Interesting Writing Hints

From the Monthly Newsletter of: Training Rewards from Fred Pryor Seminars and CareerTrack, divisions of PARK University Enterprises, Inc. Tips, Tricks and Techniques for Finding Errors When Proofing Take a break One of the quickest and easiest ways to miss errors is to simply proof too much at one time. Taking a break allows both your eyes and brain to take a rest from what you've been looking at. Proofing fresh, with a clear mind, is a huge benefit. Proof a hardcopy With so much communication occurring electronically, it may seem easier to simply proof what is on your computer screen. Instead, print out the copy and physically touch it with your pen. Read out loud It seems silly, but reading copy out loud allows you to hear the tone of the writing and catch errors differently than simply reading silently. Sometimes it even helps to have someone else read it to you to fully take in every bit of the copy you are proofing. They are less likely to correct errors or awkward verbiage the way you may when reading your own words. Read your text backward and forward Often when proofreading copy, it is easy to get into the flow of the words and miss mistakes. By reading the text backward, you find you get less engaged in the content and will be more prone to find errors. Don't go looking for errors Yes, when you are proofreading a document, your job is to make it spotless. Sometimes, though, it's easy to get caught up in trying to find something and making a mark on a page that doesn't belong. Have confidence in your proofreading skills and don't try to find mistakes that don't exist.

Commonly Misused Words and How to Use Them Correctly Here is a sample of words commonly misused in everyday writing: Accept & Except — Accept means to receive while except means to exclude. Affect & Effect — Affect means to influence while effect refers to a result. Capital & Capitol — Capital refers to a city while capitol refers to the building where lawmakers meet. Climactic & Climatic — Climactic is derived from the word "climax" and means the apex of a series of events while climatic refers to the weather. Principle & Principal — Principle is a basic truth or a law while principal is the head of a school or an organization or a sum of money. Than & Then — Than is a conjunction used to compare two items while then denotes time. There, Their & They're — There specifies a place, their is a possessive pronoun and they're is a contraction of they and are. Your & You're — Your is a pronoun denoting possession while you're is a contraction of you and are.

Five Rules for Subject-Verb Agreement Two singular subjects connected with "and" are plural and need a plural verb — "Mom and Dad are picking up dinner tonight." Two singular subjects connected with "or" or "nor" are singular and need a singular verb — "Either Bill or Greg is getting the hot wings." A phrase placed between the subject and the verb does not change the tense needed for the verb — "The pterodactyl, a majestic creature, was largely flightless." vs. "His family members, while not always gracious guests, were quite polite last night." The words "either," "neither," "everyone," "everybody," "anyone," "anybody," "none" and "each" are singular and need a singular verb — "Each of my friends is different in his or her own way." Fractions or parts of a plural noun are plural — "Half of the students are missing class for Homecoming."