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Daily EyeEdit Writing Tip #13 – Numbers

Sep 07

NothangoEditing, Numbers Numbers, numerals 2 Comments

Today’s EyeEdit writing tip: Know when to express numbers in words or in numerals.

Different guidelines can exist for expressing numbers. In general, you will use figures for large numbers and for precise numbers such as money, serial numbers, and phone numbers. You will use words for numbers from one to nine, for approximate amounts, and for numbers that begin a sentence.

Below are some of the usual rules for numbers, with examples:

Rules	Examples
1. Write in words the numbers below ten. Use numerals for numbers above nine.	I can eat three patties. He bought 12 patties.
2. Be consistent in writing numbers or numerals. So if you start out with writing a numeral for a number above nine, continue to use numerals even if another number in the sentence is single-digit.	I have 11 pencils and 2 erasers. I have eleven pencils and two erasers.
3. Always spell out simple fractions. Remember to use hyphens.	Two-thirds of the class went on the outing One-half of the cookies are missing.
4. Express a mixed whole number and fraction in figures, unless it begins a sentence.	The store offered a 7 ½ per cent discount. Seven and one-half per cent is the usual discount.
5. You can express large numbers in numerals or in words. Consistency is important.	Harry inherited between two and four million dollars from his uncle. Harry inherited between $2 million and $4 million dollars from his uncle.
6. Write decimals as figures. Place a zero in front of the decimal unless the decimal begins with a zero.	Sales increased at a rate of 0.93 per month. Sales increased a mere .03 per month.
7. Be consistent when writing dates.	The new semester starts on September 2. The new semester starts on the 2^nd of September.
8. Decades can be written in words or as numerals with an apostrophe to show the missing numbers. Note: there is no apostrophe between the number and the s.	Rock and Roll was popular during the fifties. Rock and Roll was popular during the ‘50s.
9. Use numerals or words for time except o’clock when the number is always written in words. Exact times are always written in numerals.	She leaves for work at about seven thirty in the evening. She arrived at work at 9:00 A.M. (or a.m.) They go jogging at six o’clock in the morning.
10 Write out a number if it begins a sentence.	Seventy-two teachers attended the conference.

Quiz

Try this numbers quiz at http://www.grammarbook.com/grammar_quiz/numbers_1.asp

Happy reading and writing,

EyeEdit Editorial Team

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Daily EyeEdit Writing Tip #12 – Capitalization

Sep 06

NothangoCapitalization, Editing capital letters, proper nouns, quotes, titles 2 Comments

Today’s EyeEdit writing tip: Use capitals only when you must.

Generally speaking, we should minimize the use of capitals as much as possible.

Below are some rules for capitalizing:

We need to capitalize…	Example
1. The first word of a quoted sentence.	She said, “The package just arrived by courier.”
2. Proper nouns	John F Kennedy Airport is closed. The airport is closed The hurricane came across the Atlantic Ocean. The hurricane crossed the ocean.
3. A person’s title when it precedes a name, but not when the title is a description following a name.	Chairman Eric Paterson signed the document. Eric Paterson, chairman of the computer company signed the document.
4. The person’s title when it follows the name on the address line.	Yours truly, Sharon Mattis, Chairperson
5. Titles of high ranking government officials when used before their names, but not it used instead of the name.	President Obama will address the Senate. The president will address the Senate Senator Denton and Senator Jackson attended the meeting. All senators attended the meeting.
6. The points of the compass when they refer to specific regions, but not when they are used as an adjective to describe a section.	She is from Central Asia. We toured South Africa last year. He lives in the northern section of the city. You will find these plants in southern Africa.
7. Words in a title except for words such as a, an, the, but, as, if, and, or, nor, or prepositions	The Color Purple Pride and Prejudice Arms and the Man
8. Words derived from proper nouns.	George is studying English, German, and history.
9. Names of specific course titles	My son did well in biology as well as Botany 3.
10 “The” if it is part of the place name.	We have stamps from The Bahamas and The Gambia, but none from the Netherlands.

Quiz

For an exercise in capitalization, please see http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/cgi-shl/par_numberless_quiz.pl/caps_quiz.htm

Happy reading and writing,

EyeEdit Team

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Daily EyeEdit Writing Tip #11 – Rules

Sep 05

NothangoEditing, Language rules format, grammar, structure, syntax No Comments

Today’s EyeEdit writing tip: Be sure to learn the rules of good writing before deciding when and where to break the rules.

Most good writers bend rules or play with them. In order to be flexible with the rules, we need to be very familiar with them.

For help with rules, some writers refer to Strunk, William and E. B. White. (1959). The Elements of Style. MacMillan Publishing Co. ISBN 0-02-418220-6. You can download a free copy of this book from http://www.cs.vu.nl/~jms/doc/elos.pdf

Nonetheless, Strunk has his critics, for example:

1. Linguistics professor at Edinburgh University, Geoffrey Pullum said that The Elements of Style is often misguided, refers to it as “the book that ate America’s brain.”

Pullum, Geoffrey K (12 June 2009). “Sotomayer loves Strunk and White”. Language Log. http://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=1505. Retrieved 13 June 2009.

2. The Boston Globe newspaper, reviewing The Elements of Style Illustrated (2005) described it as an “”aging zombie of a book . . . a hodgepodge, its now-antiquated Freeman, Jan (23 October 2005).

“Frankenstrunk”. The Boston Globe. http://www.boston.com/news/globe/ideas/articles/2005/10/23/frankenstrunk/. Retrieved 2009-04-12. pet peeves jostling for space with 1970s taboos and 1990s computer advice.”

Apart from Strunk, you may check out manuals such as:

Fawcett, Susan (2004). Evergreen: A Guide to Writing With Readings. Houghton Mifflin Company. ISBN 0-618-27387-5. Apparently good material for students, but over-priced.
Watkins, Floyd C., William B. Dillingham, and Edwin T. Martin. (1974). Practical English Handbook. Houghton Mifflin Company. ISBN 0-395-16822-8. Written for students and considered useful.
Zinsser, William (2001). On Writing Well. Quill. ISBN 0-06-000664-1. Zinsser’s book has high ratings on Amazon, but you will want to judge the merits for yourself.

You will also find language resources at sites such as:

Purdue Online Writing Lab: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/

Do you have a favorite writing manual or website with great language resources? If so, please share.

Happy writing,

EyeEdit Team

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Daily EyeEdit Writing Tip #10 – Books to read

Sep 04

NothangoReading book lists, books No Comments

Today’s EyeEdit writing tip: If you want to write well, you will need those who write well.

To keep up with your reading, you could consider joining or forming book club. Membership at your local library will put you in touch with other readers and also help keep costs down. In addition, you can find books free or virtually free online. You can also find bargain or half-price books at online bookstores.

If you need help getting started with a book, you could try this list of best sellers at my favorite bookshop in Jamaica:

BOOKOPHILIA BESTELLERS

Fiction List

1. The Last Warner Woman – Kei Miller

Magical, lyrical novel about an obeah-woman born in a leper colony who migrates to the UK

2. Dog Heart – Diana McCaulay

Realistic and gripping story of an inner city youth who encounters a woman who tries to change his life

3. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets’ Nest – Stieg Larsson

The Millennium trilogy closes with another page-turner built around his fearless anti-heroine, Lisbeth Salander (sequel to The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and The Girl who played with Fire)

4. The Elegance of the Hedgehog – Muriel Barbery

Intelligent, bittersweet and satirical novel, bestseller in Europe. If you fall in love with the language of a book, this story of a Parisian concierge is a must-read.

5. The Prophet – Khalil Gibran

A must-have in every collection; a tale full of wisdom, simple poetry and meditations on all aspects of life.

6. The Long Song – Andrea Levy

Story of a female slave in the rebellion in 1832 from acclaimed Jamaican writer of Small Island.

7. Handle With Care- Jodi Picoult

Explores the knotty tangle of friendship, medical ethics and personal responsibility – a great read.

8. The Alchemist – Paolo Coehlo

A fable about following one’s dreams, listening to one’s heart, and reading life’s omens

9. The Secret Between us – Barbara Delinsky

Nothing will break this mother-daughter bond. Not even the truth. Great read.

10. The Book of Night Women – Marlon James

The story of a green-eyed girl, born into slavery on a Jamaican plantation, who exhibits a dark, charismatic power. (Now in paperback!)

Non-Fiction

1. Keep on Pushing – Devon Harris

Motivational speaker, three time Olympian and man originally from Waterhouse tells his story with authenticity. The book is full of wise, empowering advice on his keys to success and is being purchased by several local corporations for their management teams!

2. True Born Maroons – Kenneth Bilby

Sheds much new light on the past and present situation of the Maroons- once described as “some of the world’s most famous but least-known people.”

3. What the Dog Saw – Malcolm Gladwell

“The fourth book from one of the brightest stars in the media firmament…his clear prose and knack for upending conventional wisdom across the social sciences have made his books into must reads.”

4. Whose Vagina is it, Really? – Sandy Daley

Dubbed the “Jamaican Carrie Bradshaw”, reading this book about a year in the life of this single gal will have you DWL.

5. Eat Pray Love – Elizabeth Gilbert

While trying to get pregnant, a happily married woman realizes her life needs to go in a different direction, and after a painful divorce, she quits everything and travels to Italy, India and Indonesia to find herself

6. Nyam Jamaica – Rosemary Parkinson

The must-have culinary tome and travelogue full of amazing photography – excellent coffee-table book and collector’s item.

7. Outliers – Malcolm Gladwell

Examining the lives of outliers from Mozart to Bill Gates. The main tenet of Outliers is that there is a logic behind why some people become successful

8. The Women Who Run with Wolves – Clarissa Pinkola Estes

Modern classic – A Jungian analyst explores the feminine psyche through stories of “wild women”–the mythological archetype of the strong, primitive woman.

9. Oprah – a Biography – Kitty Kelley

The tables are turned on Oprah Winfrey, as Kelley in this unauthorized biography digs deep to uncover the secrets of the talk show host and humanitarian

10. Committed – Elizabeth Gilbert

Eat, Pray, Love. Then What? Get Married. A skeptic makes peace with marriage (now in paperback!)

Here are some other lists of books you might want to choose (or avoid):

A. Books that everyone should read at least once

http://www.goodreads.com/list/show/264.Books_that_everyone_should_read_at_least_once

This list includes Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird, George Orwell’s Animal Farm, and my all-time favorite book, Antoine de Saint Exupery’s The Little Prince.

B. 25 Banned Books That You Should Read Today

http://degreedirectory.org/articles/25_Banned_Books_That_You_Should_Read_Today.html

This list includes Alice Walker’s The Color Purple, and Maya Angelou’s “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings”.

C. The Sunday Times’ List of 10 books Not to Read Before you Die

http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/books/book_extracts/article4773601.ece

Books on this list include James Joyce’s Ulysses, Ernest Hemingway’s For Whom the Bell Tolls, and Leo Tolstoy’s War and Peace.

Happy reading and writing,

EyeEdit Team

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Daily EyeEdit Writing Tip #9 – Creativity

Sep 03

NothangoFree writing creativity, right brain 2 Comments

Today’s EyeEdit writing tip: First create, then edit.

Do not try to create and edit at the same time. The side of the brain that edits is like a very critical parent. The creative side of the brain is like the child needing freedom to express itself before being made to conform to the rules.

The following are steps to help you to free the creative side of your brain:

Select a topic or start with no topic in mind.
Set a timer and give yourself 5 to 15 minutes to write continuously
Start your timer.
Write down whatever comes to mind. The words or phrases can relate to you topic or they can be random thoughts. Write down everything.
Do not stop for anything, and do not cross out or delete anything.
Pay not attention to grammar, typos, or misspelled words,
If you draw a blank, keep writing the same word or phrase over and over again until a new idea comes into your mind.
Continue writing till the time runs out.
Look at what you have written, and circle or underline ideas that you think may be useful for your project
Group together the ideas and phrases you have marked, and see how they will help you meet your writing goals.
Begin your rough draft.
If you need further ideas, you can do another brainstorm.

How did that feel? Please let us know how the free-writing process worked for you.

Happy writing,

EyeEdit Team

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Daily EyeEdit Writing Tip #8 – Punctuation

Sep 02

NothangoEditing, Proofreading, Punctuation clarity, comma, period 2 Comments

Today’s EyeEdit writing tip: Use commas and full stops to show the direction of your thoughts.

Punctuation is like a map that gives shape and clarity to a sentence and shows the reader where you are going. Even when words are clear, punctuation can confuse readers.

The versions below show the difference punctuation makes:

Version 1: Barack Obama says George Bush is the greatest president.

Version 2: Barack Obama, says George Bush, is the greatest president.

Version 1: Woman without her man is nothing.

Version 2: Woman! Without her, man is nothing.

Version 1. Kimani is a doctor who cares.

Version 2. Kimani is a doctor? Who cares?

Quiz

How would you punctuate the following sentences?

The hardware store sold three different kinds of gardening tools hoes, rakes and forks.
Pass me the pen, Jim said. I want to write a check.
Its important to give each piece of furniture its own space.
The people who played in the band Jamar, Latoya, and Dave all brought their own instruments.

Suggested responses to quiz

The hardware store sold three different kinds of gardening tools: hoes, rakes, and forks.
“Pass me the pen,” Jim said. “I want to write a check.”
It’s important to give each piece of furniture its own space.
The people who played in the band – Jamar, Latoya, and Dave – all brought their own instruments.

Happy writing,

EyeEdit Team

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EyeEdit Writing Tip #7

Sep 01

NothangoEditing, Word Attitude balance, tone No Comments

Today’s EyeEdit Writing Tip: Watch for tone and word-attitude.

Try to keep your tone positive and confident. A curt tone can alienate readers, and a tentative tone can cause readers not to take you seriously. Appropriate tone depends on your purpose and your target audience. Balance is therefore important.

In the examples below, the message is the same but the tone is different:

Pay up or we disconnect.
You are our valued customer and we want to keep your service going. We therefore urge you to pay your bills by the 15^th of each month so as to avoid disconnection.

Which of these messages would you prefer to receive from your utility company?

Quiz

How would you assess the tone in the sentences below? Indicate where you would consider the tone positive (P), negative (N) or where you think there is room for improvement (RI).

Because of recent declines in profits, no one will be getting a Christmas bonus this year.
Unfortunately, due to the decrease in sales this year, we will not be awarding Christmas bonuses this year. However, we want to thank you, as always, for your performance, and we cordially invite you to our annual holiday party.
This letter is to inform you that you will attend the upcoming mandatory meeting.
We will appreciate your attendance at the upcoming mandatory meeting.
You did not assemble the parts correctly, and so the product is malfunctioning.
The product may not work correctly if any errors occur during assembly.

Suggested responses to quiz

The tone in B, D, and F would generally be considered as more positive than the tone in A, C, and E

Happy writing,

EyeEdit Team

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Daily Writing Tip from EyeEdit #6

Aug 31

NothangoEditing, Proofreading, Word Economy concise, precise, redundant No Comments

Today’s EyeEdit Writing Tip: Do not use four words where one will do.

Redundant words weigh down sentences, making them seem long and boring. Good sentences are tight, with every word earning its place. Below are examples of words you can edit if you want your writing to be more economic.

Wordy	More economic
at the present time	now
until such time as	until
in the area of	about
in connection with	about
in the event of	if
for the purpose of	to
take action	act
it has come to my attention	I understand
she came to a decision	she decided

How would you simplify this sentence (in addition to losing the block capitals)?

NO PERSON HAS BEEN AUTHORIZED TO GIVE ANY INFORMATION OR MAKE ANY REPRESENTATION OTHER THAN THOSE CONTAINED OR INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE IN THIS JOINT PROXY STATEMENT/PROSPECTUS, AND, IF GIVEN OR MADE, SUCH INFORMATION OR REPRESENTATION MUST NOT BE RELIED UPON AS HAVING BEEN AUTHORIZED.

Here is one possible rewrite in plain English:

You should rely only on the information contained in this document or that we have referred you to. We have not authorized anyone to provide you with information that is different.

This exercise is taken from

A Plain English Handbook How to create clear SEC disclosure documents

By the Office of Investor Education and Assistance of U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission

http://www.sec.gov/pdf/handbook.pdf

Quiz

Try this quiz at http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/quizzes/nova/nova8.htm

Happy writing,

EyeEdit Team

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Daily Writing Tip from EyeEdit #5

Aug 30

NothangoEditing, Proofreading draft, revision No Comments

Today’s EyeEdit Writing Tip: Rely on eye, ear, timing, and outside help when you edit.

When you edit you may choose to follow these steps:

1. Write the first draft free style, ignoring language rules. Let your ideas flow without a censor trying to make you stop to correct yourself.

2. Let the censor loose to correct all the errors you can see (and spell-check missed).

3. Read the draft out loud and correct all the errors you can hear and all the sections that do not sound smooth

4. Take a break from the draft for a while (from an hour to a couple of days) before beginning a second draft.

5. Enlist the help of a friend to provide you with another pair of eyes to pick up any errors you may have missed. A professional editor can help you with the final polish, addressing issues such as proofreading, content editing, development editing, or technical editing. For further information on these terms, please see Services

Below are drafts and possible revision (depending on your purpose and the needs of your reader):

Draft	Possible revision
I am writing this note because I want to thank you very much for inviting me to discuss my work at the conference that was held last Monday.	Thanks you very much for inviting me to last Monday’s conference. (Clutter removed)
The manual is the first step.	Writing (reading, editing, reviewing, implementing) the manual is the first step. (Information added for clarity)
Send me the sales report first thing on Wednesday morning.	Please send me the sales report first thing on Wednesday morning. (Tone improved)
Attached herein for your reference is a duplicated version of the aforementioned statement.	I have enclosed a copy of the statement. (Clutter and archaic terms removed)
I have requested that your Internet service be restored by Friday.	You will receive your Internet service by Friday. (Focus re-directed from sender to receiver)
The tall woman sprinted rapidly and deliberately down the busy street.	The woman sprinted down the street. (Clutter – in this case modifiers – removed)
Spending too much money on clothes and shoes, her salary was never enough.	Because she spent too much money on clothes and shoes, her salary was never enough. (Dangling modifier corrected)
The basketball team only won five games.	The basketball team won only five games. (Misplaced modifier corrected)

Quiz

Try your hand at editing the following sentences (if you think they need editing):

We don’t refund if the returned item is soiled.
I take this opportunity to express my thanks for the account you opened at our store.
Please find enclosed herewith a copy of the report that is 15 pages in length.
When completing a quiz, concentration is important.
Having worked for the company for twenty years, it was surprising to see the size of my pension.
It is undoubtedly true that, because of the uncertainties of the current acute crisis, the company definitely has to plan ahead for fallouts in the economy if it is to survive.

Suggestion responses to quiz

We will refund if the returned item is clean. (Tone improved)
Thank you for opening your account at our store. (Focus re-directed from sender to receiver)
The 15-page report is enclosed. (Clutter and archaic terms removed)
We need to concentrate when we are completing a quiz. (Dangling modifier corrected)
Having worked for the company for twenty years, I was surprised to see the size of my pension. (Dangling modifier corrected)
The company has to plan for survival in this economic crisis. (Clutter removed)

Happy writing,

EyeEdit Team

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Daily Tip from EyeEdit #4

Aug 30

NothangoEditing, Sentence Length readability, sentences No Comments

Today’s EyeEdit tip: Avoid long sentences.

If the sentence is too long, readers may forget what they were reading. They may lose interest and skip to the next sentence that conveys information simply. If they are busy, they may move on to the next e-mail that seems more readable.

In general, if we cannot say the entire sentence in one breath (15 to 22 words), we may begin looking for a place to put a full stop or at least a semi-colon. We may also need to consider re-structuring the material.

Quiz

How would you edit the long sentence below so main ideas are set out in shorter sentences that are easier to read and understand?

“If we contrast the situation in health care, where although a doctor might not have had the medication to cure the body, he would spend time to talk with patients and help them deal with the emotional side of their ailments, with the situation today where patients can be treated by machines or by people who act like machines, there may be those who would say that that our health system is no more humane or compassionate than it was fifty years ago.”

(Number of words in this sentence: 83)

Suggested response:

“Health care has changed over the last fifty years. In earlier times, a doctor would take time to talk with his patients. Even if he might not have had the medication to cure the body, he would help patients deal with the emotional side of their ailments. Today, patients can be treated by machines or by people who act like machines. Many might therefore say that our health system is no more humane or compassionate today than in the past.”

(Average number of words per sentence: 16)

What are your thoughts about long sentences?

Happy writing,

EyeEdit Team

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EyeEdit

Daily EyeEdit Writing Tip #13 – Numbers

Daily EyeEdit Writing Tip #12 – Capitalization

Daily EyeEdit Writing Tip #11 – Rules

Daily EyeEdit Writing Tip #10 – Books to read

Daily EyeEdit Writing Tip #9 – Creativity

Daily EyeEdit Writing Tip #8 – Punctuation

EyeEdit Writing Tip #7

Daily Writing Tip from EyeEdit #6

Daily Writing Tip from EyeEdit #5

Daily Tip from EyeEdit #4

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