WriteWorld: Writing Tips: Proofreading

I’m currently finishing up a university degree in journalism, and I’ve been doing journalistic work for newspapers and radio alike for some years now. It’s a line of work wherein proofreading is essential. People are paying to read a piece you’ve written, which means you simply…

Read more: WriteWorld: Writing Tips: Proofreading

Catalog vs. Catalogue

• Catalogue and catalog are both acceptable spellings.
• Catalog is most popular in American English.
• Catalogue is the most common form in other parts of the world.

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Some stores compile lists of products you can buy from them. These lists (often in book form) are sometimes accompanied by descriptions and photos of the products. You may see this book described as either a catalog or a catalogue. Which is the proper way to spell the word—catalog or catalogue?

Catalog or Catalogue—Which Is Correct?

Which spelling do you think looks best? Your answer might depend on where you live. In the United States, catalog is the most common way to spell the word. In other English-speaking countries, catalogue is most popular.

Years ago, American writers began to drop the -ue ending from many words to simplify the spelling. Now, words like analog, dialog, and catalog are common in American English.

Examples

One of the best ways to learn how to use a word is to look at examples. Here are some ways to use catalog (and catalogue) in a sentence. You will notice that the definition of catalog extends beyond a book of products for sale. A catalog can be any compilation of items organized in a systematic manner. That’s why the list of books available at your library might be organized in a digital catalog. It can also be used as a verb meaning to make a catalog of items or to add an item to a catalog. You can catalog anything!

The McKinney Public Library System on Monday upgraded to a new online catalog system known as Koha, an open-source Integrated Library System (ILS) used by thousands of libraries worldwide.

McKinney Courier-Gazette

As the 2016 ABC Best Books for Young Readers catalog arrives in stores, booksellers can supplement their supplies with extra stock by placing an order via a form on BookWeb.

Bookweb.org

“This is the most democratic Neiman Marcus catalogue I’ve ever seen,” Pedraza said, citing a $35 tube of Dior lipstick. “They know they need to appeal to millennials if they’re going to survive two decades from now.”

Washington Post

Cataloguing is not simple data entry, and understanding how to catalogue within a MARC record is not as simple identifying the field and inputting straightforward data and punctuation.

The Cataloguing Librarian

There are so many ways to catalog the possible flaws: He’s too short. She’s too tall. Too fat. Too thin. Not enough education. Too much education. Or you become judgmental about how much your date eats or drinks or how they interact with other people.

TinyBuddha.com

Even though catalog usually appears without the -ue ending in American English, there’s nothing wrong with writing it the longer way. In fact, if you are writing for an audience outside the United States, catalogue may be the form that they are most comfortable seeing in print. Which is the proper way to spell the word—catalog or catalogue? They are both acceptable options. Now, you have the information to decide which spelling will work best for you.

How One Typo Can Ruin Your Job Search

 

Guest post by Robert McCauley

Job seekers receive no shortage of advice from colleagues, peers, friends, and family. Everyone has some nugget of wisdom to help you land the position. Of all the tips you’re likely to receive, this one may be the most valuable: Dot your i’s and cross your t’s.

What does having strong attention to detail have to do with finding a job? Sometimes, everything. Consider these real-life resume mistakes collected by Robert Half; we call them “Resumania.”

RESUME: “Referees available upon request.”

EDUCATION: “Bachelor of ants degree.”

RESUME: “I work hard but do enjoy taking log lunches.”

PROFESSIONAL SKILLS: “Very smard.”

OBJECTIVE: “I want the job at your company so baldy.”

SKILLS: “Excel at working within a tea-oriented culture.”

AVAILABILITY: “I am defiantly open to relocating.”

EDUCATION: “I have a bachelorette degree in computers.”

QUALIFICATIONS: “Typing speed of -60 words per minute.”

TECHNICAL ABILITIES: “Great Microsoft Office skis.”

Statements like these are good for laughs. But, of course, that’s not what the professionals who wrote them had hoped for. Rather than highlighting their skills and experience, they called those qualities into question. As you can see, even a single missing or misplaced letter can make a world of difference.

Still not convinced? Consider this: Three out of four executives surveyed by Robert Half said “just one or two typos in a resume are enough to remove applicants from consideration for a job.” Forty percent said it takes only one typo to rule candidates out. That’s because hiring managers will assume a mistake in your application materials means you’re just as prone to errors on the job.

Here’s how to ensure you submit an error-free resume and cover letter:

Start with spell-check. There’s absolutely no excuse for not running your software’s built-in spell-check function. But even these apps aren’t perfect. Consider also using an additional tool such as Grammarly to give your application materials an extra-thorough examination.

Hit Print. Go old-school by printing out your resume and cover letter. It’s often easier to spot typos when reviewing a hard copy than when reading a document on screen. You also can focus on formatting elements—such as font style, boldface and italics—which spelling and grammar checks won’t scan.

Go line by line. Proofread your documents with a ruler in hand. This simple tool allows you to focus to a single line of text at a time. It’s not a quick process, but it’s worth it. Shift into reverse. Yes, it sounds strange, but reading your documents backward will help you concentrate on individual words. You’re also less likely to assume familiar passages are OK and skip over them.

Ask for help. As a final step, ask a friend, family member or professional contact to review your resume. A fresh set of eyes may spot slipups you’ve overlooked. Another person also can alert you to sections of your resume that might be vague or confusing. Just remember to express your thanks afterward.

What if the unthinkable happens, and you send in your resume only to discover later that it contained an error? It’s happened to me before, and it’ll make your stomach drop.

Unfortunately, there’s little recourse. Resubmitting your materials—and explaining the reason for doing so—will only draw more attention to the mistake. It’s better to hope the employer doesn’t look too closely. At the very least, I can guarantee you won’t make the same mistake again.

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Robert McCauley is a career expert with Robert Half, a leading specialized staffing firm that helps skilled professionals find rewarding temporary and full-time jobs in a variety of fields. Robert has been writing about the job search and careers for more than 10 years. Connect with him and Robert Half on Twitter and YouTube.

5 Foundational Writers in Environmentalism

We tend to look at the world’s problems with sustainable development and environmental troubles as the burning issues of our time. The environmentalist movement has been gaining momentum for the last couple of decades, and at this point, most of us should acknowledge that the world has a problem and that we need to fix it. For those purposes, here’s a short list of influential authors who will help inspire the environmentalist in you.

Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862)

Henry David Thoreau is an author who needs no introduction. With interests in society, history, biology, and politics, Thoreau would be the perfect person to discuss the challenges of today’s environmental issues. In his own time, he was a visionary whose work proved to be influential well beyond the borders of his country. The book that puts him on this list is, of course, Walden.

John Muir (1838-1914)

The Scottish-American naturalist and writer John Muir is an important early figure in the US conservationist movement. One of Muir’s most significant credits is his role in making Yosemite Valley a protected national park. As a writer, Muir produced fourteen books. His most famous book is My First Summer in the Sierra, full of contagious joy and admiration for nature and the landscape of the Sierra Nevada Mountains.

Rachel Carson (1907-1964)

Rachel Carson, a marine biologist and conservationist, was the author of Silent Spring, the book that helped ban DDT and started the movement that helped create the Environmental Protection Agency. This alone makes her one of the most significant environmental authors of the twentieth century.

Wangari Maathai (1940-2011)

Wangari Maathai was not primarily a writer; she was a Nigerian environmental and political activist and a recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. In 1977, she started the Green Belt Movement, which aimed to empower women in Kenya through taking practical environmental action like planting trees and fighting against deforestation. A champion of sustainable development, democracy, and gender equality, Maathai managed to produce a sizeable body of written work, with The Green Belt Movement: Sharing the Approach and the Experience being the most famous part of it.

Michael Braungart (1958- )

Even though he’s not a prolific writer, the German chemist Michael Braungart’s work in sustainability will undoubtedly earn his small body of work a place next to other environmental classics in the future. Braungart’s primary concern is the transition from the cradle-to-grave model of industry to a cradle-to-cradle one. He co-authored his most famous written work, Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things, with the US architect William McDonough.

5 Foundational Writers in Women’s History

Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Supreme Court justice and feminist, said, “I would like in my lifetime to see women get fired up about the Equal Rights Amendment.” Under the US Constitution, women are guaranteed the right to vote; the ERA would guarantee equal rights in all other areas of the law regardless of sex, but it isn’t part of the US Constitution yet. Ginsburg’s eighty-third birthday is on the 15th of March, which is also Women’s History Month, and the perfect time to ask: are we fired up yet?

Today, women continue to struggle against pay inequality and pregnancy discrimination, but we’ve come a long way since the following grievances were aired by Elizabeth Cady Stanton in the “Declaration of Sentiments”:

• husbands had legal power over and responsibility for their wives, to the extent that they could imprison or beat them with impunity
• women were not allowed to enter professions such as medicine or law
• women had no means to gain an education because no college or university would accept them as students

During the women’s rights movement that began in the late nineteenth century, women and men, several of whom were authors, fought to change the system. These authors and their notable works are outlined below.

Charlotte Perkins Gilman (1860–1935)

Charlotte Perkins Gilman was a feminist, novelist, and poet who divorced her husband and gave him and his new wife custody of her daughter so she could pursue a life fighting for women’s rights. In Women and Economics (1898), Gilman demonstrated that women’s financial dependence on men made it nearly impossible for women to develop their talents fully. Herland (1915) is a feminist utopian novel in which women give birth as virgins and live in a matriarchal society that proves to be superior to patriarchal society. Her best-known work, “The Yellow Wallpaper”, is a semi-autobiographical account of a woman being confined to a room for three months as part of a “rest cure.” The short story illustrates how women need to be autonomous to thrive socially, mentally, and physically.

Kate Chopin (1850–1904)

Kate Chopin was ahead of her time in writing The Awakening (1899), which, much to her surprise, shocked readers and caused a literary scandal; this reaction may have been why Chopin didn’t publish again during her lifetime. The novel tells the story of a married woman’s “spiritual and erotic awakening” from marital and social conventions. The main character, Edna Pontellier, leaves her husband and children for a young man she falls in love with. But Edna is unable to maintain independence and has no support from society as a single woman. She decides there’s no place for a woman like her in the world and commits suicide. Chopin uses Edna’s story to demonstrate the barriers that discourage a young woman from departing from traditional gender roles.

Zora Neale Hurston (1891–1960)

Zora Neale Hurston, a novelist, short story writer, and anthropologist, is best known for her novel Their Eyes Were Watching God (1937), which depicts the lives of American blacks through the heroine Janie’s point of view. She is married to an older man whom she doesn’t love and runs away to be with another man. After he dies, she falls in love with a younger man. Janie goes against the traditional roles imposed on women while searching for her identity. She strives to maintain her independence while shunning the chauvinism of the black community.

Betty Friedan (1920–2006)

The Feminine Mystique (1963) purportedly spurred the second wave of the American women’s movement in the 1960s. Friedan conducted a survey of her former classmates and found out that many of the housewives were unhappy with their lives. She was inspired to write about this subject and challenge the notion that women should content themselves with being married and having children and nothing more. The Feminine Mystique is regarded as one of the most influential nonfiction books of the twentieth century. After its publication, Friedan received hundreds of letters from unhappy housewives and formed the National Organization for Women, which is a nonprofit organization dedicated to women’s rights.

Alice Walker (1944- )

Alice Walker, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of The Color Purple (1982), was a civil rights activist and editor. Celie, the novel’s main character, is a poor African American woman from Georgia who struggles to overcome abuses from her childhood and gain self-respect. She depicts the oppression in black communities, not only of blacks by whites but also of black women by black men. Celie and other women stand up to the men and insist on fair treatment; Walker is optimistic about the black community, depicting the men as remorseful and willing to change. Walker is a prolific poet and has published Once (1968), Revolutionary Petunias and Other Poems (1973), Horses Make a Landscape Look More Beautiful (1984) and Absolute Trust in the Goodness of the Earth: New Poems (2003).

These five authors give us an idea of the evolution of women’s rights over the twentieth century, but the relevance of their characters’ struggles today proves that more work needs to be done. To close with another Ruth Bader Ginsburg quote, “I’m sometimes asked when will there be enough [women on the Supreme Court]? And I say ‘When there are nine.’ People are shocked. But there’d been nine men, and nobody’s ever raised a question about that.”

Mustache vs. Moustache: Which Is Correct?

• Mustache and moustache are both correct spellings of the same word.
• Mustache is the most common spelling in the United States.
• Moustache is is used in other English-speaking countries.
• Mustachio is usually spelled without an “o” in the first syllable, although in the UK it is commonly written as a plural: mustachios.

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From the pencil mustache of John Waters to the bushy moustache of General Melchett, upper-lip hair comes in variety of styles. It also comes in two different spellings.

Mustache vs. Moustache: What’s the Difference?

The difference between a mustache and moustache is only in the variety of English that’s used to spell it. In American English, the preferred spelling is the one without the o—mustache—although moustache is sometimes used as well. An American might write something like this:

No matter how hard I try, I can’t grow a big mustache.

In the United Kingdom, and in other parts of the world where English is more like the British variant than the American one, the preferred spelling is the one containing an o—moustache. A Brit might write:

I’m tired of grooming my moustache; I think I’ll shave it off.

Occasionally, people use mustachios to refer to large or elaborate mustaches. It’s common to drop the s in the United States:

After five years of preparation, Peter is finally ready to enter the mustachio competition.

A common slang term for mustache is stache. In Australia, however, they call a moustache a mo, and we have this slang term to thank for the word Movember.

Examples

Mustache in the US

Your mustache should extend farther than the end of your lips, but to a reasonable degree.

Business Insider

In the beginning, Lyft drivers mounted big, furry mustaches to the fronts of their cars.

Wired

Moustache Outside the US

Over 50% of men across the UK struggle to grow a moustache, says a survey commissioned by ChilliSauce.

The Daily Mirror

But he has unwittingly continued a proud tradition of fast bowlers with as strong moustaches as in-swinging yorkers, including New Zealand’s greatest ever bowler Sir Richard Hadlee.[/examples]

Mustachio Examples

The Washington Times

Am I not denying other barbers the opportunity to cut my hair, shave my chin, and perhaps clip my mustachio?

The Guardian

The tears ran down his cheeks, and the drops hung on his mustachios – but not a muscle was distorted.

Stuff

Mustache is not the only word that’s spelled differently in American English and British English. Some words lose an u in American English, like color; others lose an l, like canceled; and there are those spellings, like cheque, which are very different in American English.

Read Today or Pay Tomorrow: Celebrating International Children’s Book Day

Guest post by David Dotson of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library

Dolly Parton has taught me lots of lessons over the past 16 years:

Be proud of who you are.

To reach your goals you may have to step around people or step over people, but never step on people.

Count your blessings more often than you count your money.

Yet the greatest gift she gave me was the gift of reading. I stepped into a situation in which she told me that she wanted to share her Imagination Library with children all over the world. She wanted to inspire preschool children to love reading and love books. She was convinced that if kids could not only read, but also love to read, then their chances of succeeding in school and life would be greatly enhanced.

Dolly didn’t quote any statistics, but numbers abound to affirm her intuitive genius.

Depending on the community and the country, 35%-50% of children come to kindergarten unprepared to learn. And for those children reading below grade level in the 3rd or 4th grade, 75% of them will be reading below grade level in the 12th grade.

The consequences are immense. Can you believe that 85% of juvenile offenders have problems with reading? Or that kids who arrive at school unprepared to learn are four times more likely to drop out of school? And try this one on: 70% of inmates cannot read above a 4th grade level.

The call to action on this day to celebrate children’s books is to ensure that all children have access to books — in addition to the basic needs of a home, good health and nutrition. This is a hefty investment for sure, but at the end of the day one fact remains: read today or pay tomorrow.

David Dotson, President The Dollywood Foundation Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library

Dolly Parton explains the inspiration behind her Imagination Library, a book gifting program that mails free, age-appropriate books to registered children from birth to age five.

Posted by Dolly Parton's Imagination Library on Wednesday, April 1, 2015

About the Author David Dotson has led The Dollywood Foundation for the past 16 years. He has served on a variety of boards committed to excellence in education, co-produced a series of shows to bring books to life at Dollywood, and basically does anything that Dolly Parton needs him to do!

Can’t Sleep? Here are 3 Books You Should Read in Bed

For many book lovers, reading in bed is one of life’s greatest pleasures. In order to enjoy the experience to the fullest, it’s important to choose the right book for the right time. Here are three books we recommend reading in bed.

When you want to stay in bed longer: His Dark Materials series by Philip Pullman Although this series is written for children, it’s a pleasure to read as an adult. Let Pullman’s writing transport you to a magical world that parallels our own. Talking animals, daring adventures, epic battles—this series has it all. Stay in bed for a few extra hours and enjoy this magical series.

When you want to fall gently asleep: The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck Don’t get me wrong—this novel is anything but boring. John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath is a beautifully layered masterpiece. But the cadence of the language and the dry, dusty expanse of the scenery make for a soothing read that will lull your brain into a sleep-ready state.

When you want to induce a dreamlike state: Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World by Haruki Murakami Murakami’s novel blends sci-fi and existentialism to create a dreamy, modernist experience. If you have trouble sleeping, read a few pages of this book and find yourself transported into a state that feels like dreaming but is still grounded in reality. Lean back against the pillow, pull that blanket up, and enjoy.

What’s your favorite book to read in bed? Share your thoughts in the comments!

Essential History and Guide for Modern Acronym Use (Part 1 of 2)

Guest post from Scott Yates

As founder of a blogging service for business operators too busy to write their own posts, I pay a lot of attention to “good” writing.

We have a wide variety of clients, and our challenges involve the mastery of industry jargon, including acronyms and abbreviations.

So, if a client asks for a piece on search engine optimization or customer resource management — acronymically SEO and CRM — should the blogger just jump in and use the abbreviation, or should we genuflect at the altar of convention and have each abbreviation undergo the initiation of being spelled out at least once?

Well, what do the style guides say?

The Associated Press gurus discourage all acronyms — the AP Style Book discourages using abbreviations and acronyms and advises writers:

“In general, avoid alphabet soup. Do not use abbreviations or acronyms that the reader would not quickly recognize.”

The American Psychological Association, like the Associated Press, recommends against them:

To maximize clarity, APA prefers that authors use abbreviations sparingly. Although abbreviations are sometimes useful for long, technical terms in scientific writing, communication is usually garbled rather than clarified if, for example, an abbreviation is unfamiliar to the reader.

Of course, both the Associated Press and the American Psychological Association use their own acronyms freely, assuming everyone knows who they are. Ahem.

How did we get to this situation where style gurus advise against acronyms, but use them anyway?

In part it’s because of the relatively recent explosion of acronyms in modern usage. Most of the rules of spelling and grammar go back hundreds of years and for English they date back to jolly old England.

Acronyms are much more recent, and — like baseball, jazz, and national parks — are born in the USA.

The “alphabet soup” alluded to above was an innocuously thin concoction that began way back in 1840 with the classic abbreviation of “O.K.”  Martin van Buren, possibly our nation’s most boring presidential candidate, had the nickname, “Old Kinderhook,” and his supporters formed the “O.K. Club.”

The abbreviation quickly morphed to something like its present-day meaning, but it took a presidential campaign to raise “O.K.” to where lexicographers would even take notice.

That was essentially the only acronym in English until the 1900s, when the abbreviation “G.I.” came into vogue about 1915 as a U.S. Army bookkeeping term, originally abbreviated from galvanized iron (the material for trash cans, etc.). Later, G.I. was extended to include everything the government issued, and finally to the soldiers themselves.

Before it was O.K. to be a G.I., we didn’t have any acronyms and not even many abbreviations. In fact, the most common abbreviations in widespread use were the Latin etc., the standard titles and honorifics — Dr., Esq., etc. — and the practice of abbreviating first names like Geo., Robt. and Thos. for George, Robert and Thomas.

Another historical note: Check out the signers of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. The shortened first names are the only abbreviations in our two founding documents. Ironic, perhaps, given the U.S. Government’s role in the explosion of acronyms after WWI.

Along came the Great Depression and its soup lines, as well as an alphabet soup of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal. Terms like the CCC, CWA, WPA and others attached themselves to federal programs and labeled the agencies charged with administering them.

Fast forward past WWII and the growth of our military establishment, local, state, and multilayered and overlapping federal bureaucracies, and the explosion of abbreviations matched the growth of big government. The growth of medicine as an industry added to the mushrooming of acronyms in our language.

Which brings us back to where we started: The information age has brought even more challenges in keeping track of all those abbreviations. While it’s perfectly O.K. to use all the abbreviations and acronyms — and to stray from convention — just don’t mix up your soldiers with the medical term encompassing the human digestive system: They both share the abbreviation G.I.

Stay tuned for Part 2 of this series, to be published via the Grammarly Blog on May 30, 2014.

About the Author

Scott Yates was a writer for 20 years before he started a company where anyone can hire a blogger: BlogMutt. He had help in writing this post from one of the more than 3,000 active writers who have earned BlogMutt writing privileges. Along with BlogMutt writers, Scott recently published a guide to the essential content marketing acronyms.

Funny Phrases: The Hair of the Dog

The morning after a long night out, a friend might recommend you start your day with ‘the hair of the dog.’ No, she doesn’t want you to rub your face up against her pet golden retriever. According to dictionary.com, to offer someone ‘the hair of the dog’ is to recommend that they consume a small amount of whatever caused their ailment. If you drank a lot of alcohol last night and you’re feeling hungover, the ‘hair of the dog’ might be something like a bloody mary or mimosa—a drink that has a little alcohol in it.

Where did this canine-centric phrase come from? It turns out that ‘hair of the dog’ is a shortened version of the phrase, ‘the hair of the dog that bit me.’ Back in medieval times, if someone was bitten by a rabid dog it was believed that putting some of that dog’s hair (according to some sources, burnt hair) in the wound would help heal it.

If you’re wondering about the origins of another word or phrase, let us know in the comments!

“Where do you do it?” Meme Generators

Do you want to help us spread awareness for writing, GrammoWriMo, and NaNoWriMo? Or maybe you just want to show some of your writer-pride? Either way, we’ve put together a special meme for you to customize with your own #IDoIt caption.

To create your own #IDoIt meme to share on Facebook, Twitter, your blog and other social media channels, follow the instructions below:

1. Choose whether you would like a male image or a female image.

                       

2. Once you are on the meme page, enter your meme text in the “top text” field. Meme text should follow the format “I do it in the mall/ at the library/ with friends/ etc.”

3. When you finalize your text, edit your font by selecting ‘Arial’ from the drop down and clicking the ‘no caps’ button.

4. Reposition the text box to the middle of the image by clicking and dragging.

5. Click “Generate” to publish your meme as a public or private meme. (Public memes can more easily be shared on social channels. Both are anonymous, unless you create an account.)

6. Share your fun, new image! Be sure to tag Grammarly so that we can see all the fun places where our friends write!

 

 

What language skill do you wish you knew more about?

This poll is part of a series that Grammarly is running aimed at better understanding how the public feels about writing, language learning, and grammar.

Please take the poll and share your thoughts in the comments. We can’t wait to hear from you!

If you are interested in more, check out last week’s poll.

Essay Writing Mistakes: The 3 Ss and How to Correct Them

Guest Post by Jennifer Frost, LoroCreative

“To write is human, to edit is divine.” — Stephen King

You’ve probably already read and heard the tips on how to write an essay, from developing a thesis statement to crafting an unforgettable conclusion. But you may still dread showing your work to others because you are not sure if you’ve missed some errors or failed to follow a rule. Maybe you don’t have a teacher, an editor, or a friend beside you all the time to identify the parts of your writing that you need to correct or improve. So today, we will help you become your own editor and share with you a checklist of common writing mistakes based on the key areas of an essay, the 3 Ss: Substance, Structure, and Sources.

SUBSTANCE

Common Mistake # 1: Too Many Topics

Having too many topics in your essay would defeat the purpose of your thesis statement, the main point of your essay. Have you ever been asked about your dream job and you end up talking about your summer vacation, your mother’s fight with her boss, or your trip abroad next month? If so, then you’ve got to narrow it down

What to do


Use these guide questions to help you craft a focused thesis statement: What is the essay question? What are the requirements? Do all your paragraphs support your answer to the essay question? Are you expected to inform, argue, narrate, or persuade your readers?

Focus on the question. Focus on your answer. When you’re asked to describe your mother, don’t talk about how naughty your sister is or how busy your father is. Describe how your mother takes care of you, your sister, and your father.

Common Mistake # 2: Lack of Evidence Caused by Obsession with Adjectives and Adverbs

You might be always describing people and how they do things: “My teacher is beautiful. She teaches us excellently.”

But your readers might ask: “What made you say your teacher is beautiful? Why is she an excellent teacher? How does she teach?”

You can write all the adjectives and adverbs that sound good to the ears but your point remains unclear.

What to do

Don’t describe people; explain your description of them. Don’t describe how they do things; show how they do things. You can also use examples, evidence, or information from scholastic documents.

Take a look at this sentence: “Aside from her blue eyes and good posture, my teacher’s beauty shines when she encourages us to read and act the stories in class.”

Isn’t this clearer than the previous sentence?

STRUCTURE

Common Mistake # 3: Comma Splices, Run-on Sentences, and Missing Commas

A comma splice happens when two independent clauses are joined together by a comma. A run-on sentence is a combination of two independent clauses with no proper punctuation. Commas are necessary when there are three or more items that appear in a list and when separating clauses from one another.

What to do

When in doubt, check a grammar book when evaluating your use of commas. There are several ways to fix a comma splice and a run-on sentence. Keep in mind that commas are used not only for the structure of a sentence but to distinguish ideas and elements.

Common Mistake # 4: Passive Sentences The passive voice occurs when in a sentence, the subject is not the doer of the action but is being acted upon by the verb. According to Purdue University’s Online Writing Lab, using the passive voice might lead to awkward sentences, but it is acceptable when the information being delivered needs more attention than the doer or carrier of that information. One example is the result of a study where “the writing appears to convey information that is not limited or biased by individual perspectives or personal interests.”

What to do

Changing passive into active voice starts with recognizing the subject and turning the tense of the verb into the same tense as the helper, and ending the sentence with the receiver of the action. Here is an example from the Language Portal of Canada:

Passive: The novel Obasan was written by Joy Kogawa. Active: Joy Kogawa wrote the novel Obasan.

SOURCES
 Common Mistake # 5: Plagiarism

Common Mistake # 5: Plagiarism The Harvard Guide to Using Sources defines plagiarism as the practice of not crediting an idea or any language to its original source, such as un-cited quotation and un-cited or inadequate paraphrase. Committing plagiarism has serious consequences. Moreover, it may be easy to copy-past information from the Internet nowadays, but you know what’s the most difficult here? This habit teaches you to be lazy and become a thief.

What to do

Style Guides, such as APA, MLA, and Chicago, are accessible online and in the nearest libraries. The topics and rules are organized in a way that it would be easy for you to find the instructions you are looking for. Remember that citing your sources properly is not only a way of respecting others but it can also boost your credibility and commitment to keeping your work professional.

Editing a paper may seem tough for it requires a fresh pair of eyes and the willingness to grow as a writer. However, it’s good to remember that revisions are signs of growth and respect for your readers, and they can always be turned into better visions for your future writings.

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Jennifer Frost — Jennifer is a blogger, writer, mother, wife, and English teacher located in Chiang Mai, Thailand. She’s an open-minded person who loves to travel, while exploring new places, foreign cultures, and learning new languages.

Grammarly Scholarship Rules

Scholarship prompts:

• How are reading and writing interconnected?
• How has reading improved the way you write?

Who is eligible to participate? Participants in Grammarly’s scholarship contest must be residents of the United States (excluding Puerto Rico). In addition, each participant must either be:

• Currently attending an accredited college or university, and enrolled in a two year, undergraduate, graduate, or professional degree program
• Planning to attend an accredited college or university, and to be enrolled in such a program within one year after the scholarship is awarded

Grammarly will award the scholarship directly to the accredited institution.

Detailed instructions about what an entrant must submit, where, and how. Entrants must submit a concise, grammatically accurate 5-10 paragraph essay in response to the writing prompts provided by Grammarly (listed in the “Scholarship prompts” section above). The essay must be between 500 and 1,000 words.

All entries must be submitted prior to February 24, 2014 at 12:00 p.m. PT by emailing scholarship@grammarly.com.

Please submit only one entry per person.

The start and end (date and time) of the competition. Deadline for receipt of entries. Grammarly’s scholarship competition will begin on January 23, 2014 at 12:00 p.m. PT. Entries will be accepted through February 24, 2014 at 12:00 p.m. PT.

The available prizes. One grand prize winner will receive a $1,000 scholarship to be awarded directly to the accredited institution that the student attends.

List the criteria by which the winner will be selected and how the winner will be notified. The grand prize winner will be notified by email by March 24, 2014.

No purchase is necessary.  Essays will be reviewed by the Grammarly team, who will be judging the entries based on:

• Essay format (typical five-paragraph essay with thesis and supporting ideas)
• Length (between 500 and 1,000 words)
• Creativity of responses
• Introduction of unique ideas or arguments

Winners will be chosen at the sole discretion of the Grammarly team.

The number of entries permitted for each entrant. One

Any restrictions on eligibility or the award of prizes. Submitting an essay for consideration to Grammarly’s scholarship contest constitutes permission for Grammarly to use your name, your entire essay or excerpts from your essay, and other information relating to your participation publicly.

How and when a list of winners may be obtained. The winner will be announced on March 24, 2014, or by submitting a request by email to scholarship@grammarly.com.

The corporate name and physical address of the sponsor.

Grammarly, Inc. 548 Market Street #35410 San Francisco, CA 94104

Into or In To—How Do I Use Them?

A common error is to confuse into, spelled as one word, with the two words in to. When deciding which is right for your sentence, remember that into is a preposition that shows what something is within or inside. As separate words, in and to sometimes simply wind up next to each other.

A preposition is a word that shows a relationship, usually in terms of space or time, between words in a clause or phrase. Put simply, a preposition is a positioning word. Prepositions such as before, after, and since position elements in time; one thing happens before another, after another, etc. Some prepositions that position elements in space are over, under, around, through, on, off, in, and of course, into.

Generally speaking, into places something physically inside something else. The thing that does the containing may be concrete or it may be abstract.

Please put the cat into his carrier so we can go see the vet.

She placed her letter into a pink envelope and sealed it with a kiss.

Fred touched the amulet and was whisked off into another dimension.

Felicia neatly sorted all her files into separately labeled folders.

Confusion regarding into vs. in to really only arises because in our mind’s ear, the two sound exactly the same. But the decision about which one to use is usually a simple one to make. Does something wind up within something else by the end of your sentence, whether it be within something concrete, like a box, or something abstract, like a timeframe? If the answer is yes, you need to write into as one word.

Feeling more confident? Naturally, there is an exception to this rule, just to mess you up.

When “Into” Denotes Transformation

The only time when into does not involve a sense of within is when some kind of change or transformation has taken place.

The caterpillar changed into a butterfly and left its cocoon behind.

In developing countries, ceramic filters are often used to transform dirty water into clean, drinkable water.

Predictably, Cinderella’s coach turned into a pumpkin at midnight.

”In” and “To” as Neighboring Words

In and to are both prepositions or adverbs in their own right (and in may sometimes be an adjective). When they fall logically next to each other in a sentence, you may find yourself having to resist the temptation to squish them together typographically.

One pitfall appears when you use in as part of a phrasal verb. Many verbs join forces with in to form a completely new meaning. For example, to drop and to drop in are radically different actions. When an inhat is part of a phrasal verb falls next to a to, accidents happen.

I dropped into say hello.

I dropped in to say hello.

Is say hello a place you can drop into and land inside of? No, it isn’t. So in and to should be written as two words. Dropped in is a phrasal verb in this case, and to is part of the infinitive to say.

Phrasal verbs used as prepositions in combination with to also cause frequent problems.

Ethan turned into the driveway and shut off the car’s engine.

Did Ethan magically transform into a driveway, and in the throes of his flatness, turn off his car’s engine? No, he didn’t. He simply maneuvered his car in to the driveway.

Ethan turned in to the driveway.

In the early days of radio, a common error was to write about tuning into a favorite station. Today, in cyberspace, the most common misstep is to write about logging into a program, operating system, app, or website.

I like to tune into the classical radio station on Sunday mornings.

I like to tune in to the classical radio station on Sunday mornings.

Please log into our website by clicking on the red icon.

Please log in to our website by clicking on the red icon.

Check Your Answers for Grammar Skills Test—Master

So, you want to know what your English grammar level is? You’ve come to the right place. This post will cover the answers and additional learning resources for “Grammar Skills Test—Master.” The Master test covers reported speech, conditionals, prepositions, tenses, adverbs vs. adjectives, the irrealis mood, and restrictive and nonrestrictive clauses.

Correct answers are highlighted. Links go to additional learning resources to help you continue improving.

Fill in the blanks to complete the sentences:

1 If you wait a minute . . .

• I’d go with you.
• I’d have gone with you.
• I will go with you.

Subject(s) Tested: Conditionals

2 All my life, . . .

• I’ve loved going to the movies.
• I loved going to the movies.
• I have loved to go to the movies.

Subject(s) Tested: Past perfect form

3 ___________ Richard, I believe he has finally made a decision.

• Having spoken to
• Speaking to
• Had spoken to

Subject(s) Tested: Past perfect form, Introductory clauses

4It was really nice ___ you to invite me.

• for
• of
• with
• to

Subject(s) Tested: Prepositions

5Tom said, “I want to visit my friends this weekend.” What did Tom say?

• Tom said he wants to visit his friends that weekend.
• Tom said he wants to visit his friends this weekend.
• Tom said he wanted to visit his friends that weekend.

Subject(s) Tested: Reported speech

6The class is ___ loud today.

• terrible
• terribly

Subject(s) Tested:

Two-minute Grammar: The Bare-bones Basics of Adjectives and Adverbs

7I didn’t understand at first, but then ___ and the answer was clear.

• he explained it to me
• he explained me
• he explained it me
• he explained me it

Subject(s) Tested: Word order

8 He used to be married to an actress, ____.

• wasn’t he?
• didn’t he?

Subject(s) Tested: Word choice and idiomatic language

9 Which word is the direct object?

“He gave his coat to Jane.”

• Jane
• coat
• his

Subject(s) Tested: Direct object

10Which sentence is most natural?

• At this time tomorrow, I take my driving test.
• At this time tomorrow, I will be taking my driving test.
• At this time tomorrow, I will take my driving test.

Subject(s) Tested: Future continuous tense

11Which sentence is correct?

• The woman was arrested and charged with murder.
• The woman was arrested and charged because of murder.
• The woman was arrested and charged for murder.

Subject(s) Tested: Prepositions

12They would have found out if you ___ them.

• wouldn’t have told
• hadn’t told
• haven’t told
• didn’t tell

Subject(s) Tested: Verb conjugation, conditionals

13If I _______ a cat, I’d lie in the sun all day.

• were
• was

Subject(s) Tested: Irrealis (subjunctive) mood

14What type of phrase is “which is about 20 years old”?:

“My car, which is about 20 years old, still runs remarkably well.”

• nonrestrictive
• restrictive

Subject(s) Tested: Restrictive and nonrestrictive clauses

15What kind of error is in this sentence?

“He make me laugh.”

• subject-verb disagreement
• pronoun-antecedent disagreement
• incorrect word order
• tense error

Subject(s) Tested: Subject-verb agreement

Learn more: Reported speech Past perfect form Adjectives and adverbs Future continuous tense Prepositions Verb conjugation Conditionals Irrealis (subjunctive) mood Restrictive and nonrestrictive clauses

Get more English grammar resources on our Grammar Day page.