English Tips for ESL Learners

October 12, 2008 | Leave a Comment

English can be a challenging second language. It’s a big language with a daunting amount of vocabulary. Much of that vocabulary is confusing or contradictory, with homonyms that sound the same but are spelled differently, and inconsistent spelling rules. Regular verbs in English are fairly simple to conjugate, but there are many, many irregular verbs. When the rules and exceptions have been mastered, you still must learn English idioms, phrases which mean more than the literal translation of their words.

English Vocabulary

English is a living and evolving language with a rich, diverse history. Much of English has its roots in Latin, and this gives the language a certain order and predictability. English, however, has borrowed from dozens of languages over the years. This wealth of diversity makes the study of English an endlessly fascinating challenge.

Homonyms

One of the toughest challenges in building an English vocabulary is differentiating between homonyms, words which sound the same but have a different meaning. Sometimes the spelling is the same. A “vault” is a safe or strongbox. “To vault” is to jump over something.

Often homonyms are spelled differently. Here is a list of a few common homonyms. There are many more.

It’s – It is.
Its – Belonging to it. This is an exception to the usual rule about using an apostrophe to indicate possession.

Led – Past tense of the verb “to lead.”
Lead (pronounced “led”) – a soft, heavy grey metal.

Break – To badly damage something; a gap or interruption.
Brake – To stop.

Higher – With more height.
Hire – To employ.

Peace – The opposite of war or strife.
Piece – Part of something.

Spelling Rules

English spelling can be distressingly inconsistent. “Stuff,” “tough,” and “Ralph” all end with the same sound. “Ambitious,” “vicious,” and “shoes” just about rhyme, while “tough” and “plough” sound very different. To make matters worse, spellings vary in different parts of the world. “Plough” is the British spelling for a farming implement that would be called a “plow” in the United States.

Here is an example of a mnemonic device for remembering spelling.

I before E, except after C,
or when sounded like “ay,” as in “neighbor” and “weigh.”

This covers many situations.

I before E – this covers words like “relief” and “grieve”

except after C – this covers words like “conceive” and “receipt”

or when sounded like “ay,” as in “neighbor” and “weigh” – this covers words like “freight”

However, there are still exceptions. The past tense or plural form of words ending in “cy” will be “cied” or “cies.” Examples include “fancied” and “emergencies.” There are many other exceptions, including “conscience,” “ancient,” “glacier,” and “society.”

Plurals

The rules in English for creating the plural form of nouns are fairly simple. Add an “s” to the end of the word. If the word ends in “y,” change the “y” to “ies.” If the word ends in “f,” change the “f” to “ves.” There are, however, many exceptions. Here are a few examples.

Singular    Plural
mouse    mice
moose    moose
goose        geese
cow        cows or cattle
child        children

Verbs

The English language has many irregular verbs. The most significant example is the verb “to be.”

I am hungry.
You are hungry.
He is hungry.
I will be hungry.
Yesterday I was hungry.

Many verbs have an irregular form in the past tense. Here are some common examples.

Present    Past
catch         caught
come        came
do        did
fly        flew
freeze        froze
get         got
hide         hid
send        sent
sleep        slept
take        took
tell        told

Idioms

An idiom is a common figurative expression. An idiom will usually be recognized immediately by a native English speaker, but the meaning may not be clear to someone from another culture. Here are some examples of common English idioms.

A bit much – excessive; too much

A little bird told me – someone told me, and I don’t want to say who

A penny for your thoughts – what are you thinking about?

About-face – a complete change of direction or opinion

Made of money – has plenty of money

Make a mountain out of a molehill – make a small problem seem much bigger
Much ado about nothing – a lot of fuss about something insignificant

Packed like sardines – extremely crowded

Pain in the neck – something annoying

Paint the town red – go out partying and drinking

Put your foot in your mouth – say something inappropriate or embarrassing

Tall order – something difficult to achieve

Tall tale – a story that is exaggerated and untrue

Think outside the box – think creatively, without limitations

Tongue in cheek – something spoken “with tongue in cheek” is not meant to be taken seriously

Baby boomer – an American or Canadian born just after World War II

Egg on your face – you look foolish or embarrassed

Elbow grease – hard physical work

Posted by white smoke | Filed Under Accurate Spell Checker, Correct Grammar Software, Grammar Correction, Grammar Software, Intelligent Style Checker, Writing Software, editing, editing proofreading, english learning, english writing, esl software, grammar checker, proofreading, punctuation, verb tenses, white smoke, white smoke review, whitesmoke, whitesmoke review, writing, writing proofreading

Effectiveness of a Remedial Programme on Grammatical Errors in Writings of Engineering Students

October 12, 2008 | Leave a Comment

Chapter 1

Introduction

The present study is an attempt to find out the factors that mar the ESP students’ use of English language for academic / professional purposes. The study consists of a remedial programme that is designed to rectify some typical grammatical errors in the writings of a group of students learning English for a specific purpose. It aims at providing a specially designed remedial programme to be helpful in making the ESP students more efficient in receiving and reproducing their domain knowledge with the help of accurate and appropriate linguistic expressions.

This introductory chapter opens with a discussion of the present study’s aptness within the contexts of Gujarat and regional students. Basically the whole study aims at discussing the problem in terms of English as a second language. It is followed by definition and division of types of error, the need of error analysis and some basic discussion about remedial programmes in general.

1.1 Problem Statement

The problem statement for this research is: “Effectiveness of a remedial programme on grammatical errors in writings of engineering students”.

1.2 Definition of terms:

a. Effectiveness: It is a qualitative measure of success of a pre decided target.

b. Remedial programme: Remedial programme is a solution to a problem that has been observed and analyzed. A remedial programme is especially designed to correct the very specific drawback which has been recognized during the study. So at the end if the programme achieves the target, i.e. correction of the errors, it is successful.

c. Grammatical errors: Grammatical errors are a specific type of errors where there are problems with the basic structure of sentence formation, or sequence of the words in a sentence, due to which, the communication is marred.

d. Writings: Writing is one of the output skills, and those who learn English as a second language, use this skill as their basic expression of a language. Therefore, here too the source of data would be the writings of students only.

1.3 English in Gujarat

When a foreign language is used in a multilingual country like India, it has a very sensitive and complex role to play. English, being a global language, is an essential part of languages used in Gujarat as well, like any other region in India.

But, in order to recognize the status or role of English language in culture and education exchanges in Gujarat or any other region, first we have to see whether it plays the role of a second language or a foreign language only. In the introduction to “Reading in English Language Teaching in India”, S. Kudchedkar explains the same as under:

“Even when a language does not function as the mother tongue of any section of the population of the country, it may, none the less, fulfill such an important role within the country that it can be termed a second language. When a language has no such role to play, but is studied purely from a cultural or a humanistic point of view by those interested in its literature or culture, or from a utilitarian point of view by those who require it for purposes such as business relations or studies abroad, it may be termed a foreign language. In case of a second language, there is bound to be far more exposure to the language, there is bound to be far more exposure to the language in the environment, greater motivation to learn and greater justification in a compulsory subject of study.” (‘Introduction to Readings in English Language Teaching in India’, page. 3)

In India English is taken more as second language rather than a foreign language. It may be the third or the fourth language introduced to the children in the school. All these considerations affect the English language performance of Gujarati students.

Looking at it from a learner’s point of view, the exposure to English is there to a great extent – Newspapers, Sign boards, Television, Radio, and Internet etc. It acts as a link-language that link us with outside cultures.

All these considerations will affect the proficiency with which Gujarati students use English language.

In a highly culture bound region like Gujarat, where the speakers of other regional language are very less in number, an exposure to any other language but Gujarati doesn’t become a die hard necessity for majority of population. The same is the case with any other traditional sosociety of India. Metropolitan city where all cultures co-exist, the exposure to other languages is easily available and at the same time the degree of necessity also differs. So actually, language learning can’t be totally detached from the surrounding of the learner. When the real exposure is not there we try to compensate this limited exposure with fake classroom situation. However, now it is being thought very seriously to introduce English language to the Gujarati learners at least as a second language through curriculum, so that the use of the English language can become more efficient.

1.4 Error and Mistake

In order to analyze learners’ errors in a proper perspective, it is crucial to make a distinction between a “mistake” and an “error”. According to Brown (2000), a “mistake” refers to a performance error in that it is a failure to utilize a known system correctly, while an “error” is a noticeable deviation from the adult grammar of a native speaker, reflecting the interlanguage competence of the learner. This recognition process is followed by the error description process. We compare learners’ sentences with the correct sentences in target language, and find out the errors. The differences between these two in detailed can be described as under:

Errors are result of ignorance. Whereas mistakes are result of stress.
Errors of a learner have a definite pattern, whereas mistakes do not occur in pattern.
Errors can’t be rectified by its doer, mistakes can be.

1.4.1 Significance of Error Analysis in Language Teaching and Learning

In order to teach a language, it is necessary to understand the process that goes on in the mind of the learner. Error analysis is a part of this process.

Significance

As Corder has pointed out, there is a vital difference between ‘errors’ and ‘mistakes’. He labels ‘mistakes’ as ‘performance errors’, which are like slip of pen. The learner himself can correct it later on, because they are not the results of unawareness, whereas, genuine errors are due to ignorance of rules. The learner can’t correct it by himself. They show the learner’s “transitional Competence”.

Error analysis is essentially significant because, as Jack Richards refers to Corder’s observation: “Learner’s correct sentences do not necessarily give evidence of the rules of the new language and the rules he has developed at given stages of his language development”. This can be done only by the errors he makes. And after knowing this only one can proceed in teaching. So, errors, and its analysis both are an inevitable part of teaching & learning.

1.4.2 Types of Errors

The errors can be divided as under:

1. Area: This means an error related to some specific area of language. It can be subdivided into:

a. Phonological error: These are the errors related to pronunciation. E.g. in a word like ‘river’ the last ‘r’ should not be pronounced fully. If this is done, it’s a phonological error.

b. Lexical error: These are the errors related to words. E.g. ‘air-conditioned room’. Here, ‘ed’ is not required. So this is a lexical error. It’s a use of wrong lexical items.

c. Grammatical error: These are errors due to problem with syntax. It is related to the sentence structure. E.g. “I prefer tea than coffee.” Here, underlined part is incorrect. There should be ‘to’ instead. So there is a grammatical error.

d. Semantical error : These errors are due to the ambiguity of meaning. E.g. “She is like ice-cream.”Here, meaning is not clear. This is called Semantical error.

e. Spellings: Due to incorrect spellings, the meaning is either not clear or is totally changed. E.g. “He is my sun.”

2. Form: These errors can be subdivided into:

a. Error of addition: When there is unnecessary addition of characters or items, this type of error arises. E.g.” He faced a one problem.” Here the word ‘one’ is added unnecessarily.

b. Error of omission: This occurs due to dropping the necessary items. E.g. “My father name is XYZ.” Here an apostrophe to the word ‘father’ is dropped though required in order to clarify the meaning.

c. Error of selection: An improper selection from the existing options is the cause of such errors. E.g. “One day the king is going for hunting.” Here, from all existing tenses, only present progressive is selected, which is an improper selection in this contexts.

d. Error of order.: These errors occur due to incorrect order of words. E.g.”When

I shall meet you?’” here, the underlined parts have been placed in an incorrect order.

3. There can be interlingual error that arises due to L1 influence. E.g. a Gujarati learner of ESL would ask: “Where going you are?’ instead of “ Where are you going?”

4. Similarly, there can be intralingual errors that occur within the target language due to incomplete knowledge of rules, or ignorance of exceptions. E.g. “Does she still sings?”

5. Comprehensibility: These errors can be subdivided into:

a. Global error – in which meaning is not clear at all. E.g. “I hope you won’t mind if I sit here.” “Yes yes.”

b. Local error – where meaning is clear, but still it is an incorrect expression. E.g. “My girlfriend is a beautiful.”

The treatments to the errors made by learners may take many different shapes. However, remedial teaching is the most appropriate and widely used treatment.

1.5 Remedial Teaching

A remedial programme is a specially designed alternative strategy based on the need analysis carried out by observing the learner’s deviated behaviour, in order to put it on a right track.

The concept of remedial teaching is not new in the history of teaching – learning.

As they say, “To err is human…”, errors are considered to be a natural human behaviour. However, as far as the teaching of any domain is taken into account, the earlier remedial programmes do not show the same gentle attitude as the saying towards the error done by learners. Earlier, it was believed that errors are like diseases, which need to be cured. So, the remedial programmes that people like T. Wood prepared for their students were nothing but a tedious series of mechanical practice. These programmes treated errors as sins, and as a result, the doer of the sin i.e. the learner, was insulted.

This attitude to the errors was built up on the basis of structural approach to language teaching that projected the process of teaching merely a matter of habit formation. So, they insisted upon drilling and mechanical practice, which they thought would solve the problem. But as we now know, learning – whether it be language learning or anything else – is more of a trial and error, as suggested by the cognitive school of teaching. Unlike the behaviouristic school, they said that drilling is not ALWAYS a strategy that can lead to correct learning. From this came into existence the functional approach, that projected the use-oriented teaching. They emphasized the practical implementation of the learning items. Under the influence of this approach, the concept of errors, treatment to it, the nature of remedial programmes, everything went under a drastic change.

Later on, however it was realized that errors are not essentially useless. Even they can be exploited in order to learn correct things. A positive connotation to the term ‘error’ came into existence and that played a role in redefining the remedial programmes. They are no longer a set for practicing correct behaviour; they are now different, alternative strategies to teach. Earlier remedial classes meant the same for all who err. Hundred students can sit and practice the correct behaviour at a time. But now it has become more individualistic in nature. Today’s remedial programmes are specially designed keeping in mind the needs, abilities and weaknesses of individual learner.

Thus the base of remedial programmes is in need-analysis. The learners’ scope of using the taught item, his ability, his requirement etc. would define the course of remedial programme. This leads to the fact that the factors mentioned above may vary from learner to learner. If we consider the issue in terms of language teaching, it becomes more vital, because language is a medium to express the thoughts and knowledge that an individual possesses.

When we talk of need-analysis, one more thing that comes to the mind is ESP (English for Specific Purposes) which also has its base in need-analysis. English language, when learnt for a specific purpose, is more important as a medium of receiving and reproducing the knowledge of the other domains of curriculum under study, than a separate subject to study. So, its role in curriculum is important and at the same time, a crucial one. Unlike those who learn a language with a view to study the linguistic features and literary values, the others – i.e. Students learning English for a specific purpose – are many, and increasing rapidly in numbers. To them language is primarily and basically, a tool to use for the sake of communication. They need to learn it in order to exploit and express something altogether different from linguistic features of language.

As a teacher in English, for the students of technical education, namely Engineering discipline the researcher observes that the students who learn English for a specific purpose are almost poor at receiving and reproducing their domain subject knowledge through English; though the same process can be done in a brilliant way if they use their vernacular language. Sometimes their use of English language is so poor that they are not able to fulfill even the basic purpose of communication. This leads to a complete failure as a professional.

This research work aims at identifying and rectifying the errors in the use of English language by the students of Engineering discipline for whom English is a tool / medium. Here, the writing has been focused, because they are the students for whom English is a second language. So, their first output of learning a language would be in the form of written answers. And if they err here, the error would be fossilized and transferred to their speech, too. In order to solve the problem from the grass root level, an extensive remedial programme to correct errors has been implemented.

Since language is more of a medium and less of content for them, they need to pay special attention to the basic structures of language which can provide them with a format in which they may put the content they have. So, for them the most appropriate and accurate language structures are as important as specific terminology at their field in order to communicate effectively. So, this research has focused only basic grammatical errors in their writing, which, if corrected, can provide them with an accurate frame to their domain knowledge. In grammar, too, the chunks that are of frequent use to the discipline in which the students are pursuing their degree in Engineering, have been taken up for the remedial teaching content, So that it can be directly helpful to them.

Conclusion

Thus, it takes a shape of an experimental research in which the grammatical errors in the writing of the Engineering students have been identified, treated and tested in order to rectify through the remedial programme.

The research is divided into five major chapters. Apart from the first introductory chapter, the other chapters are as under:

2. Review of related literature

3. Research design, tools and procedures

4. Observations / findings / analysis

5. Conclusion

- References

- Appendix.

Posted by white smoke | Filed Under Writing Software, english writing, white smoke, whitesmoke, writing

How to Write a Resignation Letter

October 12, 2008 | Leave a Comment

Introduction

(Creative Commons photo by Jessica DeWinter)

When it’s time to move on from your job you want to leave behind the best impression of yourself, and you can do that by writing a good resignation letter. When memories of your employee behavior begin to fade, the solid presence of your professionalism will remain on file, serving as a cue for a good recommendation should a prospective future employer request a reference.

If you’ve never had to write a letter of resignation, you may be wondering exactly what information should be covered. The following sections will help you put together a top-notch letter, so you can leave your job in style, no matter what your feelings and situation were during the time of your employment.

Step 1: Tone and Purpose

The most important aspect to consider when you sit down to write your resignation letter is the tone you want to set.

Keep your tone professional and your purpose in sight at all times, even if you’re thinking of all the places you can tell your boss to shove that job in this letter.
Leaving behind a negative impression means you sacrifice being able to use both your boss and your former co-workers as references on your resume. When the dust clears you want to still see the bridge standing between you and your old employer.

Step 2: When and Why

(Image by someecards.com)

The overall purpose of your resignation letter is not to criticize, but to announce your departure from the company. The two most important details you need to include are:

The fact that you are leaving
Your date of departure

It is important that you look over your contractual agreement and any employee guides to determine how much notice you need to give before resigning. Most employers require that you give them at least two weeks notice prior to leaving, so they have time to find a replacement.

Do You Have to Tell Them Why?

It is more important to tell them when you’re leaving than it is to tell them why, but you are welcome to offer details in a professional manner. For example:

New Opportunities: If you’re leaving because you’ve obtained a new job or are returning to school, simply mention that you have new opportunities to explore.
- Refrain from mentioning whether you were offered more money, or a better position.
Personal Reasons: Whether it’s an illness or a family relocation, quickly explain that you cannot continue in the job, without going into extraneous detail.
Do not talk about any negative experiences you encountered, whether it was a co-worker who made coming to work each day miserable, or a bad boss. Say nothing more than that you’ll be moving on.
- If you are leaving because you were mistreated on the job, you may want to consult a lawyer before submitting your letter.

An Attitude of Gratitude

Telling them why you’re leaving isn’t important at all compared to maintaining the proper attitude.

Even if it means biting your tongue, thank them for the experience.
Mention a few things you are grateful to have learned or experienced while working for the company.

Step 3: The Layout and Structure

There is no official layout for a resignation letter, but to maintain professional appearance, you’ll want to use business letter format.

Step by Step Layout

(Creative Commons photo by Dplanet::)

Start out by typing the date in the upper left-hand corner.
Return twice and add your supervisor’s name.
On the next line add your supervisor’s title.
Hit return and type the company address.
Return twice and begin with a formal salutation followed by a colon.
Begin by stating that you are resigning and emphasize the date it will go into effect.
If you wish to disclose a reason, do so next. (Remember, this isn’t necessary.)
Be sure to thank them for employing you.
List any skills you obtained during your employment with them.
Offer your services to make the transition period smooth for the company.
Express your best wishes to the company.
End with a formal farewell followed by a comma.
Return four times and type your name.

Sample Letter

The end result should look similar to this example letter:

May 22, 2008

John Boss
Senior Editor
Bean Publishing
1234 W. Huffington Ave.
Sonesville, MA 12345-6789

Dear Mr. Boss:

This letter is to inform you that effective as of June 5th I will be leaving my position as proofreader for Bean Publishing. I have accepted an editorial position with the Rose Corporation. I am grateful for having had the opportunity to work for Bean Publishing. The hands-on experience and training I received have increased my excitement and passion for the publishing industry.

If there is anything I can do to help make this transition go more smoothly, please don’t hesitate to ask. I really enjoyed my time working for Bean Publishing, and hope the company continues to enjoy success and prosperity.

Sincerely,

(Handwrite Your Signature Here)

Your Name in Print

Proofreading

Remember this is the mark you’re leaving with the company, and the more positive and professional it is, the better it will reflect on you in the future.

Proofread your resignation letter for grammar, punctuation and spelling errors.
Make sure the overall tone is polite.

Step 4: Things Not to Disclose

Keep in mind that anything you say in your resignation letter could come back to haunt you later. While some of these cautions might seem obvious as you read over them, you’d be surprised the types of things we consider when leaving a job.

(Creative Commons photo by Tim Snell)

In some situations, such as a move to a direct competitor, it may be wise not to disclose where you will be employed next.
Avoid mentioning your future salary.
Don’t name your future boss.
Don’t apologize for things not working out.
Never ask your boss to give you a reference in your resignation letter.
Leave out any emotional feelings about the company, your co-workers and your boss.
Check that you’re not complaining about your treatment or job duties.
Don’t give your opinions about how things could have been different, or how they could run the company better.

Step 5: Delivery

As soon as you finish writing your letter, you’ll want to seal it in an envelope and deliver it promptly and personally.

TIP: Never send a resignation letter via email!!

Hand your supervisor your letter, explaining what it’s for.
Your boss may want to discuss your resignation.
Just like your letter, keep your talk professional. You want to leave your boss and the rest of the company with a good impression.
- You never know when another position in the company might open up that you’d like to apply for.

NOTE: You may be asked to leave immediately after handing in your resignation, instead of working for a final two weeks. Just in case, be prepared to go before you deliver your letter.

Conclusion

Even if the employment experience wasn’t the best, the only thing you really want to leave behind when you go is a good impression. If you’ve taken the time to craft a professional resignation letter without any drama or emotion, your employer is going to be more likely to give you an unbiased recommendation if asked for a reference. Besides which, you also never know what the future holds. You may want to apply for another position in the company, or even ask for your old job back if things don’t work out. Leaving on a positive and professional note is the only way to go!

Contributed to Mahalo.com by Jenny Hudock

Posted by white smoke | Filed Under Writing Software, english writing, white smoke, whitesmoke, writing

Proofreading and Copy Editing

October 12, 2008 | Leave a Comment

Proofreading

Proofreading consists of reviewing a document for typographical, spelling, punctuation, and formatting errors. This may be done either against an original document or “blind”. Many proofreaders are also required to take on some light copy editing duties, such as checking for grammar and consistency problems. Proofreading is usually the final check of the work before publication.

Copy Editing

The copy editor’s job is summarized in the Five Cs: to make the copy clear, correct, concise, comprehensible, and consistent. It encompasses proofreading and requires a formidable command of the language, a great eye for detail, broad general knowledge, and sharp critical thinking skills. A major part of the copy editor’s job is to preserve the author’s voice or style while making any necessary changes to the text.

The copy editor is expected to ensure that the text flows, that it is sensible, fair, and accurate, and that it will provoke no legal problems for the publisher. Newspaper copy editors are sometimes responsible for choosing which news service wire copy the newspaper will use, and for rewriting it in accordance with house style. Often, the copy editor is the only person other than the author to read an entire text before its publication. Newspaper editors often regard copy editors as the newspaper’s last line of accurate defense.

A copy editor may abridge text, by “cutting” and “trimming” it, to reduce the length of a novel or an article, either to fit broadcast or publishing limits or to improve its meaning. This may involve omitting parts of the text, but sometimes it is necessary to rewrite uncut parts to bridge the missing details and plot; some abridgements are only slightly shorter than the originals, but others may be much abridged, particularly when a literary classic is abridged for the children’s market.

Interestingly, there is no agreement on the form of the term; it is spelled as one word (copyediting), two words (copy editing), or hyphenated (copy-editing). All are correct, the hyphenated version being more prevalent in the United Kingdom.

Posted by white smoke | Filed Under Writing Software, editing, editing proofreading, english writing, proofreading, proofreading software, white smoke, whitesmoke, writing proofreading

Simple Proofeading Test Helps You Master Basic Business-Editing Skills

October 12, 2008 | Leave a Comment

Introduction

Let’s begin by recalling Mark Twain’s famous words: “To err is human, to forgive devine.”

Trouble is, Twain never wrote those words. Alexander Pope wrote these words: “To err is human, to forgive divine.”

Oops! The writer made two mistakes in a single sentence. It happens. The world doesn’t come to an end when it happens, a very good thing.

Regardless, “catching” this kind of mistake is an important business-proofreading skill. Credit was given where credit wasn’t due — to Twain instead of Pope. Meanwhile, the quote itself was wrong, having used “devine” instead of “divine.” Check quotations closely for mistakes in attribution and wording. It’s common business courtesy.

It is vital that you check carefully for mistakes involving names and quotations.

When Is A ‘Mistake’ Not A Mistake?

Knowing when to let a “mistake” fall through the cracks is another important skill. It’s possible that, in the eyes of the intended audience, a “mistake” is not a mistake at all.

Proofreading and editing errors are virtually inevitable. I’ve been an editor for more than 20 years and have witnessed thousands and thousands of errors. No editor gets it write — I mean, right — all of the time. There are simply too many things about which an editor needs to be right. One of them, reportedly, is never to end a sentence with a preposition.

This often leads to formal, semi-awkward constructions such as this: “There are simply too many things about which an editor needs to be right,“ instead of “There are simply too many things an editor needs to be right about.“

Lots and lots of spoken sentences and written sentences end with prepositions. Plenty of highly skilled business editors would let the preposition “mistake” stand, instead of rewriting the sentence to make it more formal. In many, many writing contexts, rigid adherence to a formal style becomes a deal-breaker for members of the audience. Comprehension is a key. So is knowing the reader.

If you’re a business person — and if your target audience is auto mechanics who know the language of the trade and drink four tavern beers nightly after work to cool off — do you want your ad or web copy to sound as though it’s targeted to martini-sipping members of country clubs?

It is possible to love language and not be offended by informality, an outcome many purists would have you believe impossible. They would have been pleased had Capt. James T. Kirk of the starship “Enterprise” said “to go boldly where no man has gone before,” as opposed to “to boldly go where no man has gone before.”

“To boldy go” is a split infinitive, an alleged no-no. Hollywood let Kirk get away with it, a good call.

Below you’ll find three proofreading tests. They are not designed to be “tricky.” The purpose of the tests simply is to raise awareness and help web authors improve their skill sets. More and more business people are taking advantage of online publishing opportunities. At the same time, web authors with no publishing experience are creating eBooks and information products.

Use this Proofreading Knol to expand your knowledge base. Whether the tests below are “too hard” or “too easy” is your call. In any event, they are designed to help improve business communications.

Take Proofreading Test No. 1

Here is a simple test I created when I was a Moderator at the Warrior Forum, an online business community, to help members improve their proofreading skills. Assume each italicized sentence below is for a general audience, is punctuated properly and is factually correct — but has at least one mistake. Answers are at the bottom of this Knol.

So, what’s wrong with this sentence?

Editors strive to acommodate other editors.

And what’s wrong with this sentence?

Your in for a rough ride if you call yourself a writer but don’t take the trade seriously.

What’s wrong with this sentence?

Rising gasoline prices have a huge affect on disposable income.

How about this one?

Click hear right now and start making money right away. You can’t loose!

And this one?

Mickey Mantle hit one of the the longest homers ever, a 565-foot blast.

Mistakes routinely show up on business websites. Many of them could be eliminated if owners raised their level of awareness and devoted a few extra minutes to proofreading.

Take Proofreading Test No. 2

Proofread this short article I wrote as part of the skill test for Warrior Forum members. Answers are at the bottom of this Knol.

Steven was waiting with baited breath. Would Tiger Woods sink that tricky put on the 18th green to force a Monday morning playoff with Rocco Mediate?

Tiger is the most dominant gofer in the world. His mere presents in the field raises the steaks for other competitors, almost all of whom know their playing for second place.

Steven marveled at Tiger’s toughness under pressure; it was as though Tiger could force a ball into the whole through shear use of willpower.

The ball reached the cup. For an instant it appeard as though it would lip out. The crowd rose to it’s feet and erupted when it dropped. Steven’s Dr. Pepper slipped from his hand when he jumped out of his recliner and stood to applaud.

Thank heaven for Du Pont stainmaster, he thought. Like Tiger Woods, it is the best.

Steven wondered how he’d make the time to watch the 18-hole playoff Monday between Tiger and Rocco. It was scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. in the morning California time, noon on the east coast.

Take Proofreading Test No. 3

Here is the final part of the test given Warrior Forum members. Answers are at the bottom of this Knol.

Thanksgiving dinner with all the trimmings are my favorite meal. I’ve been known to eat too entire plates!

I have many happy memories of the flavors of Thanksgiving. Dripping with gravy, Mom served dinner every year.

“Forgot those roles in the oven,” she’d say. She always forgot about the rolls, and it became a family joke.

“Don’t forget about the rolls, Mom!” we’d squeel. She’d just beam. Nothing was better than having the entire family home for for Thanksgiving.

Mom was such a card. “You’re only allowed to have to rolls, Patrick,” she’d admonish. “Save some for your brothers and sister.”

My favorite dish was stufffing; my sister just loved Turkey, and my brothers couldn’t get enough of the mashed potatos.

After dinner my brothers and I would go outside. We through the football back and forth until the meal began to ware off, and then we’d go back inside and start eating all over again.

One of the great mysteries about my younger brother was that he’d drink Diet Coke with his meal. That didn’t make much cents to me, considering it already was a 9,000-calorie day.

No matter. It made for a laugh or too every year.

Nothing ever will top Thanksgiving diner in my family.

Answers For Test No. 1

Editors strive to acommodate accommodate other editors.

Your You’re in for a rough ride if you call yourself a writer but don’t take the trade seriously.

Rising gasoline prices have a huge affect effect on disposable income.

Click hear here right now and start making money right away. You can’t loose lose!

Mickey Mantle hit one of the the the longest homers ever, a 565-foot blast.

Test No. 1 Notes

1.) Accommodate commonly is misspelled. It has a double “c” and a double “m.”
2.) “your” for you’re is a common mistake. So is “you’re” for your.
3.) “affect” for effect is a common mistake.
4.) “hear” for here is a common mistake. So is “here” for hear. Same is true of “loose” for lose and “lose” for loose. The mind reads what it wants to read, which is why it’s important to proofread slowly.
5.) Very easy to miss double occurrences of words: the the.

Answers For Test No. 2

Steven was waiting with baited bated breath. Would Tiger Woods sink that tricky put putt on the 18th green to force a Monday morning playoff with Rocco Mediate?

Tiger is the most dominant gofer golfer in the world. His mere presents presence in the field raises the steaks stakes for other competitors, almost all of whom know their they’re playing for second place.

Steven marveled at Tiger’s toughness under pressure; it was as though Tiger could force a ball into the whole hole through shear sheer use of willpower.

The ball reached the cup. For an instant it appeard appeared as though it would lip out. The crowd rose to it’s its feet and erupted when it the ball dropped. Steven’s Dr. Dr Pepper slipped from his hand when he jumped out of his recliner and stood to applaud.

Thank heaven for Du Pont DuPont stainmaster Stainmaster, he thought. Like Tiger Woods, it is the best.

Steven wondered how he’d make the time to watch the 18-hole playoff Monday between Tiger and Rocco. It was scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. in the morning California time, noon on the **east coast.

** One could argue that “east coast” should be “East Coast,” but this is a style call and may vary from website to website.

Test No. 2 Notes

1.) “Baited” and “bated” often are confused. Please enjoy looking them up.
2.) Lots of people forget the second “t” in putt.
3.) It’s often hard to “catch” a spelling mistake such as “gofer” for golfer. The mind reads what it wants to read, which is why it’s important to proofread slowly.
4.) Very easy to miss mistakes such as “presents” for presence and “steaks” for stakes and “their” for they’re and “whole” for hole and “shear” for sheer.
5.) “appeard” for appeared is another example of why it’s important to proofread slowly.
6.) “it’s” for its is a common mistake. Looking it up will help you.
7.) Dr Pepper dropped the period after “Dr” in the 1950s.
8.) DuPont Stainmaster. Getting names right is important.
9.) 9 a.m. in the morning is redundant.

Answers For Test No. 3

Thanksgiving dinner with all the trimmings are is my favorite meal. I’ve been known to eat too two **entire plates!

I have many happy memories of the flavors of Thanksgiving. Dripping with gravy, Mom served dinner every year. Mom served dinner, dripping with gravy, every year.

“Forgot those roles rolls in the oven,” she’d say. She always forgot about the rolls, and it became a family joke.

“Don’t forget about the rolls, Mom!” we’d squeel squeal. She’d just beam. Nothing was better than having the entire family home for for for Thanksgiving.

Mom was such a card. “You’re only allowed to have to two rolls, Patrick,” she’d admonish. “Save some for your brothers and sister.”

My favorite dish was stufffing stuffing; my sister just loved Turkey turkey, and my brothers couldn’t get enough of the mashed potatos potatoes.

After dinner my brothers and I would go outside. We through threw the football back and forth until the meal began to ware wear off, and then we’d go back inside and start eating all over again.

One of the great mysteries about my younger brother was that he’d drink Diet Coke with his meal. That didn’t make much cents sense to me, considering it already was a 9,000-calorie day.

No matter. It made for a laugh or too two every year.

Nothing ever will top Thanksgiving diner dinner in my family.

** One could argue that “people don’t eat plates; they eat food.” But is this a “mistake” worth correcting if readers won’t be confused?

Test No. 3 Notes

1.) Subject and verb agreement: “Thanksgiving dinner . . . is my favorite meal.
2.) Lots of “two, to, and too” mistakes out there. These rankle audiences of all types. Even grade-schoolers know these rules.
3.) “Dripping with gravy, Mom served Thanksgiving dinner” means that Mom herself was dripping with gravy — not the meal.
4.) Very easy to miss “roles” for rolls and “through” for threw and “ware” for wear and “cents” for sense. It’s also easy to miss common misspellings such as “squeel” for squeal and “potatos” for potatoes. Ask former U.S. Vice President Dan Quail — I mean, Quayle.
5.) Very easy to miss double occurrences of words such as for for.
6.) “Stufffing”: Very easy to miss an extra letter in a word such as stuffing.
7.) “diner”: Very easy to miss a word that needs an additional letter.

About Patrick Pretty: “Patrick Pretty” is a longtime writer and editor, and owner of the Patrick Pretty line of digital information products. Patrick has worked in offline publishing for more than 20 years. He embraced the power of the Internet for online pursuits in 2005.

Posted by white smoke | Filed Under Writing Software, editing, editing proofreading, english writing, proofreading, proofreading software, white smoke, whitesmoke, writing, writing proofreading

Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing

October 12, 2008 | Leave a Comment

In 1996, the popular news magazine U.S. News and World Report conducted a nationwide survey of professors from nearly a hundred Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing (M.F.A.) programs. The result of this survey was the publication, in 1997, of the first-ever program rankings in the field. Each program was given a numeric score based upon a single factor: the reputation of the program, as assessed by current faculty at various M.F.A. programs nationwide. At the time, the top five programs were listed as (in order), University of Iowa, The Johns Hopkins University, University of Houston, Columbia University, and University of Virginia.

In the four years following the first publication of these rankings, the survey results were republished several times by U.S. News and World Report, each time without alteration or update. Eventually, in 2001, the magazine publicly announced that it would, in fact, cease ranking M.F.A. in Creative Writing programs, and had no present or future plans, therefore, to amend or augment the data it collected in 1996. The rumored reason for this editorial decision was that the magazine felt its statistical paradigm and assessment tools were ill-suited to assessing studio-art graduate programs (though, interestingly, the magazine continued publishing annual rankings in the fields of Ceramics, Graphic Design, Industrial Design, Multimedia/Visual Communications, Painting/Drawing, Photography, Printmaking, and Sculpture).

In 2005, a fiction-writer and Lecturer at Stanford University, Tom Kealey, wrote and published the first comprehensive guide to M.F.A. in Creative Writing programs, The Creative Writing MFA Handbook (Continuum Publishing, 2005). While the book did not formally rank programs, it was notable for both the depth of its treatment of its subject as well as its introduction of a then-novel concept: that the quality of the financial aid package offered by an M.F.A. program should be as important a consideration in the matriculation decision of an applicant as a program’s reputation and location. The theory behind this maxim, according to Kealey, was that as the M.F.A. degree was a “studio” degree, rather than a professional degree–inasmuch as the degree alone did not guarantee employment in any specific field–applicants should avoid, where possible, programs which did not fully or at least generously fund all their students.

The result of Kealey’s funding-centered analysis of M.F.A. programs was a fundamental reordering of the program rankings previously published by U.S. News & World Report. Whereas these latter rankings had not included funding as a factor, the implicit rankings of The Creative Writing MFA Handbook–which discussed the comparative quality of various programs without formally ranking them–significantly privileged fully-funded programs. Consequently, the top programs, in Kealey’s assessment, appeared to be (in order), University of California at Irvine, University of Texas, University of Michigan, Cornell University, Indiana University, University of Virginia, Syracuse University, The Johns Hopkins University, Brown University, and University of Houston. Notably absent from Kealey’s top-ten rankings were the popular New York City-based programs at Columbia University and New York University, both of which had been ranked in the top ten in the U.S. News and World Report rankings, but were now felt to offer sub-standard financial aid packages. Kealey’s implicit overhaul of the earlier U.S. News and World Report rankings presaged a new era in the ranking of M.F.A. programs, in which much of the old conventional wisdom–for instance, that apart from the much-vaunted program at the University of Iowa, programs on the East and West coasts were categorically most desireable–would be discarded.

In December of 2006, I published on my website, The Suburban Ecstasies, my interpretation of the largely-implied M.F.A. program rankings contained in The Creative Writing MFA Handbook, calling the resulting rankings The Kealey Scale. Realizing that The Kealey Scale was, by dint of its origin, heavily weighted toward consideration of funding, I augmented The Kealey Scale with an informal poll of M.F.A. applicants conducted primarily on the website of the literary magazine Poets & Writers. While in no way sponsored or endorsed by Poets & Writers, the resulting Poets & Writers Reader Poll was nevertheless significant in that it was the first-ever assessment of which programs the most well-informed M.F.A. applicants favored. The results were striking, largely in their substantial deviation from the rankings published by U.S. News and World Report in 1997. The top-polling programs, amongst a group of 200 respondents, were (in order) University of Iowa, University of Massachusetts at Amherst, University of Michigan, University of Virginia, University of Texas, Cornell University, Indiana University, Syracuse University, Brown University, and University of California at Irvine. This new data had the effect of confirming the significance and accuracy of Kealey’s earlier-published rankings, as the correlation between Kealey’s research and the opinions of the largest gathering of M.F.A. applicants on the internet was striking.

The response to the publication of The Kealey Scale and the Poets & Writers Reader Poll was overwhelming; within days of their publication, The Suburban Ecstasies began receiving more than 1,000 unique visitors/day, suggesting that the rapidly-expanding field of graduate study in creative writing was desperate for new assessment tools. In light of the popularity of the two new rankings of M.F.A. in Creative Writing programs on The Suburban Ecstasies, I began collecting additional data on M.F.A. programs heretofore unavailable either on the internet or in print. Specifically, I researched the yield-exclusive acceptance rates for more than fifty programs, including most of the top fifty programs as ranked by Kealey and the readers of Poets & Writers. The most significant discovery of this process was that the top creative writing programs were more difficult to get into than the top medical, law, engineering, and business schools in the United States. Specifically, all of the top-ten toughest-admit M.F.A. programs in the field had yield-exclusive acceptance rates below 3%, headed up by three schools–Cornell University, University of Texas, and University of Wisconsin–each with acceptance rates of 1.5%. While research into M.F.A. admissions data also uncovered the low number of applications per program, with only University of Iowa receiving more than 1,000 applications total, it also revealed a distinct upward trend in the number of applicants per program, and even the number of programs in the United States overall. In the ten years since U.S. News and World Report had last published M.F.A. in Creative Writing rankings, an average of six new programs had been founded per year.

In late 2007, I augmented The Kealey Scale, the Poets & Writers Reader Poll, and the data on M.F.A. acceptance rates with a fresh Poets & Writers Reader Poll as well as the first-ever genre-specific polls (including rankings in the genres of poetry and fiction, and a ranking of the nation’s few PhD. in Creative Writing programs). Interestingly, the 2008 Poets & Writers Reader Poll was so similar to its 2007 predecessor as to suggest a high confidence level, statistically speaking, for the admittedly unscientific results of both polls. In 2008, the top-ranked M.F.A. in Creative Writing programs were University of Iowa, University of Michigan, University of Texas, University of Virginia, University of Massachusetts at Amherst, Brown University, Cornell University, Indiana University, Syracuse University, and University of Wisconsin. In poetry, the top five programs were University of Michigan, University of Iowa, University of Massachusetts at Amherst, University of Virginia, and Brown University; in fiction, University of Iowa, University of Michigan, Syracuse University, University of Texas, and University of Virginia; among U.S. Creative Writing PhD. programs (of which only thirty-five presently exist), Florida State University, University of Utah, University of Houston, University of Georgia, and University of Southern California.

In mid-2008, I was asked to contribute a lengthy chapter to the second edition of The Creative Writing MFA Handbook. I determined that, if Kealey’s vision of promoting funding-weighted admissions decisions was to be realized, a funding-only ranking of M.F.A. programs was needed. This first-ever funding ranking (denominated the Abramson/Kealey Funding Ranking) is now due to appear in the second edition of the Handbook (scheduled for release in late 2008). By way of previewing this ranking, it can now be said that the top five best-funded M.F.A. in Creative Writing programs are University of Texas, University of Michigan, Cornell University, and (in a three-way tie for fifth) University of Florida, Indiana University, and Purdue University.

The second edition of The Creative Writing MFA Handbook also contains the first-ever Comprehensive Tiered Ranking of M.F.A. in Creative Writing programs, as well as the “master” Poets & Writers Reader Poll, with nearly 300 respondents across the application cycles of 2006-7 and 2007-8. The top five M.F.A. programs in the field of creative writing, according to this master poll, are University of Iowa, University of Michigan, University of Massachusetts at Amherst, and (in a tie for fifth) University of Texas and University of Virginia. The tiered ranking of programs–which includes, in total, more than sixty programs (four “top” tiers of twelve schools each, an “On the Bubble” classification containing six schools, and a “New and Climbing” category with eight programs represented)–can be found exclusively in the second edition of The Creative Writing MFA Handbook. This ranking is not available either in whole or in part on-line.

Data collection for the 2009 Poets & Writers Reader Poll is now under way, with the preliminary results–the poll is updated weekly once it is made available to the public–due to be released in early fall.

Posted by white smoke | Filed Under Grammar Correction, Writing Software, editing, english writing, proofreading software, white smoke, whitesmoke, writing, writing proofreading

Scientific and Medical Writing

October 12, 2008 | Leave a Comment

Persuasive and Effective Writing

Scientific writing shares with all expository writing the need to be clear, concise, and intellectually creative, not to mention persuasive. A legal analogy (drawn from my days as a practicing attorney), helps make the point. You are writing a brief, or presenting a case to a jury – quite literally – in the form of a panel of reviewers and editors. You will present facts (the data), and describe how the facts fit (or fail to fit) into the existing precedent. You will argue persuasively, in an evidence-based manner, why your analysis should carry the day and be accepted as part of the canon of accepted wisdom – at least until someone comes along and upends you! Dividing the work of writing into tasks (or aliquots, for you pharmacists and biochemists) is a key feature of being efficient. As importantly, writing in chunks helps prevent wheel-spinning, which virtually always extinguishes the creative process. With this in mind, I’ll be suggesting that you adopt an algorithm that follows a step-wise process, with suggested blocks of time allocated for the various tasks. You don’t need an uninterrupted 6-hour stretch in an isolation tank to get started.

A quick note before getting to the heart of the matter:

Write with a grammar and usage guide (there are many online guides, see, e.g., The American Heritage Book of English Usage, The Chicago Manual of Style Online, University of Chicago Writing Program ), and a scientific style guide (such as the American Medical Association’s AMA Manual of Style, 10th Edition,The Council of Science Editor’s Scientific Style and Format), so that you are always prepared for those niggling issues such as “compared with” vs. “compared to” (here’s a freebie: with is for comparing like items, e.g., the U.S. Capitol with the British Houses of Parliament; to is for comparing or contrasting dissimilar items, as, “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?”), as well as for weightier matters such as international presentation of measurement, and accepted abbreviations. Also, have your Endnote library or other compilation file of the references you will likely need to have at hand as you are setting up the introduction and background.

The Algorithm

Begin before the beginning.

Scribble or type a list of topics, themes, ideas, or conclusions, relating to your research, in any order. Don’t fret about making it perfect – this is the written equivalent of the “brainstorming” sessions sometimes used to break the ice at meetings. Using the scribble technique allows you to harvest all of your ideas, and then winnow them – some will go to the discard pile, some will be saved for another day (and another paper), but you won’t distract yourself by following ideas (too far) that are not relevant to this particular paper. Do this for about 15-30 minutes, and then relax — reward yourself with a latte or a quick peek at a Tivo’d Daily Show.

Build a scaffold.

Using the “Instructions for Authors” contained on the Web site of every scientific journal, open a new document and set up the section headings of the paper. Voilà — you are now no longer looking at a blank screen. Pull out or bookmark your style manual and grammar guide. You are almost ready to start. Treat yourself to a snack or another latte.

Put on the sorting hat.

With both the scribbled list and the section headings in front of you, begin to fill in the scaffold – penning a meaningful topic sentence for each section and subsection. Note: meaningful means an original idea that sets up an issue that will be discussed in the remainder of the section, subsection, or paragraph.

Fill in the space under the topic sentence with elements from your scribble list – perfect prose is not necessary – of findings, results, and conclusions, noting areas that require further thought or discussion.

A note: the hardest thing to do at this point in the process is to “murder your darlings,” the admonition famously delivered by Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch (1863–1944), and co-opted by fiction editors ever since to reprimand writers who have introduced too many characters or plot devices. As you are probably coming to realize, writing is a continuous cycle of refining the ideas that belong in this paper, and putting the others into a file called “good ideas for another day” (literally, that is what I suggest that you call it), and even consigning some to the scrap heap of investigative history. Virtually every author cuts too little at this stage, and virtually none cuts too much. Err on the side of mercilessness.

Work until you are repeating yourself, then go for a run or a ride. (Another latte and you will put yourself at risk for Atrial Fibrillation).

The Introduction: A promise to the reader.

The introduction is not simply a writing exercise or preliminary matter. The intro guides your PRESENT thinking about the paper – it may evolve; there is always the possibility that you’ll change course entirely, but likely not, as by the time you sit down to write you will have discussed your findings and their meaning with your co-authors, your statistician, your mother- really, whomever is willing to listen.

Content. The introduction is your promise to the reader. The key to convincing a journal that your manuscript is publication-worthy is a cogent articulation of the unique contribution your findings make to the literature. Describe the raison d’etre of the study — recall the deficit in the knowledge base, or interesting question that compelled you to conduct this study in the first place. Do not reinvent the wheel. If the study is drawn from a funded grant or response to an RFP, return to it and reproduce the reasons the funder of the study was sold on the novel research idea you presented. Review recently published papers in the journal that you are aiming for that pertain to your area of investigation. Note carefully which aspects of the scientific underpinnings of your study are essential to include. It will likely not be the entire history of the human genome project, but rather the most recent work on the use of BRCA1 and BRCA2 to screen for cancers beyond breast and cervical, and incorporate only those elements that are essential to set the scientific scene, citing published work in support. Close the intro with a “road map” to help telegraph to the reader what he or she will find in the paper, and (if you are feeling particularly gutsy) the contribution you believe you have made to our collective understanding of this key topic.

Style. Write the way that you speak, but not conversationally. That is, do not use more words to write something than you would to simply say it. Avoid connectors, descriptors, or transitions that you would not feel comfortable saying aloud or presenting orally (e.g., hence, thusly, etc). Read your introduction aloud to yourself to see if it rings true and sounds sensible. Then call it a day.

Write the easy parts first.

The methodology and results sections are relatively easy to knock off quickly. Carefully track the steps that you undertook to recruit subjects, and what you did with them, or, if one exists, the research protocol. If you repeat or reproduce a part of the protocol as stated in your original proposal, do not paraphrase or change verbiage.

This is also a good time to start noting which data are candidates for a table, and any concepts that are best depicted graphically in a figure. These are all good tasks for a slot of 30-60 minutes while commuting, or during academic senate meetings.

Results: The scribbled list re-rears its head.

Content. Spend some more time thinking about the most interesting and logical way to present your results. Was there an expected or unexpected finding? What grabbed you about your results? If you are presenting something new, build the case in a logical order – e.g., is this study the result of a long line of similar research that is “confirmatory, but…”? Does it present a new theory to explain an old phenomenon? Is it rebutting a long-held belief in the field? Does it have implications for research or social policy? Will it be a useful “tear-out” with pragmatic clinical application?

Style. Using the topic sentences you’ve already drafted into the scaffolding, write stand-alone paragraphs following the “I.A.C.” algorithm: Issue (the topic sentence), Analysis (the clinical, biochemical, social, economic, explanation of the issue or finding), and finally, the Concluding sentence (summing up the analysis of the paragraph), which should serve as a transition to the next paragraph. Get busy murdering those darlings. You will have many findings and results to choose from – choose judiciously.

If you find that you are stuck, particularly if you cannot create an I.A.C. paragraph for a finding or result, there’s a good chance that you have not been judicious enough. Go back to the topic sentence, and make sure that it is worthy of a paragraph. Some ideas that seem viable when they are drafted, turn out to be insufficiently meaty to stand alone as you move through the process. Another possibility is that this particular finding is not relevant to this paper – open your file of “good ideas for another day” and put the idea away. Ideas like this are not wasted, they are merely waiting to be re-purposed.

Another observation: while journals virtually always ask you to list results and discussion in separate sections, as you are working you will likely elide them a bit, i.e., it is sometimes difficult to simply articulate a result or finding without saying something explanatory about it, and the extra detail you find yourself adding helps to frame and organize the findings that belong together. At these times, I suggest you let your analytic mojo have its way, and later use the cut and paste function to pull out the “explanatory” discussion and place it into the “Discussion” section. You will not have wasted any time, and your creative process will not be needlessly interrupted.

Discussion: Actually speak to the reader.

The discussion is your opportunity to argue your case with the facts that you’ve set forth formulaically in the results sections. Repetition in the discussion does not make your thesis more persuasive. Here is where you persuade the editors and reviewers how and why your findings have meaning, fit together to create a story or explanation that has not been revealed before (and that is clinically relevant), or are the start of a re-thinking of formerly received wisdom. Check each paragraph against the next to be certain that you are connecting the dots for the readers, not bludgeoning them.

Limitations: Head off possible criticism with careful, but not defensive, explanation.

Anticipate critique of your methodology or study design and present the reasoning behind your choices. Your design and study criteria were well thought out in the beginning – now is not the time to have a crisis of confidence.

Conclusion: Provide a send-off, not a repetition.

The conclusion is your opportunity to take the bully pulpit, and set a course. This is the section in which to chart a research agenda, get others interested in your field, or create some controversy that flows from your findings. Articulate the thing you most want the editors and reviewers, and ultimately, the readers, to do with this new knowledge. What’s the take-home message?

Some practical advice.

Return to the rules for authors and re-check formatting requirements, word length, formatting of references, suggested number of references, directions about graphics — the works. Make sure you have complied with all of the structural requirements.

Print a hard copy of the manuscript, and proof it for substance by reading it aloud once. You will be amazed at what you will find to self-edit. Then, and only then, spell check. Wait a day, re-read a printed version of the manuscript. Then, and only then, with a sigh of relief, hit the send key to your co-authors, or other friendly readers.

Posted by white smoke | Filed Under Writing Software, english writing, white smoke, whitesmoke

Article Writing: How To Get Published

October 12, 2008 | Leave a Comment

Many good writers are unable to get published because they do not know how to go about in this business of getting published. Their articles are interesting, the subjects are relevant, and any publication would be proud to print this kind of material, but still they remain unpublished. The problem is that they did not market their product properly.

A few centuries ago when the number of periodicals was small it was easy to find one that fulfilled one’s requirements, but with the thousands of publications around, it is difficult today for the beginner to get to the appropriate publication. Further, many are so ignorant about market realities that they want their articles and other writings to be published in the commonly available commercial publications immediately. They do not realize that these are professionally produced publications, and a writer can get published in them only after gaining considerable experience and expertise in specific fields. A beginner should not overestimate his size, but should rather find a publication that is more suitable for his standard and send for publication there.

There are at least five things that you should know about getting your writings published:

1-Choose the right publication
2-Send the carefully prepared manuscript with a covering letter
3-Do send query letters
4-Expect rejection
5-Advance as you gain experience

Of these, I will explain two of the above in greater detail:

1. Choose The Right Publication: Most countries today have a wide range of publications. Our country has several thousand English periodicals plus a higher number of periodicals in other languages. The total number exceeds 40,000 ! These contain an unbelievable range of publications right from the most primitive to the most advanced.

In this crowd you will find from general to highly subject-oriented publications. One publishes on a wide variety of subjects while the other publishes only on the different aspects of one subject. You will find that they have a diversity of levels. Some publish almost any articles written by the beginner while the other publishes even the articles of the expert with great caution. Some will accept articles submitted by outside writers, but others publish only articles written by their editorial staff, while still others publish only invited articles.

What is important to understand is that in this crowd somewhere there is a publication that suits your level. In fact there is a possibility that there are dozens of publications that publish submissions from the beginner. It is your responsibility to search the market thoroughly to discover several magazines that accept submissions from the beginner. Make a list of these publications. You will be deleting as well adding to this list throughout your writing career.

The easiest place to get published is the Letters To The Editor column. Unfortunately many writers do not recognize the power and the impact of this column. They feel that after all a letter is only a letter. While a letter is surely a letter, this need not always be so. Letters published in these columns can become a powerful medium for speaking to the people of your society. Researches and surveys have found that Letters To The Editor column is one of the most read columns in periodicals. Somehow people have a strong attraction to what others like them have to say on different issues. Therefore what gets published in this column is sure to be read by a lot of people. Think of the impact that you can create by publishing letters regularly in this column. What’s more, most editors will publish letters on any subject without editing or altering them even if the letter is critical of the publication and its stand.

Many publications publish submissions only if they agree with the policy of the periodical, but this does not usually apply to the Letters column. This gives a lot of liberty to the writer of the letter. This means that even if the subjects of your interest are such that they do not find a regular place in any publication, you can still place them in front of thousands of readers through the Letters column.

For example, suppose you read horrifying reports of ragging in professional colleges and feel disgusted at how tens of thousands of innocent young people are subjected to humiliation and torture every year, you can start a national campaign through the Letters column of newspapers. You can stir thousands of people, bringing this primitive, brutal, and beastly practice to and end.

As a beginner you should try to use the Letters column of the local newspaper and other available publications both for gaining writing experience as well as to get your name established among the readership.

2. Send The Carefully Prepared Manuscript Along With A Covering Letter: Except for the Letters to the Editor column, you should send all your manuscripts to the editor with a good covering letter. It is not sufficient to send the article alone because it does not bring you in proper contact and rapport with the editor. You must realize all editors are human beings and only a personal touch will gain proper attention from them. This is becoming more and more true in this generation where the number of writings that call for the attention of the editors is increasing at an explosive rate.

The covering letter must be a brief and polite one that calls the attention of the editor to your writing. If this is your first ever submission to him, then introduce yourself briefly in this letter. Give some information about your background and also any publications that you already have. Also, if you have been reading his publication for some time, include some helpful and honest comments and observations about that publication. A typical letter might look something like the following:

Date:
The Editor
Daily Trumpet
Street Of The Infamous,
BookCity-120099

Dear Sir,

It is my privilege to send an article titled “Thirty Ways To Get Published” for consideration for publication in your periodical. This is my first ever submission to your publication.

I have been fond of guiding my friends to write, and I have published a lot of guidelines on this subject in my college and school magazines.

I have been reading the Daily Trumpet now for almost six months. Your editorials are very timely, to the point, and enlightening for the new as well as the old readers. Please continue to give us this good material.

I am enclosing a Stamped Self Addressed Envelope, for returning the article in case you find it is not useful for you.

Yours sincerely,

I. M. Helper

I have not shown the date and return address on the sample letter above, but you must include them too. Including the Stamped Self Addressed Envelope or SASE is necessary because most publications do not return the rejected manuscript unless you enclose SASE with each submission.

NEVER send the same manuscript at the same time to more than one publisher. If more than one editor decides to accept it, you will be faced with several unpleasant possibilities. The first is to inform one publisher that you are withdrawing this writing from his publication even though he wants to publish it. He might accept your request for withdrawal, but never expect him to show interest in your writings in future. After all, who would want to waste time on something about which he is not sure whether he will get it or not.

Modern-day Editors Have A Very Demanding Live, And Writers Who Make It Tough For Them Will Automatically Get Rejected !!

The second possibility is even more damaging. If two or more publications accept the writing and publish it without first informing you (and this happens many a times), you will run into a messy copyright problem. What’s worse, you loose your credibility with all those publications. Never play with these things. You have to remain in the field of writing for a long period.

If you were commissioned to write on a topic, then always include a copy of that letter with your manuscript and covering letter. Busy editors can always forget that they had commissioned someone to write, and it is not always easy for them to locate the copy of the letter that they wrote to you. Further, in a large publication your submission need not always go to the person who originally commissioned you to write it. A copy of the original letter will, however, place your writing in its proper perspective.

Posted by white smoke | Filed Under Grammar Correction, Grammar Software, Writing Software, editing, english writing, proofreading software, punctuation, white smoke, whitesmoke, writing, writing proofreading

White Smoke Review

October 8, 2008 | Leave a Comment

The White Smoke software is available as a download and works with any program. You can paste text in and copy it out, or simply compose in the compose window. I tried the online demo, and there are some minor differences from the downloadable product. However, most of the main features are the same.

So, what does it look like? It’s a bit like Word, Google Docs and other word processing programs. It’s got a simple array of formatting buttons across the top for editing style, font and font size, followed by buttons for bold, italics, underline, creating coloured text and a few more. The second row has buttons for alignment, bullets and numbering, and cutting and pasting. A cool feature is that it will paste text from Word or plain text depending on the button you choose.

The top of the window has three tabs on the left (enrichment, dictionary and templates) plus two on the right for information. The templates window allows you to load one of 600 templates in the commercial, literary, medical or legal categories and customise them for your needs. The dictionary is a lookup window and the main window, where you write and edit text, is enrichment. At the bottom of a window is a WhiteSmoke button, as well as undo, redo and demo buttons. The bottom right allows you to select the type of writing you are doing (great for those interested in business and literary, less so for those of us who blog for a living) If you’re writing a speech, dissertation or letter, you’re covered too. On to the main window.

Grammar Checking

You can use WhiteSmoke with any application, since it works with cut and paste, and you can also set it to check as you type. When you paste some text in, and hit one of those two buttons you get some text underlined in different colours. The colour code is blue for enrichment/thesaurus, green for grammar and red for spelling, cleverly following MS Word conventions. Here is where it gets interesting. Click on or hover over an underlined word and you get suggestions for improvement. So, how did WhiteSmoke do? I used it to check three articles I was writing for a client.

It picked up well on spelling errors. I use UK English, so it tried to convert them to US English. It found no grammatical errors – I had to insert a deliberate mistake to test that. That’s a major improvement over Word, which always finds grammatical errors where there are none. For me, the winner was the enrichments popup menu. That’s in two parts. The left suggests adjectives and adverbs you can add to enrich your writing, while the right suggests synonyms. Just click to add your changes. I liked some of the suggestions and can see where this type of software would help people who struggle with writing.

There are several different WhiteSmoke products aimed respectively at general writing, business writing, creative writing, legal writing, medical writing and executive writing, as well as a language translator that offers instant translation into 20 languages. There are also pro versions with additional enhancements (currently on sale for $1 when you buy the main program).

White Smoke is a useful product, especially for people who are new to writing or who have English as a second language. Even experienced writers will find it useful on a day when the words just aren’t flowing the way you want.

Posted by white smoke | Filed Under Correct Grammar Software, Grammar Correction, Grammar Software, Writing Software, english writing, grammar checker, white smoke, white smoke review, whitesmoke, whitesmoke review, writing proofreading

White Smoke ESL Software Review

October 4, 2008 | Leave a Comment

White Smoke ESL Software

English is a very difficult language to master , even for native speakers! But writing in English as a second language is now easier than ever with WhiteSmoke ESL software. Our revolutionary technology contains an extremely large database of words and phrases which is tested, improved and upgraded on a daily basis. For you, this means help with your English writing that is always accurate, and that you will learn English at a high level.

The English corrector in WhiteSmoke will be your most valuable tool as a learner of English. It doesn’t matter what kind of text you need to write; we can help you. Within this English checker, there is a grammar checker that will find and correct your English grammar mistakes. If you have trouble with verb tenses, WhiteSmoke can find your errors and correct them.

You will also have proper punctuation in your English writing with WhiteSmoke software. Rules for writing are different in different parts of the world. American English is the standard, and with just the push of a button WhiteSmoke’s proofreading software, will check your work and make sure it matches the rules it needs to so you will have correct punctuation that will be clear to everyone.

When you write in English with WhiteSmoke, you will be sure that your work is high quality and free of mistakes because this grammar software checks for your errors and corrects them. You will come across as smart and professional, and get the contacts and reactions you deserve. Speak English like an American and succeed in the international world we live in.

Posted by white smoke | Filed Under Grammar Software, Writing Software, editing, editing proofreading, english writing, esl software, grammar checker, proofreading, proofreading software, punctuation, verb tenses, white smoke, white smoke review, whitesmoke review

« Previous Page — Next Page »

White Smoke Special Offers!

Get a Free Trial!

Main Navigation

English Vocabulary

Homonyms

Spelling Rules

Plurals

Verbs

Idioms

Introduction

Step 1: Tone and Purpose

Step 2: When and Why

Do You Have to Tell Them Why?

An Attitude of Gratitude

Step 3: The Layout and Structure

Step by Step Layout

Sample Letter

Step 4: Things Not to Disclose

Step 5: Delivery

Conclusion

Proofreading

Copy Editing

Introduction

When Is A ‘Mistake’ Not A Mistake?

Take Proofreading Test No. 1

Take Proofreading Test No. 2

Take Proofreading Test No. 3

Answers For Test No. 1

Test No. 1 Notes

Answers For Test No. 2

Test No. 2 Notes

Answers For Test No. 3

Test No. 3 Notes

Persuasive and Effective Writing

The Algorithm

Begin before the beginning.

Build a scaffold.

Put on the sorting hat.

The Introduction: A promise to the reader.

Write the easy parts first.

Results: The scribbled list re-rears its head.

Discussion: Actually speak to the reader.

Limitations: Head off possible criticism with careful, but not defensive, explanation.

Conclusion: Provide a send-off, not a repetition.

Some practical advice.

Grammar Checking

White Smoke Special Offers!

Recently Written

Categories

Archives

Blogroll