My Favorite English Writing Errors to Correct
Posted on December 31st, 2007
Negotiables: These are rules that the experts largely agree can be broken to good effect. In formal writing (such as a doctoral dissertation), the strict rules would still apply. But in informal writing, such as writing an autobiography, looser rules are acceptable.
Split infinitives: An infinitive is the basic verb form (to be, to do, etc.). “To boldly go where no man has gone before” may not sound as good as “To go boldly where no man….” Yet, many times, there simply is no other good place to put an adverb but in the middle of the infinitive. Don’t contort your sentences just to avoid splitting an infinitive.
Ending a sentence with a preposition: Prepositions are those little words such as in, on, to, for, with, by. The first step is to make sure you really need the preposition. In rise up, enter into, chase after, continue on (and others), the verbs all function without any preposition. Also, if you can attach the preposition to a verb, do so. Example: “I’m going to pick up the kids” sounds better than “I’m going to pick the kids up.” On the other hand, sometimes there is no other good place to put the preposition but at the end. (How else would you say, “It’s freezing in here because the air conditioning is on!”?) Don’t contort your sentences just to avoid ending with a preposition.
Fragments: A complete sentence requires both a subject and a verb; if one or the other is missing, it’s a fragment. Fragments can easily confuse a reader. On the other hand, if it’s brief, such as “Indeed.” “Perhaps.” “No problem.” “Probably not.” …it will be understood, and adding enough words to make a complete sentence can make it too wordy. Or, if the fragments follow a pattern, such as, “All of the kids in my neighborhood grew up to be successful professionals. Doctors. Lawyers. Airline pilots. Entrepreneurs.” Or “He walked away, and she never saw him again. Until today.” …again, it will be easily understood. Use fragments with care, and they can be effective.
Beginning with a conjunction: We used to avoid starting sentences with But, And, So. You could substitute Therefore, However, In addition. But those are all bigger words. And the little ones work fine. So go ahead and do it.
Beginning with “However”: This one is a little different. Most experts agree that we shouldn’t, in sentences such as, “I had a good time. However, the movie was too long.”
Instead, say either, “I had a good time; however, the movie was too long,” or “I had a good time. The movie was too long, however.” Usually, you can find a place to put however other than at the beginning.
In sentences such as, “However much we hurry, we will still be late,” you would put however at the beginning. The clue is whether or not however is followed by a comma.
“Hopefully”: Though exceedingly common, this is not a good word to use when you mean, “I hope….”, “It is hoped….”, “With a bit of luck….” or something like that. Hopefully does have its place, as in, “I ran hopefully to answer the door, wanting it to be my son, home safe and sound.”
“He”/ “she”/ “they”: This one won’t come up much in autobiographical writing, because you will probably remember the gender identities of the people in your life. But in other kinds of writing, you will have to decide.
Traditionally, when gender was unknown, we said he. A few decades ago, someone decided that’s sexist, and we must say he/she. This can be cumbersome if we must continue with his/her, him/her, and so on. So someone suggested we use the neutral they, but I personally think this sounds lame when we are talking about an individual.
I think the best rule is, if you know the gender, say it. If it doesn’t matter, choose one. If you have more than one person in your narrative, alternate genders—the teacher is she, the student is he, and so on.
Latin vs. Anglo-Saxon: We used to be told not to use Latin-based words when we can use Anglo-Saxon equivalents. That’s no longer the case (and thankfully so, because I prefer Latin). Avoid, shun, and eschew mean essentially the same thing. The origins are Latin, Anglo-Saxon, and French, respectively. Most people would choose avoid. But if you prefer the sound of one of the others, by all means, use it.
Technique: Following are some things that are generally accepted as “best.” They are neither “right” nor “wrong”; some probably would not be used in formal writing, but can help informal writing be more effective.
Dynamic verbs are better than static verbs. Static verbs include all forms of “to be,” and all verbs that function the same way (to look, sound, feel, taste, smell, seem, etc.). Example: “He was really tall” is not as good as “He towered over everyone else.” Reminder: static verbs are modified by adjectives, while dynamic verbs are modified by adverbs. Example: “His behavior was bad”; “He behaved badly.” Do not say, “I felt badly” unless you mean you were clumsy in the way you touched something.
Active verbs are better than passive verbs. Example: “Everyone enjoyed the concert” is better than “The concert was enjoyed by everyone.”
Verbs are the strongest part of speech, followed by nouns, then adjectives; adverbs are the weakest. If you can find a good verb, you don’t even need an adverb.
Avoid weak modifiers such as very, really, extremely. In the example above, if you say he “towered,” you don’t need any modifier.
“There is,” “there are,” “there was,” and “there were” are weak construction. Example: A River Runs Through It is a much better title than There’s a River in It.
Redundancy vs. repetition: Redundancy is when you use the same word, the same expression, the same construction too often, to a boring effect. Repetition is when you do so intentionally to make a point. The first is bad, the second good.
Leave out “and” in a long list. Example: “Our farm had every imaginable kind of domestic animal—horses, cows, sheep, goats, pigs, ducks, geese, even a tame squirrel.” See how the missing and suggests the list could go on longer.
Ellipsis: In this context, it means a missing word or words that do not cause confusion because a pattern has been established. Example: “My oldest child is sixteen; my youngest, nine.” Is has been left out of the second clause, but you understand it’s implied.
Cliches and metaphors: Don’t use cliches. Most began as meaningful metaphors but have been so overused they’re no good any more.
Don’t use metaphors unless you know the original meaning. For example, if you say, “tow the line” (instead of “toe the line”) or “a long road to hoe” (instead of “a long row to hoe”), you will sound ridiculous to readers who know better. Good metaphors can be very effective in giving flavor to a time and place. Use metaphors carefully.
Bibliography
- Writing Basics
- The Elements of Style, William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White (indispensable!)
- The Essential Writer’s Companion
- Keys to Great Writing, Stephen Wilbers (more in-depth than Elements of Style)
- Sin and Syntax, Constance Hale (also more in-depth)
- On Writing Well—The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction, William Zinsser
- The Craft of Writing, William Sloane
- Choose the Right Word, S.I. Hayakawa (far more detailed than Roget’s Thesaurus)
- The New Fowler’s Modern English Usage, R.W. Burchfield (very helpful even if you have a good dictionary)
- A note about thesauruses—print versions are generally thought to be better than the ones included in computer programs
- Life Story Writing
- How to Write the Story of Your Life, Frank P. Thomas (full of wonderful ideas and memory joggers)
- Turning Your Life Into Fiction, Robin Hemley (helpful for deciding what’s important and how to tie it together, even if you’re not planning to turn your life into fiction)
- Unlocking the Secrets of Your Childhood Memories, Dr. Kevin Leman and Randy
- Carlson (wonderful for helping us find out who we are through recalling our early memories)
- Writer’s Digest, February 1999 issue (available from Writer’s Digest, Back Issues, 1507
- Dana Ave., Cincinnati, OH 45207; 1-800-289-0963; $3.50 each)
- Anything published by Turning Memories Into Memoirs ™ www.turningmemories.com
About The Author
Lisa J. Lehr is a freelance writer and editor with a specialty in business and marketing communications. She holds a biology degree and has worked in a variety of fields, including the pharmaceutical industry and teaching, and has a related interest in personal history. She is also a graduate of American Writers and Artists Institute (AWAI), America’s leading course on copywriting. Contact Lisa J. Lehr Copywriting www.ljlcopywriting.com, Lisa@ljlcopywriting.com for help with your writing needs.
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Lyric Writing 101
Posted on December 31st, 2007
Lyric writing is much like any other style of writing, the more time you spend working on it, the more you will grow as a writer. So what exactly are lyrics? Song lyrics can basically be thought of as singable poetry. The Oxford dictionary defines the word ‘lyric’ as 1) (of poetry) expressing the poet’s thoughts and feelings, usually briefly and in stanzas, songlike (a lyric poem) 2) (lyrics) the words of a song. By using this definition, we can assume that the process of writing lyrics draws from some of the same techniques used in poetry.
Why write lyrics?
This may seem like an odd question, there are literary hundreds of answers to this, but it is something you will need to ask yourself before you start. Is it because you have a story to tell, because you want to express a particular emotion to your audience? Some write purely for themselves, like a kind of personal therapy. Or perhaps it’s simply because the human voice is an important part of the style of music they are written for.
What do you want to say?
Most lyrics are written with a message or some kind of effect in mind. You will need to have a clear idea of what you want out of the lyrics or you will run the risk of creating weak lyrics. Weak lyrics tend to resort to clichéd, generic and boring phrases when they are written solely to ‘fit’ the tune. On the other hand, don’t be carried away with the message, make it a point for the lyrics to be somewhat cryptic. Do not ‘spoon feed’ your audience, plant the seed of your idea and let the audience come to their own conclusions.
As with all forms of creativity, lyrics are an expression of personal ideas, beliefs and themes. Lyric writing is just a matter of expressing these beliefs and feelings. As with most forms of writing, it is best to write about what you know. Because everybody has their own experiences, emotions and beliefs, it becomes hard to give an exact instruction on how to write, everyone has their own opinions on how it should be done. The most I can do in this series is give a guide about how to go about finding your own style by learning from the music that you listen to. This is a great way to learn, as many of the bands you listen to have learned, and draw influences, from other established artists.
There are several ways you can write lyrics:
- Create a melody & write lyrics to accompany it; or
- Write a set of lyrics & add the melody to it; or
- A combination of the above two examples, i.e. do both at the same time.
So, where do you actually start with the writing process? Well, there are countless possible ways (too many to mention here). It really is a matter of preference; every lyricist has his or her own style, much like any artist. A couple of simple ways that are an excellent way to begin are as follows:
1) Start with a possible hook line or chorus and work around it
An example of this can be taken from Coldplay’s hit “Yellow”. The song was derived from a first line that came about from where the band was on the night, as explained in October’s SOS: “‘Yellow’ was written at Rockfield when we where there. The studio we were in is called the Quadrangle Studio – the studio is along one side of an open courtyard, and we went out one night, and because there were so few lights, the stars were just amazing. Guy just came up with the line ‘Look at the stars.’”
2) Start with a title and work around it.
For example, using “Written in Sand” as your title, you can brain-storm around this idea: The phrase suggests that which can be washed away; it also brings the phrase ‘written in stone’ to mind; the word “sand” brings to mind the words like flowing & changing, which brings the words time & water. The word “written” suggests fate or destiny. So a possibility that the song will be about how you can change your destiny. Now there is a basic theme that you can work around.
Tools Of The Trade
What are the tools of a lyricist? One would obviously think a pen and paper (or a computer & word processor) plus the creative mind of the lyricist and the possible use of a musical instrument. There are other tools available for the lyricist to take advantage of, these may seem painfully obvious, but they are quite often overlooked by many people.
Dictionary – A dictionary is an essential tool for any writer, not only for spelling but word meanings. English is a dynamic language, words are constantly being added so it is important to keep an updated dictionary on hand, a 20-year-old dictionary may’ no longer contain the latest words and meanings. It is important not to be too abstruse for your audience but neither is there the need to overuse the same monosyllabic words. It may be of use to keep a couple of different dictionaries (i.e. Oxford & Macquarie) this is because some word meanings may differ slightly, and can be used to colour your lyrics.
Thesaurus – A good dictionary can be supplemented with a thesaurus. The use of a thesaurus is a great way to avoid over-using words and can even inspire your ideas leading them to new directions. This can be very usefully whilst brainstorming.
* — * This is just a simple word-association game; that you can easily apply to any word. Look up the word ‘remains’ in your thesaurus, you are shown: debris, fragments, leavings, leftovers, remnants, and scraps. Now look up ‘debris’ and you will find it also has: flotsam, litter, pieces, refuse, rubbish, rubble, ruins, wreckage and waste to add to your word list. You can do this with as many of the words you like. Some of these extra words will have no use for what you are working on but there may be those one or two words that will fit perfectly.
Rhyming Dictionaries - These particular dictionaries are specifically generated for poets and lyricists. They do not define words as most dictionaries do; they merely list words that rhyme. Some scorn the use of this particular tool, sighting that it is all too easy to rely solely on the list of rhymes than to put a little thought into your rhyming structure. It is also true that many people waste a considerable amount of time listing the words they know to rhyme only to lose the train of thought they were on thus, killing the creative process. If used sensibly, like a thesaurus, a rhyming dictionary can be a very useful tool.
Other Dictionaries – There are other dictionaries available that may be of use to a lyricist. One that comes to mind is the ‘slang’ dictionary. I’ve only seen an “Australian Dictionary of Slang”. Most countries use their own form of slang so I would assume that there are others available. It really depends on what you are working on and who your target audience is, but they may help to put that finishing touch, or stamp of authenticity on a piece. Check your local bookshop for the range of other dictionaries available.
Other Means – What other tools are available? There are many other ways to help with the creative process. Listening to a wide range of music can be helpful, don’t just listen to your normal ‘style’ of music, there are thousands of different music styles around, explore these possibilities. Music has been inspiring people for thousands of years, so it seems logical to turn to it when it comes to your own musical venture.
You may not like some particular styles of music, but you can get an idea from them that you can convert or merge to your chosen genre. If done correctly, it has the potential of being a powerful piece of music that is unique. This is why it is important to be open to all styles and ideas. Some of the most ‘controversial’ bands have reached the popularity they have, simply because they have a unique sound and the ‘message’ they want to convey is something that their fans can relate to.
Bands like Korn, Limp Bizkit, Staind, Linkin Park and Disturbed are given the music ‘title’ of nu-metal (or nu-music) simply because they utilize a wide range of musical sub-genres within the ‘rock’ genre. This can be seen in other more established merges such as ‘country-rock’, ‘pop-rock’ and the recent surfacing of ‘Latin-pop/rock’. If you look throughout music history (particularly that of ‘rock & roll’) you can see this trend more clearly. What do I mean by mixing the different genres? Below are some examples of what I mean.
* ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ by Queen is a perfect example of genre mixing. The song has three distinct phase changes within it. It starts off similar to many ballads, then phase changes to a ‘light opera-ish’ stage, and phase changes to ‘rock’ before changing back to the ‘ballad’.
* Another trend that is starting up is adapting a song from one style of music and transforming it to another. An example of this can be taken from many of Staind’s songs. The album version of their song ‘Can’t Believe’ has a distinguished ‘rock’ sound. But if you listen to the MTV: Unplugged version, you will notice that (although the music has the same tune) it is acoustic and is sung in a more ballad-like tune.
* — * In Australia, the radio station Triple M’s Breakfast Show has a ‘Musical Challenge’ in place where they put musicians (both local & international) “to the test”. The Challenge: give a song to a band which is the total opposite to their normal style and get them to ‘remake’ it. Triple M has released some of these songs on CD (proceeds going to charity) if your interested in listening. Some of the songs used: Radiohead’s “Creep” performed by country singer Gina Jeffreys (one of the stations most requested songs); Coolio’s “Gangsta’s Paradise” performed by rock musician Richard Clapton, Men At Work’s “Down Under” performed by The Russian Red Army Choir (now one of their most popular songs); Silverchair’s “Freak” performed by country singer Troy Cassar-Daley; the list goes on. It’s well worth the listen.
Apart from listening to these different forms, you could simply go to a site like http://www.getlyrics.com and just read the lyric form of different musical styles. You can easily use the above example and apply it to just the lyric process of some of these artists and merge it to your own music. There is a wealth of knowledge to be discovered from established artists, only if you are willing to look. It may not be ‘conventional’ but then, throughout history, music has been about breaking down pre-existing barriers
As you can see, there is a lot more available to the lyricist besides the simple pen and paper. If used wisely these various tools can help to hone your skills as a lyricist, bringing the best out of your work. Naturally, there may be other tools available that haven’t been mentioned here that the lyricist can use. By all means, use whatever comes to mind. You are only limited by your imagination.
About The Author
Chyna Dolores is an author on http://www.Writing.Com/ which is a site for Writers. You can veiw her personal work at http://www.chynadolores.com.
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Learn a Foreign Language with Audio books
Posted on December 31st, 2007
Many of us English speakers did another language at school (I did French) but if you’re like me and studies say many people are then you didn’t really take it seriously and probably don’t remember much.
***After all, English is the global language of business and aviation so what’s the point?***
Yes, maybe…up to a point…
***Holiday problems***
You get into a medical emergency or your wallet gets stolen and the police don’t speak English…
***Money***
Fact – Speaking another language massively (HUGELY!) expands your career options and opportunities.
If you’re going for a job where a 2nd language isn’t needed it will give you a powerful advantage if you’re up against someone who doesn’t have it.
If a job does need a 2nd language then if you can’t speak it you’ve got no chance – And in the ever expanding global economy those of us who are multi lingual WILL have access to more and better prospects, and, basically, earn more money.
***”Social Mobility”***
My own situation – move country for personal reasons (love 
I’m in Sweden where pretty much everyone DOES speak English but it was a big hindrance. I felt like a social outcast – they don’t speak English at parties I can tell you!
***So How to do learn with a language audio book***
You can do evening classes etc – But that sucks up time like crazy. I know, I’ve done the Swedish For Immigrants course here. It’s excellent but I only had time for a basic primer course and even that took up too much time (I run my own business at home at break neck speed and have a demanding dog with separation anxiety issues!)
So being a lover of mp3 audio books (and owner of an audio book website!) I got myself a Swedish language audio book which I played when walking the dog, riding to the shops and any other non work or family focus time – About an hour a day in my world.
***Start it and Keep at it***
Don’t give up At first not much goes in but after a while I can tell you that your ears get tuned in and it starts to make sense.
***Courses vary.***
Mine simply has the phrase or word being said in English then Swedish or vice versa – The core phrases are repeated in different ways and so build & reinforce the key basics to which you add vocabulary – and away you go!
***How long does it take?***
1-3 months depending on you and how hard you go at it.
If you do 1-2 hours a day then you’ll be able to speak a significant amount of any language after 6 weeks and be hot in 3 months.
Just imagine how surprised your friends and people at work will be when you chatter away in your new language – and it’s a GREAT feeling too.
I bombed in French at school and had a real mental block about learning another language i.e., I can’t do it – Now I can and audio books really pushed me to it. If I can do it anyone can – and that means you so get to it!
At worst next time you go on holiday you can speak the basics with the locals and sort out problems or have more fun shopping. At best you’ll be able to twitter away like a songbird!
***Suggested audio book language learning “courses” ***
There are many audio book versions of leading foreign language study courses as well as audio book specific ones.
Prices go from a few pounds or dollars for holiday starters (a perfect way to start) into hundreds for some very detailed “total” courses like Pimsleur levels 1-3+
To make a start just go to a search engine and type in the name of the language followed by “audio book” and start digging from there.
About The Author
Nick Moseley shares time between the UK & Sweden where he lives with his fiancé Lena & goes fishing (not as much as he wants!) He runs MyAudioBookShelf.com a 7000+ title downloadable audio book website. If you’re looking for language audio books see the dedicated section at http://www.myaudiobookshelf.com/list.aspx?catId=76
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How to Write Effective Emails | Effective Email Techniques
Posted on December 25th, 2007
Here are some tips for Effective Email Communication:
Use emails to express – NOT to impress
Content
- Write Meaningful Subject - Put maximum 5 words summary of message in the subject line. If you are forwarding a message, consider rewriting the subject line.
- Short Message – Don’t write more than one screen view. Write to the point. Consider text wrapping. Message shouldn’t exceed 70 characters per line. If it is likely to get forwarded, don’t put more than 60 characters per line.
Be polite – Email is a permanent record and can attract legal action. So before sending any ANGRY message, consider having a cup of tea, relax and then decide.
Attachments - Avoid big attachments. If possible, try to compress files using programs like Winzip or winrar. Don’t forget to mention file format of the attachment and program needed to open it.
Signature – Plain text – no jazzy graphics and html or rich text formatting. Signature shouldn’t run more than 5 lines. Do consider writing your full email address and contact number whenever required.
Intended Audience - Mark copies to only recipients who NEED to know. Never use “BCC – Blind Copies” in professional communication.
Letter Case – DON’T USE ALL CAPS – It means “SHOUTING”
Effective Email Techniques
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