Category Grammar and Style
Besting the Demon of Style: A Tale of Adventure, Valiance and Virtue
words by John D. and illustrations by Amanda S., Textbroker Editors
I would like to share a tale with all of you, the brave authors of textbroker.com, that has been passed down from the editors of old. This story involves a young man named Sir Antecedent and his noble steed Predicus. Our journey begins years ago when the beast Comma Splice and the dragon Appositive still battled endlessly into the night, when the homophones grazed peacefully in the fields of ellipses, and when the serial comma was still acceptable. (Like what I did there? Please don’t mention that I just used a sentence fragment or how this entire bit is within parentheses. I’m breaking the fourth wall. Okay, let’s get back to the point. See how distracting it is when parenthetical material takes over? Great! I’ve completely forgotten what I was talking about, and I'm sure you have too...)
Sir Antecedent was given a task by King Critique: He was to travel across the land and rescue Princess Superlative from the clutches of the evil witch Protasis, who resided in the Apodosis Mountains. All the while, he had to fight against the sinister stylistic traps that Protasis had set along the way.
Shortly after setting out, he arrived at—the Swamp of—Unnecessary Dashes. Read more...
posted on 03/16/2012 - 04.06 | comments: 23
Word Choice Consideration
words by Oscar G. and illustrations by Julia P., Textbroker Editors
We've had quite a few authors write to us over the past few weeks wondering how they snag level 4 articles. One big difference between level 4 or 5 writers and those of a lower quality level is the ability to correctly use words with respect to both their meaning and spelling. Some of what we'll discuss you may have heard already. Whatever the case, below is what we as editors have noticed in the recent work we reviewed as of late. A special note to all of our 2 and 3-star authors: We look forward to seeing these in your next 4-star articles!
Speaking of a lot, remember it is always two words. We'll usually consider "alot" a typo, and you will likely see this noted in your feedback, along with any other errors we find. Fear not, folks: Some word processing applications such as Microsoft Word will recognize this and correct it for you. GoogleDocs (free!) will also highlight this mistake.
Unfortunately, even Word's fancy grammar and spell checker often will not find fault with "allot" sprinkled in your text instead of the aforementioned a lot. Read more...
posted on 02/24/2012 - 05.53 | comments: 14
Comma Trauma
Melissa, Textbroker Editor
Hey all! Keira will be back for the next post to let you know how we're going to be streamlining the 5-star process, so stay tuned. For now, though, all aboard the train to Commatown!
Comma Splices
I'm not sure about you folks, but when I think of the word “splice,” I think of some strange genetic experiment, like in that movie with Adrian Brody and that lady from “Go.” While a comma splice isn't quite that disturbing to most people, it is an incorrect construction and, as such, is very disturbing to the TB editors.
A comma splice occurs when you splice two independent clauses together using a comma alone:
“I like wearing this helmet, it totally accents my pumps.”
An independent clause is a clause that could stand alone as its own grammatically correct sentence. “I like wearing this helmet” and “It totally accents my pumps” are both independent clauses because each could function as a grammatically correct, self-contained sentence with both subject and verb. As a result, they cannot be joined by a comma alone.
Thematically and stylistically, however, these ideas complement each other, and your reader should experience them together. Read more...
posted on 02/25/2011 - 05.19 | comments: 40
Level 4 Tips
By Christina Zila, Textbroker Editor
Many authors have asked, “What's the difference between a 4 and a 5?” There is no room for error for 5-star authors. We need to trust our authors to deliver error-free work. On top of all the previous items, what writing skills can 4-star authors improve on?
1. Overblown Style and Vocabulary
Using a 10-point word every once in a while is not a problem. When your entire article on farming is five-syllable words, you've lost your audience. Your writing comes off as overdone. There's also a high likelihood that you've chosen words with an inappropriate connotation for the context. See George Orwell's 5 Rules for Effective Writing.
2. Hyphenation
Compound adjectives, like well-written, well-dressed, brightly-colored and under-staffed, are hyphenated. A lack of a hyphen can lead to confusion on what is being described.
3. Use punctuation to enhance your message, not to distract readers from it.
-Using parentheses distances you from the things you're saying. They are extremely distracting to the reader and can cause grammar errors. Read more...
posted on 07/30/2010 - 07.55 | comments: 45
10 Tips on Rating Levels
By Christina Zila, Textbroker Editor
Last week, SondraC gave you her story and resources to improve your rating. She mentioned not having a starting point to know what to study. This post starts with hallmarks of level 2 articles and covers signs that your writing is at level 3. Removing these issues from your work can raise your rating. Next week, I'll have tips for level 4 writers looking to move to level 5.
The following errors will often put your writing at level 2:
1. Subject-verb agreement
Sentences need a subject and a verb. These two items must agree.
2. Capitalization
All sentences must start with a capital letter. The personal pronoun “I” must always be capitalized. Capitalization counts for company and product names like eBay, iPod, iPhone, iPad and Wal-Mart.
3. Spelling
There are too many spell-check products to have spelling errors in your work. Use a dictionary. While a spell-checker is extremely helpful, do not trust it blindly. “Definitely” and “defiantly” are two completely different words.
4. Articles
“The,” “a” and “an” are important words. Use them appropriately before nouns. Read more...
posted on 07/23/2010 - 06.37 | comments: 39
Clauses, and We Don't Mean Santa
By Keira, Textbroker Editor
Using commas correctly can be tricky, and one of the most common errors stems from conditional clauses. So what is a conditional clause?
A conditional clause expresses a condition and an outcome.
"If you are approached by an armored tiger, you should not invoke the power of Grayskull."
Being approached by an armored tiger is the condition. If this condition does not occur, neither will the potential consequence. However, if you are approached by an armored tiger, invoking the power of Grayskull is not recommended.
"If you pick up an article, remember that knowing is half the battle."
The condition here is that you are writing an article. Remembering that knowing is half the battle may be sound advice, but you're only being cautioned to follow it under the previous condition.
One thing you may notice here is that the outcome is always a complete sentence. This makes our comma trick an easy one.
First, look for the trigger word "if." Next, look for the complete sentence.
"|If| you follow this advice, |your comma will be in the right place.|"
"|If| you can break a sentence into units, |this becomes an easy process. Read more...
posted on 05/21/2010 - 06.57 | comments: 27
Apostrophes: You Asked, We Answered
By Keira, Textbroker Editor
Apostrophes are used for two main purposes: to show possession or omission. To show possession means to illustrate something as belonging to something else. We could say the following:
"The ball of the girl smashed through the window."
It would sound better to say:
"The girl's ball smashed through the window."
For many words, possession is indicated by using an apostrophe followed by the letter "s." Consider the following:
"We tried to fend off the approaching underwater bear. Fortunately, we found Eric's arm was a good distraction."
With possession, we are really asking the question of "whose." Whose arm was a distraction? Eric's arm was a distraction. Whose ball smashed through the window? The girl's ball smashed through the window.
Some words are inherently possessive. These words should never have an apostrophe because they already indicate a sense of belonging to something else. These words are: mine, yours, his, hers, its, ours and theirs. Variations of these forms, such as "my" and "your," are also possessive.
Using both of these rules, we can now create several variations of the same idea. Read more...
posted on 05/14/2010 - 07.08 | comments: 22
The Semicolon: Not a Fancy Comma
By Keira, Textbroker Editor
It isn't bold like the exclamation mark or straightforward like the period, but the semicolon is more than just the eyes of your smiley. It's a subtle form of punctuation, but it does not have to be difficult. The main purpose of a semicolon is to join two complete and similar sentences. When two thoughts are tied strongly to one another, you may find a period too great a separation. Using a semicolon visibly increases the link between these thoughts.
Our rule with semicolons then becomes as follows: If you can use a period, you can use a semicolon.
This does not mean that you should abolish periods from your work. Using a semicolon is like sprinkling spices on a dish; you want the spices to enhance the flavor, not dominate the dish. Here are a few examples:
"This coffee maker doesn't just make coffee; it also greets you personally."
"A zombie eats brains; a shotgun fixes that."
"I like the thought of an underwater bear; however, I wouldn't want to meet one."
"There were four survivors on this island; only two remain."
Don't use a semicolon with a coordinating conjunction. If you already have one of the FANBOYS linking your thoughts, use a comma instead. Read more...
posted on 05/07/2010 - 06.03 | comments: 14
Commas and Coordinating Conjunctions (FANBOYS)
By Keira, Textbroker Editor
You've seen the commentary, but what does that mean? Coordinating conjunctions are all of the following:
For
And
Nor
But
Or
Yet
So
You can remember them by being FANBOYS of good grammar. If you're having trouble with comma usage each time one of these pops up, here's a trick that can make it easier. You only need a comma when each part can stand on its own. So whenever you see one of the FANBOYS, split the sentence around it.
I went to the store |and| bought eggs.
"I went to the store" is a complete sentence, but "bought eggs" is not. This sentence is fine the way it is.
I went to the store |and| I bought eggs.
"I went to the store" is a complete sentence. "I bought eggs" is also a complete sentence. The sentence should read: I went to the store, and I bought eggs.
You can do this with any of the FANBOYS.
I went to the store, |but| the chickens were on strike, |so| there were no eggs.
I went to the store |but| found no eggs.
They say women are from Venus, |yet| Mars already has Martians, |so| why do they need men too?
If you can split a sentence, you can join the full-fledged FANBOYS. Read more...
posted on 04/30/2010 - 07.07 | comments: 42