Posts Tagged ‘editing’
Sunday, October 2nd, 2011
 Even though using spellchecking functions and tools usually provided in the word processing package of choice seems rather obvious thing to do, not many writers make full use of this highly effective tool. Even though it is not 100% reliable and caution must be used when relaying on spellchecker to detect and correct your writing mistakes, it can still come handy when trying to weed out the typos or basic mistakes even the best of us make, often in haste.
This collection of helpful tips will be based on Microsoft Word 2007, even though similar functions can be found elsewhere and the same rules would apply.
It is usually the best to turn Spell Check function ‘on’ straight away, as the misspelled words would be highlighted immediately. This will greatly help when later proofreading and editing the file, as there will be less likely that something will be missed. In MS word, this is done by selecting ‘Review’ tab in the top left-hand corner of the toolbar. Once there, it is vitally important to first check that the correct language is selected, especially for writers who typically use their word processing application in languages other than English. (more…)
Tags: editing, grammar, spell check, Spelling, writing
Posted in Editing Skills & Services | No Comments »
Sunday, September 25th, 2011
 Conjunctions are word that join phrases or parts of sentences. The following are just a few examples: and, but, so, therefore, however, and so on. An easy example of joining words together is ‘I enjoy running and playing tennis.’ You can also join phrases: ‘I could run today or I could play tennis instead.’ You can also use them clause to clause: ‘I went running today but I will also be playing tennis later.’ In this blog, we are going to look at how to punctuate when using conjunctions as this is a common problem within many of the documents we receive at FirstEditing.com.
The website http://www.towson.edu/ows/conjunctions.htm shows you many examples of the different conjunctions and of how they are meant to be used correctly. This website provided the information for this blog and helped me revise how to punctuate conjunctions. (more…)
Tags: conjunction, editing, punctuation, writing
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Tuesday, September 13th, 2011
 For writing to flow smoothly, effective transitions are a must. It does no good for you to have the most well-documented and perfectly researched paper if the reader can’t follow your logic because of ineffective transitions; likewise, writing the next great American novel is impossible without use of effective transitions.
But what exactly is a transition and how does one creative an effective transition? Simply put, a transition is a word, phrase or sentence that creates a logical connection between two thoughts or ideas. For example:
John sighed as he put away the last of the summer wine. Jill looked so silly in the photo.
Huh? What’s Jill’s photo got to do with the summer wine? Now try this:
John sighed as he put away the last of the summer wine. He smiled as the faded photograph above the cabinet caught his eye. Jill looked so silly in the photo. (more…)
Tags: editing, effective transitions, writing
Posted in Editing Books, Writer's Tips | No Comments »
Wednesday, September 7th, 2011
 The difference between the articles “a” or “an” in a sentence is not one of content but of style and sound. Basically, when the next word begins with a consonant, use an “a” (a jackhammer, a tiger, a pack of wolves). When the following word begins with a vowel, use an “an” (an egg, an olive grove, an open wound).
The exception to using “a” or “an” in a sentence is when the word after the article begins with a silent letter. Take for instance the word “hour”—though it starts with an “h” it sounds like an “au.” Therefore the proper phrase is “an hour.” Try saying the article plus the word out loud if you are unsure. Usually, your tongue will stumble over an error (in those last two words, “an” is correct because “error”, though it has an “r” sound, still begins with a forceful “air” sound.) (more…)
Tags: consonant, editing, sentence
Posted in Technical Editing, Technical writing | No Comments »
Sunday, September 4th, 2011
 Most of us wish we had a better vocabulary and more sophisticated word choice. We usually wish we could find better words for emotions, along with better action words. How many times have we written something like “He was mad and so he ran seven miles to burn it off,” only to realize that “mad” is inadequate for what he must have felt when he found out his wife has just had a child with another man, and “ran” doesn’t quite capture the trek up the ragged mountain face that he did as a result. When we feel so inadequate, we tend to head to the Thesaurus. (more…)
Tags: editing, improve word choice, thesaurus, word, writing
Posted in Editing Skills & Services | No Comments »
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