Jean Reynolds's Blog

Ten Writing Secrets You Didn’t Hear about In School

Instant Quiz

Can you improve the sentence below? Scroll to the bottom of today’s post for the answer.    

Elaine and her mother looked forward to her college graduation.

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I’ve been using these writing secrets for years! Try them yourself. Be careful with the word being. It’s a useful word — but it can gum up a sentence. “Because” is a much better choice than “being that,” for example.You can start sentences with and, but, and because. There’s never been a rule against it. Abraham Lincoln did it in the Gettysburg Address. Shakespeare did it.
Every English-language book in your bookcase has sentences starting with but, and, and because.Don’t be afraid of the singular they; “If someone needs a ticket, they can get one at the office.” The singular they dates back to 1375. Chaucer, Caxton, and Shakespeare used it; so did Jane Austen (75 times in Pride and Prejudice).
We all use the singular they all the time. (If you’re nervous about it, read this from NPR: https://n.pr/1PXdiGW)Professional writers often end their paragraphs with a climax (“That was my favorite birthday gift”) or a closure sentence that repeats the point of the paragraph. (“I still think about that gift.”)
Don’t overdo it, but it’s a great way to add polish to your writing.Never use “last but not least.” The pros use a climax phrase (such as best of all, most important, most seriously) to introduce their final supporting idea.Don’t use quotation marks for emphasis (He was my “favorite” teacher). The pros don’t do it, and you shouldn’t either.Don’t underline, ever. Add emphasis with italics or bold formatting.Always choose the simplest word. Nobody is impressed if you say, “The fluid supply in my writing implement is exhausted” when what you mean is “My pen is out of ink.”
Impress people with your critical thinking and your knowledge, not fancy words.Delete words that don’t add anything useful to a sentence. “Their respective specialties” means exactly the same thing as “their specialties.”
You wouldn’t put up with a lazy employee, and you shouldn’t tolerate lazy words.Don’t waste your time learning formal grammar. You learned most of the grammar you’ll ever need before you entered first grade. (Doubt me? If you didn’t know grammar, how could you have read this post?)

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Instant Quiz ANSWER

Because there are two women, “she” is confusing. You need to rewrite the sentence to clarify who is graduating.

Elaine and her mother looked forward to Elaine’s college graduation.

What Your English Teacher Didn’t Tell You is available in paperback and Kindle formats from Amazon.com and other online booksellers.
“A useful resource for both students and professionals” – Jena L. Hawk, Ph.D., Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College

“Personable and readable…Jean knows her subject forwards and backwards.” – Adair Lara, author of Hold Me Close, Let Me Go

Three Words I Never Use

Instant Quiz

Can you improve the sentence below? Scroll to the bottom of today’s post for the answer.    

The college will offer two tracks for new students, i.e. conventional face-to-face classes and self-paced, independent study.

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Here they are: restive, enervated, and fulsome. (Were you expecting naughty words? Sorry to disappoint you!)

There’s nothing wrong with these words, of course. But they’re in transition right now  and developing new meanings. How will you (or your readers, if you’re a writer) know which meaning was intended?

It might be wise to avoid this trio of words altogether: restive, enervate, and fulsome.

“Restive” originally meant restless, fidgety, or out of control.  But because it contains the word “rest,” some people think it means restful.

“Enervated” originally meant drained or exhausted. But it sounds a little like “energetic,” and that meaning has caught on.

“Fulsome” originally meant exaggerated praise. But now it’s often used to mean sincere praise.

It’s fun to learn new words! But be careful when using an unfamiliar word. Make sure you know the current meaning.

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Instant Quiz ANSWER  

Avoid i.e. Familiar English words and expressions are usually the best choice. Substitute “that is” for i.e. – or omit it altogether.

The college will offer two tracks for new students – conventional face-to-face classes and self-paced, independent study.  BETTER

What Your English Teacher Didn’t Tell You is available in paperback and Kindle formats from Amazon.com and other online booksellers.
“A useful resource for both students and professionals” – Jena L. Hawk, Ph.D., Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College

“Personable and readable…Jean knows her subject forwards and backwards.” – Adair Lara, author of Hold Me Close, Let Me Go

Advice to Ignore

Instant Quiz

Can you correct the error in the sentence below? Scroll to the bottom of today’s post for the answer.

After studing for three hours, I was ready for a break.

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In the last couple of weeks I’ve come across the same bad writing advice twice. What’s really interesting is that the contexts were different.

Here’s the bad advice:

1. You should avoid semicolons because they don’t indicate the relationship between the two ideas. (This is Michael Kinsley’s position) 

2.  You should avoid dashes because they don’t indicate the relationship between the two ideas. (This is Lionel Shriver’s position.)

Bosh! Our brains are perfectly capable of figuring out those relationships. In fact our brains enjoy doing that. It’s more active and interesting than just imbibing information.

Take a look at these two sentences:

We enjoyed our visit; Susan is a wonderful hostess.

Raindrops began to fall – we needed to hurry.

No one could miss the connections between those pairs of ideas. We enjoyed the visit because Susan is such a good hostess. We had to hurry because we didn’t want to get wet.

Why not simply use “because,” then? The answer is sentence variety. You don’t want to keep using the same sentence pattern over and over – a string of because sentences, for example.

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Instant Quiz ANSWER

Studying requires a “y” at the end:

After studying for three hours, I was ready for a break.  CORRECT

What Your English Teacher Didn’t Tell You is available in paperback and Kindle formats from Amazon.com and other online booksellers.
“A useful resource for both students and professionals” – Jena L. Hawk, Ph.D., Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College

“Personable and readable…Jean knows her subject forwards and backwards.” – Adair Lara, author of Hold Me Close, Let Me Go

Because I Said So

Instant Quiz

Can you correct the error in the sentence below? Scroll to the bottom of today’s post for the answer. 

Gabe is always in trouble because he insists on flaunting the rules.

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My husband has been the garden writer for a newspaper for 32 years. His first editor was a pleasant young woman who — unfortunately — had some odd ideas about writing. One of them was her belief that because was a bad word.

Every time Charlie used because in an article, she would call and ask him to change it. Since gardening involves a great deal of why information (“You should use mulch because….”), there were many of those phone calls.

Charlie was never able to convince her that because is a perfectly respectable word. We weren’t sorry when she left for another newspaper and a new set of journalists to annoy.

Several months later I unexpectedly discovered the likely reason for her fear of because: it can be ambiguous if you use it in a negative sentence — one with didn’t, couldn’t, wouldn’t, or a similar word. Here’s an example: “We didn’t buy the house because of its landscaping.” You picture a house with dying shrubs and messy flowerbeds.

In an actual conversation, that sentence can take on a different meaning: “We didn’t buy the house because of its landscaping. What really appealed to us was the deck overlooking the lake.”

Now the meaning is clear. As so often happens with language, context solves the problem. There’s no reason to worry about because.

Apparently some writers still aren’t convinced, however. I just came across an article about this issue from the Modern Language Association. They suggest inserting a comma when you use because in a negative sentence: “We didn’t buy the house, because of its landscaping.”

The MLA is a prestigious organization, and I’m not going to be the one to argue with them. But that seems to be a flimsy solution. (I guess I really am arguing with them!)

I rely on a writing rule that has never let me down: don’t try to fix an ambiguous sentence with a punctuation mark. Recast the sentence instead. Here’s my solution: “Although we love its landscaping, that’s not the reason we bought this house.” Problem solved!

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Instant Quiz ANSWER

The word you need today is flout. (Flaunt refers to showing off.) 

Gabe is always in trouble because he insists on flouting the rules.  CORRECT

What Your English Teacher Didn’t Tell You is available in paperback and Kindle formats from Amazon.com and other online booksellers.
“A useful resource for both students and professionals” – Jena L. Hawk, Ph.D., Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College

“Personable and readable…Jean knows her subject forwards and backwards.” – Adair Lara, author of Hold Me Close, Let Me Go

Is It “I” or “Me”?

Instant Quiz

Can you improve the sentence below? Scroll to the bottom of today’s post for the answer.    

Preregistration begins on Tuesday.

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It’s surprising but true – the everyday words I and me cause endless confusion.

Although it’s easy to use these two words correctly, our English grammar insists on making them seem difficult. I just came across this hopelessly complicated explanation from Grammarly:

Use me when you’re talking about an action done to, toward, for, with, or without you. And use I whenever you’re the one doing the action.

Do you find this explanation helpful? I don’t. There’s a better way: just shorten the sentence.

Jill invited Carl and I/me to her party.

Get rid of Carl – just for a minute. He can still come to the party!

Jill invited me to  her party.

It’s obvious, isn’t it? Jill invited me to her party. So: Jill invited Carl and me to  her party.

Let’s try another one:

Carl and I/me enjoyed Jill’s party.

Get rid of Carl for just a moment:

I enjoyed the party.

Again, it’s obvious: I enjoyed Jill’s party. So: Carl and I enjoyed Jill’s party.

Use your language experience to solve these problems – and stay away from the grammar gobbledygook. You can download a free handout about pronouns at this link.

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Instant Quiz ANSWER

Here’s a better version of today’s Quiz sentence: Registration begins on Tuesday.

Many times “pre” is unnecessary. There’s no difference between registration and preregistration, planning and preplanning, and ordering and preordering.

What Your English Teacher Didn’t Tell You is available in paperback and Kindle formats from Amazon.com and other online booksellers.
“A useful resource for both students and professionals” – Jena L. Hawk, Ph.D., Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College

“Personable and readable…Jean knows her subject forwards and backwards.” – Adair Lara, author of Hold Me Close, Let Me Go

Maybe It Doesn’t Matter!

Instant Quiz

Can you improve the sentence below? Scroll to the bottom of today’s post for the answer.    

I saw two shoe stores walking down the street.

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I was taught not to capitalize prepositions (in, by, for, with, to) in a title. Here’s how I would write the title of Margaret Mitchell’s famous novel: Gone with the Wind.

But I just found out that the Chicago Manual of Style has an exception. If you’re using a phrasal verb, you can capitalize the preposition (which -the experts say – might actually be an adverb. Don’t you just love grammar?).

A phrasal verb has two words that go together: fall down and pick up are examples. Gone with is not a phrasal verb. That’s why you don’t capitalize with in Gone with the Wind.

The two words in hang on really do go together. So we have this song title: “Let’s Hang On to What We’ve Got.”

Watch out is another phrasal verb. Eric Clapton has a song called “Watch Out for Lucy.” You should capitalize out.

But what about watch over? I don’t think those two words go together. They don’t sound like a unit to me.

There’s a gorgeous Gershwin song called “Someone to Watch over Me.” Technically you shouldn’t capitalize “over.” And there’s another old song called “Moon over Miami.” Same thing: don’t capitalize “over.” Moon over isn’t a common expression.

But I’m struggling here – for several reasons. First, I think the rule is shaky.

Go on is obviously a phrasal verb. But what about Go forth, as in “Go forth and multiply?” If you’re familiar with the Bible, it sounds like a phrasal verb. But if you didn’t grow up in a Bible-reading household, you might not think those two words together.

Another issue (for me, anyway) is that I hate grammar gobbledygook like “phrasal verb.” Gack.

It gets worse. Recently The Chicago Manual of Style decided to lower-case out in the title of a recent book: Getting out of Saigon. They didn’t think getting and out went together.

But several people wrote in to say that they think getting out is a phrasal verb after all. The Chicago Manual of Style backed down (sort of). You can read more about it here.

That means some very smart people are voting for Getting Out of Saigon. Other equally smart people are sticking with Getting out of Saigon.

And I am getting out of this argument.

Language is slippery. When I was in school, I had beloved teachers who insisted that language questions always have a right answer if you search hard enough.

But experience has taught me that language is a human invention, not a divine one. Often there isn’t a right answer. Mistakes are built in.

In future posts I’m going to be showcasing some inconsistencies – usages that sound right but blatantly break the rules.

Let’s go back to those capital letters. What should we do?

You’re reading this post because you’re curious about language. I would bet serious money that you’re a busy person with many interests.

Do not – please – waste your precious time worrying about putting a capital letter on a preposition (which – it turns out – could also be an adverb) in a title. Go eeny-meeny if you have to. Nobody is even going to notice – honest!

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Instant Quiz ANSWER

Today’s mistake is a dangling modifier. (Another name for it is “misplaced modifier.” What you’re actually saying is that a couple of shoe stores were walking down the street.

While I was walking down the street, I saw two shoe stores. CORRECT

What Your English Teacher Didn’t Tell You is available in paperback and Kindle formats from Amazon.com and other online booksellers.
“A useful resource for both students and professionals” – Jena L. Hawk, Ph.D., Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College

“Personable and readable…Jean knows her subject forwards and backwards.” – Adair Lara, author of Hold Me Close, Let Me Go

Writing That First Sentence

Instant Quiz

Can you improve the sentence below? Scroll to the bottom of today’s post for the answer.

There are many reasons why gardeners should add mulch to their flowerbeds.

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I’m reading a brief but intriguing book: How to Write a Sentence – and How to Read One by Stanley Fish. The first chapter includes this excellent advice: “Just get the first sentence right, everything else will follow.”

Here’s Fish’s explanation:

If my first sentence were written with a full comprehension of all the twists and turns it introduced…following its lead would guide me to the right order of my arguments and examples. 

The advice originally came from one of Fish’s college professors. Fish added this comment: “He was right, of course.”

Ummm…no, he wasn’t. That’s not why your first sentence is so important. And that advice won’t help you write your first sentence. At that point in the writing process, many writers don’t even know which “arguments and examples” they’re going to use. 

But Fish is on to something important. I like to compare it to throwing a ball. The more energy you use to launch that ball, the farther it will go.

Sentences work the same way. If there’s a lot of energy packed into your first sentence, your writing won’t sputter later on. The energy will be there for you.

* * * * *

I have another point to make. I think Stanley Fish made a grammatical mistake when he wrote this: “If my first sentence were written with a full comprehension….”

Here’s my version: “If my first sentence was written with a full comprehension….”

I use were constructions only when I’m talking about something that couldn’t possibly be true: If I were younger, I would study law.

If something might be true, I use was: If your payment was late, you will have to pay a penalty.

And there’s one more thing: Fish used a comma to join two sentences. Wrong! He should have used a period or a semicolon instead:

Just get the first sentence right. Everything else will follow.

Just get the first sentence right; everything else will follow.

Heck, he could even have used a colon!

Just get the first sentence right: everything else will follow.

But it’s still good advice.

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Instant Quiz ANSWER

The pros always think twice before they start a sentence with “there are.” Often there’s a more lively way to write the sentence. Here’s my version:

Your flowerbeds will benefit in many ways if you supply a generous layer of mulch.  BETTER

What Your English Teacher Didn’t Tell You is available in paperback and Kindle formats from Amazon.com and other online booksellers.
“A useful resource for both students and professionals” – Jena L. Hawk, Ph.D., Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College

“Personable and readable…Jean knows her subject forwards and backwards.” – Adair Lara, author of Hold Me Close, Let Me Go

Formatting Your Manuscript

Instant Quiz

Can you correct the error in the sentence below? Scroll to the bottom of today’s post for the answer.    

Jane finished the book, then she passed it on to me.

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I’ve worked with ambitious writers for many years. One thing I’ve discovered is that very few writers know how to format a manuscript professionally.

So I was delighted to discover this article, which explains the basics very well: https://self-publishingschool.com/book-format/

A properly formatted manuscript showcases your professionalism! Learning about tab keys, Style choices, and other formatting topics is an important step in your writing career.

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Instant Quiz ANSWER

You can’t join two sentences with then and a comma. You need a FANBOYS word (for, and, nor, but, or, yet,  so) and a comma:

Jane finished the book, and then she passed it on to me.  CORRECT

If you don’t want to use a FANBOYS word and a comma, that’s okay – as long as you use a period or semicolon instead:

Jane finished the book; then she passed it on to me.  CORRECT

Jane finished the book. Then she passed it on to me.  CORRECT

What Your English Teacher Didn’t Tell You is available in paperback and Kindle formats from Amazon.com and other online booksellers.
“A useful resource for both students and professionals” – Jena L. Hawk, Ph.D., Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College

“Personable and readable…Jean knows her subject forwards and backwards.” – Adair Lara, author of Hold Me Close, Let Me Go

E. Jean Carroll in Court

Instant Quiz

Can you correct the error in the sentence below? Scroll to the bottom of today’s post for the answer.    

Linda helped Joan and I select furniture for our living room.

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The big news story this week was the jury verdict against former President Donald J. Trump. E. Jean Carroll sued Trump for defamation  – and won a five-million-dollar settlement. The case goes back to 2019, when Carroll claimed that Trump had raped her in a New York City department store.

What does all of this have to do with writing? Apparently very little – until you read a New York Times article about the clothes that Carroll wore in the courtroom. Journalist Vanessa Friedman makes the point that Carroll carefully chose outfits that sent a message about who she was: a serious person who doesn’t seek attention for its own sake.

Here’s how Friedman explains it:

Like all victims of sexual assault who take their cases to trial, her body was at the heart of the case. What she put on that body, how she presented it, mattered.

Words – like clothing – don’t just send a message: they are a message. Jumbled words point to a jumbled brain – even if you’re a genius who was experiencing a momentary lapse. Careless editing points to a careless person – even if you were in a time crunch for good reasons.

I know all about lapses. I make plenty of mistakes in my own writing, and I don’t always catch them. Nobody’s perfect. But I strive mightily to showcase my own competence and professionalism, for a very good reason. I know I have the power to control the message my words are sending.  That message matters – and I choose to wield that power every time I sit down to write.

Picture of E. Jean Carroll courtesy of Julieannesmo

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Instant Quiz ANSWER

Today’s quiz is about the “thumb rule” – a quick and easy way to get I/me right 100% of the time. (It works for any pronoun – he/him, she/her, we/us, and they/them.)

Here’s what you do: use your thumb to shorten the sentence.  In today’s sentence, cover up Joan and. Here’s what you end up with:

Linda helped I select furniture for our living room.

Does that sound right to you? Nope! Let’s try again:

Linda helped me select furniture for our living room.

That’s right! So you know that me is the correct word.

Linda helped Joan and me select furniture for our living room.  CORRECT

You can download an easy-to-use handout about pronoun problems at this link.

What Your English Teacher Didn’t Tell You is available in paperback and Kindle formats from Amazon.com and other online booksellers.
“A useful resource for both students and professionals” – Jena L. Hawk, Ph.D., Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College

“Personable and readable…Jean knows her subject forwards and backwards.” – Adair Lara, author of Hold Me Close, Let Me Go

Improving a Sentence

Instant Quiz

Can you correct the error in the sentence below? Scroll to the bottom of today’s post for the answer.   

Because the storm is eminent, we canceled our outing.

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Here’s a practice question from the SAT. How would you fix the underlined sentence?

There are over 50,000 therapy dogs in the United States, and they’re becoming more popular in countries from Norway to Brazil. Trained and certified by a variety of organizations, hospitals and other facilities welcome these dogs and their handlers, who interact with patients.

According to the SAT, this is a better version:

Trained and certified by a variety of organizations, these dogs and their handlers interact with patients and are welcomed by hospitals and other facilities.

The SAT is right, of course. But their sentence isn’t much of an improvement, for two reasons. There’s too much information, and it’s weak.  “Interact with patients” is the most important idea. Put it first.

Standardized tests are full of test questions like this one. No professional writer would write such a dull sentence! It’s a string of facts that aren’t connected. For example, we don’t learn why the dogs are trained and certified.

Here’s my version: 

Hospital patients enjoy playing with these dogs, which are trained to be comfortable in hospitals and other health facilities.

Photo courtesy of Jami430 (CC License)

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Instant Quiz ANSWER

The word you need today is imminent (“immediate”). Eminent means “famous.”

Because the storm is imminent, we canceled our outing.

What Your English Teacher Didn’t Tell You is available in paperback and Kindle formats from Amazon.com and other online booksellers.
“A useful resource for both students and professionals” – Jena L. Hawk, Ph.D., Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College

“Personable and readable…Jean knows her subject forwards and backwards.” – Adair Lara, author of Hold Me Close, Let Me Go