EyeEdit

3-D Characters

One-dimensional characters are plain, simple and unexplained.  Readers or viewers briefly “see” one-dimensional characters but these characters do not speak. The one-dimensional characters are usually cashiers, salespeople, drivers, servers, nurses, joggers, or the person walking down the street pushing a stroller.

Two-dimensional characters are similar to one-dimensional characters except two-dimensional characters use speech or gestures to react to what is going on around them  Still, two-dimensional characters are undeveloped and lack explanation, reason and depth.  Two-dimensional character reactions and interactions are often brief, but not always. A character may be present the majority of the time, but when s/he lacks history/backstory and complexity, the character is two-dimensional.

An effective, well-rounded, believable fictional character usually has three dimensions:

• thoughts
• emotions; and
• actions.

In screenwriting, the three dimensions are frequently described as:

• physiology;
• sociology; and
• psychology.

Three-dimensional characters have goals, ambitions, desires, motivating forces, fears and values.  In addition, they have habits, mannerisms, cultural tendencies and styles that are audible or visible to others.  In other words, a 3-D character has an inside and an outside.

Flat, misused or poorly developed characters are the best way to lose reader interest.  Here are some tips for creating three-dimensional characters:

• Avoid clichés and stereotypes.   Literature and film have enough polite, British butlers; submissive housewives; hair styling, fashion-conscious gay male characters; and intellectual glasses-wearing professors.  Likewise, literature and film are overpopulated with: Mexican immigrants, New York Jewish mothers, Harvard lawyers, etc.  When you find a stereotyped or clichéd character emerging in your work, remove the character.  Or, develop an individual identity for the character. Give your characters at least two traits or details that distinguish them from other people (such as their love of old Pam Grier movies, their Marcus Garvey t-shirt, or their way of squinting when they’re thinking).  We can breathe life into our characters with two or three well-placed details, gestures or lines of dialogue.

• Embrace free will and choice. Think of each character as a real person with a will of his or her own, rather than a mannequin for you to manipulate.  Willful characters like Santiago in The Old Man and the Sea, are exciting.  Santiago wanted to catch a fish and was prepared to die trying.  When a characters’ will, choice or values contradict your own, let the character have his or her own way.  Offer your characters opportunities to make the choices just like “real” people.  Your character should have to make decisions and accept the consequences of those decisions, just like us- “real” people.  Ask yourself, “What would this character do?”  If you find you simply cannot let the character “do him” or “do her,” then consider replacing the character with a character whose will, choices and values are harmonious with yours.

• Create competence.  Give your character a skill.  In other words, let your character be good at something.

• Create contrast.  You can contrast characters to themselves, to other characters and to their settings.  Tony Soprano is an example of a character who had somewhat of a dual nature.  He was a gangster and a sensitive, mostly loving father.  In terms of contrasting characters, Jekyll and Hyde are examples of polar opposites.  With setting, you could have, for example, a rich farm girl moving to an urban, impoverished area; or a fisherman who cannot swim.  Force your characters to deal with new, interesting experiences.

• Experience the negative.  It is okay to write about characters you admire, or even envy, but often, the most interesting characters annoy, perturb, or anger us.  Explore and write about characters who irritate, disturb, or infuriate you. You don’t have to like the characters you create.

• Remember humanity.  Make your characters identifiably human.  Humans forget, misspeak, misstep and neglect- your characters should do the same, occasionally.

The most important thing to remember is to create characters who interest or fascinate you.  Develop characters you would want to read about and will remember years from now.  If you’re not interested in your characters as people and are unlikely to remember them, your reader isn’t likely to either.  However, with practice, we can create memorable, three-dimensional characters such as:

• Sula Peace, Sula, Toni Morrison, 1973
• Celie, The Color Purple, Alice Walker, 1982
• Arthur “Boo” Radley, To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee, 1960
• Jay Gatsby, The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald, 1925
• Bigger Thomas, Native Son, Richard Wright, 1940
• The Little Prince, The Little Prince, Antoine de Saint-Exupery, 1943
• Florentino Ariza, Love in the Time of Cholera, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, 1985

Truly minor characters who appear briefly to sell a newspaper or give directions can be cardboard or stick figures.  But, effective literature and films need at least one character who has been brought to full 3-D life with vivid, rich, appropriate details.

Who are some of your most memorable characters from fiction and film (don’t forget to mention the villains…)?

EyeEdit Editorial Team
Copyright 2010 EyeEdit. All rights reserved.

Like

Unlike

People always call me for names. And not just for baby names, either. I help people come up with memorable, meaningful business and organization names, titles of stories, books, events and programs. And, characters. Characters. I love naming characters. So, I am no expert or anything, but I do know at least…

10 Things to Do When You Are Naming a Character

1. Give your characters names that tell readers something about the character.
For example, a feminist character may keep her maiden name, or hyphenate her name. She may give her daughters androgynous names like Drew, Alex, or Jesse. A formal character would prefer to be called by the formal form of his or her name- William versus Willie, or Constance versus Connie.

Whenever you choose a name, I recommended that you look up the name’s meaning to ensure the name either compliments, or does not conflict with the message you are trying to send.

2. Select names that are both age and time period appropriate.
A character’s name should give the audience clues to the age of the character. Do the names Beatrice, Victoria or Katherine sound like appropriate names for teenagers?

Albert, Alfred, Clara, Doris, Elton, Gladys, Rudolph, Helen, Lillian, Ralph, Sarah and Sadie are examples of old-fashioned names. Yet, some old fashioned names like Anna, Emma, Grace, and Hannah are now trendy. Christopher, Elizabeth, Matthew, and Michael are examples of names that never seem to age.

When selecting a name, I suggest you review old census records, looking for names that were popular in your character’s time. The Social Security site is also a good resource for this type of research.

3. Choose culturally appropriate names to help make the character and story realistic.
Character names should reflect the cultural world of the character. Names like Yang, Ito, Gupta, Lopez, Smirnov, Johansson, and Rossi provide immediate clues as to ethnic identity. However, America’s political reality is such that Blacks frequently carry the surnames of their former slave-owners; and Asians and Jewish persons have historically changed or altered their names so the names were more socially acceptable.

Some characters will have first and last names that reflect different or blended cultures. Christina Yang, and the real world names, Spike Lee and Shaquille O’Neal are examples. Culture can also refer to a non-race specific location- would you expect to have a “Billy Bob” in the middle of Boston? Or, would you expect to find someone named Sergei in Tuskegee, Alabama? No. Not really.

4. Make sure the name is pronounceable.
Say the name aloud several times to make sure it is something you and readers can pronounce readily. For example, I never really knew how Sethe was pronounced until I heard Toni Morrison read from Beloved. Was it like Seth, or Sethay, or Seththe. And, how would you pronounce Rande—is it Randy, or Randeh, or Rand?

Don’t make your audience walk around for four years pronouncing a character name incorrectly. Why spend time choosing a name readers don’t know how to pronounce? Don’t do it. Just don’t. But, if you do decide to use a name with an ambiguous pronunciation, write something to let the audience know how to pronounce the name. For example, “Rande hated her teacher for pronouncing her name wrong, like Randy, instead of like Randay.”

5. Choose names that are “character” appropriate.
You wouldn’t expect the plumber to be named Joseph, Frederick, or Edward. But Joe the plumber, and Fred the plumber and Ed the plumber sound realistic. Can you imagine a bus driver, or gravedigger with a “rich-sounding” name like Danforth, Witherspoon, Sinclair, Fairchild, or Maximillian? Could be interesting though…

6. Employ syllabic variety.
The length of the first and last name should vary. Tom Sawyer, Erica Kane, Huckleberry Finn, Molly Bloom, or Lennie Small, for example. For some reason, which I cannot explain, variety makes names more pleasing to the ear and easier to remember.

There are many resources for first names, but for last names/surnames, you can visit Nuts and Bolts Filmmaking or download a list here.

7. Choose names that are gender appropriate.
I really, really, really like androgynous names (and repetition). Wasn’t Scout Finch a great name for a girl? However, I would not be a good guide if I didn’t tell you things like short, one-syllable names with hard consonants are usually seen as masculine. Take Jake, Kurt, Max, and Dirk, for example. Likewise, folk seem to feel that names with soft multiple syllables suggest femininity- names like Heather, Gina, Sharon, Jennifer, and Suzy.

Sometimes names imply gender. There is a reason fictional male detectives have names like: Alex Cross, and Sam Spade; and fictional heroines have names such as Scarlett O’Hara, Anna Karenina, or Annabelle Lee. (For a list of male character names, please visit here.)

8. When writing for a novel or television show that is populated with numerous characters, make sure the character names are distinct.
There are a few ways to make sure your audience does not get confused: 1) make sure character names start (and end) with different letters; and 2) avoid names that sound alike (i.e.Paul and Saul; Tim, and Tom).

The Color Purple is a good example of a well-named cast of characters: Celie, Mister/Albert, Shug, Harpo, Sophia, Nettie, Kate, Bub, Squeak and so on. With the possible exception of Celie and Nettie, none of the names sound too similar.

9. Save good names for the major characters.
Don’t waste a great name on a minor character, a walk on character; or an extra. What would have been the point of having an extra, walk-on, or one line character named Tony Soprano, Rhett Butler, Stringer Bell, Jay Gatsby, Holden Caulfield, Vic Mackey, or Teacake?

10. Keep a handwritten or electronic list of potential character names.
Keep a running list. Whenever you hear a name you like, write it down. Save it. For instance, I had a student once named Harch Decar. Great name- right? You know I am going to change the spelling to something like Harsh DeKar and use that name one day.
So, see? I actually do have a list of some names I plan to use one day. Wanna hear some? Here they go: Ash, Blackbelt, Cade, Cairo, Chata, Cyri, Khaler, Kori, Queenie, Rizi, Ryder, Spell, Tansy, Tantrum, York and Zella. Now, I trust you not to use them before I do- okay?

9 Great Character Names (FROM LITERATURE, TELEVISION AND MOVIES)

1. Sula Peace
2. Yuri Zhivago
3. James Bond
4. Hannibal Lecter
5. Bigger Thomas
6. Easy Rawlins
7. Sherlock Holmes
8. Ishmael (Moby Dick)
9. Celie

8 Things To Avoid When Naming A Character

1. The obvious.
You know the names: a gardener named Herb Green; a nun named Virginia, a lawyer named Justice Scales; an accountant named Matthew…

2. Similar sounds.
Please, please, please, don’t end the first name with the same sound as the last name, and try not to name the characters with names that start with the same syllable. Even though spellings may differ, names can still sound the same. Take, for examples, the names Jack and Zachary; Mary and Terry; and Sam and Tammy.

3. Overly exotic names.
Okay, I am talking about names that are usually reserved for strippers, I mean exotic dancers, professional sex workers and soap opera stars: Remington Steele, Shy Love, Johnny Wad, Trixie Rain, Jack Hammer, Bunny Bleu, Cookie Anderson, Angel Long, Summer Haze, etc.

4. Alliteration and rhyme.
Sometimes, it is difficult to take names beginning with the same sounds seriously: Candy Cane, Mandy Matthews, Ted Thomas, Shay Sweet, and Vicky Vet. Again, these types of names bring exotic dancers (strippers) to mind. Or cartoon characters- Lois Lane, Clark Kent, Peter Parker, Lana Lang, Lex Luthor, and Vicky Vale.

Rhyming names are also sometimes difficult to take seriously- Ned Ted, Sally Rally, and Chet Wet. These types of names are appropriate for children’s fiction (think Dr. Seuss), but adult work — not so much…

5. Names with negative or precarious connotations.
Did you hear about that three-year-old kid named Adolf Hitler? His sister was named Aryan Nation. And, even though Barack Obama’s middle name, Hussein, means handsome, folk will forever tie the name Hussein to Saddam Hussein.  Other examples of names that have negative connotations include Butch, Pansy, Fanny, Gaylord, Dick, etc.

6. Initials that spell something undesirable or negative.
Avoid this especially when the spellings of the initials don’t relate to the character or to the story, and aren’t going to be used. Take Sarah Tanya Dennison, for example.

Other combinations you may wish to avoid: ASS, BAD, BUM, DIE, DUD, DUM, FAG, KKK, PIG, RAT, RIP, STD.

7. Unnecessary A’postroph’e’s.
Don’t even get me started on unnecessary a’pos’trophes. You know the names: Ta`Qwan, Ga’Nay, D’Angela, Che’nille… What does the a’postrophe actually add to a first name? And, why do this to the audience? Apostrophes are just messy. Messy, I say…

8. Names that end in “s.”
This tip seems trivial until you find yourself having an awkward time writing the possessive form of the name that ends in “s.”

7 of the Worst CHARACTER NAMES (FROM LITERATURE, TELEVISION AND MOVIES)

1. Bucky Wunderlick
2. Ralph Malph
3. Renée Rienne
4. Bob Loblaw
5. Steve Urkel
6. Tess of the D’Urbervilles
7. Captain Marvell

6 Resources to Help You Choose a Name for a Character

1. Name books
2. Soap operas
3. Phone book
4. Bible
5. Television and movie credits
6. Comic Books

5 Electronic Resources to Help You Choose a Name for a Character

1. Muse Names.
40,000 names classified by country or cultural origin. What turns a long list into a powerful tool for writers is the way it selects a name to match a keyword.

2. Name Maker LE
Millions of possible combinations of first and last names.

3. Baby Name Genie
“Granting wishes for the ‘perfect’ baby names.”

4. Parenthood.com
A random name generator that allows you to search by first letter.

5. Random African Name Generator (AfrikanNames.com)
An African random name generator.

4 Things to Consider When Naming a Character

1. Theme, motif.
Themes can add extra layers to the story and enhance the overarching themes of the book, movie, or novel. Often, character names can help clarify theme.

Take, for example, the novel To Kill a Mockingbird. Several of the characters had names relating to birds: Atticus Finch, Tom Robinson.

In the movie Rocky, the characters have names that represent strength: Rocky, Apollo Creed. A god versus an indestructible force.

In Song of Solomon, several character names (and the title) are taken from the Bible: Reba, Pilate, Hagar, Magdalene, First Corinthians, and Ester. Morrison also had characters named Sweet, Circe, and Sing Byrd. What was the significance of these names? Figuring out the significance of character names also gives the audience something (fun) to do.

2. The Character’s Family.
If the parents of your character are very traditional, the characters should probably have more olde English or Victorian names like James, Mary, Elizabeth or Michael. Or, if the parents are religious, their children would likely have names from the Torah, the Quar’an, or the Bible. If you find character siblings named Diana, Smokey, and Marvin, isn’t it likely the parents are Motown fans?

3. Nicknames.
If your character is a main character, consider a nickname, or term of endearment to show the relationship of the character to other characters, parents and intimates, in particular.

4. Name Fame.
There are times when certain names have positive connotations because of a celebrity or famous person or character. For example, the name Kent now connotes strength, Elizabeth now sounds queenly; John Paul connotes purity, and Abraham or Lincoln suggest honesty.

3 Things People do too much of

1. Add “y”s to a name, unnecessarily.
Nychole, Mykenzie, Karsyn, Miakyel (for a male), etc.

2. Ruin a perfectly good name by adding “sha”, “ra”, “kwa” or “la”, etc.
For example, Kwatina, LaRenee, LaQuincy, DeShane…

3. Try to be too clever.
For instance, naming a writer Auther Book; naming a vegetarian Lett Us; naming an alcoholic, Hein A. Ken.

2 Things people don’t do enough of when naming characters

1. Use places and or things as people names.
There are an abundance of lakes, cities, mountains, numbers, and other constructs that would make great names. Think Africa, Britain, Chad, China, Cuba, Egypt, Everest, Freedom, Georgia, India, Kenya, London, Mali, Nile, Paris, Seven, and Sahara.

2. Use androgynous names for complex characters.
I just love androgynous names: Adrian, Bailey, Casey, Jordon, Justice, Parker, Phoenix, Riley, Sage, Shay, and Sidney. And, so on…

1 THING NO ONE ELSE IS GOING TO TELL YOU

1. Everything I have shared here can be meaningless in a matter of minutes.
For example, who expects a “brother” to be named Bentley Fonzworth? I love the idea of creating a working class man with a wealthy, elegant sounding name. And, even though I said to avoid alliteration, Sam Spade and Marilyn Monroe are effective examples of times when alliteration works. And, my own name rhymes, but I love it—don’t you?

I could go on and on and on about names, but I am going to stop here, so if you want to know more about names, you could check out my recently released book, The African Book of Names. Naturally, the book is filled with African names, but you there is also information you might find useful like a guide to naming ceremonies and a checklist of what to consider when choosing a name.

Askhari Hodari, Ph.D., is the author of The African Book of Names (Health Communications, Inc., 2009); and Lifelines: The Black Book of Proverbs (Broadway Books, October 2009).  She also developed the Black Facts Calendars.  An earlier version of this article was posted here, on Anne Mini’s blog.

Like

Unlike

Today’s EyeEdit writing tip: Recognize the subject of the sentence

A sentence must have a verb, and every verb must have a subject. The verb tells us what is the action, and the subject tells us who or what does the action. In general, the subject of a sentence is the person, place, thing, or idea that is doing or being something. You can therefore find the subject of a sentence if you can find the verb.

For example:

“Rain fell yesterday.”

The action word is “fell”, so “fell” is the verb. If you ask who or what fell, the answer is “rain”, so “rain” is the subject.

“James drank the water.”

The action word is the verb “drank”. The subject, “James”, answers the question who or what did the action.

“The girl, along with other members of her family, has gone to the beach.”

“Has gone” is the verb as it tells us what is the action. The subject, “girl”, answers the question who or what did the action.

“The girl and other members of her family have gone to the beach.”

The subject in this instance is “the girl and other members of her family.”

It is important to identify the subject to as to know whether to use the singular or plural form of the verb. Subject-verb agreement is critical in helping readers to understand meaning.

The simple subject of a sentence is the noun stripped of modifiers. The compound subject of a sentence is the noun together with modifiers. For example:

Simple subject highlighted: “Five muscled and tanned young men jogged purposefully on the beach.”

Compound subject highlighted: “Five muscled and tanned young men jogged purposefully on the beach.”

Sometimes a whole clause is the subject. For example:

Subject highlighted: “The way he ran the race set an example to his team.”

Quiz

Please check on these quizzes a reminders of complete sentences.

Grammar: Sentence or Fragment? Game#1

http://www.quia.com/pop/13222.html

Grammar: Complete Sentences Quiz

http://www.softschools.com/quizzes/grammar/complete_sentences/quiz406.html

1 person likes this post.

Unlike

Today’s EyeEdit writing tip:  Clearly connect  run-on sentences.

A run-on sentence has at least two parts, each of which can stand by itself as a complete sentence. The problem is this:  if the two parts are fused together, the reader might not know how you meant to connect them.

Some short sentences can be run-on.  For example:

The day will be hot, take your umbrella.

These two complete sentences, separated by a comma, are a particularly kind of run-on sentence called a comma splice. When you use a comma to connect two complete sentences, you also need a joining word such as and, but, for, nor, yet, or, so.

You may therefore write:

The day will be hot, so take your umbrella. OR

Because the day will be hot, take your umbrella.

You can also separate the sentences and improve the connection with a semi-colon or a period:

The day will be hot; take your umbrella.

The day will be hot. Take your umbrella.

Here are some other corrections of run-on sentences:

Run-on:            They are repairing the road, you should be careful.

Corrected:       They are repairing the road. You should be careful.

Corrected:       They are repairing the road; you should be careful.

Corrected:       They are repairing the road, therefore you should be careful.

Corrected:       They are repairing the road,  so you should be careful.

Corrected:       Since they are repairing the road, you should be careful.

Run on:             Charley did not finish high school, however, all his children attended college.

Corrected:       Charley did not finish high school; however, all his children attended college.

Corrected:       Charley did not finish high school. However, all his children attended college.

Corrected:       Although Charley did not finish high school, all his children attended college.

Corrected:       Charley did not finish high school, but all his children attended college.

Run-on:            PowerPoint is easy, I have a great teacher.

Corrected:       Using PowerPoint is easy. I have a great teacher.

Corrected:       Using PowerPoint is easy; I have a great teacher.

Corrected:       Using PowerPoint is easy because I have a great teacher.

Remember to connect run-on sentences with:

• A semi-colon
• A period and capital letter
• A conjunction (joining word)

Quiz

Test your skills with these exercises in detecting and correcting run-on sentences:

http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/quizzes/runons_quiz.htm

Happy reading and writing,

EyeEdit  Editorial Team

Copyright 2010 Eye Edit.  All rights reserved

Like

Unlike

Today’s EyeEdit writing tip: Know when a sentence is complete.

AFAIC txting 2day may b NBD [Translation for non-texters: "As far as I am concerned, texting today may be no big deal."]

Complete sentences may  already seem odd to the texting generation. Indeed, texting brings new dynamics that may already be affecting the approach to written language. Texters increasingly sacrifice grammar for the sake of speed, slang,  and brevity.

Spoken English also at times bypasses the complete sentence. For example:

1. “To the supermarket.” (Incomplete sentence in answer to “Where are you going?”)

2. “Went to school early.” (Incomplete sentence in answer to “I missed you yesterday morning.”)

3. “Great match!” (Incomplete sentence)

Nonetheless, as long as we need to write formally – letters, books, term papers, newspaper articles, website material, and business documents – we need to pay attention to complete sentences. Like many great writers, we may break the rules.  However, it is important for us first of all to be aware of the rules, and then decide how, when, and where to write in sentence fragments or incomplete sentences.

Complete sentence

A complete sentence has five parts:

• Capital letter
• Subject
• Predicate
• Complete thought
• Terminal Punctuation

Capital Letter

A sentence is complete only if it has a capital letter at the beginning.

Subject

The subject performs the action of the sentence, and tells us who or what the sentence is about. The subject is always a noun or pronoun, but not every noun or pronoun is necessarily the subject t of a sentence. The subject usually comes close to the start of the sentence.

Predicate

The predicate of a complete sentence tell us what is the action of what is happening in the sentence. The predicate is always a verb but not every verb is the predicate of a complete sentence. The predicate tells us the main action of the sentence.

Complete thought

For the sentence to be complete, it must contain a complete thought. The sentence “I wish” has a subject and a predicate, but it does not make sense unless we know what the person wishes.

However, “Bob spoke” is a complete sentence by itself. It says who is doing something and what the person did. It also makes logical sense.

Terminal punctuation

A complete sentence must end with a punctuation mark: period, question mark, or exclamation mark.

Quiz

Test yourself with this quiz on complete sentences.

http://www.softschools.com/quizzes/grammar/complete_sentences/quiz406.html

Happy reading and writing,

EyeEdit Editorial Team

1 person likes this post.

Unlike

Today’s EyeEdit writing tip: Conquer the difference between “who” and “whom”

Even the best writers sometimes confuse “who” and “whom”. One way to check yourself is to rewrite the who/whom sentence so you can see who is doing what, or what is being done to whom. You will be correct if you can substitute “who” with he/she, and “whom” with him/her.

For example:

A.  (Who/whom) do we invite to the party?

Rewritten sentence: Do we invite him to the party?

Correct: Whom do we invite to the party?

B.  (Who/whom) do we have to thank for the cake?

Rewritten sentence: We have to thank her for the cake.

Correct: Whom do we have to thank for the cake?

C.  Is Carol the person (who/whom) invited us to join the club?

Rewritten sentence: She invited us to join the club.

Correct: Is Carol the person who invited us to join the club?

D.  He is the person (who/whom) bit the dog.

Rewritten sentences: He is the person. He bit the dog.

Correct: He is the person who bit the dog.

E.  He is the person (who/whom) bit the dog.

Rewritten sentences: He is the person. The dog bit him.

Correct: He is the person whom the dog bit

F.  We know the woman (who/whom) plays in the band.

Rewritten sentences: We know the woman. She plays in the band.

Correct: We know the woman who plays in the band.

G.  She is the basketball player (who/whom) I saw at the stadium.

Rewritten sentences: She is the basketball player. I saw her at the stadium.

Correct: She is the basketball player whom I saw at the stadium.

H.  The man (who/whom) I thought was a tenant was the owner of the apartment complex.

Rewritten sentences: The man was the owner of the apartment complex. I thought he was a tenant.

Correct: The man who I thought was a tenant was the owner of the apartment complex.

I.  The woman, to (who/whom) I gave the key, was the owner of the apartment complex.

Rewritten sentences: The woman was the owner of the apartment complex. I gave her the key.

Correct: The woman to whom I gave the key was the owner of the apartment complex.

Quiz

Fill in the blanks with who or whom

1.    I met a man today ——————— I hear is a good speaker.
2.    Any of you may take the next turn. I don’t care ——————–
3.    ——————- did you give that book to?
4.    The woman ———————- I thought was a teacher turned out to be one of the parents.
5.    We were certain about the person to —————— he referred.
6.    The medal was given to the student ——————- the teacher said was the most improved.
7.    The medal was given to the student ——————— the teacher considered the most improved.
8.    It is Aisha ——————– I think is the taller of the two.
9.    Omar is the person ———————- we want to be our next manager.
10.    ——————- do you think is the faster runner?
11.    Malik, —————— his family thought had gone to Florida, called them from Argentina.
12.    The girl ——————- worked in the store found my wallet.
13.    ——————- do you take me for?
14.    —————— are you talking about?
15.    ——————- did you say was there?
16.    I am the person —————– repaired the house.
17.    There is Milton, —————– they say makes the best fresh juices in the city.
18.    She is the person —————– they have designated to be their driver.
19.    —————— do you think she is?
20.    That is the doctor —————– I visited last week.

Answers

1.    Who
2.    Who
3.    Whom
4.    Who
5.    Whom
6.    Who
7.    Whom
8.    Who
9.    Whom
10.    Who
11.    Who
12.    Who
13.    Whom
14.    Whom
15.    Who
16.    Who
17.    Who
18.    Whom
19.    Who
20.    Whom

Happy reading and writing,

EyeEdit  Editorial Team

Copyright 2010 Eye Edit.  All rights reserved

Like

Unlike

Today’s EyeEdit writing tip: Clear up confusion between “it’s” and “its.”

It’s important to understand the difference between its and it’s. Words usually show possession with an apostrophe. Some may therefore consider it logical to take it’s to mean “the thing that belongs to it.” However this rule does not always apply. Its belongs to a family of words that do not use an apostrophe, yet they are all possessive: my, your, his/her/its, our, your, their.

The rule – with no exceptions – is that we use it’s only when it’s is a contraction of it is or it has. For example:

It’s time to leave the party.

Can you tell if it’s ready?

Sam read your story and he thinks it’s exciting.

It’s been a short time since he joined the firm.

It’s my turn to use the computer.

That is a cute puppy. What is its name?

The snake shed its skin.

The company changed its logo.

Quiz

Please test differences between it’s and its at http://www.softschools.com/quizzes/grammar/words_its_its/quiz2490.html
Happy reading and writing,

EyeEdit Editorial Team

Copyright 2010 Eye Edit.  All rights reserved

Like

Unlike

Today’s EyeEdit writing tip: Master verbs for clearer writing.

Verbs tell us what is the action, the event, or the state of being.  To be complete, a sentence must have a verb.  Recognizing the verb is often the first step in understanding what the sentence means.

Verbs are highlighted in the following sentences:

The child crossed the road. The verb tells us the action of the sentence.

Jenny is a tall woman. The verb tells us Jenny’s state of being, but does not refer to an action.

Verbs can change their form to show:

1. Tense (past, present, future)
2. Person (first person, second person, third person)
3. Number (singular, plural)
4. Voice (active, passive)

Verbs also undergo change when a main verb has a helping verb. For example:

The man was driving the car. The verb “was driving” tells us about the action of the sentence.

She has not left her home. The verb “has left” with the negative “not” tells us the action that did not take place.

Did you walk to the library? The verb “did walk” is used in this sentence to convey a question.

When we master verbs, we are well on our way to expressing ourselves at our best.

Quiz

Identify the verbs in the following excerpts taken from a news item The Power of Song (Newsweek Magazine, September 11, 2010):

Rain poured over the crowd gathered for a rock concert in Moscow’s central Pushkin Square last month. Police sealed off the square, searched everyone coming in, and infiltrated the crowd with plainclothes officers. The musicians were only slightly more obvious than the police. They could barely be seen, performing from a stepladder in the center of the crowd, and singing into a megaphone in place of loudspeakers. Moscow city hall did not permit them to use real microphones, because the authorities didn’t want their message to be heard. This was a rare event in Russia: an anti-Putin rock-and-roll show.

Many audience members carried children on their shoulders—something they wouldn’t dare do at a traditional protest rally. Indeed, the police on security detail seemed confused. While they routinely break up opposition protests, they knew Shevchuk as the author of political anthems from the perestroika period—a sort of Russian Bruce Springsteen—and the leader of the popular band DDT. Earlier this year Shevchuk earned wide admiration for confronting Putin in an organized meeting with actors and artists on national TV: “What about freedom? Freedom of press, freedom of information? Because what is happening now looks more the feudal system we had a thousand years ago,” he said, looking straight into Putin’s eyes (the leader refused to engage). At the rally in Moscow, some cried, “Rock and roll lives!” when they saw Shevchuk climb the ladder to sing.

Response to quiz

The verbs are highlighted:

Rain poured over the crowd gathered for a rock concert in Moscow’s central Pushkin Square last month. Police sealed off the square, searched everyone coming in, and infiltrated the crowd with plainclothes officers. The musicians were only slightly more obvious than the police. They could barely be seen, performing from a stepladder in the center of the crowd, and singing into a megaphone in place of loudspeakers. Moscow city hall did not permit them to use real microphones, because the authorities did not want their message to be heard. This was a rare event in Russia: an anti-Putin rock-and-roll show.

Many audience members carried children on their shoulders—something they would not dare do at a traditional protest rally. Indeed, the police on security detail seemed confused. While they routinely break up opposition protests, they knew Shevchuk as the author of political anthems from the perestroika period—a sort of Russian Bruce Springsteen—and the leader of the popular band DDT. Earlier this year Shevchuk earned wide admiration for confronting Putin in an organized meeting with actors and artists on national TV: “What about freedom? Freedom of press, freedom of information? Because what is happening now looks more the feudal system we had a thousand years ago,” he said, looking straight into Putin’s eyes (the leader refused to engage). At the rally in Moscow, some cried, “Rock and roll lives!” when they saw Shevchuk climb the ladder to sing.

Please let us know if you have questions or queries.

Happy reading and writing,

EyeEdit Editorial Team

Copyright 2010 Eye Edit.  All rights reserved

Like

Unlike

Today’s EyeEdit writing tip: Know your nouns.

Being aware of different kinds of nouns can strengthen your writing. You can be better informed about:

• Which nouns take plurals;
• Which words need to be capitalized;
• How to ensure nouns and verbs agree;
• How to provide your readers with concrete (rather than abstract) images so they can “see” better what you mean.

Below are types of nouns, definitions, and examples of different types of nouns.

Quiz

For a quiz on recognizing nouns, please see http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/quizzes/nouns_quiz1.htm

Happy reading and writing,

EyeEdit  Editorial Team

Copyright 2010 Eye Edit.  All rights reserved

Like

Unlike

Today’s EyeEdit writing tip: Use “regard”/”regards”/regarding phrases with care, if at all.

You are not alone if you struggle with regard to “regard”. The choice is between:

• Regarding
• As regards
• In regard to
• With regard to

You may also cringe (if you are a purist) if you see or hear:

• In regards to
• With regards to

When in doubt, or when “regard” feels like clutter, you may opt for simple prepositions such as about, on, in,  for, as to. Context and the sound of the sentence will help you decide what word or phrase is best. In any event, avoiding the overworked “regard” phrases is likely to strengthen your writing

Quiz

Which of these sentences is correct? Which could be re-written to avoid the “regard” phrases?

1. With regard to the meeting, Mr Brown will be the chair.
2. In regard to the matter we discussed on the telephone, John will send the draft document tomorrow.
3. The difference between the twins, as regards appearance, was hardly noticeable.
4. As regards to your car, I think you should clean it.
5. With regards to your car, I think you should clean it.
6. In regards to your car, I think you should clean it.
7. Please give him my regards.
8. I end with my regards to your family.
9. Discussions took place regarding his promotion.

Possible responses to quiz:

1. Mr. Brown will chair the meeting.

(Correct use of “with regard to”, but sentence could be in plainer English.)

2. As we discussed on the telephone, John will send the draft document tomorrow.

(Correct use of “in regard to”, but sentence could be in plainer English.)

3.  They were identical twins.

(Correct use of “as regards”, but sentence could be in plainer English.)

4. As regards your car, I think you should clean it.

(“As regards” does not require “to”) OR I think you should clean your car. (Plainer English)

5. With regard to your car, I think you should clean it.

(In this context, “regard” is singular. OR I think you should clean your car. (Plainer English)

6. In regard to your car, I think you should clean it.

(In this context, “regard” is singular. OR I think you should clean your car. (Plainer English)

7. Please give him my regards.

(Correct – “regards” is a noun here.)

8. I end with my regards to your family.

(Correct – “regards” is a noun here)

9. Discussions took place regarding his promotion.

(Correct use of ‘regarding”. OR The manager discussed his promotion. (Plainer English)

Happy reading and writing,

EyeEdit Editorial Team

Copyright 2010 Eye Edit.  All rights reserved

Like

Unlike