Self-Help Editing
“Trifles make perfection, and perfection is no trifle.” Michelangelo
Editing of your written work is necessary in everything from a screenplay, stage play or novel to an email message. It is well worth the effort. Editing comes in three areas: spelling, grammar & structure and punctuation. Carrying this job out is a slow process because accuracy is an absolute necessity. In this blog, however, we are not talking about re-writes because they are an entirely separate thing.
First of all, let’s take spelling. I know you say you have spell check. That does help a lot but it is far from perfect because this tool can’t tell an improperly used word from a correct word. Example: “Your late for work again.” That is a mistake which spell check will not catch. As long as the word is in the spell-check dictionary, it will not flag it as an error. (In this case you should have written “You’re late for work again.”) So, don’t get lulled into a false sense of security with your spell check.
Not everyone is well versed in basic grammar and structure—not even your grammar check on your computer. It will be of much help to you, but many times it does not catch things or will give you a false feedback. Be sure to use your grammar check but make sure you verify the flags it raises. Don’t blindly use it. Be judicious.
Punctuation is kind of out there on its own. Grammar check will not help you for the most as far as commas go. These little “gremlins” seem to be the big , bad trouble in editing. The old-time, basic rule for commas is if in doubt, leave it out. Over use of them is not good. A comma’s real reason in our writing is to tell the speaker or reader to pause for an instant. So, if they over-pause, it’s overkill.
If you’ve got the bucks, you can hire an editor to do all these things for you. However, if you’re not flush with money, you need to learn to depend on yourself. If you have a friend who will do it for you, that is a real gift. Even so, people who edit for a living charge by how much work is involved. So, if you do SELF-EDITING, you can bring that bill way down.
In an effort to help you in this task, today’s blog will present some of the most common errors you’re likely to find in your writing. Space, however, keeps this list to a short one. Remember, books have been written on this subject. I’m trying to cover the basics in something like two pages. Follow these tips and you’ll be ahead of the hounds in the editing department.
Spelling:
Your/You’re
your is possessive. Your book, your life, your uncle.
you’re is a contraction of you are. You’re doing very well.
Its/It’s
its is possessive. The house is just fine except its roof fell in today.
it’s is a contraction of it is. It’s a lovely day.
Their/There
their is possessive. Their car is beautiful.
there is location or pointing at something. There is where you must enter.
Principle/Principal
principle is a rule or law. Honesty is the principle we should live by. This country is based on the principle that all men are created equal.
principal is the primary or number one. Mr. Davis is the high school principal. The principal ingredient of a Coca Cola is sugar.
Punctuation:
If
If the sentence starts with if, you will have a comma after the if clause. If I were you, I’d leave.
You will have no comma if the word if is in the last half of the sentence. I’d leave if I were you.
Independent Clauses
An independent clause has a subject and a verb and makes very good sense by itself.
Two independent clauses are usually connected by a conjunction (and, but).
If the entire sentence has 16 or more words in it, you will put a comma before the and or but.
The two families ate alone but that did not bother them. (11 words and no comma.)
The two families from South Pasadena ate alone, but they were quite pleased to do so. (16 words and a comma.)
Dependent Clauses and Phrases
Dependent clauses and phrases are clauses (contain a subject and verb) or phrases (only a subject or verb but not both) and make no sense by themselves.
A dependent clause generally begins with a preposition (in, for, to, etc.) or the words before, after, during, when, or a word ending in ing.
To his credit, he left. (To his credit makes no sense by itself.)
Going in by himself, he was afraid. (Going in by himself makes no sense by itself.)
If I lived in Spain, I’d speak Spanish.
For John, the test was easy.
Upon leaving, he closed the door.
If the dependent clause begins the sentence, it will have a comma after it.
When he left, he shut the door.
Before he died, he made a will.
After he returned from his trip, he had to rest for a week.
During his time in office, he stole a lot of money.
If the dependent clause is in the last half of the sentence, it is not preceded by a comma.
When he left, he shut the door.
He shut the door when he left.
Punctuation goes inside quotes and parenthesis.
He said, “Let me go!”
Then I asked, “Why?”
“Because I’m afraid,” he said.
After writing “A Tale of Two Cities,” Dickens went on an American tour.
The man who bought my car got a first-class deal (or that’s what I let him think.)
Grammar and Structure
Overwriting
Limit the use of three or more syllable words and verbage (word garbage) in whatever you are writing. It causes poor readability. The reader’s brain gets tired processing all those extra syllables. For example, you can say “boss” instead of “manager” and you will have saved your reader two syllables of processing. Keep your reader alert by making what you’ve written easy to read. Your job is to express, not impress.
“Fire when ready.” (Admiral Dewey, Spanish-American War, 1898) instead of “After assuring yourself that all pertinent procedures and preparations have been accomplished, permission is granted to initiate the overall implementation of combat operations.“
Fewer vs. Less
Use “fewer” if the following word ends in an “s.”
Fewer students. Fewer calories—never less calories.
Use “less” if the word following contains no “s.”
Put less sugar in your coffee and you’ll lose weight.
I vs. Me
“I” comes before the verb and “me” comes after the verb.
This cake is for Phillip and me.
Never say: This cake is for Phillip and I. (You would never say: This cake is for I. So why would you want to say: This cake is for Phillip and I.?” The correct sentence is: This cake is for Phillip and me.
The Pronoun It
How many times can you use “it” in a sentence? Some people say three or maybe even four times. It was then that it got really scary because it’s not knowing if it would be safe to travel in it or not. What in the world does “it” stand for in this sentence? Better to put some nouns in there. Cut out the overuse of it and begin using nouns in their places. Your writing will be much clearer. Let’s clean up the example sentence above. The car backfired and I became scared. I had no way of knowing if the vehicle were safe to ride in or not.
Also watch that, those, this and these. Better to use a noun with them too for clarification’s sake.
That’s really not to my liking.
That kind of language is not to my liking.
Grammar Myths
You’ve been taught forever that it’s a sin to end a sentence with a preposition. Who is this burger for? At MacDonald’s, they simply do not have the time or the quality of employee to say, “For whom is this hamburger?” So forget this old chestnut and don’t let it terrorize you any longer.
The old boogeyman grammarians say, “Never split an infinitive.” Hogwash. Split them to your heart’s content. It’s the way people speak these days. You’re not the Queen of England, you know.
Further and Farther
Further is more and father is distance,
He spoke to me further on the subject after I got home.
The gas station is farther than I thought.
Be Specific—Not General
Being specific makes for great writing. Writing in generalities makes for “scratch the head” type writing.
I read three books last summer. (specific)
I read a lot last summer. (general)
Misuse of Reflexive Verbs
If the subject and the verb are the same person, place or thing, you will use a reflexive verb, myself, yourself, himself, itself, ourselves, yourselves, and themselves.
I shave myself.
He cut himself.
Many people are confused and think they’re hobnobbing with the Queen by saying, “The teacher gave an A plus to David and myself.” And it certainly isn’t “The Teacher gave an A plus to David and I.” Being that the subject and the object are not the same person, then it has to be ”me.”
“The teacher gave an A plus to David and me.”
Over-Loaded Sentences.
For ease of reading, try not to have over two thoughts in a sentence. Just as sure as you use three or more, your reader will become confused and have to re-read. Make it simple and no head-scratching will occur.
My favorite flavor ice cream is chocolate and my second is peach but I can’t stand exotic flavors like pumpkin. (over-loaded)
My favorite flavor ice cream is chocolate and my second is peach. I can’t stand exotic flavors like pumpkin. (just right)
I hope these tips prove helpful to you. So, get busy editing the last thing you have written–be it an email or the great American novel, stage play or screenplay.
