with the same force or strength. In one word, we accentuate ONE syllable. We say one syllable very loudly (big, strong, important) and all the other syllables very quietly.

Let's take 3 words: photograph, photographer and photographic. Do they sound the same when spoken? No. Because we accentuate (stress) ONE syllable in each word. And it is not always the same syllable. So the shape of each word is different.

click word to hear	shape	total syllables	stressed syllable
PHO TO GRAPH		3	#1
PHO TO GRAPH ER		4	#2
PHO TO GRAPH IC		4	#3

This happens in ALL words with 2 or more syllables: TEACHer, JaPAN, CHINa, aBOVE, converSAtion, INteresting, imPORtant, deMAND, etCETera, etCETera, etCETera

The syllables that are not stressed are weak or small or quiet. Native speakers of English listen for the STRESSED syllables, not the weak syllables. If you use word stress in your speech, you will instantly and automatically improve your pronunciation and your comprehension.

Try to hear the stress in individual words each time you listen to English - on the radio, or in films for example. Your first step is to HEAR and recognise it. After that, you can USE it!

There are two very important rules about word stress:

One word, one stress. (One word cannot have two stresses. So if you hear two stresses, you have heard two words, not one word.)
The stress is always on a vowel.

On Route or En Route?

2013-10-31T16:58:00.001+02:00

This is another one of those cases that’s not a classic troublesome pair. Meaning one is correct and the other incorrect. The stems from people writing down what they think they have heard. Similar problems come up with Here! Here! versus Hear! Hear! and would of versus would have. I have started noticing these common errors a lot on social media. It might be that people simply just pen or type what they think it might be hearing.

Incorrect: on route.
Correct: en route

An incorrect usage does make sense in a funny kind of way, and it sounds the same too, but, it in reality it isn’t!

So, as we probably know, it means “on the way” to or from somewhere. It comes from the French – 18th Century French, so it’s been around for long enough that it’s stuck and isn’t likely to be that pliable. You can use on route, but only in a very specific sense, when talking about named roads in places like America. And then there’ll be a capital in the middle, and you’re not using it in precisely the same way. So, “On Route 66 I found a lovely motel” – fine. But in all other cases: “I was en route to Chicago when I happened upon a charming hotel” – also fine.

This also applies to phrases like en masse. If there’s an “on” sound and the other word looks like it might be French, check it!

Idioms and Clichés

2013-08-16T15:02:00.000+02:00

Many people struggle with grasping these two concepts. Idioms and clichés are two different things. While idioms can be clichés and clichés can be idioms, they must be kept separate.

So, what is the difference between an idiom and a cliché?

An idiom is an expression. Its meaning is not predictable from the usual grammatical rules of a language or from the usual meanings of the expression's constituent elements. Example, the expression kick the bucket meaning “to die” has nothing to do with kicking or buckets. However, the entire expression has a set meaning that is familiar to most people. Idioms can be analysed with regards to how idiomatic they are, and there is not necessarily agreement about whether or not something is an idiom. The word “idiom” is usually positive, and people use “idiom” to refer to expressions that they approve of but that are otherwise problematic.

A cliché is a word or phrase that has been overused to the point of having lost its freshness or vigour. It can be a fashionable phrase (“at the end of the day...”), a proverb (“don't count your chickens...”), a simile (“strong as an ox”), or a single word (“Whatever.”). The word cliché is almost always pejorative, and people are told to avoid them (“Avoid clichés like the plague,” as one self-referential joke has it).

An idiom can be a cliché. In fact, it’s likely that many idioms will be somewhat clichéd. However, it does not have to be; and clichés are by no means always idioms.

For clichés, on the one hand, to overuse that expression, one should try to avoid hackneyed language.

Idioms that are not clichés will rarely bother anyone, as long as the meaning of the idiom is not ambiguous.

Sloppy Speech Habits

2013-05-28T13:52:00.001+02:00

You may look good on paper or in a suit but if you're looking to nail your big interview, looks aren't everything. How you sound is often more important. Countless job seekers let careless speech habits kill their chances of landing a job.

Here are six common language mistakes and how to keep them from ruining your interview:

1. Nonwords

Filler words such as "um," "ah," "you know," "OK" or "like" tell the interviewer you're not prepared. A better strategy is to think before you speak, taking pauses and breaths when you lose your train of thought.

2. Up-Talk

A singsong or rising inflection at the end of every sentence creates a tentative impression and makes it sound as though you're asking a question instead of making a definitive statement. You need to speak with conviction when selling yourself in an interview.

3. Grammatical Errors

The interviewer may question your education when you use incorrect grammar/slang. Expressions such as “ain't,” “she don't,” and “me & my friend” aren't appropriate. Be sure you speak in complete sentences and that tenses agree.

4. Sloppy Speech

Slurring words together or dropping their endings impairs the clarity of your message. To avoid slurring and increase understanding, speak slowly during an interview. Some common incorrect pronunciations include "aks" for "ask," "ath-a-lete" for "athlete," "wif" for "with" and "dree" for "three."

5. Speed Talking

While everybody is a bit anxious during an interview, you don't want your information to fly by like a speeding bullet. A rapid speaking rate is difficult to follow, and speed talkers are seen as nervous. Slow down your racing heart by doing some breathing exercises before the interview. Avoid rushing, listen to the question, and then count two beats in your head before answering. When you finish a sentence, count two beats again before continuing. Don't be afraid of silence. Pausing is an effective communication technique.

6. Weak Speak

Wimpy words modify or water down your conviction and in the end your position. When you pepper a conversation with "hopefully," "perhaps," "I feel," "kind of" and "sort of," the message you convey is a lack of confidence. Use power words such as "I'm confident that," "my track record shows," "I take the position that," "I recommend" or "my goal is."

You don't have to study elocution to speak well. Simply slow down, take time to pronounce all the syllables and leave slang at home.

Ellipsis

2012-10-23T14:04:00.000+02:00

You see it everywhere, but most people don’t know what it’s called or how to use it properly.

Luckily, the ellipsis isn’t nearly as confusing as the comma. It’s relatively easy to learn how to use it correctly and how to refer to it properly.

An ellipsis is a series of three points with spaces between them (. . .)

Definition

An ellipsis – the omission of a word, phrase, line, paragraph, or more from a quoted passage — is indicated by ellipsis points (or dots)… Ellipsis points are three spaced periods ( . . . ), sometimes preceded or followed by other punctuation.

Singular and Plural
The word ellipsis is not plural. In other words, it refers to the three points, together, as a single unit, which is often colloquially referred to as dots or periods. Here is an ellipsis:

( . . . )

The plural of ellipsis is ellipses. This would indicate more than one set of three dots:

( . . . ) ( . . . ) ( . . . )

This punctuation mark may also be called a suspension point, points of ellipsis, or periods of ellipsis. But to keep things simple, let’s just stick with the word ellipsis.

Omissions

The ellipsis is primarily used to indicate an omission. It can be an intentional omission, such as when you are using a quotation but want to skip over a portion of it.

Example: The name of a minor in a legal case.

Purpose of the Ellipsis

It is inserted into a quotation/speech to indicate the omission of text from an original quotation.

Rules

There are quite a few simple rules for the proper use of ellipses, which are used more often in legal writing than most forms of writing (Yes, I have come across this far too many times). Failure to use the proper form of an ellipsis could misrepresent the work of another person and result in legal liability for the writer. Correct use of ellipses, on the other hand, shows that the writer has carefully attended to detail, and thus increases the reader's confidence in the reliability of the written work.

Go through these for a better understanding:

1. When placing an ellipsis in the middle of a quotation to indicate the omission of material, use three points with spaces before and after the ellipsis.

Incorrect: “The First Amendment provides that ‘Congress shall make no law respecting. . .the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances’.”

Correct: “The First Amendment provides that ‘Congress shall make no law respecting . . . the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances’.”

2. When placing an ellipsis at the end of a quotation to indicate the omission of material, use four points -- a three-point ellipsis and a period. The ellipsis should follow a blank space.

Incorrect: “The First Amendment provides that Congress shall make no law. . . abridging the freedom of speech. . .”

Correct: “The First Amendment provides that Congress shall make no law . . . abridging the freedom of speech . . . .”

3. When omitting one or more entire paragraphs, indicate the omission by indenting four points and placing them on a separate line. If the quoted material is 50 words or more, use indented margins and do not use any quotation marks.

Incorrect:

“Poverty imposes costs on the non-poor that warrant, on strictly economic grounds and without regard to ethical or political considerations, incurring some costs to reduce it. For example, poverty in the midst of a generally wealthy society is likely to increase the incidence of crime: the forgone income of a legitimate alternative occupation is low for someone who has little earning capacity in legitimate occupations, while the proximity of wealth increases the expected return from crime, or, stated another way, the cost of honesty. . . . An individual who feels endangered or appalled at the poverty around him can contribute to an organisation designed to alleviate that poverty an amount equal to the benefit that he would derive from the reduction of poverty enabled by his contribution (net of administrative costs).”

Correct:

“Poverty imposes costs on the non-poor that warrant, on strictly economic grounds and without regard to ethical or political considerations, incurring some costs to reduce it. For example, poverty

. . . .

An individual who feels endangered or appalled at the poverty around him can contribute to an organisation designed to alleviate that poverty.”

4. Never leave a point in an ellipsis floating at the beginning or end of a line of text. (However, you may have a period at the end of a fully quoted sentence at the end of a line of text and begin the ellipsis on the next line.)

Incorrect: "His refusal to cooperate with the court and name the source .
. . resulted in a contempt citation."

Also Incorrect:

"His refusal to cooperate with the court and name the source . .
. resulted in a contempt citation."

Correct: "His refusal to cooperate with the court and name the source . . .
resulted in a contempt citation."

Also Correct:

"His refusal to cooperate with the court and name the source
. . . resulted in a contempt citation."

Also Correct:

"The period may properly be placed at the end of a sentence.
. . . The ellipsis may then be placed on the following line, indicating the omission of an intervening sentence."

The Semicolon in Modern times

2012-10-23T09:06:00.000+02:00

The Semicolon use appears to have been declining in recent years, possibly because fewer and fewer people are confident about the proper role of this punctuation mark. Here are several ways to use the semicolon as an effective tool for enhancing clarity and emphasis in your writing.

1. Use a semicolon as a soft period. By using a semicolon instead of a period between two sentences, you show that those two sentences have a closer relationship to each other than they do to the sentences around them. The semicolon, in a sense, connects the sentences. (If you added a coordinating conjunction and a comma, you would show less of a connection; and with a period you show only the connection of proximity.)

2. Use a semicolon to connect main clauses containing internal punctuation. Think of a comma as a brief pause, a semicolon as a more moderate pause, and a period as a stop, and you can see the logic of the hierarchy.

· When he faints through desire, she comes to his aid; but when he revives, she scorns him.

· Whatever is left in the hands of chance must be subject to vicissitude; and when any establishment is found to be useful, it ought to be the next care to make it permanent.

· The events we experience are less important than the meaning we give to them; for life is about meaning, not experience.

I hope that this piece was helpful, Grace. Thank you very much for your email. Do hope to hear from you again.

Semicolon

2012-08-27T16:36:00.001+02:00

Semicolons help you connect closely related ideas when a style mark stronger than a comma

is needed. By using semicolons effectively, you can make your

writing sound more sophisticated.

____________________________________________________________

The semicolon is a punctuation mark with several uses. While terminal marks like full stops, exclamation marks, and question marks, mark the end of a sentence, the semicolon is normally a sentence internal, making it a secondary boundary mark. Semicolons are intermediate in between terminal marks; their strength is equal to that of the colon.

Semicolons are followed by a lower case letter, unless that letter is the first letter of a proper noun like the word I or Paris.

Why should one use a semicolon?

The main task of the semicolon is to mark a break that is stronger than a comma but not as final as a full stop. It’s used between two main clauses that balance each other and are too closely linked to be made into separate sentences, as in these two examples:

The road runs through a beautiful wooded valley; the railway line follows it.
An art director searched North Africa; I went to the Canary Islands.

You can also use a semicolon as a stronger division in a sentence that already contains commas:

The study showed the following: 76% of surveyed firms monitor employee Web-surfing activities, with 65% blocking access to unauthorised Internet locations; over one-third of the firms monitor employee computer keystrokes; half reported storing and reviewing employee emails; 57% monitor employee telephone behaviour, including the inappropriate use of voice mail.

Why use a semicolon instead of a full stop?

The semi-colon is used in a sentence when there is a pause which is longer than a comma, but shorter than a full stop. A semi-colon can be used instead of a full stop when the two parts of the sentence are too closely related in meaning to be put into separate sentences.

We did not go into the theatre before our friends arrived; instead, we waited outside.

Semi-colons can also be used between items on a list, when the items consist of a number of words, or when the use of commas alone would be confusing.

The committee consisted of Carol Jones, the staff representative; Bill Johnson, the boss; Terry Smith, the local doctor; Murray Todd, the fisherman; and Mary Renshaw, the cook.

A semicolon can also be used before a transition (connecting) word or phrase. The transition words you are probably most familiar with include however, therefore, hence, thus, consequently, nevertheless and meanwhile.

It was the best of times; however, it was also the worst of times.

Semicolon usage

Link two independent clauses to connect closely related ideas.

Some people write with a word processor; others write with a pen or pencil.

Link clauses connected by conjunctive adverbs or transitional phrases to connect closely related ideas.

But however they choose to write, people are allowed to make their own decisions; as a result, many people swear by their writing methods.

Link lists where the items contain commas to avoid confusion between list items.

There are basically two ways to write: with a pen or pencil, which is inexpensive and easily accessible; or by computer and printer, which is more expensive but quick and neat.

Link lengthy clauses or clauses with commas to avoid confusion between clauses.

Some people write with a word processor, typewriter, or a computer; but others, for different reasons, choose to write with a pen or pencil.

Avoid using a comma when a semicolon is needed:

Incorrect: The cow is brown, it is also old.
Correct: The cow is brown; it is also old.

Cover letters

2012-08-17T15:02:00.001+02:00

What is a cover letter?

To be considered for almost any position, you will need to write a letter of application. Such a letter introduces you, explains the purpose of your application, highlights your experiences, and requests an opportunity to meet with the potential employer. We refer to this important piece of material as a Cover Letter.

Precisely because this letter is your introduction to an employer, and because first impressions count, you should take great care to write an impressive and effective letter. Remember that the letter not only tells of your accomplishments but also reveals how effectively you can communicate.

How to format a cover letter

· Type each letter individually, or use a word processor.

· Use good quality bond paper.

· Whenever possible, address each employer by name and title.

· Each letter should be grammatically correct, properly punctuated, and have perfect spelling. It also should be immaculately clean and free of errors. Proofread carefully!

· Use conventional business correspondence form. If you are not certain of how to do this, ask for help.

What to include in a cover letter

· Try to limit your letter to a single page. Be succinct.

· Assess the employer’s needs versus your skills. Then try to match them, in the letter, in a way that will appeal to the employer’s self-interest.

· Tailor your letter to each job opportunity. Demonstrate knowledge of the organisation to which you are applying.

· Write in a style that is mature but clear; avoid long and intricate sentences and paragraphs; avoid jargon.

· Use action verbs and the active voice; convey confidence, optimism, and enthusiasm coupled with respect and professionalism.

· Show some personality, but avoid hard-sell, gimmicky, or unorthodox letters.

· Arrange the points in a logical sequence; organise each paragraph around a main point.

Opening paragraph

· State why you are writing. Establish a point of contact (Ex. advertisement in a specific place for a specific position).

· Give a brief idea of who you are (Ex. a recent PhD in History).

· Highlight a few of the most salient points from your enclosed resume that are important for the position you are seeking.

· Show how your education and experience suit the requirements of the position.

· State how you could contribute to the organisation.

Closing paragraph

· Stress action. Politely request an interview at the employer's convenience.

· Offer to provide additional information (Ex. a portfolio, a writing sample, a dossier, an audition tape).

· Thank the reader for his/her consideration and indicate that you are looking forward to hearing from him/her.

Questions to guide your writing

· Who this letter targeted at?

· What is my objective?

· What are the objectives and needs of the person/people reading this?

· How can I best express my objective in relationship to the employer’s objectives and needs?

· What specific benefits can I offer to the employer and how can I best express them?

· What opening sentence and paragraph will grab the attention of my employer in a positive manner?

· How can I maintain the interest and desire of a potential employer throughout the letter?

· What closing paragraph will ensure the reader of my capabilities and persuade him/her to contact me?

· Is the letter my best professional effort?

· Have I spent sufficient time drafting, revising, and proofreading the letter?

Catch more on www.say-it-with-sam.blogspot.com

Proofreading

2012-08-13T11:05:00.000+02:00

Proofreading means examining your text carefully to find and correct typographical errors and mistakes in grammar, style, and spelling. Here are some tips.

Before You Proofread

· Be sure you've revised the larger aspects of your text. Don't make corrections at the sentence and word level if you still need to work on the focus, organisation, and development of the whole paper, of sections, or of paragraphs.

· Set your text aside for a while between writing and proofing. Some distance from the text will help you see mistakes more easily.

· Eliminate unnecessary words before looking for mistakes.

· Know what to look for. From the comments of your professors or a writing centre instructor on past papers, make a list of mistakes you need to watch for.

When You Proofread

· Work from a printout, not the computer screen.

· Read out loud. This is especially helpful for spotting run-on sentences, but you'll also hear other problems that you may not see when reading silently.

· Use a blank sheet of paper to cover up the lines below the one you're reading. This technique keeps you from skipping ahead of possible mistakes.

· Use the search function of the computer to find mistakes you're likely to make. Search for "it," for instance, if you confuse "its" and "it's;" for "-ing" if dangling modifiers are a problem; for opening parentheses or quote marks if you tend to leave out the closing ones.

· If you tend to make many mistakes, check separately for each kind of error, moving from the most to the least important, and following whatever technique works best for you to identify that kind of mistake.
For instance, read through once (backwards, sentence by sentence) to check for fragments; read through again (forward) to be sure subjects and verbs agree, and again (perhaps using a computer search for "this," "it," and "they") to trace pronouns to antecedents.

· Always BEGIN and END with a computer spell check. But remember that a spell checker won't catch mistakes with homonyms (e.g., "they're," "their," "there") or certain typos (like "he" for "the").

How to write a review of literature

2012-07-20T13:22:00.002+02:00

What is a review of literature?

The format of a review of literature may vary from discipline to discipline and from assignment to assignment.

A review may be a self-contained unit -- an end in itself -- or a preface to and rationale for engaging in primary research. A review is a required part of grant and research proposals and often a chapter in theses and dissertations.

Generally, the purpose of a review is to critically analyse a segment of a published body of knowledge through summary, classification, and comparison of prior research studies, reviews of literature, and theoretical articles.

Writing the introduction

In the introduction, you should:

· Define or identify the general topic, issue, or area of concern, thus providing an appropriate context for reviewing the literature.

· Point out overall trends in what has been published about the topic; or conflicts in theory, methodology, evidence, and conclusions; or gaps in research and scholarship; or a single problem or new perspective of immediate interest.

· Establish the writer's reason (point of view) for reviewing the literature; explain the criteria to be used in analysing and comparing literature and the organisation of the review (sequence); and, when necessary, state why certain literature is or is not included (scope).

Writing the body

In the body, you should:

· Group research studies and other types of literature (reviews, theoretical articles, case studies, etc.) according to common denominators such as qualitative versus quantitative approaches, conclusions of authors, specific purpose or objective, chronology, etc.

· Summarise individual studies or articles with as much or as little detail as each merits according to its comparative importance in the literature, remembering that space (length) denotes significance.

· Provide the reader with strong “umbrella” sentences at beginnings of paragraphs, “signposts” throughout, and brief “so what” summary sentences at intermediate points in the review to aid in understanding comparisons and analyses.

Writing the conclusion

In the conclusion, you should:

· Summarise major contributions of significant studies and articles to the body of knowledge under review, maintaining the focus established in the introduction.

· Evaluate the current "state of the art" for the body of knowledge reviewed, pointing out major methodological flaws or gaps in research, inconsistencies in theory and findings, and areas or issues pertinent to future study.

· Conclude by providing some insight into the relationship between the central topic of the literature review and a larger area of study such as a discipline, a scientific endeavour, or a profession.

Do essays make you nervous? You’re not alone.

2012-06-29T16:17:00.001+02:00

We all know about how autocorrect and contextual spelling programs (like Microsoft Word and others) are actually changing English (in some cases, killing off words.) We haven’t mentioned something obvious, but crucial: Technology is turning us into much more careless writers. Do you find errors in emails after you’ve sent them? Do you spot embarrassing mistakes in your essays and memos only after they’re turned in? You are not alone. These errors are all too common in business writing and in students’ papers.

According to psychologists, our brains read in two different ways: the lexical route and phonological route. The lexical route is the fast and easy road where we read things that are familiar. It helps us read rapidly in part by skipping joining words like of, the, and a. This reading route is the most common, and it’s handy for helping us read quickly and efficiently. However, it also means that we read carelessly, especially text we have just written that is flowing through our lexical route.

The phonological route, on the other hand, is much slower. When we use this route, we sound out each syllable for its meaning. In experiments, psychologists flip letters upside down to activate this slower phonological route. When letter orientation is changed, people use the phonological route and are more likely to find their mistakes. However, without changing text formatting or deliberately altering the text, it is very hard to activate that reading route.

Because we primarily rely on the lexical route, we are literally unable to proofread work that we’ve just written, to find mistakes. The best tactic is to wait a day or two, then look at your work with fresh eyes. However, that is not always possible. A term paper or memo may be due in two hours, and you may not have the time to give your reading brain a break.

What is the solution then?

· Try to get as much relaxation as possible when not having to concentrate on intense work

· Get someone to check your work for you

· Take your mind of your current work by doing something that stimulates your brain e.g. Puzzles, Crosswords, Board Games etc

· Have a light snack

· Take a short walk

· Listen to some light music

Sentence Fragments

2012-06-21T10:20:00.002+02:00

I know many of you are fiction writers, aspiring writers, or just shake your heads when you read non-traditional grammar in fiction stories. I thought it might be fun to hear from someone who has to manage the crazy grammar that writers try, and often succeed in, to put through the editing process.

A sentence fragment is something that isn’t a complete sentence. Often, sentence fragments are missing the subject that would be present in a sentence, but they can also be missing the predicate.

Example 1:

“You’re not welcome here, Paul.”

Most places in the world, a statement like that sounded normal. Unfriendly, perhaps, but still common, still acceptable.

If you’re like me, it’s perfectly clear to you what is being said here. Granted, the lines have a certain clipped cadence that may not be everyone’s stylistic cup of tea, but they make sense.

There’s Always a Catch

The catch here is that apart from the line of dialogue, there’s not a single “real” sentence in that excerpt. And this example is hardly an outlier. Fiction writers bend the rules of grammar on a regular basis. Fragmenting in particular is a useful device, in part because, if wielded properly, it can let an author get across information more economically than would be possible with proper grammar, with no loss in clarity.

Example 2:

Echoing gunfire from above. Pookie looked in that direction and saw something amazing. A man leaping off the cavern’s ledge. Rising up, then arcing down, his legs bicycling beneath him...

This kind of fragmenting is a regular bone of contention. The action is conveys the descriptions using machine-gunning fragments. On the one hand, this is a perfectly valid stylistic move: it conveys the way a viewpoint character, seeing things through a cloud of adrenaline, takes in the action in a series of disjointed snapshots. And fragmenting helps you write economically, right? So if by doing this you are helping an action scene flow along quickly, it should be a big plus.

But for me, this method can potentially read awkwardly, especially when it’s used often. It feels unpleasantly choppy. And it’s fairly easy to tweak these lines in a way that doesn’t actually cost us much in terms of added words — or, putting it differently, the fragmenting here is not, actually, doing much in terms of efficiency.

What Is the Right Way to Use Sentence Fragments?

At this point you’ve noticed a problem with all this talk about what works and why: it’s completely subjective. That’s the thing about fragmenting, and all the other grammar-breaking tricks fiction writers often employ. They’re risky. When authors write without the safety net provided by the rules of subject, verb, object, etc., the only real guide for what’s right or wrong is their ear. The results can be ugly. Also, fragmenting can easily turn into stylistic tics —or, even worse, ways to excuse sloppy, lazy prose.

Use Sentence Fragments Sparingly and When the Story Calls for It

Sentence fragments in fiction can be a useful way of conveying pace, tone, and intensity. However, overuse can lead to lazy writing – fragments should be used sparingly, and for a good storytelling purpose.

In this article, I questioned whether sentence fragments could potentially make editors reject your work. So, if you are breaking rules, make sure it’s because it’s necessary and adds something, not just because it’s just easier.

Are slower languages less effective? A few thoughts...

2012-06-20T10:37:00.000+02:00

Think of when you’ve listened to someone speak Spanish or Japanese. Does it seem the words flow out very quickly, faster than other languages? Academics would agree with you. For the last decade, linguists have speculated that different languages are spoken at significantly different rates. The challenge has been how to measure the respective speeds.

Recently, the team at the University of Lyon in France tried to break down the rate differences between seven languages: British English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Mandarin Chinese, and Spanish. They compared two different components of language: speech speed and density of information. Speech speed is measured by syllables per second, and density of information is measured by how much information is encoded per syllable. What does that mean? Let’s take an example from English. The one-syllable word “calm” is information dense because it expresses a complex state with only one-syllable. However, “easy-going” uses four syllables to express an idea easily conveyed with fewer syllables. By averaging the information density across a language, the linguists determined the density of information per language.

How did the linguists conduct their experiment? First, they looked at how many syllables per second speakers articulated when reading 20 sample texts. They had 60 native speakers of the languages each read the 20 texts in order to gather an accurate average speed for the language overall. Out of the seven languages, Spanish and Japanese turned out to be the fastest, Mandarin the slowest. However, the second variable – density of information – complicated their results. The languages that were spoken more quickly were less dense with information, and the languages that were spoken slowly were correspondingly denser. So, the information rate for all the languages turned out to be relatively similar across the seven languages.

Linguists have speculated that this average information rate correlates to an innate speed at which the human brain comprehends the world. That, of course, is only speculation. There is no concrete evidence to support that yet.

Do you tend to talk quickly or slowly? Do you wish the language you speak would slow down or hurry up?

Do Rhetorical Questions Need a Question Mark?

2012-06-18T14:59:00.000+02:00

We are going to discuss two kinds of peculiar questions. Isn’t that going to be fun! "Isn't that going to be fun," is a rhetorical question. We’re also going to learn about its cousin. That’s called a tag question, isn’t it? That last sentence was an example of a tag question.

This all started because of a question from one of my Twitter followers, who wanted to know if the sentence “Isn’t it funny?” is correct, and he’d like to know if he's allowed to use such a construction in formal situations.

Rhetorical Questions

You’ve probably heard rhetorical questions more often than you realise. You start a sentence with a negative word when you mean something positive. So “Wasn’t that movie great?” means that you think the movie was great. It seems counterintuitive, but that’s the way English works. It’s called a rhetorical question, and it can end in either a question mark or an exclamation point, and in dialogue you can sometimes even have a speaker’s rhetorical question end in a period.

Another example of a rhetorical question is “Isn’t she leaving?” That question means you think the woman is leaving, but you want to confirm. Rhetorical questions like this take a negative form. If you make the “Isn’t she leaving?” question positive, it becomes just a regular question: “Is she leaving?” If you ask "Is she leaving?" you don’t know the answer; whereas with the rhetorical question “Isn’t she leaving?” you are assuming she is leaving.

Rhetorical questions have popped up in pop music. Stevie Wonder, for example, wrote a famous song called “Isn’t She Lovely,” whose lyrics begin:

“Isn't she lovely,

Isn't she wonderful,

Isn't she precious,” (2)

Mr Wonder definitely thinks the girl is lovely, wonderful, and precious. No question about that.

These kinds of rhetorical questions seem to be quite conversational. You wouldn’t want to write, “Aren’t I the perfect person for this job?” in a job cover letter, nor would you want to say, “Isn’t it obvious that you should hire me?” in an interview. There are better ways to sound more qualified and more professional. So, Aaron: no, it’s not advisable to use this kind of construction in formal situations.

Tag Questions

The second kind of question we’re talking about today is called a tag question. “Tag questions, a peculiarity of English, are usually spoken rather than written,” states the website English Online. The rhetorical question “Isn’t she leaving?” means about the same thing as “She is leaving, isn’t she?” Students who are learning English often find this kind of construction puzzling because the speaker uses a negative form to mean something positive. As the Interesting Thing of the Day website wisely explains, “The simplest way to make a tag question in English is to repeat the verb, negate it, and then repeat the subject. For example, ‘He is smart’ becomes ‘He is smart, isn’t he?" Note how the word "isn't" is negating the verb "is" from the first part of the sentence: "He IS smart, ISN'T he?"

"If the verb is already negative, you just make it positive. ‘It won’t rain’ becomes ‘It won’t rain, will it?’" So, if we wanted to change Aaron’s rhetorical question “Isn’t it funny?” into a tag question, we would say, “It’s funny, isn’t it?” Both sentences mean “I think it’s funny.”

One clue that tag questions are best left to informal situations is that you often hear them used with contractions, which themselves are a bit informal. It would sound weird to ask "It will not rain, will it?" It sounds much more normal with a contraction: "It won't rain, will it?"

Summary

In summary, rhetorical questions and tag questions are normal parts of everyday speech, but they are informal. It’s therefore best to avoid them in formal situations.

I do hope that this has provided some sort of clarity.

Ways to help your child improve their reading and writing skills?

2012-06-18T14:53:00.000+02:00

I want to discuss something really important: The future of our children. The issue of a child’s learning is so blatantly avoided that it could bring one to tears. Being one who would prefer to curb this growing threat to future generations...I’d like for you to take this problem really seriously. Our kids will potentially be around long after we have passed on. So why not build a solid foundation – starting at the beginning.

Research has shown that children whose parents (or any significant adults) read to them are always better students than those who are not read to. Reading to your child exposes him/her to vocabulary, sentence structure, communication skills, and logic. Reading to them shares the joy of reading and storytelling. Reading to them also gives you quality time together, which strengthens your child-parent bond.

1. Encourage your child to read

Provide plenty of reading material that will interest your child - either buy books or take them to the library every few days. If your child is interested in dinosaurs, have books about dinosaurs in the house - both science or non-fiction books and fiction or storybooks, because reading is not just for fun, but also for information. Find out what your child's interests are, and provide books that feed those interests.

2. Help your child

If your child is having trouble reading, first make sure they do not have some sort of correctable problem like poor eyesight. Work with the school to test for learning disabilities like dyslexia, which can cause poor reading skills. Help your child learn vocabulary and spelling so that they can read better – you can either have regular Q&A sessions where you quiz them on vocabulary and spelling words or you can make games like "Word of the Day" where you find fun ways to improve their vocabulary.

3. Set a regular time for schoolwork each day

This will also help with any school subject. Make a special place for them to do their work, someplace where they will not be distracted by a TV, games, cell phones, computer chat rooms, IMs, or anything else. Have at least one hour daily (some children will need longer) during which homework is done – if they say they do not have homework, then they will use the time to read over their material. During this time, you can "assign" reading and writing practice also – have them read a section, then quiz them to be sure they understand what they have read. You can show them how to read for information, how to tell when a term is important in a textbook, and where to look for definitions and more help.

4. Make reading and writing fun

Again, if you use your child's interests, you will have more luck with this. Encourage your child to make up stories and write them down. Don't worry about spelling or grammar at first – just get them to start writing! Read what they have written if they want you to, and talk about their stories over the dinner table, or in the car. The more you encourage them to read and write, the more they will want to – notice I said "encourage" and not nag. The trick is to make it fun for them.

Go the extra mile

· Buy a book that your child can read with slight difficulty and once you help them master the words in that book buy the next book up to that one and do the same again and so on.

· The best way to help a child learn to enjoy reading is to read with them!

· The best way to help children read better is to have a home where reading is a part of life. Start out reading to the child, and let the child see you reading for enjoyment.

· Write down the story he tells you then show it to him. Explain to him that he was the one who came up with that story. Then ask him to read the story.

· Many popular children's cartoons come in book form. You can also try comic books. You can both take a trip to a local comic book store and let him choose something he likes to read (Make sure it's age appropriate).

· Throw out your TV. A week without television has been shown to improve reading and attention span.

· Try getting a tape recorder and have him read a book aloud being taped and then play the tape back to himself while reading the book of his choice.

· Good old PHONICS help.

· Keep it simple with a lot of praise for doing well (not "good job") if it's not. Don't be negative but also don't "over praise" for non-performance. Make it fun.

· Read to him/her every night, preferably at the same time.

· Stop the story or the book at an interesting part, so that he'll look forward to the next night's story time.

· Let him choose books on subjects that he is interested in and pick one day out of the week where he gets to read whatever he wants to you!

· Make a trip to the bookstore fun and exciting...stop at the park first or get a treat afterwards.

· Let them look at the pages as you read.

Parts of Speech

2012-06-18T14:48:00.001+02:00

Hello Bloggers,

For today’s "imparting", I’d like to take you back to basics. I know everyone reading this has gone to school...still, how many of you actually remember the Rules/Parts of Speech?? Here’s a quick recap...Enjoy!

tenor (ten-er)

the subject of a metaphor, such as "she" in "she is a rose."

metaphor (met-uh-fawr, -fer)

a figure of speech in which a term or phrase is applied to something to which it is not literally applicable in order to suggest a resemblance, as in "a mighty fortress is our God."

parable (par-uh-buh?l)

a short allegorical story designed to illustrate or teach some truth, religious principle, or moral lesson.

simile (n.)

a figure of speech in which two unlike things are explicitly compared, as in "she is like a rose."

analogy (uh-nal-uh-jee)

a similarity between like features of two things, on which a comparison may be based.

allegory (al-uh-gawr-ee, -gohr-ee)

a representation of an abstract or spiritual meaning through concrete or material forms.

vehicle (n.)

the thing or idea to which the subject of a metaphor is compared, as "rose" in "she is a rose."

catachresis (n.)

misuse or strained use of words, as in a mixed metaphor, occurring either in error or for rhetorical effect.

Have fun playing with words:)

What Is Standard English?

2012-06-15T15:55:00.000+02:00

Hello there,

A big hello to each and everyone of you already following me and to those who have been waiting with bated breath for the revamped Easy Editing blog...For my very first post, I thought it appropriate to write about a topic that is literally the reason behind what I do. English!

Being very closely intertwined with the English language, I thought this to be a really interesting piece that I could share with you. Today we’re going to tackle an interesting question: When we talk about “Proper English,” what exactly do we mean? Do we mean the English that you can take home to your grandmother? Do we mean the English that will impress your boss? Or do we mean the English that everyone will understand?

Most of the time, we mean all these things. When we go looking for grammar guidance, we’re hoping to refine our tone, our sophistication, and our clarity. We want, at the end of the day, to be better writers.

But if we mean those things, then what we should really say is “Standard English”—although it would probably be even more accurate to say, “The English That a Very Few People Agreed Upon About 600 Years Ago and That We’re Now Mostly Stuck With.”

Because when we use the phrase “proper English,” we’re playing into a whole mess of stereotypes and misconceptions about language. All it takes is a quick look at the history of Standard English to see why this might be true.

Setting the Stage: The History of English

I like to think of a standard variety of language as the lingua franca for speakers of a single language. A speaker from West Texas, for instance, might have trouble understanding a speaker from South Boston, but neither one of them has any trouble watching the national news, which is conducted in Standard English—the type of English that just about everyone will understand wherever it’s spoken.

English first flirted with written standardisation back in the ninth century, when Alfred the Great noticed that everyone’s Latin wasn’t what it used to be (is it ever?) and requested Anglo-Saxon translations of “those books that are most necessary for all men to know.”

When William the Conqueror showed up in 1066, however, he brought with him a slew of scribes and courtiers whose languages of choice were Latin and Norman French, and English was more or less exiled to the monasteries for the next few centuries.

Still, English never ceased to be a widely spoken language. So when England ultimately distanced itself from France, English was right there waiting, ready to reassert itself into official business and the written record.

It happened slowly at first, but by the time of Henry V, English had displaced French as a language of government almost entirely.

Soon the use of written English was spreading rapidly, from guild masters to merchants to churchmen, many of whom must have been wildly relieved to be able to conduct business in a version of their native language.

As English began to be used for increasingly important purposes, it became increasingly important to use a form of English that everyone could understand—and that everyone would respect.

The Rules of the Game

At first standards were largely—though not exclusively—determined by the language of the royal clerks. The rise of the printing press also played a key role in standardising language, particularly with regard to spelling. For instance, we have foreign compositors and typefaces to thank for the use of “gh” instead of “g” in certain words (such as “ghost”).

Soon enough, though, the subject of language standardisation was taken up by dictionary writers, grammarians, and even general linguistic busybodies.

The Influence of Scholars

It’s much more accurate to refer to what many think of as proper English with the term language scholars use: “Standard English.”

Many of the early English dictionaries and grammars ostensibly sought to describe prevailing usage—they were not meant to be prescriptive. But, of course, the selection of any one variety as a representative form is, in and of itself, a kind of prescription.

These early and influential dictionaries and grammars relied on a variety of criteria to determine their recommended words and rules. In his landmark, Dictionary of the English Language, Samuel Johnson—a man who famously remarked that “the chief glory of a nation arises from its authors”—leaned heavily on citations from widely respected authors, a trend that continues to this day.

Grammarians had their own guiding principles, often calling on logic (decrying double negatives and superlatives) or etymology (railing against the substitution of “nauseous” for “nauseated”).

Others rationales were more subjective. Some writers, for instance, believed that it was better to use one-syllable words whenever possible because they were closer to the language of Adam and Eve. And then there were those who felt so strongly about the linguistic virtues of Latin and Greek that they could come to believe, as John Dryden famously did, that a preposition at the end of a sentence is something to be strenuously avoided. (Read the article about ending a sentence with a preposition.)

No matter how persuasive the scholarship, the facts remain the same: the variety that would become Standard English was based on the varieties of the political, economic, and intellectual elite—not because they were necessarily better, but because they were the ones who got to decide.

The Authority of Salesmen

This is when things start to get a bit tricky.

The literary market in the 17th and 18th centuries was not so different from our own. There wasn’t much demand for linguistic observation—what readers wanted was linguistic guidance. And again and again, scholars and linguists from Johnson to Webster to Henry Higgins did their best to fill this need. Even Robert Cawdrey’s 1604 Table Alphabeticall, the earliest English dictionary, makes explicit on its title page that it has been “gathered for the benefit & helpe of Ladies, Gentlewomen, or any other unskilfull persons. Whereby they may the more easilie and better understand many hard English words.”

But as social mobility increased, the standards of the written language exerted more and more influence on the spoken language, which was looked to as a measure of refinement and “politeness.” Soon the demand for linguistic instruction outstripped the scholarly supply, and readers began to snap up handbooks and how-tos whose advice was justified not by years of study—or any study at all, for that matter—but rather by the ruthlessly efficient principle of “you should.”

Or, more accurately, “you shouldn’t.”

So it was that non-standard language became a nuisance to be dealt with (like troublesome household vermin, as in the 1878 volume Enquire Within upon Everything) or a bad habit to be frowned upon (like breathing through your mouth, as in 1888’s Don’t: A Little Book dealing Frankly with Mistakes & Improprieties more or less Common to All).

And when you teach that there is only one way to be right, it’s only natural to conclude that every other way is wrong.

The Slippery Slope

As long as we’ve had language varieties, we’ve also had stereotypes about the people who speak those varieties. But the implementation of the standard form of a language—couched as it so often is in terms of elegance, propriety, and correctness—can take an otherwise unassuming us/them split and institutionally marry it to a set of pernicious value judgments: what is “right,” what is “educated,” what is “civilized,” what is “good.”

Linguists and philosophers, and just about anyone who has ever stopped to think about it, have been doing battle with perceptions like these for centuries—just as they have been doing battle with similarly ingrained stereotypes relating to race, ethnicity, class, and gender. And they’re having about as much luck with the former as they are with the latter. Today conspicuously non-standard varieties of English—particularly those spoken in the South and by African-Americans—are still routinely characterised as “defective,” “lazy,” and flat-out “wrong.”

But the truth is this: Every variety of English is equally regularised and expressive—just as every language is equally expressive. They all have their own internal rules and grammar. Despite what the usage mavens of yesteryear might have us believe, proficiency with Standard English has nothing to do with innate linguistic superiority, or cognitive or moral superiority. Though the language we use in any given situation is surely a product of external circumstances, it is in no way a function of internal worth.

That doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t learn Standard English—quite the contrary, given the importance placed upon its usage, it would be irresponsible to suggest otherwise.

But surely there’s room for one more standardisation: That we all agree to do away with the idea that there’s a single, objectively superior form we call “proper” English. It’s much more accurate to refer to what many think of as proper English with the term language scholars use: “Standard English.”

So, guys, I hope you found this piece of script informative. I know I did.

Till we speak again...cheers!!!