When to Use Accept vs. Except

• Accept means to agree or to receive something offered.
• Except means excluding or with the exception of.
• The ex- of except can help you to remember that it means excluding.

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Do you have trouble remembering when to use accept and when to use except? Learn how these two words differ and how they function.

When to use Accept

Accept is a verb. Accept means to agree or to take something offered.

When Bob asked Sally to marry him, she happily accepted.

The dog likes all vegetables, accept lettuce.

When to use Except

Except usually functions as a preposition or a conjunction. As a preposition, except means “but.” As a conjunction, except is often followed by “that,” and it means “only” or “with the exception of.” In the rare cases that except functions as a verb, it means “to exclude, to object.”

All the classmates except William attended the reunion .

Paula excepts her daughter calling her by her first name.

Will you except my gift?

How to Remember the Difference between Accept and Except

If you are a good speller, here is an easy trick to distinguish accept from except. Remember that the first two letters of except give a clue to its meaning. Except means to exclude.

Examples

I was never really insane except upon occasions when my heart was touched.

Edgar Allan Poe

We accept the love we think we deserve.

Stephen Chbosky, The Perks of Being a Wallflower

5 Must-Visit Museums for Literature Lovers

May 18 is International Museum Day. Some of the world’s greatest treasures and most valuable art are housed in museums, but you can also find smaller museums that cater to nearly every taste and interest. Here are five museums literature lovers might want to visit:

Monroe County Museum in Alabama

Located just down the street from the childhood home of Harper Lee, the author of the famous novel To Kill a Mockingbird, the Monroe County Museum is the home of the famous courtroom in which part of the novel was set. The museum offers school field trip tours and teacher workshops about the history and context of the novel. It is also open to the public.

The Museum of Edgar Allan Poe in Virginia

Take a spooky trip to the Museum of Edgar Allan Poe, which features some of the writer’s letters and personal items, as well as first editions of some of his works. If you’re a real Poe fan, you can even book your wedding at the museum and, as the website says, “live happily evermore.”

Matchstick Marvels Tourist Center in Iowa

This quirky museum features models of famous buildings, modes of transportation, and more made out of (you guessed it) matchsticks! Matchstick Marvels features something special for literary fans: a model of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry from the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling made from 600,000 matchsticks. You’ll have to see it to believe it.

The National Steinbeck Center in California

Fans of The Grapes of Wrath and East of Eden will love the National Steinbeck Center in Salinas, California. In addition to housing archives of the author’s work, the museum also provides information about American agricultural workers, around whose experiences many of Steinbeck’s novels are centered.

The Walt Whitman Birthplace State Historic Site and Interpretive Center

You know you’ve really made it when your childhood home is declared a historic site. The poet Walt Whitman’s home is now a hot spot on the map and is dedicated to literacy and writing. The Center hosts writing workshops, poetry readings, and informational tours.

Do lovers of the written word flock to a museum in your state or country? Share the details in the comments!

Why Do We Call April 1 April Fools’ Day?

A day for fools? People around the world, and especially in North America and Europe, celebrate April 1 by playing practical jokes and trying to convince each other of outlandish false stories. But how did these customs evolve and why on the first day of April?

To answer that, we have to journey back in time to the reign of Constantine, a Roman emperor in the fourth century. The rulers of that period entertained themselves and their guests with “fools,” court jesters proficient in music, storytelling, acrobatics, or other skills. One day, a comedian joked that he would make a better king than Constantine. The emperor called his bluff and crowned the entertainer “king for a day.” The first thing the jester did was institute mandatory merry-making. Each year afterward on the anniversary of the jester’s kingship, the inhabitants of Rome remembered to have a little bit of fun with each other through jokes and pranks. The custom eventually spread throughout Europe and Northern America.

In 1983, the Associated Press printed this story. To research the origins of the day, they interviewed a Boston University professor with a keen sense of humor. They didn’t realize that the tale was pure nonsense. The history professor invented the story to fool them. It went to press before they realized that the story was nothing but a clever ruse. The truth is, nobody knows for a certainty when and where April Fools’ Day originated.

Let’s take a moment to examine some facts we do know.

Spring Folly

Something about springtime seems to inspire lighthearted fun. Cultures around the world have festivals that appear to center on silliness. The ancient Romans held the Hilaria festivals for their god of vegetation. As part of a celebration called Holi, Hindus douse each other with colored powder. Jewish children dress in costumes, compete in beauty contests, and march in parades during their commemoration of Purim. Perhaps April Fools’ Day arose from an ancient spring festival or for no other reason that an excuse to have a good time.

Different Strokes for Different Folks

Not everyone observes April Fools’ Day in the same way. In the Western world, many pranks focus on tricking someone into believing something extraordinary. Burger King perpetrated one famous example. In 1998, they advertised a new menu item in USA Today. The full page ad introduced the Left-Handed Whopper. Burger King claimed that they designed the new sandwich by rotating the ingredients of the regular Whopper 180 degrees to accommodate lefties. The prank duped thousands of left- and right-handers who began ordering the sandwich corresponding to their dominant hand.

Other jokes are designed to cause mild trouble for the victim. For instance, Reader’s Digest published a list of seven practical jokes to play on coworkers who are lax about logging out of their Facebook accounts. The article included changing the colleague’s display language to one that doesn’t use the Roman alphabet (e.g., Japanese or Arabic) and accepting friend requests from strangers. Tricks like these provide a laugh as well as a life lesson.

France is particularly unique in the way they mark April 1. In French, the day is called Poisson d’Avril, or April Fish! Children spend the day trying to sneak a picture of a fish onto the back of their schoolmates. If the friend finds it, they yell, “Poisson d’Avril” in place of the “April Fool!” cry of people in the English-speaking world.

Another common ploy is to send someone on a “fool’s errand.” In other words, you ask him to search for an item that doesn’t exist or otherwise waste time trying to complete a useless task. According to Useless Daily, Scots subscribed to this tradition by requesting the gowk, or stooge, deliver a sealed message. The victim thinks that the message is important, but instead, it says: “Dinna [do not] laugh, dinna smile. Hunt the gowk another mile.” Mercilessly, the recipient furthers the fruitless errand by writing a reply that contains the same message to a third person. The merriment continues until the “gowk” realizes that he’s been had or the holiday ends

April Fool’s vs. April Fools’

If you write the name of the occasion incorrectly, you might receive your fair share of ribbing. Do yourself a favor and mind your apostrophe. The official name of this holiday is April Fools’ Day. Fools is plural, so the apostrophe for possession appears after the last S. However, if you search the two names on Google Ngram Viewer, you will discover that the singular variant is the most popular one! Some dictionaries acknowledge the variant, April Fool’s day. Another name for the same celebration is All Fools’ Day.

Nobody’s Fool

April 1 is the only public holiday accepted by the notoriously successful Finnish school system. Just kidding! April Fools’ Day is not an official public holiday in any country. Especially in the Western hemisphere, its popularity has grown since the nineteenth century, but no one seems to want to grant it formal recognition yet.

With so many countries participating, it seems that setting a day aside for a few jokes and hoaxes is a worldwide trend. From attaching paper fish to someone’s back to sending messengers on fool’s errands, every culture seems to have a different way of having a laugh for the event. Why is April 1 called April Fools’ Day? No one knows for sure, leaving the door wide open for you to make up a ridiculous story about it to dupe your family and friends.

Speak Like Yoda You Can

Whether you’re a diehard Star Wars fan or you’re still a newbie, chances are you know Yoda speak when you hear it. The Jedi master’s method of speaking includes quirky sentence structures, unusual words, and wise phrases. Read on for some theories of Yoda-speak and a guide to talking like Yoda on your own.

Yoda’s East African Roots

If you’ve ever thought that Yoda’s way of speaking sounds almost primeval, you’re not far off. A language study spearheaded by Stanford University focused on the unique subject-object-verb (SOV) agreement in Yoda’s language. Since this structure preceded subject-verb-object (SVO) agreement, it almost certainly has roots in ancient languages. Stanford researchers determined that the structure of Yoda-speak is based on very early East African languages that influenced the development of the languages we know today.

Yoda’s Old English Roots

SOV agreement also appears in Old English. A side-by-side comparison of Yoda’s statements and some of Shakespeare’s famous lines reveals similarities. Both tend to feature the subject at the beginning of the sentence and the conjugated verb at the end of the sentence. Thus, Yoda’s quirky but profound English statements also borrow from its ancestor, Old English.

It’s also worth noting that even though Yoda’s sentence structure may appear odd when compared with modern phrasing, his statements are still recognizable as English. Altering word order to the extent that Yoda does wouldn’t be possible in many other languages, let alone understandable.

Yoda’s Yiddish Roots

Linguists have compared Yoda speak to Yiddish-influenced English as well, prompting interesting results. Yiddish-influenced English often plays with word order, placing verbs at the end of sentences. This frequently results in witty, whimsical phrasings, which moviegoers can observe in Yoda’s speech.

Why Yoda Speaks the Way He Does

Some Star Wars experts point out that Yoda’s sentence structure can be inconsistent. While his speech may lean toward SOV agreement, he often inserts object-subject-verb (OSV) statements into his lexicon as well. Other more rare statements reflect the SVO agreement we’re used to in modern English.

Experts theorize that Yoda deploys his various phrasings purposefully. Since his SOV statements tend to make him sound wise, profound, and clever, it’s likely that he uses them strategically. On the rare occasion that he doesn’t have an important message to deliver, he may slip back into standard modern English.

As Grammar Girl explains, though Yoda’s speech is memorable, it’s not completely unusual in the world of Star Wars. Many of the movie’s characters are immigrants from lands far away, and their speech also includes numerous oddities. Like any immigrant, Yoda incorporates his own phrasing into the language of the land.

How You Can Talk Like Yoda

Yoda speak may be quirky, but it’s certainly possible to imitate. To talk like Yoda, start by thinking of something wise to say. This can be as simple as a short, poignant statement. Next, change around the word order of your statement. Place the subject and the most important phrase first. Any negatives in your statement should go to the end.

Be sure to reaffirm your statements or questions. If you’re making an affirmative statement, add “yes” at the end. If you’re asking a question, add an inquisitive “hmm?” at the end. Including these will help emphasize the context of your statement and provide Yoda speak newbies with the clues they need to communicate with the wise one.

Try incorporating some Yoda speak into your daily life and see how well you’re able to communicate with those around you. Does your language sound profound, witty, or both?

Not-So-Sweet 16 Game 8: Close Talkers vs. “Well, actually . . .”

March MADness has been long. It has been frustrating. It has reminded us all of those things we don’t like about our office-mates. But, take heart! We are one poll away from exiting the Not-So-Sweet 16 and choosing the Final (Infuriating) Four!

Our last poll of the Not-So-Sweet 16 is a doozy, pitting a classic Seinfeld gripe against the world’s most irritating interjection. Help us determine the fate of office rage by voting below.

Close Talkers

These folks like to get cozy when they’re chatting with others. They seem to be playing a game of “can you guess what I had for lunch?” where the answer is always “Onions.”

“Well, actually . . .”

This phrase is the hallmark of a know-it-all. With a penchant for perfection and an inability to filter relevant details from irrelevant ones, this person never misses an opportunity to correct or clarify themselves and others.

Hyphen In Compound Adjective With Numbers

When numbers are used as the first part of a compound adjective, use a hyphen to connect them to the noun that follows them. This way, the reader knows that both words function like a unit to modify another noun. This applies whether the number is written in words or in digits.

The president of the company gave a 10-minute speech to the Board of Directors.

He is knowledgeable in thirteenth-century politics.

The boy threw a rock at the second-story window.

However, a hyphen is not required if the number is the second word in the compound adjective.

He is a victim of Type 2 diabetes.

This elevator doesn’t go down to Basement 3.

Hyphen in Compound Adjective With Fractions

When using a fraction (e.g. half or quarter) as part of a compound adjective, it should be hyphenated so the reader understands which fraction is modifying which noun.

I half-wanted to commit a felony.

A quarter-million dollars is still a large amount of money.

You’ll need one-third of a pound of flour and one egg.

That’s a half-baked idea if I ever heard one!

Hyphen With Number of Years

Use hyphens when you are using someone’s age as a label.

Four-and-a-half-year-olds are not reasonable about nap time.

The two-year-old’s favorite food was yogurt.

Don’t use hyphens when you’re just talking about a span of time.

We’ve lived here for four and a half years.

Two and a half years is plenty of time to learn how to play tennis.

Learn Your Homophones: Pear, Pair, and Pare

Pair: two of something, usually that are similar or go together. For example:

I’m going to buy a new pair of shoes.

Johnny and Sally make a cute pair.

Pear: a fruit. For example:

Rufus is eating an apple, and I am eating a pear.

The pear was ripe and juicy.

Pare: trim (something) by cutting away its outer edges; cut the skin off of something; reduce (something) in size, extent, quantity, or number, usually in a number of small successive stages. For example:

Each summer he pares a large number of branches from the trees in the backyard.

When making an apple pie, pare the skin off the apples first

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They have significantly pared down the number of people on their team.

Now that you know the difference between these words see if this sentence makes sense to you:

Before I eat them, I will pare this pair of pears.

To learn more about confusing words, read this post about word pairs.

Rewriting 101: How to Add Clarity to Your Sentences

Have you ever finished writing a sentence only to reread it and be completely baffled at its structure? Sure, the sentence might be technically grammatically correct, but it sounds incredibly awkward. In situations like these, it’s best to step back and try to find a way to rewrite the sentence. For example: When you see your new friend, tell him or her that I said hello.

Although using ‘him or her’ to indicate a person of whose gender you aren’t aware is technically correct, the sentence above sounds formal and would likely come across as awkward in casual conversation. In this case, try rewriting the sentence:

Tell your new friend that I said hello. The next time you see your new friend, say hello for me. Say hello to your new friend for me.

Another example: She took over the family business because, due to a series of unexpected events, her mother was unable to continue the administrative work that she had done faithfully for over twenty-five years.

This sentence is overly wordy and awkward. Try removing information from the sentence or breaking it up into two sentences:

Her mother was unable to continue the administrative work that she had done faithfully for over twenty-five years. Therefore, Monica took over the family business.

Another example: People, parents mostly, who care about children should make an effort to teach their children the differences between right and wrong.

This sentence is repetitive and awkward. Try consolidating the information in the sentence:

If parents care about their children, they should teach them the differences between right and wrong.

If you can’t tell whether or not your sentence is awkward, try reading it aloud. Your ears will often tell you before your eyes will if you should rewrite the sentence.

For more tips on clear and concise writing, read this blog post by C.S. Lakin.

Grammarly is nominated for the Crunchies Awards. Click here to vote for Grammarly!

Job Seekers: What’s Wrong with Your Resume? Probably More than You Think.

#WhatIWrite: Cover Letters and Resumes

More than two thirds of salaried jobs require a significant amount of writing, making written communication a key consideration in hiring. Yet, top organizations still spend more than $3 Billion (with a “B”!) per year on remedial training to improve employees’ writing to baseline standards.

Cover letters and resumes are, not surprisingly, a great way for potential employers to assess candidate’s writing skills. According to a recent analysis of online resumes by Grammarly:

• There are 5 potential errors on a typical job seeker’s resume, and most of these issues (nearly 60 percent) are grammatical.
• Female job seekers make an average of 4 grammar, spelling and punctuation mistakes in their resume, while male job seekers average more than 6 mistakes.
• The average job seeker makes more than 1.5 punctuation errors, but very few spelling mistakes (less than one per resume).

Careful proofreading is the best way to find potential spelling and grammar issues in a resume or cover letter. Using Grammarly’s application as an extra set of eyes to find spelling and grammar mistakes enables job seekers to differentiate themselves by focusing on content and style.

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Have you written a particularly compelling resume or cover letter recently that you’d like to share?

Grammarly is joining The New York Times Learning Network, National Council of Teachers for English, National Writing Project and other literary-minded organizations in spreading the word about the #WhatIWrite Tweet-up to take place today (Friday, October 19) and tomorrow (Saturday, October 20).

#WhatIWrite encourages writers to share excerpts from their writing via Twitter. Participants who include the hashtag #GrammarlyEdits with any of their tweets will be entered into a drawing to win a free one-year subscription to Grammarly’s online application valued at $139.95. You may also tell your friends about the contest on Twitter for a second chance in the drawing.

Click here to learn more about the #GrammarlyEdits #WhatIWrite contest.

Terms and conditions: Official Rules #GrammarlyEdits #WhatIWrite Contest

Fulfil vs. Fulfill

• Fulfil and fulfill are both correct spellings of the same word. It means “to put into effect,” “to achieve,” “to carry out,” or “to realize.”
• Fulfil is the spelling commonly used in English speaking countries like the UK and Australia.
• Fulfill is the spelling commonly used in the United States.
• In Canada, they use both spellings.

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Fulfill is one of those words with multiple spellings. It can end with two l’s or with one, depending on where the person writing the word is from.

Fulfil vs. Fulfill—What’s the Difference?

We use fulfill to say that we did something we promised, that we carried out a duty, or that we realized or put into effect something that someone entrusted us to do.

There are two ways you can spell the word—fulfill and fulfil. Neither of the spellings is wrong. The longer one, fulfill, is the spelling you’ll see people use in the United States:

I’ll fulfill Mary’s wish and get her a bike for the birthday.

In other English-speaking countries, people spell the word fulfil:

He promised he’ll be back by the end of the year, so there’s still time to fulfil that promise.

You can come across both spellings in Canada.

Most of the inflected forms of the word retain the double l, regardless of dialect. That’s why you’ll see fulfilling, fulfilled, and fulfiller in all English speaking countries. A notable exception is the word fulfillment, which follows the same rules as the root word:

Peter didn’t get much fulfillment from good grades.

You can find fulfilment in helping other people.

Examples

Fulfill in the US

In what’s expected to be Watson’s final game at Death Valley, the Tigers junior will look to fulfill his youthful promise to “never lose to the Gamecocks.”

USA TODAY

But on his 10th LP the country superstar sounds more like he’s fulfilling obligations, striking a series of familiar and expected Garth-like poses.

Rolling Stone

Fulfillment centers are giant warehouses that help online retailers store and ship products and handle returns quickly.

NASDAQ

Fulfil outside of the US

Pictures of the huge distribution centre, in Peterborough, show staff racing to fulfil orders amongst miles of shelves packed with thousands of different products.

The Sun

Belfast Council chief executive Suzanne Wylie has pointed out that Belfast is not currently fulfilling its potential and, as a consequence, is “lagging behind” other cities in the UK.

The Irish News

But critics say it’s not as simple as that, they claim in many cases people are being shunted onto other benefits unfairly and the result isn’t fulfilment but hardship.

BBC

American English and British English are different in many small, almost unnoticeable ways. When it comes to spelling, Americans usually prefer the shorter words, like “benefited” over “benefitted” or “check” over “cheque”, but every once in a while they choose to use the longer spelling, like fulfill.

5 Grammar Pet Peeves

Every grammarian has a list of grammar pet peeves. We compile new lists every year. However, some errors are insidiously persistent. Like coffee stains on a snow-white rug, we cannot seem to scrub them away no matter how hard we try. But we must keep up the fight.

Join us as we again leap into the fray against our arch-nemesis: the most-common-glaring-grammar-errors-of-all-time.

Your/You’re: This one has a longer lifespan than Dracula. We’ve hunted it like a pack of wild dogs, and its demise continues to elude us. Okay, we understand, it is easy to forget an apostrophe when you’re in a hurry. But, please, your reputation is at stake: “your” is a possessive pronoun and “you’re” is a contraction of “you are.”

There/Their/They’re: As long as we’re working with monster metaphors, we’ll call this one the hydra. No matter how many times you manage to lop off the creature’s head, it constantly regenerates. Sometimes we can empathize with this particular error. With three different choices, and the same pronunciation for each, mistakes happen. So, let’s go through them again and see if you can pass the quiz.

• “There” is used to reference a place. For example: “I walked over there.” It is also used with a “to be” verb, to show the existence of something or to reference something. Examples: “There are seven stones,” and “There are never enough hours in the day.”
• “Their” is an adjective that shows possession. It shows that an object belongs to “them.” For example: “They have lost their marbles.”
• “They’re” is a contraction. That’s all it is. A simple abbreviation of a subject and a verb: “they are.”

It’s/Its: By this point, it should come as no surprise that the most common grammar errors involve homophones. The “its/it’s” error bubbles to the surface constantly, like some stubborn kudzu in a flower garden. Let’s bend down again, and try to weed this one out.

• “It’s” is another contraction. It is used in no other way. The word is short for “it is” or “it has.” If you expand it to one of those two phrases in a sentence, and it doesn’t make sense, then it has been used incorrectly. Examples include: “it’s the only way” and “it’s been a long time.”
• “Its” is a neutral, possessive pronoun. Use it to show possession when the gender of the noun is unclear. For instance: “The mountain has a lake at its base.”

Which/That: This incredibly common error continues to plague grammarians. “That” is a restrictive pronoun. Without it, the sentence either makes no sense, or does not make the sense that the writer intended. For example: “I do not like grammar that is incorrect.” The precise sense of this sentence depends on “that.” Otherwise, it just seems that “I do not like grammar.”

The word “which” is used to begin a clause that is related to the sentence, but not necessary to its understanding. To refer to our earlier example, if we were to write: “I do not like grammar, which is incorrect,” the sentence would lose its essential meaning. The correct use of “which” in this instance is: “I do not like grammar that is incorrect, which is fine by me.”

Subject/Verb Agreement: A basic sentence contains a subject and a verb. Someone is doing something. However, if that someone becomes plural, then the verb had better agree.

“I am writing” is correct.

“I are writing” is not.

Sometimes a phrase pops up in the middle, though, and things can get a bit more complicated. Don’t be fooled, however.

“The man who whistles constantly is creepy” is correct.

“The man who whistles constantly are creepy” is not.

What are some of the most common that you encounter?

All the Best Writing from the 2017 NBA Finals

For the second time in three seasons, the Golden State Warriors can lay claim to being NBA Champions after they defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers, 4-1, in the 2017 NBA Finals. Kevin Durant played a pivotal role for the Warriors’ championship run, averaging 35.2 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 5.4 assists per game on his way to being named NBA Finals MVP.

But there’s more to the story than the opening paragraph of this piece. There were viral moments, career-defining performances, amazing stories, and of course, controversy and drama. A great narrative unfolded over the past two weeks in Oakland, Calif., and Cleveland, Ohio.

For those who enjoy watching the best athletes in sport, the Finals provided fascinating entertainment. But for those who love the art of writing in any and all forms, the NBA’s global appeal was on full display as scribes produced compelling content on a daily basis.

Other sites will break down the nuances of the games in greater detail. For Grammarly, we’re taking a close look at the crafting of stories. So after looking through the stellar coverage of the Finals, we’ve examined the top moments in writing and how you can be inspired when it’s your turn to write.

Let’s see who shined under the spotlight and had a Durant-like performance on their keyboard.

Game 1

Behind-the-scenes at Game 1 of the #NBAFinals as the @warriors go up 1-0 with big home W! #MiniMovie pic.twitter.com/26KgRZaW0Y

— NBA (@NBA) June 7, 2017

Story Headline: What We Learned About the Warriors in Game 1 of the N.B.A. Finals

Author: Benjamin Hoffman

Source: New York Times

What We Liked: The lede

In a postseason in which they have seen little to no competition, the Golden State Warriors kept right on rolling and tied the N.B.A. record for consecutive postseason wins at 13 with a 113-91 drubbing of the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 1 of the N.B.A finals.

Why We Liked It: Hoffman captured the essence of the story in just 50 words. Anecdotal ledes are great, too, but sometimes it’s critical to offer the best snapshot of the story topic early to honestly explain it to the reader. Get. To. The. Point.

Story Headline: The Greatest NBA Finals Rivalry Is Kevin Durant vs. Robyn Rihanna Fenty

Author: Juliet Litman

Source: The Ringer

What We Liked: The story angle

What we could not have expected, though, would be (Rihanna’s) wide-felt impact Thursday. After her entrance was announced emphatically by (announcer) JVG (Jeff Van Gundy), she went on to support her favorite player (LeBron James) as only she can. Early in the fourth quarter, as the Cavs trailed by 22, Rihanna rose to pay her respects to the King. She bowed, and then let the presumably annoying fans around her know that a 22-point deficit means nothing to her. She indicated this with the dab.

Why We Liked It: When the subject of your story is dull—like the uninspired on-court product in Game 1—it’s always a good idea to take the story angle elsewhere. In this case, Litman’s decision to write about a human-interest topic on one of the most famous people on the planet was a wise one. Litman had some fun with the music superstar’s courtside presence and friendly in-game banter with Durant. By examining a social media trending topic in a not-so-exciting game, Litman showcased an admirable way to cover a secondary (maybe even tertiary) angle to a major event. Creativity should always be a main principle anytime you write.

Game 2

Behind-the-scenes at Game 2 of the #NBAFinals …won by the @warriors 132-113! #MiniMovie pic.twitter.com/lE69NH9NdG

— NBA (@NBA) June 12, 2017

Story Headline: Are the Warriors’ brogrammer army the most hated fans in sports?

Author: DJ Gallo

Source: The Guardian

What We Liked: Humor and opinion

All due respect to the widely loathed supporters of the Patriots, Yankees, Cowboys and Lakers, but the Warriors are building a fanbase that could dwarf them all for unlikability. Golden State fans’ negatives are on a hockey stick growth curve as Oracle Arena increasingly fills with – apologies for the poor attempt at using Silicon Valley lingo – brogrammers who truly believe they offer a value add to the organization. (And for the sake of clarity, it is this new breed of fan that attracts ire, rather than the Warriors supporters who pulled for the team even during the bad old days.)

Part of the problem is simple demographics. Bandwagon jumpers are considered to be the lowest form of fan – even below drunk, belligerent and face-painted – whereas the diehard, thick and thin, fan-since-birth group is the most respected. Because of the massive influx of people into northern California with the tech boom, many of those filling the choice seats at Oracle Arena have ties to the region that are tenuous even compared to those of Kevin Durant. Yet they’re cheering their hearts out for their beloved Warriors every night, while across the street the last place A’s – with the second-worst attendance in all of baseball and portions of the upper deck covered in tarp – don’t seem to have captured the imagination of Silicon Valley big wigs. The new Warriors fan has not suffered anything near the sports heartache of a Cleveland lifer. Their toughest season to endure was one in which the Warriors won an NBA-record 73 games. Sad!

Why We Liked It: There’s a lot to unpack from those two graphs. You can’t entirely discredit Gallo’s opinions on how he views Golden State’s fan base. What you can appreciate, however, is the writer’s ability to offer sound reasoning for his views along with a dash of comedic wit. Further, the headline of the piece introduced the comedic tone that carried on throughout the story. It’s also refreshing to read this angle from an international outlet like The Guardian. It speaks to the NBA’s global appeal and why the Finals were the most-viewed in nearly twenty years.

Story Headline: The Warriors are making the NBA Finals noncompetitive. That’s scary for the league.

Author: Adam Kilgore

Source: The Washington Post

What We Liked: The big-picture view

These Finals must be making the league nervous. The team with the best player can never be counted out, and LeBron James remains the best player in the world, despite the argument Durant is currently submitting. It would be a mistake to dismiss Cleveland. It would be equally foolish not to recognize the strong chance that for the remainder of the Finals, and perhaps beyond, the Warriors’ only competition will be history.

“Sure, the fan in me would love to see more competition at times,” Commissioner Adam Silver said before Game 1. “But on the other hand, I’ve said it before, I think we should also celebrate excellence.”

Why We Liked It: Kilgore explored the significance of another lopsided Warriors win early in the series. In doing so, the writer wondered about the ramifications of the decisive victories for the league. He also tracked down the NBA’s commissioner, or pseudo-CEO, to get his view on how a non-competitive series could impact the league’s bottom dollar. Having the gusto to discuss a deeper viewpoint on a topic is one thing, but gathering supporting quotes, research, or commentary to further develop your point is the stuff of writing mastery. The biggest takeaway here is don’t be shy about getting the supporting information you need for your claims.

Game 3

Kevin Durant's BIG trey headlines the top clutch moments in @Warriors #NBAFinals Game 3 victory! pic.twitter.com/VcVg6et97U

— NBA (@NBA) June 8, 2017

Story Headline: Warriors Rip Out The Cavs’ Still-Beating Heart

Author: Rob Mahoney

Source: SI.com

What We Liked: The headline and verbiage used within the story

Test the Warriors at your own peril. So many of the teams to stand in Golden State’s way this postseason have been subject to cold obliteration—the sort of blowout that leaves those involved shell-shocked and numb.

Why We Liked It: The Warriors came from behind to beat the Cavs in gut-wrenching fashion. This headline summed up the feeling perfectly. It was just the best. But to add significant context to a mic-drop headline is just as critical for a writer. Just because you’ve come up with something clever and click-bait worthy doesn’t mean your job is done. Unlike the Cavs in Game 3, you have to finish what you started. Mahoney achieves this with excellent descriptive writing in his piece. He also explains why the Warriors have been able to demoralize their opponents. Sharp language, excellent descriptions, and well-researched presentation are achieved in this post.

Story Headline: Kevin Durant Closes The Door On LeBron

Author: Chris Herring

Source: fivethirtyeight.com

What We Liked: Data presentation within the story

The pace in this matchup has played a key role in that dynamic — particularly for James. But the accumulation of minutes and miles on James’s legs this season — and over the past seven seasons, during his incredible Finals streak — probably hasn’t helped, either. This year alone, in which the 32-year-old averaged an NBA-high in minutes per game, James has run 47 miles more than the 28-year-old Durant, who missed just over a month’s worth of games during the regular season following an injury. (Golden State went 16-4 without him.)

Why We Liked It: Writing to make your point with data is something that truly enhances the reader’s experience. Herring achieved this as a writer and visually by introducing the thought of Durant having more production at the end of games than James. Herring backed up his claim by breaking down his findings in a myriad of ways with visual representations. If you’re looking for a free way to boost your data claims, Google’s new data GIF maker is a superior way to boost your visual presentation.

Game 4

LeBron's off-the-glass SLAM in Game 4 of the #NBAFinals… as heard around the world! pic.twitter.com/44veJ5bK2N

— NBA (@NBA) June 12, 2017

Story Headline: Even J.R. Smith can’t believe LeBron James’ dunk from Game 4

Author: Chris Barnwell

Source: CBSSports.com

What We Liked: Building a story around a brilliant quote

“You see it in the park and stuff growing up. You never think about somebody doing it in a game. Doing it in a Finals game. Game 4 when you’re down 3-0.”

“He dunked on Tristan. That was the craziest part of it. He had the whole lane until Tristan came in there. He’s a Gatorade baby, man, he was made in a lab somewhere.”

That’s how incredible LeBron’s dunk was. Even Smith, a guy who once said he prefers to shoot contested shots because open ones are boring, was shocked at what James did. Maybe he’s on to something with James being a “Gatorade baby” made in a lab somewhere. If he’s still stunning his teammates at this point of his career, then what more is there for him to do?

Why We Liked It: When you have a must-read quote to use in your piece, there’s sometimes heavy-handedness in how a writer reacts to it. In this instance, Barnwell explored the clever, “Gatorade baby” quip but doesn’t step on the beauty of the comment. Instead, Barnwell featured the quote as the subject of his post. James’ highlight-worthy dunk was one of the most memorable plays of the game. Barnwell seized the opportunity by showcasing the best soundbite on the play and wrote his story accordingly. Writers should try to include credible speakers to add authority to a story when it makes sense. They should also figure out the best ways to not overcomplicate the message of the quoted speaker with unnecessary commentary. Knowing how to handle great quotes is something all writers should take into account.

Story Headline: Draymond Green tech-foul fiasco part of tension-filled Game 4

Author: Brian Windhorst and Baxter Holmes

Source: ESPN.com

What We Liked: Factual tone

Referees said a miscommunication with the scorer’s table led to confusion following a Draymond Green technical foul in the third quarter of Game 4 of the NBA Finals, leading to Green initially being announced as ejected before that call was overturned.

A technical foul in the first quarter that official John Goble called on Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr was incorrectly recorded by the official scorer as being on Green. It was announced as being on Green, and it remained in the official box score that way. The mistake was not corrected.

So when Green was called for a technical foul by official Marc Davis in the second half, it seemed as if Green should’ve been ejected. Only then was the mistake fixed, and Green was allowed to stay in the game. It was confusing for both teams and the crowd, who believed Green should’ve been ejected for having two technicals.

Why We Liked It: There was a lot of confusion about officiating in Game 4. Many in the media complained about it. Knowing that this was a storyline with how Cleveland won its first game of the series, two ESPN scribes joined forces to state the facts on what led to some head-scratching decisions by the refs. Knowing the objective of your story is crucial. Windhorst and Holmes were aware that their readership wanted to understand what happened in the game and why it created so much confusion. Instead of being humorous or introducing quotes, the writers explained what happened in an educational tone. Knowing what your audience is expecting based on your subject or title is critical.

Game 5

Kevin Durant & Stephen Curry lead @Warriors to Game 5 victory to secure 2017 #NBAFinals title! #DubNation pic.twitter.com/E20rky2zTy

— NBA (@NBA) June 13, 2017

Story Headline: Stephen Curry, the Warriors’ cornerstone, finds the redemption he sought

Author: Marcus Thompson II

Source: Bay Area News Group

What We Liked: The conclusion

On the biggest stage, and healthy, Curry proved he wasn’t a flash in the pan. That his two MVPs and 2015 championship wasn’t a fluke. Despite not having the freakish size of the likes of LeBron James and Kevin Durant, he proved he belongs. LeBron made it clear there is nobody in the NBA better than he. But there should be no more doubt Curry is in the mix with the game’s elite.

Perhaps it was just a matter of time before he got here. Or maybe he needed to go through that collapse, feel the sting of not showing up, hear the jabs at his worth from across the nation, to become even better. Either way, the end result from this three-year run — two MVPs, 207 regular season wins, and two championships — is that he’s here now.

This is what validation looks like.

Why We Liked It: Most of our examples have touched on story angles, introductions, voice, quote usage, and even headlines, but once you’ve fully grabbed your readers and given them multiple reasons to read your writing and stick with it, you’ll want to make the full experience worthwhile. Thompson accomplished that in his coverage of Curry’s Finals redemption. Sure, most of the attention this series went to Durant and James, but Curry’s selflessness was a big reason the Warriors were able to win it all once more. Thompson nails that sentiment perfectly and sent the reader off with a perfectly crafted final line to his story. It was short and sweet, just like Curry the ballplayer.

Story Headline: An inside look at Kevin Durant’s first three hours as an NBA champion

Author: Anthony Slater

Source: Bay Area News Group

What We Liked: Descriptive access

Now past 9 p.m., the Warriors finally rampaged back to the locker room for the champagne celebration, all the players handed a Moet & Chandon bottle on their way through the door. Durant was met by a dancing Draymond Green and Klay Thompson, already geared up in ski goggles, bottles popped, spraying the room.

But Durant had some trouble. He struggled to get the bottle open initially. Then he failed in his attempt to bash a couple beer cans together for a booze shower, Stone Cold Steve Austin style. It’d been awhile since he’d had a drink. Nearly four months, actually.

Throughout most of the season, Durant regularly went out after games, often drinking with dinner. But when he sprained his MCL back in late February, he decided to give up alcohol during the extended rehab process.

“If I had been drinking as much as I had been drinking, the recovery wouldn’t have been as easy,” Durant said. “So I decided to put it down and once I got back healthy, I was like let me see how this is, let me roll with it for the rest of the playoffs.”

So by the time Monday night’s celebration rolled around, his tolerance was lower and the booze hit quicker. The PR staff whisked him away from the locker room celebration around 9:25, first to do an interview with Scott Van Pelt on SportsCenter and then to his press conference on the other side of the arena.

Why We Liked It: Slater puts readers in a place they desperately want to be—backstage with Durant after the biggest triumph of his basketball career. Access can make or break a written piece. If you’re experiencing something that nobody else is seeing, don’t internalize—publish it. Find the appropriate way to express your point of view of the event that you’re witnessing. Slater might not have written about everything he heard and observed after the game, but there’s enough detail in here to give the reader proper context as to what the whirlwind moment was like for a basketball hero. Once you’ve gained a unique vantage point to your topic, don’t waste your opportunity to describe it in detail. Slater’s words about Durant’s trouble with consuming alcohol wouldn’t be the same without the writer correctly setting the scene with the cause and effect.

All of these stories were written to inform, entertain and document an important period in sports history. They were also produced under tight deadlines by professionals who love their craft. Aspiring writers at all levels can learn from reading expert coverage on topics they enjoy or ones they don’t fully understand. Good writing is good writing, as they say. It comes in all forms.

Now it’s your turn to write with creativity, detail, and authority. You can do it. We know you can.

Is it “Preferably” or “Preferrably?”

There’s only one way you can spell the adverb preferably. You can’t add another “f,” “r,” or “l”—there’s really no need to do it.

Let’s be honest here—mistakes happen to the best of us. We’d have a hard time finding a writer who, at some point, didn’t miswrite “the” as “hte” or “teh.” In haste, it might also be possible to mistake “to” for “too,” or “their” for “they’re.” And that’s perfectly fine, as long as you go over your work, notice your mistakes, and fix them. To do that, you need to know the correct way of spelling words. That might mean getting some outside help in the form of a dictionary or spelling checker, but with a little patience and attention you can make your work look flawless. We’re not always aware that we’re making a mistake, however, and some mistakes tend to be more widespread than others. This is the case with preferrably, perhaps the single most common misspelling of the word preferably.

Preferably, and How to Use It

Preferably is the adverbial form of the adjective preferable. They have the same meaning—better or more desired, even though the adverb preferably is also an alternative way of saying “if possible.” Let’s see the adverb and the adjective in action:

They have fine-tuned their defence, determining Cedric Soares was an upgrade on Vierinha on the right and ruling Jose Fonte was preferable to Ricardo Carvalho, 38, in the centre. —The National

And so for them it’s more preferable to go out and listen to something that they can dance to. —Time

If you want to have your say next time, join a party—preferably one whose aims you believe in—and buy yourself an upgrade to Democracy Plus class. —The Independent

So a self-aware product person—preferably one with a hunger to learn the other facets of marketing—is the right hire. —Venture Beat

Why the Double R, Then?

Now that we’re positively sure that preferably is the correct spelling and that there’s no need to double any of the consonants or vowels, let’s try to figure out why doubling the “r” is such a popular mistake.

The root word of preferable, preferably, preference and a couple of other words is prefer. It has its roots in the Middle English word preferren, and it can be traced all the way to the Latin praeferre, which means “to put before.” That’s how we use it today, as a verb that usually means to like something more than other things:

However, over half of those who research online prefer to make their actual purchases in a brick-and-mortar store, according to a report from Pragma Consulting cited by Forbes. —Business Insider

But then again, using the same verb, you could get this:

I would have preferred a clearer outcome. —

He has repeatedly said he won’t play for another European club, preferring instead to see out his years at Barcelona before finishing his career back in Argentina, but the change in circumstances could persuade him to think otherwise. —The Independent

So there are some words based on prefer that feature the double “r,” and they may be a cause of the confusion over preferrably. However, there’s a good reason that the “r” in preferred is doubled—when you add the suffixes -ed or -ing to words multisyllabic words and the stress is on the last syllable, the final letter of the word is doubled. In prefer, the stress is on the last syllable—pre-FER, which is why we add another “r” for preferred and preferring. Still, there’s no such rule about the suffixes -able and -ably, so we don’t have to double the “r.”

#GrammoWriMo Plot Summary

Updated November 15, 2013 

Chapter 1

Our adult, female protagonist, Audra, is introduced. This chapter must establish that Audra is a magical wish-granter whose job is to clean the coins out of a small, unremarkable local fountain each night. She is fed up with the vain and selfish wishes of people and regrets that she cannot make a wish for something great, noble—or not having to grant people’s wishes anymore.

Unable to pick and choose which of the wishes would come true, Audra sets about her work begrudgingly granting wishes.

“Stars above and earth below, what this wisher wishes know, and grant her greatest heart’s desire, with earth and water and air and fire.”

After years of doing the same magic, Audra begins to long for something more and question her being. The chapter introduces her struggle to balance the important role she plays in giving others hope and the needs and desires she has for freedom.

As the introductory night ends,  she gathers up the coins and sets out into town to give them away.

Considerations for writers: What are the rules for granting and not granting wishes? How long has Audra been doing this? Her whole life? Alone?

Chapter 2

In this chapter, we introduce Otis, an indigent man who lives near the fountain. Each day, Otis watches passerby throw coins into the fountain and wish for a better life. Otis, on the other hand, is a cynic because he has no coins to throw in the fountain.  Otis does, however, enjoy in part the freedom he has to roam.

Considerations for writers: Provide a solid character study in this chapter. Why does Otis believe that people make their own luck? How does his reality as a homeless person reflect this belief?

Chapter 3

The chapter starts with Audra back at the fountain hopping around granting wishes as they call/sing to her.  Here we learn that granting wishes has some limitations. Wishes cannot bring back the dead or inflict harm on the wisher (in the case of a daughter wishing for her belligerent father to return). It seems implied, also, that wishes cannot change a person’s nature—they cannot make a person fall in love with another or become kind and loving, when they are damaged, hurt, and vengeful. Neither can the wishes bend reality too much. For example, it cannot be Saturday for just one person, while everyone else is on a weekday. A wish-giver might, however, influence a person’s work schedule so that his/her  weekend, in some way, starts now.

Despite the troubles introduced in Chapter One, Audra seems to be elated by helping people in this Chapter. Unfortunately, as the night wears on we see, once again, that she is tired and can’t help but contrast the happiness that is being granted to others with the emptiness she feels. There is allusion to the fact that Audra is not as strong as she used to be (falling often and getting sick easily), but it is not understood why.

Audra begins to think about how she could have her wish come true. She knows that she cannot grant her own wish, but she begins to wonder about other fountains and other wish-givers who might be able to grant her wish.

Considerations for writers: Allude to Audra’s desire for companionship, and to her increasing hopelessness that she will ever find this type of fulfillment.

As wish-givers lose hope, they become weak and can eventually die. This chapter should begin to allude to a decline in Audra’s health as she loses hope.

Chapter 4

Otis a poor man, seemingly alone, is introduced. He has a (currently unexplained) fascination with the fountain and all the hope that people put into their wishes. Struck with insomnia and hunger, Otis contemplates the fountain and walks to the window, seeing Audra down in the fountain scooping up coins.

Audra and Otis meet at the fountain. She perceives him as handsome, painless, and young man. She, being magical, is still quite young looking despite her implied age. She addresses him as “child” and he feels he is being mocked. He interrogates her. Why is she “stealing” coins? Does she believe in wishes? Otis’ criticism puts Audra on the defense and she talks about the importance of hope.

In the end, Otis poses one last cynical question: Why do you care about others’ wishes, anyhow?

Audra confesses her powers.

Considerations for writers: Consider more in the early chapter development. What build-up should there be before Otis considers the fountain? Why does Otis, a new character, care so much about the fountain. What is his home environment like? Does he have a home? Is it shelter? Is it a couch of a stranger? OR did he break into an empty apartment? Give us more background. 

Chapter 5

This chapter aims to explain the origin of wish-givers.

A littler girl, Mila, after the loss of her brother wishes to give her mother peace. A small witch arrives and agrees to grant the girl’s wish, but only if Mila and all her descendants agree to a life of servitude granting wishes.

Considerations for writers: How was “peace” granted to Mila’s mother? Consider the general rules of wish granting laid out in Chapter Three? How does Mila’s life develop? How are wish-givers tied to fountains, wells, or trees? Why are wish givers alone?

What is the role of wish-givers? What is the curse? This chapter should end with the lingering question: Where are all the other wish-givers? (Note to authors: Wish-givers die when they or others lose hope this should be left to be revealed at the end of the book.)

Chapter 6

Audra is again at her fountain after a night of wish-granting. She sits beside the fountain and has a mini-breakdown. She cries and begins wishing for companionship — for someone who understands her plight. This chapter should emphasize Audra’s loneliness and her longing to meet other wish-givers to gain perspective. 

Otis observes Audra silently.

It is in this chapter that we introduce an antagonist, Jerzy, who was a wish granter at a fountain which was destroyed in the 1940s. He somehow survived and now steals wishes from fountains all over the world in the hopes that he can find a fountain whose caretaker will hand over his/her responsibility to him to give his life purpose again.

Considerations for writers: What prompted Audra’s breakdown? What was the build-up to this moment. She needs a trigger.

Chapter 7

FLASHBACK: A glimpse into Otis’s past and why he has little or no hope. His loss relates to loss of family and/or abandonment. Otis is a middle-aged, non-magical human.

We learn that Otis has become cynical after the tragic loss of his family. He relives a few very brief moments, and then is pulled back into thinking about Audra and protecting her.

Considerations for writers: We should get a stronger sense of everything Otis had before it was taken away. How was the situation manipulated to the point that he no longer felt he had any control over his life? These can be built in at the beginning of the chapter, maybe as dreams.

There are still some questions lingering about his character. Where is he from? Why is he homeless? Why doesn’t he believe in wishing?

Chapter 8

The next day, at the fountain, Otis spends a considerable amount of time observing Audra. Considering his feelings for her and the reality that she may be magic. At one point, he receives a wishing coin from a young boy who doesn’t need it.  Eventually he tosses the coin into the fountain, muttering something. Did he make a wish?

Meanwhile, Jerzy is in the process of convincing Audra that she should give up her fountain and head on an adventure to make her wish come true.

Considerations for writers: Why is it so difficult for Otis to believe that Audra is magic? What reasons does Jerzy give Audra to convince her to leave? How does Otis feel about Jerzy as he watches him with Audra?

Chapter 9

This chapter is dominated by some philosophical discussion between Jerzy and Audra about their wishes, if they could have them come true.  It is unclear whether Jerzy’s intentions are pure.

Audra decides to leave her fountain with Jerzy while she travels to other fountains to obtain insight and perspective from other wish-granters at other fountains to see if they can help her. She hopes that her wish for companionship will come true if she wishes it in another fountain.

Jerzy gives Audra his “lucky” coin to take with her to try her luck at wishing in another fountain when she feels the time is right. However, the coin was stolen and has some negative magic about it that Audra can sense but can’t interpret.

Considerations for writers: The chapter ends as Audra sets off on her journey. At the last moment, Otis decides to follow her. Why? What does Jerzy do at Audra’s fountain when she leaves? Chapter Twelve authors mention that he shows hints of his mischief prior to her leaving her fountain, what clues can you work into this chapter to show that Jerzy may have a darker, insincere side?

Chapter 10 

Audra takes a long bus to Las Vegas, seeking out the wish-giver of the Bellagio Fountains. She is weakened by the journey and as she is about to faint a man catches her and helps her. She realizes that Otis has followed her. She is angry at first for the pertinence of their previous interaction, but she comes to be thankful for his company.

They set out together, Audra’s healthy continually deteriorating.  They look for the wish-giver at this fountain so Audra can ask him/her questions about finding purpose/companionship. Audra again becomes weak as they approach the fountains and as she lays streetside, in Otis’s arms, trying to recover, Narda—another wish-giver—finds them and is filled with concern.

As quickly as she appears, Narda is off, but only after giving a key piece of advice to Audra. Otis and Audra continue to the Bellagio Fountains, but Audra is immediately overwhelmed with the size and the consequent difficulty she will have in finding the wish-giver for this fountain. Her doubt and concern is interrupted by someone’s wish at the fountain. A couple wants a child.

Considerations for writers: How do they find the wish-giver? Is Narda the Bellagio wish-giver? What kind of person is s/he? How did s/he obtain this position? Does s/he have thoughts on the loneliness of the wish-granter position? Keep in mind that in the next chapter they have an appointment with the Bellagio wish-giver.

Audra is enthusiastic about her journey and this first meeting; she is especially eager for time/privacy to make a wish for herself with Jerzy’s lucky coin. However, the opportunity to make a wish does not present itself. Audra begins to feel a bit hopeless—and weak.

Chapter 11 

Audra and Otis have their appointment to work with the Bellagio Fountains wish-giver to grant a wish. The wish is a challenging one, even for a wish-giver at the Bellagio Fountains. The wish, from a young military widow, Leslie, is to have a child, even though her husband was recently killed in Afghanistan. As the three consider how to go about granting the wish, the readers are taken back to the moment when Leslie made the wish.

Considerations for writers: How Audra comes to know about the nature and conflict within Leslie needs to be developed.  How will the wish be granted?

The wish-giver here is exhausting. In what ways? Chapter 12 alludes to the Bellagio wish-giver’s evasiveness in giving directions and help about where to  go next.

After the wish has been successfully granted, they learn a life lesson and get advice on where to go next in search of answers. What life lesson will be learned? Their next stop is Buckingham Fountain in Chicago.

Chapter 12

Audra and Otis travel to Buckingham Fountain, (Chicago, Illinois). They must find the wish-giver at this fountain so Audra can ask him/her questions about finding purpose/companionship.

They find King Buck, the wish-giver,  at the fountain scolding one of seahorse statues in the fountain. He is a wizened old fellow with a lot spunk and a humorous grumbling nature. Not only is he the wish-giver, but he is also responsible for keeping the fountain running.

In the meantime, Jerzy is holding down the fort at Audra’s fountain. And we find that he is violating one of the main principles laid out in Chapter 3 about wish-granters only doing good. He is granting wishes, but not always for the better. His darker side is showing now that there is no one there to stop him.  Jerzy then begins to reflect on his own nature.

Considerations for writers: How was the journey from Las Vegas to Chicago? What were the pair contemplating, if anything during this journey. Future writers can feel free to fill these details in at the beginning of the chapter.

Regarding King Buck, how did s/he obtain this position? Does s/he have thoughts on the loneliness of the wish-granter position? What places and information does he give Audra and Otis as they tour the park?

Buck alludes to the fountain thief and that the fountain is his birthright. What other details could be added regarding this information. Consider adding in details to these passages with different color text for each author.

How is Audra’s health changing in this chapter?

Chapter 13

Audra and Otis work with the King Buck to grant a woman’s wish to become pregnant, but it is not a wholesome wish.  Together they have to work together to gather clues and see about granting the wish.

Audra’s health begins to decline because she doesn’t feel as though she is getting the answers she came for. She and Otis head to Scott Fountain in Detroit.

Considerations for writers: The previous fountain also hosted a wish regarding pregnancy. Since this one is a bit of an unwholesome wish, what might be a another desire that would have similar negative qualities? Consider leaving edit ideas as comments or even including passages within the text, but with different color text for each author.  Additionally, since Otis is a non-magic being, how is he able to get insight into the wish-maker’s intentions?

Regarding the wish, Who wished it? Why was it so dark? If they grant the wish, how do they grant it?

Audra’s health begins to decline because she doesn’t feel as though she is getting the answers she came for. She and Otis head to Scott Fountain in Detroit.

Chapter 14 

Audra and Otis travel to Scott Fountain, Belle Isle Park (Detroit, Michigan) by bus. As the arrive to Belle Isle, the happiness that Audra witnesses inspires again her loneliness and her spiraling hopelessness that her wish will come true.  As they approach the fountain, there is an old man seemingly waiting for her. He’s Graver.

Considerations for writers: What kind of person is the wish-giver? How did s/he obtain this position? Does s/he have thoughts on the loneliness of the wish-granter position? This is particularly important to consider as Audra’s loneliness seems heightened in this chapter. This chapter should end by positioning Audra and Otis for finding and granting a wish with Graver.

Chapter 15

This chapter opens with a father wishing for his daughter to laugh again. We then see how, shortly after the child is sprawled in the grass being licked and loved by a stray dog—and giggling.

Considerations for writers: How do Audra and Otis work with the Scott Fountain wish-giver to grant this wish? How did they decide to listen to this man’s wish.

Elaborate on the life lesson learned. How can Audra  get advice on where to go next in search of answers to her questions about wish-givers and how her wishes can be granted.. They head to KC Plaza Fountain in Kansas City. 

Chapter 16

Audra and Otis travel to KC Plaza Fountain (Kansas City, Missouri). There, they meet Simon, a rhyming wish-giver who warns them about Jerzy, who has been known to “steal” the wishes of other people and grant malicious wishes. Audra’s health continues to decline as she struggles to find a reason to live.

Audra and Otis find an old coin beside the fountain, and realize that it will help them to learn more about Jerzy. Through a series of clues, they begin to see vignettes of Jerzy as a poor child.

Considerations for writers: Why did Jerzy have such a sad childhood? Can Jerzy’s story provide some perspective to Audra to help her find a reason to live?

Chapter 17

Simon invites Audra and Otis to grant a wish at his fountain. Audra is immediately drawn to an intense man who is making one of the most powerful wishes that she has ever encountered. Readers get a fractured glimpse of the man’s wish . . . a car accident . . . a bloodied baby . . . the man believes it is his fault . . . The man wishes to trade his life for those of those lost in the car accident.

Suddenly, the man disappears and a woman holding a little girl’s hand suddenly appears in his place. Audra realizes that Otis is too close to the situation, and knowing the wish may break him. She becomes weaker.

It is revealed that Otis was a wish-giver in the past. He feels guilt about the blood on his hands that resulted from a man celebrating a wish-come-true and killing the woman and child in a drunk-driving accident — a woman and child that happened to be Otis’ wife and daughter. Otis cannot tell Audra about his sadness because she is weak and he feels it will kill her.

Considerations for writers It would be helpful to further clarify the events in this chapter. Did Otis’ wife and child die, or are the woman and child in the chapter symbolic to Otis? Provide more details about the man who caused the accident, about Otis’ previous life as a wish-granter, and why he renounced this life. Also, how do Otis and Audra decide to head to San Francisco?

Chapter 18

Audra and Otis arrive at Vaillancourt Fountain in San Francisco, California. Audra realizes that a homeless-looking woman is the wish-giver at the fountain. Immediately recognizing Audra as another wish-giver, the woman, Daisy, thinks that Audra is trying to take her fountain. Once it has been established that Audra only wants to talk, the woman settles in to tell her a story about Jerzy and her personal history.

Daisy is the daughter of a wish-giver who left home at an early age, struggled with homelessness, found a fountain she enjoyed and became a mentee to Moriel, an old wishgiver who tended to the wishes of those that came to it. Moriel was Daisy’s mentor until she eventually got her own fountain. Jerzy was also Moriel’s mentor.

Jerzy was assigned a remote fountain and granted wishes irresponsibly because he felt cheated. For example, if a child wished for a puppy he would provide it despite knowing the child was allergic to dogs. The town began to believe that Jerzy’s fountain was cursed and they destroyed it.

Considerations for writers It would be great to provide some additional information on what Jerzy did after his fountain was destroyed, including why he wants so badly to take over others’ fountains.

Chapter 19

Audra wakes up thirsty and exhausted. She is not sure if she has found what she is looking for in this journey.

Audra decides to grant a wish for a businessman broken in spirit from years of a declining company. His wish: jobs for his fired employees. Audra confers some of her magic to Otis and Otis finds himself dressed in business attire talking to the wish maker, Jason, on a park bench.  He suggests that Jason reach out to a celebrity environmentalist to help fund his business, and feels an inner warmth that tells him he has helped to grant Jason’s wish.

The Vaillancourt Fountain wish-giver, Daisy, warns that Otis may “never be the same”.

Considerations for writers: What does Otis learn from his wish-granting experience? How does his stint as a wish-giver affect him? How do Audra and Otis decide to go to the next fountain, and why? At the end of the chapter, Audra and Otis must head to Swann Fountain in Philadelphia.

Chapter 20

Audra and Otis travel to Swann Fountain, Logan Circle (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania). They see a group of children playing at the fountain with their teacher. Audra realizes that the teacher is the fountain’s wish-giver, and he takes his class here once per year to make wishes. Unfortunately, the wish-giver is a bit cynical. He talks about the contradictory nature of wishes — if one person wishes that her best friend will love her, and another wishes that a new girl will fall in love with him, the wish-giver can make these wishes come true with some pain.

Audra find out that the wish-giver had once believed himself in love with another wish-giver. However, the old wish-giver was just using him to escape her fountain. Audra reminds the wish-giver that people are responsible for changing their own lives. Wishes are all well and good, but people must take control of their own destiny and be careful what they wish for.

Considerations for writers: We love the idea of being careful what you wish for. It may be interesting to talk about why the wish-giver is so cynical, how he became a teacher, etc. Are there any other anecdotes that the wish-giver can share about being careful what you wish for, or the lasting effects of wishing for something? How does this apply to Audra’s life? To Otis’ life?

Chapter 21

Audra and Otis scope out Swann Fountain for a person worthy of having their wish granted. They soon see a 16-year-old boy, Vincent, who wishes to run up the “Rocky” steps, but has not been able to do so because he suffers from cerebral palsy. Otis calls the Make A Wish Foundation (even though the boy is not dying) to convince them to help him bring the boy to the fountain.

At the same time, Audra gets in touch with scientists at Penn State who specialize in neural problems, and meets a Dr. Nicholas for lunch. She brings the doctor to the fountain (which makes Otis jealous), and Dr. Nicholas suggests providing Vincent with biofeedback therapy to help him climb the steps in no time.

While the group considers how to get the money to pay Dr. Nicholas’ doctor friend for this therapy, a well-dressed man approaches them. He announces that he is a new wish-giver that has been transferred to this fountain, but he tells Audra and Otis that Dr. Nicholas may be over-promising a positive outcome.

Considerations for writers: How do Audra, Otis, Dr. Nicholas, and the new wish-giver get Vincent to run up the Rocky stairs? Who is this new wish-giver, and what happens to the teacher who was the previous wish-giver at Swann Fountain?

After the wish has been successfully granted, Audra and Otis head to Brewer Fountain in Boston. Talk about why they decide to go there. 

Chapter 22

As Audra and Otis approach Brewer Fountain (Boston, Massachusetts), it becomes clear that Audra is not feeling well. They see a black-haired man at the fountain who may be the wish-giver. Otis and Audra decide to grab some food at a local diner and the waiter looks like the black-haired man. In the street later, Audra and Otis see a man playing guitar who Audra believes looks the like man, as well. The food, the music, and Otis’ company seem to give Audra strength.

When Audra and Otis finally meet the black-haired man as the wish-giver at the fountain the following day, he begins telling them how wish-givers are connected to their fountains.

Considerations for writers: Why and how are wish-givers connected to their fountains? How did the black-haired man (named “Bruzer” in the next chapter) come to be a wish-giver? How and why is he able to morph into different characters, and will this help him to heal Audra? Does he have the answers she is looking for?

End the chapter by talking about how Audra and Otis came to be at Bruzer’s fountain.

Chapter 23

Bruzer invites Audra and Otis to help him grant a wish of omission. Essentially, this type of wish is made by someone who is so caught up in the habit of their routine that they’ve forgotten to wish for something better.

Bruzer imagines the person who made this non-wish. It is a businessman, Larry, who lost his family three years ago and is contemplating taking his own life. Bruzer sends a new neighbor (Cindy) to the man to provide him with hope and companionship. Audra and Otis wonder if Larry deserved a second chance.

Towards the end of the chapter, Audra is drawn to a coin in the fountain and has a transformative experience. She wonders what happened, and Otis alludes to the fact that he knows and will tell her in the future.

Considerations for writers: It would be great to dig more deeply into Larry and Cindy’s story. How did Larry lose his wife? Where did Cindy come from? Why wouldn’t Larry have deserved his wish to come true? Dig in to the life lesson that Larry learns and show how this helps to teach Audra and Otis something.

Provide more description about what happened when Audra picked up a coin from the fountain and heard many people asking for their wishes to come true. Finally, why (and how) does Bruzer suggest that Audra and Otis head to Washington Square Park?

Chapter 24

Audra and Otis arrive at Washington Square Park Fountain (New York City, New York) after being directed there by a prostitute names Lolita. The wish-giver, Sacro, looks like a saint in this dark place. Sacro is a peaceful presence who invites Audra and Otis into his personal space. He mentions that intuition grows stronger with solitude, and that is how he knew that they were coming to visit. Audra and Otis have different reactions to Sacro’s thoughts about loneliness and service to others.

Audra sees Sacro as a sage, and herself as a seeker of wisdom. Otis withdraws from the conversation and realizes that Sacro is just as crazy as he and Audra. Everyone has their own ways to deal with problems and wishes.

Considerations for writers: Explain if Sacro really is a fraud. Do Sacro and Lolita get together in the end? Why doesn’t Lolita reveal herself to Sacro? Why doesn’t Otis reveal Sacro as a fraud?

Chapter 25

Still at the Washington Square Park Fountain, Audra and Otis see a businessman throwing some coins into the fountain. Sacro, the wish-giver, mentions that the man simply wished that the coins would stop jingling in his pant pocket. He, along with Audra and Otis, decides to help this man see the simple pleasures of life beyond his obsession with money. They look beyond his exterior and hatch a plan to awaken the man to the simple pleasures of everyday life — including to potentially set the scene for the man to fall in love with his wife again.

Audra and Otis meet the man’s wife, Jill Okray, at her office (pretending to be potential clients) and realize that the two have a daughter, Amanda, and a son, Tim. Amanda is trying to get home but having some trouble. Tim is ill, but Mr. Okray and Jill are not seeing eye-to-eye on his prognosis.

Amanda comes home and Audra and Otis wonder if they have managed to grant Mr. Okray’s wish. At the same time, Audra has a revelation in the rain.

Considerations for writers: How does the Okray family mend itself? Why was it so important for Amanda to come home? What was Audra’s realization?

After the wish has been successfully granted, Audra and Otis must head to WWII Memorial Fountain in Washington D.C. Why do they decide to go there?

Chapter 26

At the WWII Memorial Fountain (Washington D.C.), Audra reminisces about her own father who was a member of the military. Otis, who may have been a Vietnam veteran, says nothing. Audra and Otis then notice a man sweeping coins from the fountain, and believe he is the wish-granter, Salem. Audra notices Salem’s aura of peace and begins asking him questions about how he lives his life so happily. Salem notices that Audra and Otis like each other.

Salem talks about becoming a wish-giver and the importance of hope. Otis thinks about Audra in a romantic way and wonders if he can fill the void in her life.

Considerations for writers: What kind of person is Salem? How did he become the wish-giver of this fountain? Does Salem have a tie to veterans? Was Otis a veteran? Does this provide any insight into Otis’ character? How does Otis’ and Audra’s relationship progress?

Chapter 27

Audra and Otis work with Salem, the WWII Memorial Fountain wish-giver, to grant a wish a little girl’s heart made. The little girl wants her doll to keep her father company while he is away in the military.

Audra realizes that she must complete her journey back to her own fountain alone. Otis makes her lose focus. She tells him she will stay with Salem to encourage him to leave, and then she asks Salem one more question.

Considerations for writers: Develop the story of the little girl, and why her father is lonely. How can Audra, Otis, and Salem grant this wish? What is the meaning behind it?

What is Audra’s final question for Salem before heading back to her fountain alone?

Chapter 28

Audra is very sick, and notices that she has aged over the course of her journey. She has lost all hope of finding companionship and the answers to her questions, but she heads home, regardless, as she has nowhere else to go. On the bus back to her fountain, Audra falls asleep and experiences scary dreams — notably of Otis drowning. Upon awakening, Audra finds herself facing a young boy (5 or 6 years old), who tells her that her fountain is worth fighting for and gives her a compass to help her find her way back to hope.

Audra gets off the bus and changes direction — finally heading back to her fountain on foot. A man named Matthais picks her up in his car and takes her to his home to rest. Audra has weird dreams of Otis and then sets off again the next morning with her compass. Meanwhile, Otis dreams of Audra and realizes that he made a mistake in leaving her.

Considerations for writers: Where is Audra now? Is she almost home? After traveling with Otis for so long, does she miss him? What is Otis doing?

Chapter 29

On the brink of death from loss of hope, Audra finally realizes that Otis has been her strength throughout this journey — and that her purpose in life is to maintain her fountain. She confronts Jerzy, who falls apart a bit when he realizes how difficult it is to

‘play God’ and decide on whose wishes should be granted, and whose should not.

Considerations for writers: How does Otis find his way back to Audra when she makes the realization that he has been her continued strength? Writers should help Otis to emphasize to Audra that she’s already found a family and companionship. She’s no longer alone.

Together, Audra and Otis are empowered to go back to Audra’s fountain and gain control from Jerzy. How do they do this? Where does this power struggle leave Jerzy?

Chapter 30

Epilogue: Audra and Otis are back at Audra’s original fountain in good health. They work together to clean the fountain at the end of every night and they grant people’s wishes. They are happy in the companionship that they have found together, and even share the load with Jerzy.

Audra and Otis realize they are in love. A woman appears from the coins in the fountain. She informs Audra and Otis that she was all of the wish-givers they met throughout the book.

Considerations for writers: What changes when Audra and Otis fall in love? How does the mysterious woman tie the book together?

Masters Degree or Master’s Degree?

• The correct way to spell master’s degree is with the apostrophe.
• The s in master’s indicates a possessive (the degree of a master), not a plural.
• If you’re speaking of a specific degree, you should capitalize master and avoid creating a possessive: Master of Science.
• The same rules apply to a bachelor’s degree.

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You don’t have to be a bachelor to get a bachelor’s degree, but you do need to demonstrate mastery to get a master’s degree. Either way, you should know how to correctly spell the degree you have; avoid misspelling them as masters degree and bachelors degree.

Master’s Degree vs. Masters Degree

When someone is awarded a master’s degree, they are recognized as having sufficient knowledge in a field of study to be called a master of it. That’s why the correct way to spell master’s degree is with an apostrophe—it’s the degree of a master:

Jane enrolled in a university to get a master’s degree.

If you’re referring to a degree in a specific field, like the arts or sciences, leave out the apostrophe and the s. Instead, capitalize both the word “master” and the field:

Writing a thesis is the last step before being awarded a Master of Arts degree in Linguistics.

Often enough, terms like Master of Arts and Master of Sciences are abbreviated, and the rules on how to do it vary from one university and style guide to another. The academic title Master of Arts can be abbreviated as MA or M.A., and if the university in question is keen on Latin phrases, it may be abbreviated as AM or A.M., from the Latin Artium Magister.

Bachelor’s Degree or Bachelors Degree

Bachelor’s degree follows the same spelling rules as master’s degree. When talking about the degree in general, it doesn’t need to be capitalized, the bachelor’s is written as a possessive, not a plural:

If you don’t study hard, you’ll never get a bachelor’s degree.

When speaking about a specific degree, you drop the possessive and capitalize both the word bachelor and the field of study:

He has a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from a prestigious college.

Abbreviations for bachelor’s degree can be styled in several ways. A Bachelor of Science title can be abbreviated as BS, B.S., or BSc, but also as SB, S.B., and Sc.B. for the Latin Scientiae Baccalaureus.

Master’s Degree and Bachelor’s Degree: Examples

For the second year in a row, Western Illinois University has been ranked second in the nation among institutions that offer a master’s degree in physics as its highest degree.

Western Illinois University News

Graduates will receive both a Master of Arts Administration degree from the IU School of Public and Environmental Affairs and a Master of Museum and Heritage Studies from the College of Arts and Social Sciences at Australian National University.

IU Bloomington Newsroom

The correlation between advanced degrees — anything above a bachelor’s degree — and Clinton vote (and vice versa with Trump vote) is striking.

The Washington Post

Students studying a Bachelor of Science can opt into advanced versions of each unit.

Honi Soit