Tag Archives: grammar

advice

Today’s Writing Tip: Using Commas with the Word “But”

sig2010When should you use a comma with the word “but”? You can use commas whenever they don’t break up the sentence and interfere with the meaning.

Here’s an example: “Everybody but Jason stopped eating.” It wouldn’t make sense to put a comma after the word everybody because then you have a sentence fragment that isn’t telling us anything. And it would disrupt the meaning of the sentence.

But in the sentence, “I like ice cream, but not banana flavored,” the comma is well-placed. That’s because you have a whole clause that is not broken and it contains a pronoun, a verb, and the direct object.

What about “He chose not one but two tuxedos”? You tell me.

Sigrid Macdonald is the author of three books, including Be Your Own Editor http://tinyurl.com/7wnk5se and two erotic short stories, which she wrote under the pen name Tiffanie Good. Silver Publishing has released “The Pink Triangle,” a tale of friendship, lust, and betrayal. You can view her story here: http://tinyurl.com/6v65rgr

advice

Today’s Writing Tip: “Do You Mind?”

sig2010I’m always amused when I ask someone if they mind if I do something, and they say yes when they really mean to say no. Here’s an example:

Me: “Do you mind if I borrow your printer?”

Other person: “Sure, go ahead.”

Wrong answer! The question was, do you mind?, so the answer should be no. In an ideal world, this is the way people would answer:

Me: “Do you mind if I borrow your printer?”

Other person: “What’s wrong with your printer?”

Me: “Well, I just got a new laser printer, and the paper jammed, and when I went to replace the toner the store was closed, so I had to go to visit my neighbor…”

Other person (Yawn!): “No, I don’t mind. Go ahead.”

Sigrid Macdonald is the author of three books, including Be Your Own Editor http://tinyurl.com/7wnk5se and two erotic short stories, which she wrote under the pen name Tiffanie Good. Silver Publishing just released “The Pink Triangle,” a tale of friendship, lust, and betrayal. You can view her story here: http://tinyurl.com/6v65rgr

advice

Today’s Writing Tip: Figuratively Versus Literally

sig2010You’d think that this would be an easy one, but many people misuse the word literally. Literally means in reality or actually. If something happens literally, it really occurs. Figuratively refers to imagination or something that is hypothetical. When something happens figuratively, it doesn’t really occur.

“She barked like a dog, literally.” Right or wrong? Wrong. Unless we’re talking about a German Shepherd, or a little schnauzer, a human woman can’t bark like a dog literally. She can bark like a dog metaphorically or figuratively speaking, but we wouldn’t phrase it that way. We would probably just say, “She barked like a dog!”

So, what’s the right way to use the term literally? “Forty-five people stood in line at the Dairy Queen on a hot summer night, but the DQ literally only had enough ice cream to feed twenty-nine of them.” As long as it took place and it makes sense in the real world, you can say literally.

Figuratively encompasses different forms of speech like metaphors and similies, when we compare something to something it’s not. The barking dog is a good example of a simile, which is a form of figurative speech that usually uses the term “like” or “as.” “He looked like a ghost” and “he swam like a fish” are both similies.

Sigrid Macdonald is the author of three books, including Be Your Own Editor http://tinyurl.com/7wnk5se and two erotic short stories, which she wrote under the pen name Tiffanie Good. Silver Publishing just released “The Pink Triangle,” a tale of friendship, lust, and betrayal. You can view her story here: http://tinyurl.com/6v65rgr

editorial, podcast, reading, resources, social networking

Grammar, Grammar, Grammar!

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This post is sposnored by FiledBy – where authors can claim their free website and build their online marketing platform.

grammarby Catherine L. Tully

I know I have mentioned this great resource before, but only in passing. Grammar Girl is a heavy-duty tool for the writer–new or experienced. Mignon Fogarty is the name behind this character, and her “Quick and Dirty Tips For Better Writing” include goodies such as:

  • Affect vs. Effect
  • Toward vs. Towards
  • All Right vs. Alright
  • Lay vs. Lie

These are excellent, bite-sized tips for the writer that can mean the difference between getting a query nod and having the editor hit delete. Let’s face it–in this business, you’ve got to know what you are doing when it comes to grammar and sentence structure.

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It doesn’t really matter how you decide to keep up with Grammar Girl. She’s on Twitter and she even has her own podcast on iTunes. A little honesty? It’s the only podcast that I have actually downloaded and listened to on my iPhone.

Naturally, if you prefer a good, old-fashioned book you can go that route as well.

Why am I so excited about this? Well, grammar is huge, and it is usually presented in the most awful, boring format. Grammar Girl gives it to you straight, but in a palatable way, without taking too long to get the point across. I’m a serious fan.

This post was brought to you by FiledBy

advice, resources

Grammar Tip: It’s Vs. Its

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image_phones_topModule

First of all…if you haven’t yet taken advantage of the free app from Dictionary.com for the iPhone, Blackberry or Android, don’t waste time–get it now. This is a great resource to have with you on the go, and you never know when you will need it. Plus, it’s free.

Next. Grammar.

I’ve seen it one time too many lately, and I thought I would share a great resource for knowing when to use it’s as opposed to its. Once you know the rules, it isn’t hard. (Or should I say it’s not hard?)

As I was writing this post I realized something. It’s so easy to get lazy as a writer. To avoid looking up rules and just go with another choice when trying to put together a sentence. I’m going to start sharing the tidbits I have picked up along the way with Freelance-Zone readers. Consider this the first of many!

advice

We All Do It

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wordsIt’s tough enough to sell your writing skills without tripping yourself up with bad spelling, clumsy sentences, and atrocious grammar. We all have a blind spot when it comes to our own spelling, and even the old tried-and-true “read it aloud” trick doesn’t always work the way it should.

On every page of a well-established content supplier, you’ll read: “Let’s discuss your content needs formulate a content marketing proposal.”

On another site that wants to sell you writing services:”A technical writing company with a specialty in Internet, telecommunications, and software development topics.”

And most infamously, in a crucial political race on the east coast, an advertisement for Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley’s senatorial campaign misspelled the name of the state. According to LegalNewsline.com, “After a three-person debate Monday night, an attack ad on Republican state Sen. Scott Brown paid for by the state’s Democratic Party spelled it ‘Massachusettes.’ The ad was ‘authorized by Martha Coakley for Senate and approved by Martha Coakley.” Continue reading We All Do It →