Avoid the Top 5 Grammatical Errors in Your Writing

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Whether you’re writing advertising copy, ebooks, or business or personal correspondence, you look better in print if you use correct spelling, usage and punctuation. I’d like to share with you the most common mistakes I see while editing other people’s writing. Some mistakes are due to careless editing or no editing at all. Some folks, however, want to write correctly, but don’t know how.

1. It’s vs. its. Generally, if you can substitute it is, then you can safely use it’s with an apostrophe. Otherwise, use the possessive its. Example: It’s nice to see that my plant has regained its strength. The possessive its - referencing something belonging to it - has no apostrophe.

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2. No apostrophes in plurals. While we are on the subject of apostrophes, let me get one of my grammar pet peeves off my chest. Plural words don’t have apostrophes! Cats has an apostrophe only as a contraction (The cat’s running up and down the stairs again, as in, The cat is running up and down the stairs again) or a possessive (That cat’s fur is very shiny). Do not use an apostrophe in the plural form: My cats are very affectionate.

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3. You’re not having trouble with this in your writing, are you? The great you’re vs. your conundrum is similar to it’s vs. its. You’re is a contraction for you are. If you can substitute you are, use you’re. When referring to a possessive - something belonging to you - your is appropriate.

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Incorrect: Your not going to the party, are you?
Correct: You’re not going to the party, are you?

Incorrect: I like what you’ve done to you’re hair.
Correct: I like what you’ve done to your hair.

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4. Commas, periods and quotation marks, oh, my! Commas and periods always go before quotation marks.

Incorrect: “I think I’ll go to the store”, said John.
Correct: “I think I’ll go to the store,” said John.

Incorrect: The man said, “I’m glad to meet you”.
Correct: The man said, “I’m glad to meet you.”

5. CAPS gone wild! Some people like to Capitalize Words For No Apparent Reason. There are more capitalization rules than I plan to cover in a short article, but keep a close eye on your use of capital letters. Proper nouns always begin with a capital letter, as do initials, such as those indicating certifications or academic degrees after names. Capitalize seasons only when used as part of a title or formal name. Talking about the summer in general is nice, but only something like Summer Under the Stars Concert Series deserves the capitalization. Capitalize a person’s title only when used before his or her name. Example: Our office enjoyed a visit from Assistant Vice President Carlton Smith, who mentioned that he is president of his local PTA.

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When you write your next marketing piece, cover letter with a resume, email, publication, or e-zine, I hope these tips will help you make a positive impression on your readers.

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Beth McIntire is a marketing writer, technical writer and computer geek who can be reached at http://www.zodsquad.com

    10 Simple Steps - Basics of the Writing Process

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    At one time or another, it will be helpful (if not essential) that every individual knows how to write. The ability to develop a message and present it to others in an understandable fashion is one of the most important skills to be had in our media rich culture. Anyone can write, and write well. It’s simply a matter of knowing how, knowing the processes involved. Here, in a step-by-step format, that process is explained, from start to finish.

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    This process tends to be a cycle, one of gathering and refining until a finished product is created. Brainstorming gathers many ideas and these ideas are then refined into one single topic. Information is gathered about the topic, then reviewed and put in a sensible order. The first draft gathers your own thoughts and words, which are refined through edits and rewrites. Finally, you gather outside input by sharing your article for review, further refining your article to create a finished product.

    Brainstorming

    In one way or another, every author needs to find and develop ideas to base their writing upon. These ideas may come to you naturally, without any prompting. Many times, however, these ideas need to be sought out, through a process known as brainstorming.

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    Selecting a topic

    Once you have developed a list of possible topics, you’ll need to select one to work on. Evaluate each idea according to what you want to achieve. Are you writing to inform? Perhaps the aim is to entertain. Whatever the purpose of the article, some topics will be more suitable than others. It’s important to select the topic that works. A few questions to ask yourself:

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    - Is this topic going to yield enough material?
    - Will the topic interest readers?
    - Will the topic accomplish the article’s purpose?
    - Is there enough information available about the topic?

    Information Gathering

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    Having selected your topic, you must now begin gathering information about it. In non-fiction writing, information is the basic building block of any article or piece of writing. Gathering this information will be crucial to the success of your article.

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    To begin your information search, you’ll need to ask questions about your topic. These questions will correspond to the 6 basic questions of research, known as the 5 W’s and an H. They are as follows:

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    - Who
    - What
    - When
    - Where
    - Why
    - How

    These very questions will be had by your readers. Only in answering these questions can you satisfy them. This will be the best place to start your research.

    Once you know the questions to ask, you can begin your search for answers. There are many sources you can look to for this information. The internet makes wide ranging research a simple matter, but don’t limit your search to the internet. There are still several sources of information that can’t be accessed online, such as archived documents, eyewitness or expert accounts, and other materials. Though much can be found online, it’s usually not enough by itself. Seek out every applicable source of information you can and be sure to take detailed notes, not only about the information they provide, but when, where and how this information was found.

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    Thinking and Planning

    When you have gathered enough information, review it in light of your topic and the desired effect of your article. What information is important? What will interest your readers? You will need to determine how to approach this information in a manner that will be appropriate and effective.

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    Listing

    Once all of this information has been collected, you must give it some sort of sequence. Taking your research material, make a list of each important point, in order. This may be a simple list of keywords or a detailed outline. Often, this listing will let you see where your research was lacking, showing you where further research is needed. Review and revise as necessary until you have all of the needed elements to convey your message.

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    Drafting the Message

    This list will provide you with a guide or a blueprint to follow when actually writing your article. At first, you shouldn’t be overly concerned with things like grammar and punctuation. Don’t get wrapped up in neat phrases and tight prose. Just get the basics all out and in writing. This draft will be perfected and polished later. Think of this draft as a lump of unformed clay. It’s the raw substance that is important; the finer details can be worked out later.

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    Rewriting

    Having collected your thoughts and ideas on the information already gathered, you can now perfect it. Read it and reread it, finding areas that should be fixed and things that were done well. This is more than fixing grammatical problems and punctuation errors. The rewriting process may require entire paragraphs to be cut, rewritten from scratch or moved to another part of the article. It’s not unusual for an author to rewrite a piece multiple times during this stage. Generally, this stage is the most time consuming, requiring more hard work and thought than any other. As a result, this stage is also the most important. It is during the rewriting process that an article goes from good to great. It is the rewriting process that distinguishes a piece by an unskilled amateur or a solid professional in the writing craft.

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    Sharing

    After all of your research, writing, editing and rewriting, you will finally have a completed article that you feel is complete. Your work is not done, at this point. It is now ready to share with someone else, be it an editor, a spouse or a friend. After so much thought and work, you’ll need a pair of eyes other than your own to find any rough patches or problems in your article. Find someone to critique your work, and they’ll help you find the weak spots. Some authors avoid this stage for fear of needing to rewrite their article yet again. Don’t be afraid; be grateful. Anything that your reviewer noticed your readers would notice. It’s better to catch these problems before they are noticed by your readers.

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    Polishing

    After you’ve had your piece looked over by a friend or two, it’s time for the final changes. If you have the time, set it all aside for a day so that you can review it with fresh eyes. Even if you can’t do this, take the time and care to look over it again. Don’t just look at the words; look at the theme, the impressions left afterwards, the format. Pay attention to the white spaces between paragraphs, to the size of the font, to the overall readability. Look at anything and everything, because this is your last chance to fix it. Change anything you need to, and once you’re satisfied, it’s done.

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    Brian Westover is a freelance writer. In addition to writing articles for publication in standard print venues (such as magazines and newspapers), he is also a skilled copywriter, offering a variety of services to anyone who needs great online content, polished business writing in a professional format and editing and coaching to improve your own writing. In addition to his professional site, Brian also runs WriterSpot, a website dedicated to finding and organizing online resources for either the beginning writer or experienced writing professional.

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      Simple Techniques for Writing an Introduction to Your Story

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      Writers struggle with how to write the introduction to a story. If the introduction is dull and unexciting, the reader is apt to put it down, never to even read the second paragraph. If the introduction is engaging and interesting, the reader will want to read further to see what will happen next in the story.

      There is no easy way to learn how to write the introduction to a story. The best way to learn is to read how other writers create attention-grabbing and appealing introductions to their stories and use some of the same techniques they employ without copying their style or their words verbatim.

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      If finding simple ways to write an introduction to your story is keeping you from putting that burning story inside you down on paper, try these simple techniques.

      Begin By Telling a Brief Story

      Many writers begin their introductions with an anecdote or a brief story that grabs the reader’s attention. Be sure the anecdote or brief story introduces clearly the story that comes after it.

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      Describe a Scene in an Interesting Way

      Describing a scene is a good way to arouse the reader’s curiosity. The reader will be intrigued by the setting and wonder what happened at the scene and why the scene was significant to the whole story. However, the scene must be interesting and relate to the story that follows.

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      Begin with a Quotation

      When using a quotation, make sure to use a quotation that is provocative and says something significant. The story that follows should explain the meaning of the quotation or the purpose for using it in your story. Your story must build upon the quotation so that readers will want to read further to find out what you have to say.

      Begin with a Definitive Statement

      Most introductions begin with a general beginning and follow with specific and concrete details about the subject. Write a definitive statement that simply states your stance on an issue. Then follow the statement with interesting and/or factual information that will provoke agreement or disagreement from the reader.

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      Pose a Question

      A good way to introduce a subject is to use a question. Sometimes questions can be answered immediately following the question and then proceed on to the story, or the question can be left at the beginning to be pondered over until later in the story. The writer can answer the question at any point in the story, but the question should be answered at some point before the story ends.

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      Use Contrast

      Another way to introduce your subject is to state a commonly held belief or statement of fact and follow quickly with a contrasting view. You present a situation that your readers may agree with, and after a paragraph or two, you assert that you will take an opposing or differing view. This type of introduction compels the reader to take a stance on the issue.

      One very important point to remember about introductions is to include a clearly defined thesis statement that indicates to the reader the overall point you are going to make in your story. The thesis statement must be stated clearly in the introductory paragraph (it is most effective as the last sentence). Be sure that with any of the techniques you use to introduce your story, you conclude the introductory paragraph with a strong, well-developed, and thoughtful thesis statement.

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      Now you are off to a good start. The introduction is no longer a roadblock to writing that burning story inside you.

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      Katrina Parker Williams is an English Instructor who teaches English Composition and Grammar at a community college. She is also the author of a fictional novel Liquor House Music and publishes writing and publishing articles online. Visit Katrina’s website at http://www.stepartdesigns.com for more writing and publishing tips.

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