Jean Reynolds's Blog, page 56

Commas with “And”

I hear more questions about and than any other word! Commas – when to use one, and when to leave it out – are probably the biggest issue. So in today’s post I’m going to give you a simple tool for getting that comma right every time you use and.

(I need to add that there’s some wiggle room here. I’m still going to recommend my system because it completely eliminates the guesswork. I also need to tell you that I’m not talking about using commas in a list – the Oxford comma – today.)

Here’s a partial sentence about a picnic for you to think about:

We roasted marshmallows and a squirrel

Pretty nasty picnic! Now read this version:

We roasted marshmallows, and a squirrel

You knew right away that the squirrel came to no harm..even though the only difference is a comma! Amazing, isn’t it?

Many people swear that they’re hopelessly confused about commas…but anyone who reads these two squirrel examples can instantly tell you that the squirrel in the second version is safe. Here’s how you might finish the sentence:

We roasted marshmallows, and a squirrel grabbed one.

Ah, the power of the comma! You already know how to use it. Yet many students are never exposed to the simple rule behind today’s examples: Use a comma when you join two sentences with and. (But works the same way, incidentally.)

Let’s look at another example. The only difference between the partial sentences below is a comma. Which sentence tells you that Betty was invited to the party?

We invited everyone to the party but Betty

We invited everyone to the party, but Betty

I’m willing to bet the farm that you knew right away that poor Betty was not invited in the first example. In the second example, she received an invitation but couldn’t come.

In traditional grammatical terms, you should use a comma whenever you use a coordinating conjunction to join two sentences. (Those are the FANBOYS words: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so.) 

In simpler terms, use a comma when you join two sentences with and or but. (The other FANBOYS words don’t come up very often.)

One more tip: Never put a comma after and or but. Notice the comma placement:

We invited everyone to the party, but Betty had to work Friday night.

You can download and print a free handout about commas at http://bit.ly/EasyCommas.

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Instant Quiz ANSWER

Now that you’ve read today’s post, this sentence should be easy for you!

We bought everything on our shopping list but the handbag for Aunt Margaret.   CORRECT

If you use a comma, you’ll come up with a sentence like this one:

We bought everything on our shopping list, but the handbag for Aunt Margaret needs to be returned.   CORRECT

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What Your English Teacher Didn’t Tell You is available in paperback and Kindle formats from Amazon.com and other online booksellers.

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“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

Instant Quiz

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

“I can’t believe,” gasped Melanie, “that all of you planned this surprise party, and I never suspected a thing”.

 

 

Writing for an Audience

Here’s some advice that English instructors repeat all the time: “Write for your audience.” I heard it from my my own instructors many times over the years, and I always nodded and tried to look as if I understood what it meant.

The truth is that I didn’t fully understand – and I think many writers are as befuddled about writing for an audience as I was. Audience is a big, heavy, static word…what do you do with it? Of course you should state your ideas clearly, and edit your sentences carefully, and make sure your ideas are strong and coherent. But you don’t need the concept of an audience to do those things.

So how do you write for an audience? You keep real people in mind – your readers – as you’re writing. It’s not easy to do when you’re already juggling a multitude of writing skills and principles as you work on your piece.

But help is on the way. Here are some tricks that professional writers use to forge a connection with their audience. Despite their simplicity, these strategies really work!

Put yourself in your readers’ shoes.
Think about your readers before you start writing.
Decide what experiences you want your writers to have: surprised? touched? motivated? angry? impressed?
Think about a living person you know who’s similar to your imaginary audience. Write for that person.
Figure out what your audience already knows about your topic. Be prepared to fill in the rest of the background they’ll need, and do it early.
When you get to the editing stage, reread your piece slowly, looking for any words your readers might not understand. Delete them (or insert clues to their meaning).
Ask a friend or family member outside your field to read your piece and give you feedback.

If you’re sitting there smugly and congratulating yourself that you already do these things, beware. I’m pretty smart, and I have years of experience with professional writing – and yet I’ve botched up #5 numerous times.

It’s always a good idea to go over the strategies again just to make sure you’re reaching your audience effectively!

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Instant Quiz ANSWER

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In the US, periods (and commas) always go inside quotation marks. There are no exceptions if you’re writing in the United States.

If you remember hearing an English teacher say that a period (or comma) can go outside the quotation marks, either you misunderstood, or your teacher made a mistake. There are NO EXCEPTIONS in the US. (The United Kingdom does it differently.)

“I can’t believe,” gasped Melanie, “that all of you planned this surprise party, and I never suspected a thing.”  CORRECT

Jean Reynolds’ book What Your English Teacher Didn’t Tell You can be purchased from Amazon.com and other online booksellers. Jean Reynolds’ book What Your English Teacher Didn’t Tell You can be purchased from Amazon.com and other online booksellers.

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“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

Instant Quiz

[image error]Instant Quiz 

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

The shipment of new stationary for our business has been delayed.

Death in Paradise

Charlie and I are huge fans of Death in Paradise, a British mystery series set on a beautiful Caribbean island. Now that I’m not working full-time, I’ve discovered that Charlie has a knack for discovering terrific shows we enjoy watching together. Lately I’ve been analyzing some of them to see if I can pass on some hints to writers who read my blog. More about that in a moment.

One of the rare shows that he likes but I don’t is Midsomer Murders. I have lots of complaints about it. There are too many characters, and most of them aren’t likable. The detective in the episodes I’ve watched – Tom Barnaby – is a nice-enough guy, but there’s nothing special about the way he solves the crimes. Worst of all – and here comes a confession – the plots are too complicated for me.

It gets worse. Charlie and I have been watching Death in Paradise for years, and of course we’ve seen every episode. We started watching them a second time and discovered that we often couldn’t remember who the murderer was. And then – sigh – we started watching the show for the third time, and I still almost never get the murderer right. (Charlie remembers about half the time.)

In a feeble attempt at defending myself, I’m going to point out that Death in Paradise  – like all good mystery shows – follows a formula – one that was a favorite with Agatha Christie. She used to populate her books with multiple suspects who seemed equally smarmy until the true killer was finally revealed.

Oddly enough, I don’t like Agatha Christie’s mysteries either. (I guess I’m hard to please!) But the mysteries that happen in Death in Paradise are different from Christie’s – and better, I think. The ensemble is wonderful – every person is likable and fun. The settings are gorgeous. The music and local culture give every show a party atmosphere. There’s a lot of humor in the show.

And there are two other formula elements that I think work very well. Always, as the show draws to a close, there’s an ordinary happening that triggers an aha! experience and solves the crime. One time it was ants on a windowsill. In another episode it was a bottle of ketchup.

The other formula element is one found in every one of Rex Stout’s mysteries about detective Nero Wolfe. (I’m assuming Death in Paradise stole it.) Nero Wolfe always assembles everyone connected to the murder and dramatically reveals the guilty party. Each episode of Death in Paradise ends exactly the same way. (Funny how a show – or book – can be so predictable and yet so entertaining!)

But what I really want to talk about today is my own idiocy in not remembering who the murderer is, even on the third go-round. Here’s what’s really strange. Charlie and I just started watching a new series, The Coroner, that we’re also having fun watching. But about a third of the time, I can identify the murderer just five minutes into the show.

Did I suddenly acquire a brain? Sadly, no. The Coroner is built from a different formula, and it happens to be much easier for me to figure out. (Perhaps that’s why the show was canceled after only two series.)

If you’re writing a short story, novel, or memoir, some of the points I’ve made in today’s post may be helpful to you: Have a recurring set of likable characters. Create an inviting and engaging atmosphere. Don’t overcomplicate your story (Midsomer Murders). Don’t oversimplify your story (The Coroner).

But there’s one exceptionally useful piece of advice that too many writers are slow to discover and employ. Here it is: Develop a watchful brain. Notice your own reactions – positive and negative – and dig into them for lessons you can apply to your own writing. In Death in Paradise, Detective Inspector Humphrey Goodman used a bottle of ketchup to solve a murder. Surely your brain can be equally innovative!

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Instant Quiz ANSWER

Stationery refers to writing materials. It’s often confused with the similar word stationary (meaning “not moving”). Here’s how I keep them straight: letter ends in -er, helping me remember that I write letters on stationery.

The shipment of new stationery for our business has been delayed.   CORRECT

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What Your English Teacher Didn’t Tell You is available in paperback and Kindle formats from Amazon.com and other online booksellers.

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“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

Instant Quiz

[image error]Instant Quiz 

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

If you invite Mary Alice will be jealous.

 

Is Amazon Good or Bad for Authors?

Online superstore Amazon.com is under attack. The Huffington Post just published an article about Amazon’s gradual takeover of the publishing industry. And this is certainly not the first alarm bell we’ve heard: in 2014 the New Yorker published a similar article.

Amazon has been pressuring publishers to change their pricing practices (to Amazon’s advantage, of course). In digital publishing, Amazon has been pushing prices downward, so that many ebooks sell for only a dollar or two. As its influence keeps growing, some industry watchers are warning that Amazon could become a monopoly that controls the content we read as well as the prices we pay.

But there’s another way to look at this picture: Amazon makes money when writers sell books. Therefore it’s to Amazon’s advantage to make books cheap and inviting to readers. And that’s good news for writers who self-publish (something I keep urging visitors to this blog to do).

The times, they are a-changing!

I was startled recently by a news item in the world of scholarly publishing. A friend of mine is one of the world’s most prominent authorities on Bernard Shaw. He recently self-published a collection of Shaw’s letters. In the past, that kind of book would have gone to an academic publisher because that’s where the prestige lies.

But my friend already has a sterling reputation and plenty of friends to write endorsements. Self-publishing is easier and faster, and – here’s the big advantage – royalties are more generous.

The catch, of course, will be to spread the news about his book. Big publishers distribute catalogs that feature new books. I’ll be heading for a Shaw conference in July, and you can be sure I’ll ask my friend how he’s promoting his book – and I’ll pass on his answers in this blog.

I was startled a second time when I began seeing online advertisements for my own book about police reports. I’m 100% sure that I haven’t paid for them. (I rely on a blog and a newsletter to get the word out about that book.)

So who’s financing those ads?

Amazon.

It makes sense when you think about it. When authors make money, Amazon does too. If sales of a book reach a certain threshold (the exact numbers are a well-kept secret, of course), Amazon realizes that readers are buying. It then will give the book an additional boost with some free advertising. (I’ll have more to say about partnering with Amazon in a future post.)

Because I’ve had experience with both do-it-yourself and commercial publishing, I have my own take on the “Amazon is bad – Amazon is good” controversy. Some writers – and some books – do very well with commercial publishing. Others don’t. Sometimes you – the writer tapping away at your home computer – can do a better job with various tasks than your publisher will do for you.

It’s all about empowerment, commitment, and savvy. Stay tuned! (I’ve provided some resources at this link.)

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[image error] Instant Quiz ANSWER

Use a comma when a sentence begins with an extra idea. (Notice that  the comma makes the sentence more readable! You know right away that there are two women – Mary and Alice – rather than just one named Mary Alice.)

If you invite Mary, Alice will be jealous. CORRECT

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What Your English Teacher Didn’t Tell You is available in paperback and Kindle formats from Amazon.com and other online booksellers.

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“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

Instant Quiz

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Instant Quiz

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

Tourists always enjoy a trip to Boston because you can have so much fun there. 

You Don’t Need Formal Grammar to Teach Commas

In a post last week I argued that lessons in formal grammar aren’t helpful to students who need to sharpen their writing skills. In my opinion, usage is the way to go.

A good friend emailed me to say that she generally agreed with me, with one exception: You need grammatical theory and terminology to teach commas.

I say she’s wrong, and I’m going to use the topic of restrictive and non-restrictive clauses to make my point.

Any English teacher will tell you that these terms are a nightmare to teach. (I used to struggle with them myself until I found an easier way.)

Here’s the thing, though: you hear these sentences done correctly in conversation all the time – and the people constructing them aren’t whizzes at grammar. Read these three sentences aloud as you listen to what your voice is doing:

Uncle Gary, who was a baseball star in college, can give you some tips about pitching.
Cars that are parked overnight may be ticketed and towed.
This assignment, which seemed impossible at first, turned out to be easy and fun.

Your voice automatically went down when you came to “who” in Sentence 1 and “which” in  Sentence 3 – and then back up near the end of the sentence. But your voice didn’t change in Sentence 2. (Amazing, isn’t it? You learned to do that as a child!)

So (radical idea!) – couldn’t students in a writing class learn to insert those commas the same way? Say the sentence aloud, listen to your voice, and insert the punctuation.

But can teachers really do that?

Yes. I did it with students for years. I had students practice speaking these sentences in groups and pairs. Then I passed out strips of paper (I always carried plenty of them with me to class) and had students work together to write and punctuate their sentences. 

It helped that I always made a point of using lots of these sentences myself as I was teaching (with an exaggerated voice change). For example: “Your homework, should you choose to accept it, is to complete Exercise 2 on page 15.”

Doesn’t it make sense to build on what students already know about language? None of this is new to them, folks. Why make writing so @#$%! difficult? Life is hard enough!

(I always used a clip from the old Superman show to teach these commas. Click here to learn more. Go to www.scribd.com and search my name – Jean Reynolds – to download a free handout that explains commas – without grammatical jargon.)

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Instant Quiz ANSWER

The mistake in today’s quiz sentence is the switch from they to you. It’s not a problem in casual conversation but should be avoided in formal writing.

Here’s today’s sentence:

Tourists always enjoy a trip to Boston because you can have so much fun there.  INCORRECT

Tourists always enjoy a trip to Boston because they can have so much fun there. CORRECT

OR:

You should plan a trip to Boston because you can have so much fun there.  CORRECT

What Your English Teacher Didn’t Tell You is available in paperback and Kindle formats from Amazon.com and other online booksellers.

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“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

Instant Quiz

[image error]Instant Quiz 

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

We took a cab, it was too far to walk.