When Should I Use Capitalization?

Proper capitalization is important. Never overlook these basic rules of capitalization:

Capitalize:

1. The first word of a sentence
2. The pronoun “I” and all its contractions (I’m, I’ll, I’ve,I’d)
3. All proper nouns
4. The first word of a quote (“Please, give me advice.”)
5. A title or rank preceding a person’s name (Dr. Glenn Faust, Engr. Bradford)
6. A person’s title inside a quotation or dialogue. (“Have a great trip, Sir!”)
7. Compass points when referring to a specific region. (“My friend lives in the South.”)
8. All words included in titles of books, songs, movies, and other art works
9. Names of clubs and organizations
10. Historical events
11. Names of languages

Do not capitalize:

• Names of seasons (winter, spring .summer, fall)
• Directions when not referring to a specific region (The sun sets in the west.)
• Names of elements (carbon, oxygen, helium, etc.)

Writer: Use Adverbs With Caution!

I am dead to adverbs; they cannot excite me. To misplace an adverb is a thing which I am able to do with frozen indifference; it can never give me a pang. ... --and this adverb plague is one of them. ... Yes, there are things which we cannot learn, and there is no use in fretting about it. I cannot learn adverbs; and what is more I won't. - Mark Twain, "Reply to a Boston Girl," Atlantic Monthly, June 1880

How many times have you heard the advice, use adverbs with caution? Many writers are prone to the excessive use of adverbs (especially adverbs ending in –Y and –LY) to highlight subjects or emphasize a point. But did you know that careless use of adverbs can hurt your writing?

What Are Adverbs?

Adverb -- “: a word belonging to one of the major form classes in any of numerous languages, typically serving as a modifier of a verb, an adjective, another adverb, a preposition, a phrase, a clause, or a sentence, expressing some relation of manner or quality, place, time, degree, number, cause, opposition, affirmation, or denial, and in English also serving to connect and to express comment on clause content”(---The Merriam-Webster Dictionary Online) 

There are 5 types of adverbs (manner, time, frequency, place, purpose). Adverbs are used to compare, to give more detail or description. Below are some examples (Take note that not all adverbs end in –LY).

The italicized words are adverbs:

eat slowly 
lookedlovingly
write speedily
quickly left
really angry  
carefully checked
run faster  
almost cried  
very beautiful

Show, Don't Tell

The first book about writing I read was So You Want to Write a Novel by Lou Willett Stanek. In this book, she encourages writers to Show, Don’t Tell. Following this rule will help you avoid ineffective use of adverbs.

Compare the following sentences:

• Jenny angrily left the room.
• Jenny’s face flushed and her fists tightened as she slammed the door behind her.

The first sentence uses the adverb "angrily" to define how Jenny felt when she left the room.

The second sentence shows the reader how Jenny looked and how she acted. Upon reading the 2nd sentence, the reader understands that “Jenny was angry”.

Yes, imagination and practice are essential to express ideas without using adverbs. But the result can be rich, original and powerful writing.

Adverbs and Redundancy

Incorrect use of adverbs can lead to redundancy – another element of poor writing.  Consider this:

• If you really want to write well, it is extremely important to pay close attention to the words you actually use.
• If you want to write well, it is important to focus on the words you use.

Notice that the second sentence gets the message across even without additional words or adverbs.

Sometimes, I am guilty of using too many adverbs on my writing. After researching on this issue, it’s clear to see why adverbs should be used with caution. And that's what I'm going to do.

What did you think of this article? I’d love to hear your thoughts. If you enjoyed the read or if you find it useful, kindly please click any of the sharing icons below. You can Tweet, Stumble, Share it on Facebook or +1 it.

Thanks,  
Rachel:)
 

Photo sources:

1. knife
2. show it!
3. redundancy

Active Voice vs Passive Voice – Who Wins the Battle?

Professional writers recommend the active style of writing unless you have a very good reason for using the passive voice. Which should you use?

Advantages of the Active Voice:

• It is straight to the point.

• It is easier to read and understand.

• It sounds more natural.

• It eliminates unnecessary words.

• It strengthens your writing.

Compare these sentences:

PASSIVE: The letter was delivered by my best-friend. ACTIVE: My best friend delivered the letter. PASSIVE: We were asked to write a 4-versed poem by our English professor. ACTIVE: Our English professor asked us to write a 4-versed poem.

Check Your Writing:

When editing your work, pay attention to each sentence. Underline the sentences written in the passive voice and rewrite them.

• Which one is better – the active or the passive voice?
• Which is clearer?
• Which of the two sentences has made more impact?

Does this mean you should never use the passive voice?

Writers must learn to use the passive voice sparingly and with intent. There are instances when using the passive voice is more appropriate. 

For example, using the passive voice is ideal if you do not want to assign an object or an action to a particular subject. Hence, the passive style is often used in business letters and business reports.

Examples:

The files have been sent. Unauthorized charges have been discovered. The meeting has been adjourned.

In the above examples, there is no need to declare who sent the files, who discovered the unauthorized charges, or who dismissed the meeting. Thus, using the passive voice is not only convenient, but applicable as well.

What did you think of this article? I’d love to hear your thoughts. If you enjoyed the read or if you find it useful, kindly please click any of the sharing icons below. You can Tweet, Stumble, Share it on Facebook or +1 it.  

Thanks,  
Rachel:)

Photo sources:
1. green apple or red apple?
2. active or passive?

Are all Mass Nouns Singular in Form (Not Pluralized) ?

Dictionary.com defines mass nouns as “nouns. . . that denote a substance or concept indivisible into countable units...”

Most mass nouns represent liquid substances (water, milk, vinegar) and food stuff (meat, sugar, cake, pie).

Although mass nouns are generally not pluralized, there are also mass nouns that can take both singular and plural forms (by adding s).

Some mass nouns can also be count nouns.

Examples are:

• She knows how to cook salad.
• She knows how to cook many kinds of salads.

• Grain is abundant in this country.
• Different grains are grown in each region.

• Go ahead and ask her what brand of detergent she likes.
• Some detergents contain harsh ingredients.

• Forest fires are prevalent during dry season.
• Earlier today, there was a forest fire in this area.

Some mass nouns only have a singular form but no plural form.

Examples are:

• I bought a piece of equipment for you.
• I bought pieces of equipment today.

• He sold me this piece of furniture.
• He carves desks, cabinets, shelves and other wooden furniture.

• I didn’t know that piece of information until the teacher explained it in class.
• The internet is packed with useful information.

*Microsoft Word editor flags the word "informations" & “furnitures” as grammatical errors. The word "equipments" is left unchecked.


Other examples of mass nouns:

advice * air * blood * food * garbage * graffiti * grass
homework * knowledge * luggage * mathematics
money * music * pollution * research * sand * soap
software * traffic * transportation * travel * trash

Practical Tips On Editing Your Own Writing

Every writer has the responsibility to make sure that their work is free from errors. This is true whether you are writing content for your own website or writing articles for a client.

Nothing is worse than an article with typographical errors and misspelled words. And if the grammar is wrong, the piece itself loses its value no matter how interesting the topic is. Even though you are an expert on the subject you're writing about, poor grammar can drive away most of your readers.

So how can you make sure that your writing is ready for the world? Consider these tips when proofreading your own work:

Take a break. Don't try to edit your work right after you've finished writing the piece. Go for a walk. Take a nap. Do your chores. After a break, you will be able to see your writing more clearly and with a new perspective.

Read the whole article first. Highlight the words or sentences that need changes and go back after reading the entire article. Experienced writers recommend reading from a printed page rather than from a computer screen. I think this advice is most apt for book writers.

If you are an SEO writer, printing out articles before reading them can be time-consuming and a waste of precious paper. What you can do is read the piece from beginning to end, marking the errors using the MS Word highlight tool. Apply the necessary changes. When you're done, read the entire article once again.

Read aloud. It would be easier to spot wrong grammar, awkward phrases and redundancies when you can hear the sentences.

However, make sure that you are not just reading from memory. People have a tendency to overlook errors because they are reciting from memory. Let your eyes be your guide. Read every word from the page and focus on what your eyes see.

Set a schedule exclusively for editing. Editing a written piece does take time. You are bound to miss important details that need revision if you are rushing.

Compress. Some sentences or words may be unnecessary and can be omitted without changing the meaning or taking away from the quality of the article. Also, some readers get discouraged when they see a very lengthy piece. So unless that phrase or sentence is truly relevant, delete it.

Review. Try re-editing after a few hours or the next day or after a week if your time allows. You may have spotted a few errors before but you might be surprised to find other needed corrections later.

Would you like to share your personal tips on editing? Are these tips helpful? I'd LOVE to know what you think so if you feel like commenting, please do:)

"A sentence should contain no unnecessary words, a paragraph no unnecessary sentences, for the same reason that a drawing should have no unnecessary lines and a machine no unnecessary parts." - William Strunk

What did you think of this article? I’d love to hear your thoughts. If you enjoyed the read or if you find it useful, kindly please click any of the sharing icons below. You can Tweet, Stumble, Share it on Facebook or +1 it.

Thanks a lot, Rachel:) Photo sources: 1. take a walk before editing 2. read each word aloud 3. writer on a typewriter

*This article was originally published on rachewrites.blogspot.com on April 21, 2009.