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When referring to a person who has completed something, whether it be a job, political office, or marriage/relationship should you use the term “ex-” or “former”?

This is a pet peeve of mine, as I often hear people use “ex” when they should use “former”. Usually, “ex-”, which is a prefix, is used if the person left the position in question under less than stellar conditions. For example, if a politician has been forced to leave office before the end of his or her term because of some shady or illegal dealings, it would be correct to call that person the “ex-mayor” or “ex-congressman”, etc. Usually, the end of a marriage or relationship is not on such good terms, which is why the person is called your “ex-”.

However, if the person’s tenure is just over, then the proper term should be “former”. “Former” just says that the term or condition is over, period. The situation ended because it was supposed to, not because of any negative circumstances.

Many people use “ex-” and “former” interchangeably; but there really is a difference.

Contact the writing and editing specialists at Writing It Right For You if you have any questions about the correct grammar for your project. We’ll be glad to help!

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School House Rock

So, these two terms are relatively simple to use.  Proper placement is EVERYTHING here.

Of course, the definition is most important.  To define each of these equally confusing terms, let’s turn to Webster.

‘Its’ is an adjective.  The term ‘its’ is used to explain something relating to itself.  Here is an example of ‘its’ being used properly.  “The dog placed its final paw print into the flower bed.”

Now, the term ‘it’s’ is a conjunction, you all remember School House Rock:  Conjunction Junction (sings) “what’s your function.” Sure you do, but if you’re in denial, a conjunction is the act of combining, in this case words.  It is and/or it has.  For example, “it’s a shame she didn’t think to eat before the wedding, look at that stain!”

Possession is nine tenths of the law.

“It Matters How You Say It!”

If you need writing or editing assistance with the very confusing English language rules, contact the professionals at Writing It Right For You. We’re here to help because “It Matters How You Say It”!

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These terms right here, are 100% interchangeable.  It doesn’t actually matter which is used.  Now, your professor/client/general reader may look at you funny if you use ‘all right’ only because it’s outdated.

Here’s an interesting tidbit, according to the “word people” at Webster, the one-word spelling of alright came about 75 YEARS after the original two-word spelling.

Let’s break down each term, starting with the original:

‘All right’ is an adverb that is used to show a continuing conversation.  This is also used as an interjection (fancy interruption in dialogue) in a sentence.  “All right, we can ride one more time.”

Alright can be used as an adverb OR adjective.  Actually, both the single and two word spelling can be used in many different ways.

Something mediocre, “the food was alright/all right, not too bad.”

Something agreeable, “whatever you choose is all right/alright.”

Something or someone’s well being, “The doctor just said they’ll be all right/alright.”

So whichever term you choose is in fact, all right….or alright.

“It Matters How You Say It!”

If you need writing or editing assistance with the very confusing English language rules, contact the professionals at Writing It Right For You. We’re here to help because “It Matters How You Say It”!

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Who or Whom?

No, this is not an owl impression.  These are two words so controversially similar, they’ve sparked debate among the most esteemed of writers and educators.

Both of these words serve as pronouns (words that can be substituted for nouns or noun phrases defined by context).

*Who – What or which person or persons. “Who was that man running down the street?”

*Whom – Objective of who to be used the object of a verb when asking a question or relative, which is a word making reference to another with context.  “With whom did you speak to when you last called here?”

Who can also be used as a function word to introduce a relative, “my father, who is a lawyer, never reacted badly to stress”. There is another version of who, that like whom, can be used when asking a question.  “Whoever broke the vase is in big trouble.”

Whom fun fact:  Did you know writers the world over for a long time (1870 to present day), thought that usage of the word whom would disappear as it’s mostly familiar in Shakespearean and, even older, a biblical turn of phrase.  However, this debate is still ongoing.

“It Matters How You Say It!”

If you need writing or editing assistance with the very confusing English language rules, contact the professionals at Writing It Right For You. We’re here to help because “It Matters How You Say It”!

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Further or Farther?

Further and farther could not be closer if they were the same word.  Although these words are interchangeable, they do hold different meanings.

Further means to explain something to a degree or extent and can be used to modify a sentence.  ”I was further annoyed by his constant questions.”  Further can also be used to show something in addition to another, here’s an example:

“Further, I do not feel as if he can handle the demands of the task.”

Farther is used to explain a distance or more advanced point.  For instance, “frustrated, he got no farther than chapter 2.”  Now, to show or explain a distance, “he completely forgot his car was parked on the farther side of the parking lot.”

The rule of thumb:

*  Only as adverbs (word describing the verb in a sentence) when used to explain spatial or metaphorical distance, can one stand in for the other.

*  When there is no mention of actual distance FURTHER is used.

These words look alike, sound alike, and can be used collectively.  Funnily enough, both of these words are from the same Etymology (origin) only two centuries apart.  Further is derived from 12th century Middle English.  Farther comes from the Middle English language of the 14th century.

How much closer do they need to be to confuse us 21st century writers?!

If you need writing or editing assistance with the very confusing English language rules, contact the professionals at Writing It Right For You. We’re here to help because “It Matters How You Say It”!

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To dangle or not to dangle!

A very common English grammar error, and one of my favorites because the result of the error is often very funny, is the “dangling modifier”. A modifier is a word or phrase that changes the meaning of another word. Adjectives and adverbs are modifiers.

A house. A big house. A big green house.

He ate the sandwich. He ate the sandwich quickly. He ate the sandwich very quickly.

Can you find the adjectives and adverbs in the above sentences? Can you identify the words that the adjectives and adverbs modify?

OK, the above examples were pretty easy. People usually get in trouble with modifiers when the words are put in the wrong place in the sentence. Because the modifier is not modifying the right word, it seems to “dangle”.

Incorrect: Running for the subway, my purse fell in the mud. Your purse was running to catch the subway? No wonder it fell in the mud!

Correct: Running for the subway, I dropped my purse in the mud. Now the sentence makes sense, because the word I is what is being described by the phrase “running for the subway”.

Can you find and correct the dangling modifier in this sentence?

Incorrect: After quickly changing into my hospital gown, the nurse told me to take a deep breath.

Correct: ____________________________________________________

Contact the professional writers and editors at Writing It Right For You for help undangling your modifiers!

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Defining “adjective” and “adverb” is much easier than remembering the correct usage for these parts of speech.

An adjective is a part of speech that modifies, defines or changes a noun.
* The dress is red. The dress is red and long. The dress is red, long and fancy. In each case, the noun being modified is “dress”; and “red”, “long” and “fancy” describe or modify dress. Can you see the different dresses in your imagination? With each sentence, the dress “looks” different because of the different adjectives used to describe it.

An adverb is a part of speech that modifies, defines, or changes a verb. Usually, an adverb ends with the suffix “-ly”, but not always.

• The girl ran quickly. The adverb quickly describes how the girl ran.
• The man stood still. Here the adverb still describes how the man stood, but the adverb in this case does not end in “-ly”.

Of course, there are more rules (and the usual exceptions to the rules) for using adjectives and adverbs. There will be more examples in future posts. If you are not quite sure that your writing properly uses these words, make sure to contact the professional writers and editors at Writing It Right For You for assistance.

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Affect and effect are two of the most confused words in the English language. The simple rule is:
* affect spelled with an “a” is usually a verb that shows some kind of action. The simple definition of affect is “to influence” or “to make happen”. How will eating chocolate cake for every meal affect my weight?
* effect spelled with an “e” is usually a noun that names something. The simple definition of effect is “a result”. The effect of my choice of chocolate cake for every meal was a big change in my weight.

The two words seem to sound alike, but actually there is a slight difference in pronunciation between “uh-fect” (affect) and “eh-fect” (effect).

Use the verb affect when you are describing how one thing has an impact upon another thing.

Use the noun effect when you are showing the result of an action or feeling.

Since this is the English language we’re talking about, there are some exceptions to this grammar rule. In psychology, affect can be used differently; and effect can sometimes be use as a verb.

If you need writing or editing assistance with the very confusing English language rules, contact the professionals at Writing It Right For You. We’re here to help because “It Matters How You Say It”!

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Here they are again: those “dead language” (Latin, of course) abbreviations! The English language uses many words and abbreviations that are rooted in Latin; and “i.e.” and “e.g.” are two of most common. But when should each abbreviation be used? How can you remember?

i.e. The full Latin words are “id est” and mean “that is”. “i.e.” is usually used as an abbreviation for “in other words” or “that is”; to make more specific or more clear. The easiest way to remember when to use “i.e.” is i is for is.

e.g. The full Latin words are “exempli gratia” which translates into “for sake of an example”. “e.g.” is generally used as “for example” or “including” as part of a shortened list. The easiest way to remember when to use “e.g.” is e for example.

Writing It Right For You can assist you with all of your grammar and usage challenges in your writing and copywriting projects. Contact us to discuss your needs.

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Writing your document is just the first step. Whether you are writing a letter, a report, web content, marketing materials or a dissertation, your writing must be edited. It must also be proofread. What is the difference? Many people think that editing and proofreading are the same thing, but actually they are two different processes. Think back to your school days: your teacher usually told you that the paper you were writing was only the “first draft”. (And you thought you were finished with that assignment!) Once your first draft is completed, the two-part editing process begins.

The whole process is all often called “editing”, but editing is actually the first component, and should begin as soon as the first draft is completed. There are several levels of editing:

* How well is the actual content written? Does it make sense? If instructions or guidelines were given, were they followed? Does the overall document have a smooth and consistent flow?

* How is the document structured? Is everything clear? Are the topics and sub-topics logical? Does the writing move smoothly from one idea to the next?

* Is your writing clear to the reader? Is everything explained clearly? Is everything cited or hyperlinked correctly? Is the tone and “voice” consistent? Is your writing too brief or too long or too repetitive or too bland?

These are just some of what is involved in the “editing” part of the process. Often it will take several revisions to reach the final draft.

Then the document is ready for proofreading, which is the last step of the editing process. Proofreading should be done after all of the revisions are completed. Proofreading involves checking for misspellings, incorrect or missing punctuation, grammar, and formatting.

Although all word processors have spelling and grammar checkers, they are not foolproof. A word can be spelled correctly, but used incorrectly. For example, many people confuse “your” and “you’re”. Both words are spelled correctly, but are used differently. A word processing spell checker would not recognize the difference. There are similar problems with relying only on the grammar checker in a word processor. English is a very complicated language, and the grammar checkers in word processing programs are too limited in their scope.

Finally,y the formatting and citations or references must be consistent. When your writing has been edited, proofread, and formatted carefully and in detail, it is finally ready for final distribution or publication. Your writing needs both editing and proofreading.

If you need professional editing and proofreading for your academic or business documents, contact us for a customized project plan.

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