All Blog Posts Tagged 'writing' (141)

Therefore and Too are conjunctive adverbs, and they cause a lot of problems with commas. Before we look at using commas with therefore and too, we need to understand conjunctive adverbs and what they do.

What Conjunctive Adverbs Do

A conjunctive adverb shows how the idea in one sentence or independent clause…

Have you ever looked carefully at the time you spend promoting your work? I'd always thought I had a good feel for this but recently I had a surprise.

On a one week break recently in a remote place (The English Lake District), I had to make some special arrangements to provide internet access so that I could continue promoting my thriller  'Take No More'. So, I bought and installed a 3G dongle, you know, one of those gizmos that slips into the USB slot on your laptop. It…

You have a document, and it has special formatting. Perhaps it has heading styles, block quotes, references, and the like. Maybe you need to use APA style or MLA style. Perhaps your document has special chapter titles. Keeping track of these styles—and using them consistently—can…

Language, and writing, can do one of two things, depending on how it is used: enhance a relationship or damage it. In simple terms, it can help bring people together or push them apart; it can help you accomplish your purposes, or it can hinder you. Language is never neutral.

What does this mean for you as you write? This means you have to think carefully…

You have two connected ideas, two ideas that together make a complete message. In fact, the connection is so close that you want to join them into one long sentence. For example, let’s say you want to communicate these two ideas:

1. The man entered with a gun.

2. Bank personnel were not amused.

You want to write them in one longer…

I will be compiling a list of books that I have used for various stages of research when writing essays, booklets, and white papers.

Finding the right resources to point a writer in a good direction is just as having something to say. As many people are finding out who write non-fiction, our opinion is just that, our opinion, but it helps to have your opinion backed by other so-called experts.

Each post will highlight a different resource, what it was used…

                     Jumping in the car (well....van), cranking the music, and going for a long drive, is one of my favorite things to do. With no errands to run or destination in mind, I feel free--happy. My kids quiet, my mind clears, and I can think to the beat of the music while I delight in the view of the valleys, streams and farms. I love to discover new places and the…

1. I think chocolate is tasty too.
2. I think chocolate is tasty, too.

Although paragraph structure challenges writers, it is essential not only to help organize the content logically but also to keep the reader interested to the end of the document. On the other hand, if paragraphs are not structured well, the reader will have difficulty understanding the ideas being presented and will be unlikely to respond as you wish.

You…

Do commas confuse you?

The final stage of the writing and editing process is proofreading: correcting any errors in spelling, punctuation, word usage, and format. Roughly 75% of what I do while proofreading clients’ documents is correct commas.

 

When I teach university writing courses, I ask the students, “What’s the number one thing that confuses you…

When writing or speaking about indigenous people there are several terms available for us to use.  Older words have been replaced with newer, more culturally-sensitive phrases.  Sometimes it can get confusing to know just which term is appropriate for which group of people.

Some terms are either too inclusive or not inclusive enough.  They are ambiguous, not really portraying the group accurately.  A slow change began in the late 60s to use more respectful and meaningful…

1. The toy was red [comma] round [comma] and heavy.

2. I purchased pickles at the store [comma] gas at the convenience store [comma] and flowers at the florist for my beautiful wife.

Series: A series is a string of three or more…

I write for my life. I write as a way to heal from my disability imposed on me by crime, dentists and the system. I write to change the world and deliver strong messages of change.

I write inspite of those who tried to stop me and my book. I write everyday even when I have nothing to say. I write even when I see that there are better writers than me.

I write to reach out and create change. Words are tools of expressions which otherwise I would lay on canvases and wood.

I…

MOMBASA, KENYA

Tommy Cooper jumped into the passenger seat of the battered jeep pickup.

“Did you find any Tequila?” asked Matthew Butler, not looking up from the map he was examining. 

“No,” Tommy replied, “I had to settle for Rum.  I guess there’s not much call for Tequila in Kenya.  I also got Captain Z his Johnny Walker.  For beer, I got plenty of Tusker, the Budweiser of Africa.  I grabbed the last of the Guinness, and to round out the order, I got 10 cases…

For nearly 20 years, I have helped graduate students edit essays, research papers, dissertations, and other graduate-level papers. Some papers only need basic proofreading to correct spelling errors, grammar errors, punctuation errors, and problems with word choice. Other papers need help with APA format, reference lists, and citations. However, most papers need substantial revising.

The most common problem I have found when editing graduate papers is the lack of…