Grammar

Being a freelancer means I can be mobile.  I have worked a variety of places from hospital waiting rooms to the parking lot of a library in a small Tennessee town.  At home, I would almost always work in my home office.  However, having a baby to look after these days has changed that.  Now I still work in my home office some, but I also do quite a bit of work from my loveseat so I can watch my baby in her bouncy seat napping or on her play mat batting at toys.  At first I struggled to maintain productivity in a more constant nontraditional environment and have learned a few things.

I need a to do list. In my office I have a white board upon which I write tasks and appointments for the day.  I keep track of most of the same information in Outlook.  In my living room, I don’t have that.  I found the easiest way to streamline and keep on track was going old school with a smallish notebook.  I have a page per day.  I write down appointments/meetings and list everything that needs to be done each day for work and home.  This little notebook keeps me on track and organized.  It fits in my purse for when I’m out and about.

I need a way to organize paperwork. In my home office I can often get inundated with paperwork.  It piles up before I realize it.  Working between my office and living room makes it even worse.  I realized I had a paper trail everywhere.  I’m slowly converting to my new solution.  I still use file folders.  Instead of putting them in my office where I have to try and remember to get them and put them back up, I have a tote bag with folders for my current projects.  The bag can go with me back to the office or to the living room or anywhere that I’m working.  I also keep envelopes for check stubs, paid bills and bills to be paid in the same bag.  Ideally I should process all this information as it comes in, but lately that’s been a challenge.  This way I at least have it all together when I do have time to sit down and log it all.

I need to have things within reach. For various tasks that I do throughout the day, I can be tied to one place.  Having everything together helps keep me on track.  I keep the notebook and work bag nearby, of course, but I also make sure other items I need are handy like the telephone with its headset and a bottle of water.

Working in a non-traditional environment has its challenges, but it is most definitely possible with a bit of planning and organization.  I’m sure that I will learn a few more things along the way as well!

I would daresay that nothing is more important to a sentence than its verb.  Verbs are what give a sentence action and propel a story forward.  The right verbs are what make good writing even better.  However, sometimes instead of using strong verbs, we use adverbs to make weaker verbs stronger.  Is that OK?  I would say sometimes, yes, but most of the time, look for adverbs and see if you can find a stronger verb to use instead.

Take a look at these two sentences and see what is stronger:

• The girl aimlessly walked down the hall.
• The girl wandered down the hall.

The first sentence uses an adverb.  While this sentence is not grammatically incorrect, the adverb/verb combination makes it weaker than the second sentence which uses a stronger, more descriptive verb.

Another bonus to replacing adverb/verb combinations with a stronger verb is the writing becomes more concise.  Word count is reduced.  Skilled writers can say more with less.  Minimizing adverb use is one way to do that.

More examples for you showing word count:

• John sipped his water.  (4)
• John slowly drank his water. (5)

• John purposefully walked into the room.  (6)
• John strode into the room. (5)

• She spoke quietly.  (3)
• She whispered.  (2)

Sure, this one has a punny title, but I couldn’t resist.  While the title may be punny (I won’t go as far as to say funny!), the topic is quite serious.  Changes in viewpoint are a pet peeve of mine and a mistake that many beginning writers can easily make without realizing it.

Before we can talk about changing viewpoint, we must first talk about the types of viewpoint out there.

• First person: This is an article or story written from one person’s point of view.  This blog is written in first person.  First person uses pronouns like “I,” “me,” “mine,” etc.  While first person is frequently used in casual writing, it is almost never used in news reporting.  In my years of writing professionally, I have only written from first person fewer than 10 times.  For articles, first person should generally only be used if the writer is an authority on the topic or if the writer is describing a situation or event the way he experienced it.
• Second person: This viewpoint is often overlooked.  Second person viewpoint addresses the reader directly.  Second person uses pronouns like “you” and “your.”  Of all the viewpoints, it can be most lenient and sometimes used in conjunction with first or third person, but that should be done sparingly.  Second person is most often found in how-to articles.  The trick with it is to avoid becoming preachy or condescending to the reader.
• Third person: This viewpoint does not involve the writer or the reader at all.  Third person pronouns include “he,” “she,” “they,” etc.  This is the most common viewpoint for news articles and is the viewpoint I use most of the time in my work for magazines, newspapers and even businesses.

Understanding the different viewpoints is crucial to use them correctly.  Most important is to NOT combine more than one viewpoint in the same article.  I don’t think I can preach consistency in writing enough.  In teaching, I tell my students that I’d rather them be consistently wrong in their article than to alternate back and forth.

Changes in viewpoint can sometimes slip into writing.  Most of the time with articles, readers really don’t care about the writer’s perspective.  First person is seldom used for that very reason.  If first person is used, then it should be used consistently, not just in a lead and forgotten about.  A writer should never interject himself in the article without a compelling reason to do so.

Second person can sometimes be used in a lead to draw a reader in and then switch to third person for the rest of the article, but this should be done sparingly and only when absolutely necessary.  One common lead is reader commonality, which starts with something like: “Don’t you just hate when X happens?”  This can work, but it isn’t the strongest type of lead and certainly shouldn’t be overdone.  Be aware that indirect commands count as second person as well (this sentence is an example).  These are sentences that address the reader directly and give a command without using the pronoun “you.”

Third person is the best viewpoint for new writers.  And it’s the most common for news articles in general.

Since changes in viewpoint can slip into articles, editing for viewpoint is important.  When I edit my work, I look at everything: grammar, punctuation, style, viewpoint, flow, etc.  Look for direct commands that slip into second person.  Look for spots where the writer has been drawn in to the story directly.  Ask other people to read the artilce and give their feedback on viewpoint — whatever it takes.   Don’t be a viewpoint switcher!

Writing for the Internet is a bit different than writing for print.  That holds true whether you’re writing an article for an online publication or content for a company’s Web site.   And while print publications are shrinking, online usage is increasing, even in the down-turned economy.  A Pew Internet and American Life Project study found that 63 percent of adult Americans have broadband Internet now, which is up 15 percent from just a year ago.

With so many users out there, writing well online is vital to getting your content read.  A few tips can make your Internet writing more successful.

First, remember that readers have to concentrate harder to read text on a computer screen versus on a printed page. While a 2,500-word feature article might work well in a print publication, chances are most Internet readers won’t plow through it.  To add to this issue is the fact that reading on a computer screen often feels like work to most users.  After all, many people sit in front a computer all day long for work and they often don’t want to continue reading on a computer after hours.

Second, know that online readers are skimmers. You may be skimming through this post.  I know I skim online.  Using subheads, bullet points and other such devices can draw readers in to your main points.  If you have enough good points, then skimmers will take time to read the entire piece.

Third, utilize the inverted pyramid. The inverted pyramid style of writing is starting with the most important information at the beginning and working down in priority from there.  Inverted pyramids work well for Internet writing because you may only get your reader to read the first couple of paragraphs, so you want to give them enough information to draw them in.  Creative leads don’t work as well online.  People want to know exactly what they’re getting up front when they are reading online.

Fourth, keep it simple. Internet writing is not the place for extra long sentences and words.  Overall, simple sentence structure and vocabulary geared to an eighth or ninth grade level is preferred.  Think similarly to your local newspaper.  Concise writing is vital for effective online writing.

Fifth, emphasize key words, but don’t get too crazy with them. You definitely want to use key words that Internet search engines will pick up on, but you don’t want to go so crazy with them as to drive your readers crazy and interfere with your message.

Finally, include related links. If you refer to another online article in your piece or are quoting a study, then link to it.  Readers are definitely more wary of information they read online and want to be able to confirm it.  You don’t want to include a link for every other word or even every paragraph, but a few well placed links really do add to your credibility.

Perhaps no punctuation is misused more in writing than commas.  Semi-colons run a close second.  In the writing classes I’ve taught, many students struggle with when to use commas and semi-colons.  Some use commas way too often while others seldom use them.  Everyone can use a refresher on commas and semi-colons from time to time.  I know I do.

Let’s take a look at an example sentence punctuated three different ways.  Two of the three are correct.  Which ones?

• The man walked briskly down the sidewalk, he was running late for work.
• The man walked briskly down the sidewalk; he was running late for work.
• The man walked briskly down the sidewalk, because he was running late for work.

The last two are correct.  The first one is incorrect because it’s a run-on sentence.  You cannot separate two sentences with only a comma.  The second one is correct because a semi-colon serves to separate two sentences (or independent clauses), yet still ties similar ideas together.  The third one is also correct.  When you use a conjunction (because, and, or, etc.) to separate two complete sentences, then you must use a comma before the conjunction.

Remember that commas are used to separate two sentences tied together with a conjunction that can stand alone.  They are NOT used to separate a dependent and independent clause.  Which of the following is correct?

• The dog barked loudly, and wagged his tail.
• The dog barked loudly and wagged his tail.

The second one is correct.  “Wagged his tail” is a dependent clause (it doesn’t have a subject and verb and cannot stand on its own), so a comma would not be used.  If we changed the sentence to read: “The dog barked loudly, and he wagged his tail,” then we would use a comma.  The second half of the sentence is now independent because it has a subject.

I know grammar and punctuation aren’t the funniest of topics, but they really do help improve writing and communication.  Whether you’re a writer by trade or not having good written communication is important.

What punctuation problems do you encounter most?

If you do any sort of writing with any sort of regularity, at some point you are going to have to deal with gender.  I’m referring to unknown gender.  Of course when I’m writing about specific people, then I know their gender. However, I’m talking about generalizations — like in the previous sentence.

Gender is something to be dealt with and seriously considered.  Unfortunately it is also often misused.  I offer my tips for writing easily with gender. These are tips that I use myself and have taught a few classrooms of writing students.

Decide where  you stand on the he/she debate. For years the rule was that if you don’t know the gender, then use masculine pronouns.  Like: “Everyone should read his book.”  Then we came across using both.  Like: “Everyone should read his or her book.”  These days I read quite a few articles that pick one and stick with it or alternate between the masculine and feminine pronouns.  I have one e-newsletter I receive that refers to gender one week as male and one week as female.  No matter what you decide, be consistent.  Admittedly, I’m still a bit old school and tend to use “he” when in doubt.

Go plural and avoid gender all together. Even once you know where you stand on the gender debate, your best bet is to go plural as often as possible and not have to deal with it at all.  Sometimes plural doesn’t make sense, but often it does.  Take the example in the previous point.  Change it to: “People should read their books.”  Now that it’s plural, gender isn’t an issue.    One major caveat here is make sure your pronouns match.  Had I said, “Everyone should read their book,” I would have been grammatically incorrect.  “Everyone” is singular and deserves a matching singular pronoun.  “Each” is another singular example that often gets “their” incorrectly used with it.

Last Friday, Poynter’s Al Tompkins wrote about how cussing has increased with the downturn in the economy.  Tompkins’ article got me to thinking about cussing and its role in a variety of avenues — specifically the written word.

I suppose I should begin this post by saying that I don’t cuss either verbally or on paper.  That said, this is a discussion that has come up in every writing class I’ve taught, so I felt it was worth a post.  I’m talking nonfiction here, not fiction.

In writing for a specific newspaper or magazine, the first rule is to check the publication’s guidelines.  The vast majority of publications don’t want writers using cuss words in their text, but some are OK with them as part of a direct quote when warranted.  If you’re not sure what the publication wants, then ask.

Some publications may leave it up to you.  In which case, you have to have an idea of what you’ll do.  This hasn’t come up very often for me in the type of writing that I do, but it has come up.

For example, when editing autobiographies to go into the library of an aviation museum a few years ago, I came across cuss words from time to time.  I always edited them, usually using a cleaner alternative word such as “darn.”  I knew the library was used for education and school children were one audience.  Strong language was inappropriate.

In general, my personal philosophy is to not use quotes with foul language.  It doesn’t fit with most publications that I work for, and I just have a problem with it personally.  I don’t like hearing it or reading it, so for me it doesn’t make sense to write it.

How do you feel about cuss words in print?

Bear with me on this grammar topic, but it’s one that is crucial to improving writing.

One of the biggest pet peeves I have is dead construction.  These sentences are wordy and don’t communicate well.

Dead construction is a passive sentence structure (meaning the subject is not performing the action).  These are sentences that start with phrases like “It is” or “There are” where “it” and “there” have no word they are substituting.

I’m not sure that’s a great explanation, so let’s look at an example.

Dead construction: There are six boys in the room.

Where is “there?”  What noun is it replacing?  We have no answer to either question, and that’s the problem.  The simple fix for this sentence, which makes it active, stronger and more concise is as follows:  Six boys are in the room.

See what I’m saying?  Dead construction is all around us.  I encounter it frequently and it drives me crazy.  Of course, sometimes using dead construction can’t be avoided.  I maybe use it for something two or three times a year in all the writing that I do, but I work hard to avoid it.  Along with being a stronger sentence, fixing dead construction also results in shorter sentences.

Check out some examples of dead construction and how to fix them.

Dead construction: There will be a meeting at 6 p.m. (seven words)

Fixed: A meeting will be at 6 p.m. (six words)

Dead construction: It was a stormy night last night. (seven words)

Fixed: Last night was stormy. (four words)

Next time you are writing or editing, pay attention for this sentence structure.  Dead construction is one of those things that people often don’t know how to identify beyond just knowing it doesn’t sound quite right.

Happy writing!

I confess: I have a few grammar pet peeves.  Perhaps I am a bit of a grammar stickler, but poor grammar hurts communication, even when you are just sending an e-mail.  Here are  couple of my pet peeves to watch out for:

• Misusing the word “literally.”  A television commercial is on regularly that tells me how money is literally flying out my door.  In fact, my money is in my wallet.  It’s no where near the door.
• Confusing idea with ideal.  An idea is a thought or plan of action.  An ideal is “a conception of perfection,” according to dictionary.com.
• Interchanging affect and effect.  Affect is a verb (The change is affecting her greatly) while effect is a noun (The effect of the change impacted her life).