language

Paragraphs

Hannah McCall 11 Comments

A few months ago, I tweeted this:*

Paragraphs tweet

Most people are able to use paragraphs very well without any help from me. But occasionally I am confronted with a solid block of words that makes my heart sink a little.

You can think of paragraphs as units of thought. There are no real rules about how long they should be, but one-sentence paragraphs should not be used too often and paragraphs any longer than a page are going to lose you readers. As usual, context will dictate what is appropriate. The best way to approach it is one idea per paragraph. (This doesn’t have to be a huge change of idea – it is usually nuanced.)

It might be helpful to consider the structure for paragraphs in essays. They should typically be structured as follows: introduce idea, elaborate on idea, reach conclusion and/or establish direction for the next paragraph. This can be applied to most other writing situations but its usefulness will depend on style and context (again).

Paragraphs are particularly important for web-based content, and they should be fairly short. Because readers tend to scan text online, gaining and keeping their attention is easier with short paragraphs.

Paragraphs break up the text, making it look less intimidating and more accessible. They make it easier to follow and understand the argument, discussion or narrative. And they will help the writer to focus on and progress through their ideas.

Use paragraphs. They’re great.

*The universe Twitter largely ignored me.

Feats of daring-do

Hannah McCall 8 Comments

Of course, this should be derring-do. But the misspelling is understandable given the meaning of the word and its origins.

https://pixabay.com/en/biker-motorcycle-stunt-man-person-384921/Derring-do is pleasantly archaic and often used humorously in modern writing.* It means actions showing heroic courage or feats of daring.

The word originated from the late Middle English dorryng do (meaning ‘daring to do’) being misprinted as derrynge do in the 16th-century editions of John Lydgate’s Chronicle of Troy.

The modern usage and spelling is usually most associated with Sir Walter Scott’s Ivanhoe.

*I would love to proofread a story where derring-do doesn’t look out of place. I am imagining pirates. Or an old-fashioned superhero.

‘Grisly’ or ‘grizzly’?

Hannah McCall 14 Comments

These two words have very different meanings. http://mrg.bz/btzvI8Often ‘grizzly’ is used when ‘grisly’ would be correct.

  • Grisly: gruesome, causing horror or disgust – ‘a grisly murder was discovered’.
  • Grizzly: grey or grey-haired. It can also be used to refer to a whining or crying child (from to grizzle) in British English. But you will probably see the word used most commonly to refer to a kind of bear – the grizzly bear.

‘Interned’ and ‘interred’

Hannah McCall Leave a comment

You could probably give your readers a little bit of an upset if you used ‘interred’ when you meant ‘interned’. Unless they really don’t like the character you are writing about – they might just be disappointed when they realise the mistake.http://mrg.bz/vgJ72h

  • Interned: imprisoned (particularly for political or military reasons). This also means you should use internment in this context.
  • Interred: buried (typically with funeral rites). And this should be interment.

These are words to keep in mind if you tend to accidentally hit the wrong keys as you type – the spellchecker won’t object to them and the difference (n/r) is easy to skim over when you check your writing.

Fowler’s Dictionary of Modern English Usage, Jeremy Butterfield (ed.)

Hannah McCall 8 Comments

This is my latest book recommendation. I consult this book regularly and it rarely lets me down. Respected and authoritative, it is a book with a sensible and measured approach to the English language.

The 7,500 entries are displayed in an A–Z fashion (like a dictionary, as per its name) with clear explanations and examples. It covers grammar, syntax, spelling, word choices and meanings, punctuation, and differences in English usage around the world. Fowler’s is my favourite source for identifying myths and ‘rules’ that are unnecessary and that damage good writing.

I referred to it in my previous post on ending a sentence with a preposition, and I have directed clients to it when discussing preferred forms of words. I even flick through it occasionally just to see what interesting entries I stumble across.

My hardback copy of the latest edition has 928 pages – you probably won’t want to carry it around with you! But it is an excellent publication to add to your collection. And (to my chagrin) it seems to be a lot cheaper to buy now than it was when I bought it.

Ending a sentence with a preposition

Hannah McCall 16 Comments

Ending a sentence with a preposition is completely fine. Do it. You can cite the following sources to anyone who says you shouldn’t:*

  • For Who the Bell Tolls: One Man’s Quest for Grammatical Perfection, David Marsh
  • Fowler’s Dictionary of Modern English Usage, Jeremy Butterfield (editor)
  • Oxford A–Z of Grammar & Punctuation, John Seely
  • Oxford Guide to Plain English, Martin Cutts
  • Penguin Writer’s Manual, Martin Manser & Stephen Curtis
  • The Chicago Manual of Style

Sometimes sentences ending in prepositions should be rewritten because they lack impact or read badly, but they are not ‘wrong’. It is only in the most formal of contexts that placing a preposition before its object is a must. In fact, in some situations it is only appropriate for the preposition to come at the end of a clause or sentence (see Fowler’s for more on this).

Don’t ruin your writing trying to obey this ‘rule’. It is not a thing.

* Martin Cutts calls these people ‘fossils’. I couldn’t possibly comment …

The Penguin Guide to Punctuation, R.L. Trask

Hannah McCall 13 Comments

If you struggle with punctuation, this is the book that you should acquire a copy of.

I have many, many books that I refer to when I am working. The Penguin Guide to Punctuation by R. L. Trask is probably the most accessible one on the subject of punctuation.

The definitions, explanations and examples are simple and easy to understand. The text is well laid out and not an overwhelming block. At 162 pages it isn’t an intimidating tome and you can take it with you to wherever you like to write. It is incredibly thorough (especially the chapter on commas) and even deals with aspects that are not strictly punctuation (such as capitalisation).

I recommend this book because no one should be afraid of punctuation. Sometimes it gets tricky, but most of the time it is fairly straightforward. I know that people worry about their use of commas or what a semicolon is actually for. But once you have the knowledge how, you will be surprised at your ability to wield them effectively in your writing. The guidelines are expertly set out in this book, and they will give you the confidence you need to be able to use punctuation at its best.

Proofing is not proofreading

Hannah McCall Leave a comment

I have noticed a tendency for the term ‘proofing’ to be used interchangeably with ‘proofreading’. I thought this might be a good opportunity to explain a little more about proofreading. In publishing terminology, ‘proofing’ means providing a proof. It is not another term for proofreading.

http://mrg.bz/f5d0NIOnce a typescript has been copy-edited and design instructions have been established, the marked-up typescript (copy) is sent to the typesetter. The typesetter then produces the proof. The proof is a way to ‘try out’ the typesetter’s work. It allows the material to be checked and corrected before the publication process moves any further.

A proofreader will read and correct this proof – proofreading.

The proofreader will typically check for any errors that have been introduced during typesetting (as well as those that may have made it through the copy-editing stage), ensure that the material has been presented as intended and without any poor outcomes (bad word breaks, widows and orphans, etc.), and make sure that any page references are correct. The proofreader’s job is to ensure consistency and accuracy, but the actual tasks undertaken may vary depending on the client’s requirements.

If you would like further information on what a proofreader does and does not do, the Society for Editors and Proofreaders has a handy page here.

‘Bare’ or ‘bear’?

Hannah McCall 1 Comment

I am here to save you from the potential embarrassment of asking someone to ‘please bare with’ you. You don’t want that. Probably.

BearSo, in this context:

  • To bare is to uncover or reveal.
  • To bear is to accept, tolerate or endure.

Both words have alternative meanings. Bare may mean ‘basic and simple’ or ‘plain’, or it can mean ‘the least possible amount’. The word bear (past tense bore) has so many other uses (mostly related to the concept of carrying) that I have listed them below:

  • To carry or convey – ‘he was bearing a cup of tea’; ‘the boat bore the traveller downriver’
  • To carry or conduct oneself in a certain manner – ‘he bore himself with pride’
  • To display as a mark or feature – ‘it bears my signature’
  • (Similarly to the above) To have or continue to have something – ‘She bears a resemblance to my grandmother’; ‘I bear him nothing but goodwill’
  • To be called by (a name) – ‘I bear the name of my ancestors’
  • To support or carry the weight of – ‘the bridge could not bear the lorry’
  • To take responsibility for – ‘I bear no responsibility for your actions’
  • To be able to accept or stand up to – ‘your idea does not bear scrutiny’
  • To say something is true or happened in your experience – ‘I will bear witness to that’
  • To give birth to (a child) – ‘she bore two daughters’
  • To produce (of a tree, plant) – ‘my orange tree bears fruit’
  • To turn and proceed in a specified direction – ‘bear right at the end of the road’

I won’t patronise you by explaining bear as a noun.*

*… Apart from the usage in finance as it is a new one to me. A bear is a person who sells shares when they expect prices to fall and then buys them back (or hopes to buy them back) at the lower price.

Make of that what you will.

Using ‘refute’ and ‘rebut’

Hannah McCall Leave a comment

If you are writing an academic or formal piece, it is important to understand what ‘refute’ and ‘rebut’ actually mean.

They are often confused with or used instead of ‘deny’, ‘reject’ and ‘repudiate’*. These words mean to dispute something without providing an argument or proof.

‘Refute’ and ‘rebut’ mean to disprove by argument or evidence but in slightly different ways:

  • To refute is to prove something to be false or to disprove by argument.
  • To rebut is to try to prove that something is false or to present an argument against it.

These distinctions may not matter too much in everyday discourse, but it does matter when you want your audience to take you seriously.

*This is a decidedly ugly word, right?