Writer's Tips

How to use punctuation with conjunctions?

Tuesday, June 14th, 2011
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punctuation marks How to use punctuation with conjunctions?Using punctuation in writing can be very confusing, especially in longer sentences that also include lists of items. This article will attempt to make this issue that so many inexperienced writers struggle with somewhat easier by presenting some rules and examples of correct usage of punctuation with conjunctions.
Most commonly used punctuation is certainly a comma “,” however, semicolon “;” as well as em dash “—” have their rightful and extremely useful place in writing. Thus, without a further ado, here are the rules and examples:

Comma
1. Commas are used to separate independent clauses when they are joined by either and, or, nor, for, so, but, or yet.
Example: She never liked her new job, nor did she try to get used to the change.

2. Commas are also used after introductory words, phrases or clauses that come before the main clause.
Example: While my sister was focused on doing her homework, I struggled to concentrate. (more…)

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When to use “I” versus “me”

Sunday, June 12th, 2011
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Editing tipsEven the native English speakers commonly make mistakes when it comes to using “I” and “me” in sentences. This is such a prevalent issue, that it is not uncommon to even find the wrong usage in formal writing or on TV. However, there is a simple way to decide when “I” or “me” should be used, which then equally applies to “we” vs. “us,” “he” vs. “him,” or “she” vs. “her” etc.
As everything in life, leaning by example works the best, and here are some simple rules of when to use “I” versus “me”:

Firstly, we have to distinguish between the meaning of “I” and “me.” Whilst the former is the first person singular subject pronoun, the latter is an object pronoun.

Thus, in a sentence, “I” refers to the person performing the action described. Here are some examples of correct usage of “I”:
(more…)

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How to write footnotes in research papers

Thursday, May 26th, 2011
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editingworth How to write footnotes in research papersWhen writing a thesis or an academic paper, we heavily rely on previously published sources. To avoid plagiarism, they have to be cited both in the main body of text as well as in Bibliography (also known as References, or Works Cited), following the formatting rules stipulated by the style guide of your choice.

However, on occasion, it might be more appropriate to draw the reader’s attention to a specific source, or provide additional explanation by using footnotes. Moreover, they are useful when wishing to add additional explanatory material or an aside comment that does not fit within the flow of text in the body of the document. Unlike references, which are included at the end of the paper or a thesis, footnotes appear at the bottom of the page they are referred to, and are separated from the main body of text by a horizontal line, which makes it easy to find related information. Note that the font they are written in is typically several sizes smaller than the main text, making the distinction between the two clear. (more…)

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How to use the Spell Check?

Thursday, May 12th, 2011
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book1 How to use the Spell Check?On many word processing programs, there is a spell checker function. Because all spell checking programs are different, this article will provide general tips for the use of these programs as well as information about using this feature in Microsoft Word, since that particular word processing program is fairly commonly used. Hopefully, by learning to use spell check, you can get the most out of it without relying solely on it to correct your writing.

Before running spell check on a paper or manuscript, it is important to read the instructions or directions that come with it, which may be in the form of a tutorial on the Internet or a help section where you can ask questions and enter search terms. You will want to learn basic information about running the program as well as figuring out the settings and functions. A function refers to the actual work that the program can perform. Does it simply check spelling? Can it also work on spacing and formatting issues, or at least make suggestions about them? (more…)

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Help Editing my English – ESL tips from a Professional Editor

Tuesday, May 10th, 2011
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esltips Help Editing my English – ESL tips from a Professional EditorExpressing oneself clearly in writing is demanding in any language: getting the ideas which appear so clear and self-evident in your head onto paper—with no feedback or interaction to let you know what you may have to clarify, back up, or give an example of—is often a trial-and-error method which appears to move two steps forward for every three steps back. And the challenges are clearly greatly magnified anytime you are you are working in a language which just isn’t your mother tongue. Having someone nearby with a fresh perspective and no preconceptions look at your writing might help enormously.

An editor who isn’t as personally involved with your writing will be in the position to assure you which of your arguments need to be more substantiated; exactly where connections between thoughts, paragraphs and chapters have to have to be explained more clearly; (more…)

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