Speech tags and atributions Friday, Jan 15 2010

“Is it wrong to use the word ’said” so the reader knows who has just spoken?”

“Should we try to make our speech tags creative to add interest to our writing?”

“What are some problems writers bump into with speech tags?”

Good questions. The biggest problem I’ve seen with speech tags is the almost universal desire to make them interesting. Here’s what can happen…

Impossible tags. “I want to go with you,” she hoped. [The word 'hope' is used as a speech tag, but it isn't. You can't hope something with your speech.]

A tag plus an “ly”word. “I want to go with you,” she murmered softly. [An adverb to modify the verb used as a speech tag often shows redundancy (you can't murmer something without speaking softly.)]

A tag out of context. Imagine two people talking about something. Without warning the author writes, “No, no!” shouted Henry. In general, sudden changes in feeling should be substantiated by hints in what the characters are doing and not rely on a speech tag to change the scene.

Too many different tags in a conversation. Sometimes students work so hard at being creative they end up weighing down the conversation with too many tags like “said,” “whispered,” “mumbled,” or even “breathed.”

Too many tags. If you have two people talking to each other, don’t burden your story by saying “he said,” “she said,” back and forth through the story. The dialog should settle who’s talking. If speech tags are needed in a dialog, put them in the first words spoken by each character, and then use other ways if needed to make it clear who is speaking.

“Said” is a good word. It’s an inconspicuous word, “said” is, so if you feel you must tell the reader who is speaking, you can use “said” without weighting down your conversation.

Group conversation. If you have three or more people speaking in a conversation, it’s much harder to avoid confusion without speech tags. So you’re stuck with them–unless you can identify the speaker on some other way such as describing an action by the person before the words are spoken. (John scratched his chin with his ball point pen. “I should think we need to…”)

Read a bit of Hemingway and notice how he dodges speech tags. Pick up a cheap novel and notice that dialog usually has more tags. Read books by your favorite authors and pay special attention to how they use speech tags. If there are too many, too often, look for a better author!

Joyce Griffith

Brought to you compliments of Griffith Publishing

Leave a Response »

 

2010: Twenty-ten or two thousand ten? Friday, Jul 31 2009

Spoken English adapts to people’s choices much faster than written English because people bend the spoken language to make it easier to speak.

My vote for pronouncing the next years of the century are as follows:

• 2010 = twenty ten
• 2052 = twenty fifty-two
• 2099 = twenty ninety-nine

The only years when there was a deviation from the above “rule” were from 2000 and 2009 when you ended up saying something you didn’t mean if you left out the “thousand.” For example…

• 2000 = Twenty zero? No. Twenty O O? Both are awkward. Two thousand is accurate and easy to pronounce.
• 2001 = Twenty one? No. Twenty and one? Both would be 21. Twenty O one? Accurate, but it never caught on. Two thousand one? That’s the one that made it into the vernacular.
• 2005 = Twenty aught five? My grandpa always told me he graduated from college in “nineteen aught four.” But “aught” never made it past the early 1900’s, and today we use “O” or “zero” when the old-timers would have used “aught.”

So we accepted “two thousand three,” “two thousand four,” and so on up to the current time when we are dealing with 2010.

Just because it’s my vote, doesn’t mean it’s the rule. People will pronounce the years until the next century however they choose, and the majority will decide the form we use.

Language is a perfect democracy.

–brought to you by Griffith Publishing,
assisting authors in publishing their books since 1988.

Leave a Response »

 

“different from,” “different than” Friday, Jul 24 2009

I wish I had a dollar for every time I come across business communication with the phrase “different than” in it. The expression is so common I’ve actually seen people correct “different from” to “different than.” It’s wrong, folks, just plain wrong.

Careful writers and speakers will notice this error and remember you as a user of nonstandard English. Here’s my feeble explanation of why “different than” is a sign of bad English and how to catch on to that difference so you won’t be seen in bad light just because you used the wrong word.

When you start at Point A and go to Point B, you go “from” A to B. That’s how I learned the difference.

We say, “I’d rather live in Idaho than Oregon,” or “I like cherries better than apples,” but wouldn’t dream of using “from” in those expressions.

The word “different” needs to be followed by “from” when the writer or speaker is making a comparison that is explained after announcing that there is a comparison. “That’s different,” we may say in casual conversation. To support the sentence, we need to add something such as “That’s different from anything I’ve seen before…”

That may or may not help. This might. Say “different from” ten times a day, and then make up a sentence that uses the word “different from” to point to the fact that there is a difference between two people or objects.

Examples of “different than” (all wrong) that I’ve seen lately…

• “But freedom of speech and that invitation to constructively criticize a public servant is a lot different than the allowance to lie, to continually falsely accuse a public servant when they have proven over and over again that they have not done what the accuser is saying they did.”–Sarah Palin, quoted in Think Progress.”
• Three Reasons Why This Defense Cycle Is Different than Previous Cycles. Online investor consultant.
• Absenteeism of Asthmatic Children Is No Different Than That of Their Non Asthmatic Peers. Medical News Today.

And contemporary examples of “different from” used correctly in headlines:

• Swine flu (is) different from ordinary flu in a number of ways. Medical News.
• Program management: Different from project management. IBM.
• How’s discovery different from search? alt search engines

–Compliments of Griffith Publishing, experts in editing and writing for ordinary folks

Leave a Response »

 

Tuesday, Jul 21 2009

I didn’t think it would happen, but it has. In advertising and information text that is supposed to generate respect for the content, I see the following error over and over and over:

I really like you house.

Hmm. Maybe the writer was talking to his dwelling place and just got his punctuation wrong: “I really like you, house.”

Or maybe the writer just didn’t take the time to look at what was written.

It’s obvious that most people don’t read what they write.

I just found a lot of information that looked helpful on a site called http://www.ebooks-business.com. Now you would think, wouldn’t you, that anyone with such a fine domain name must really know his stuff?

Take a look at this sentence:

Use you blog to sell and promote all of the your publishing items.

And just as I was wrapping this up, someone decided to be nice and send me a compliment: Just dropping by. Btw, you website have great content!

Your choice of words says so much about you. My advice: Use you brain before you post you blog.

Just a thought from Griffith Publishing

Leave a Response »

 

Quote marks Tuesday, Jan 20 2009

The little marks we know as single quotes (‘) and double quotes (“) get us in trouble all the time.

The double quote looks like the above illustration when it introduces spoken words or text imported from another writer or source. It’s the reverse when it closes the sme words.

When it comes to quote marks, the opposite of “straight” is “curly.” The quote marks shown above are known as “curly quotes” because they aren’t straight lines like they are in some type families.

When you’re writing dialog, each time a speaker in the conversation says something, those words are “enclosed” in double quotes. That means, a quote facing the text at the beginning and another at the end, turned to face the text from that perspective. We call the second quote a “close quote” or an “end quote” because it comes as the end of that segment of spoken speech. When we put the opening and ending quote marks on a piece of text, we call that “enclosing the text in quote marks.”

You start a new the paragraph when another speaker says something.

If the person who is speaking quotes someone else, those words are enclosed by single quotes.

If the person being quoted in single quotes uses speech from someone else, those words are closed by double quotes.

If you quote from a published source, the material you quote should be in quotes or indented to set it apart from other text. If the quoted text breaks into a new paragraph, there is no closing quote at the end of the previous paragraph.

One more thing…Quote marks go after punctuation marks that may end the words quoted.

Got it?

Here’s a sample that should help you understand the main quote mark rules regarding conversations.

“You don’t understand,” Marcia said, her lips trembling.

“You’re right. I don’t understand, either,” her husband Bill said, “and I’m understanding you less the more you go on.”

—

“My professor told me you were wrong about the start of the War of 1812, and he said, ‘Nobody should look at that piece of history like that.’ “

—

The best way to learn how to write dialog and punctuate it properly is to read it. Cheap novels are an inexpensive way to find thousands of examples, and usually they are handled correctly. Literary articles are just as effective, although the more academic the piece is, the fewer quotations are likely. Newspapers are prepared so quickly that mistakes creep in on a regular basis. Use them to see how good you are at finding quote mark errors in everyday writing.

One Response »

 

Best references for correct English on the Web Monday, Nov 17 2008

Here are our choices for the most comprehensive guides available on good grammar in the English language. All of these are online, available with the click of a mouse and, in some cases, a few dollars.

Elements of Style, by William Strunk, Jr. A classic collection of English language tools, including rules of usage, words and expressions commonly misused, and common misspellings. Free online.

Bartleby’s English Usage Collection. Quick access to some of the web’s best online resources for writers, including the Columbia Encyclopedia, American Heritage Dictionary, Roget’s Thesaurus, American Heritage Book of English Usage, Bartlett’s Famous Quotations, and many others. Free online.

Guide to Grammar and Style by  Jack Lynch. Revised in January of this year. Free online.

The Associated Press Stylebook. “The journalist’s ‘Bible.’ ” An excellent guide to grammar and style followed by writers for the Associated Press and others who strive to write well. Both printed and online versions involve a fee.

Chicago Manual of Style. This book is indispensable to the editors at Griffith Publishing. The new online version includes Q&A, sample letters and forms, and the ability to use the manual to develop your own style sheet. Free trial online version.

More later! Share your favorite guides to using the English language correctly and with style. Send email to Griffith Publishing at hodi@mindspring.com.

Leave a Response »

 

Who–or whom? Sunday, Nov 16 2008

In our rush to produce error-free English text, we sometimes end up making big mistakes that we truly believe are more upscale and correct.

For example…

I wanted to know who she was dating.

Should be: I wanted to know whom she was dating.

Or we often see a sentence like this:

Either Mark or Jill is the one whom will be chosen for the trip.

Should be: Either Mark or Jill is the one who will be chosen for the trip.

“Who” is the subject

“Who wants this?”
“Who told you?”
“I asked her to tell me who wanted out.”
“We were shocked when we learned who had dated whom as teenagers.”

“Whom” is the object

“To whom does this purse belong?” (or “Who is the owner of this purse?”)
“For whom does the bell toll?”
“The one on whom the curse falls will turn scarlet.”

“Who” and “whoever” follow the same rules

“Whoever wants to take the third floor, please raise your hand.”

“Whom”and “whomever” follow the same rules

“I will give the thousand dollars to whomever I choose.”

Another quick way to check your use is to ask, Would the word “he” work better than “him” in this case? If it would, then use “who” or, if you want to include everyone, “whoever.” If “him works” better, use “whom” or “whomever.”

Look for the words “who” and “whom” in your reading. Once in a while you’ll find a mistake. In spoken English  errors using “who” or “whom” are more common, with “who” taking first prize for being used incorrectly.

Leave a Response »

 

Capital letters—Oh, no! Sunday, Nov 9 2008

We can’t squeeze a comprehensive treatise on capitalization into one short blog, but we can put in a few words in favor of a lower case mindset.

I’ve found that many physicians are fussy about capital letters. So are many academics and business managers. They want ALL titles beginning with a capital letter, as in Joe Smith, Personnel Director; or Joe Smith, M.D., Chief Medical Officer.

This is fine IF you’re printing a list, writing PR copy for an organization, or printing a name on a book cover. In news or information for the general public, not so good. “Put ‘em down” is the rule. For example:

Joe Smith has been the president of ABC Corporation for the past ten years.

If you leave the first “the” out of the above sentence, the rule changes.

Joe Smith has been President of ABC Corporation for the past ten years.

Why? Because “president” is a word describing a function; “President” is a title that goes with the company name. Tricky, sometimes. Worth it to try for lower case if you can justify it.

Proper names are always capitalized. No problem there.

But what about “dad,” “mom,” or “girlfriend?” The rule is that if you’re using a term as a name, put a capital letter at the start of each word. If you’re writing about a person, put it down. For example…

My mom was the most important person in my life.
“Hey, Mom!” I shouted as I ran in the front door.

Capital letters are helpful when they signal a proper name. Too many capital letters in a paragraph give the reader a headache. Why? Because it’s harder to read capitalized words than those in lower case. Aim for a “down style” in your writing, and it will be easier to read.

The first letter of the first word of a sentence is always capitalized. Not a problem for 99.5% of English writers.

By the way, when you’re telling someone what to write, it’s a good idea to say things like “upper case” when you want a capital letter, and “lower case” when you don’t.

And as I’ve said, when you can, “put it down.”

Brought to you at no cost or obligation by Griffith Publishing

Leave a Response »

 

Commas can clarify or confuse Tuesday, Nov 4 2008

Meet the comma

Probably no other mark of punctuation is used—or misused—more than the comma.

Add to that a slight variance between British and American punctuation, and we have even more confusion.

Once upon a time about 50 to 150 years ago, writing in English was much heavier than it is today. Long sentences were considered a mark of careful writing. Henry David Thoreau, for example, who championed the cause of simplicity was most eloquent when he framed his thoughts in delicious, long sentences. For example…

“On either hand, and beyond, was a wholly uninhabited wilderness, stretching to Canada. Neither horse nor cow, nor vehicle of any kind, had ever passed over this ground; the cattle, and the few bulky articles which the loggers use, being got up in the winter on the ice, and down again before it breaks up.”—Ktaadn, Part II.

Eight commas and 54 words in two sentences. Not one misplaced, not one incorrectly used. Excellent writing. But times are changing. In today’s mad rush we like our sentences even shorter than this example—and more directly to the point.

Still, we occasionally need a short pause or a break, and for that we have the comma.

The general rule about commas is to use them when you need to separate words, phrases, or other constructions from each other.

Lists…

Always in a sentence with a list of three or more items, you need to separate the items with commas.

Example: My favorite vegetables are spinach, carrots, and potatoes.

The comma before “and” in the list above is sometimes called a “serial comma.” It is not used as rigorously in American writing as it is in British writing.

Following introductory words or phrases

Example: For the last time, stop interrupting me or I’m going to scream.

You don’t need to place a comma after every phrase that begins a sentence. For example..

On the way home I noticed dark clouds forming on the western horizon.
On the way home, I noticed dark clouds forming on the western horizon.

If the tone of the writing is eager, fast-paced, or moving readily into the future, the comma that slows us down isn’t needed. If the writer wants everyone to slow down just a bit at that point, a comma will do the job.

In general, the rule is…

Commas are usually not needed after an uncomplicated, introductory prepositional phrase:

Beneath the surface I saw my gold watch…
After lunch we drove to the gym.
In my pocket I found a dollar bill.

The rule is, “When in doubt, leave it out.” If you don’t have to slow things down, don’t!

Transitional words such as “however” or “therefore” that are abundant in writing of the early twentieth century usually, but not always, need to be set apart by commas. Examples:

No oxygen was present. Therefore, the chemical reaction did not occur.

I went over the key points five times with Steve. However, he didn’t pay any attention and
missed all of the questions on the final exam.

Sometimes “however” has the function of describing an adverb, and that means no comma is needed. For example…

However hard he tried, Thomas could not uncouple the trailer from the car.

In short structures, “therefore” doesn’t need the slowdown of one or more commas. Example…

I am therefore going to forget this ever happened.

Commas are subject to personal judgment as much as to rules of grammar. Take this short quiz:

Leave a Response »

 

A quick cure for colon (:) problems Monday, Oct 20 2008

The colon in your body may be doing fine, but what about the mark of punctuation in your writing? Do you ever scratch your head and say to yourself, “A colon or not?”

Here’s a quick cure for that problem. Try substituting the word “namely” for the colon. Read the whole sentence, and if it makes sense, you need a colon.

Example: Three things I love about you: your looks, your brains, and your bank account.

Does the word “namely” work where the colon is? Then use it there and you’ll be right.

Brought to you courtesy of Griffith Publishing.

Leave a Response »