Brevity

Texting is a form of abbreviation. Shorthand is another. There are times when it is a good idea to use a shorter form of language rather than a longer one, i.e., to send a quick message or to take dictation or to write notes in class. A few rules (English has one or two of those) govern the use of abbreviations in formal writing.

Generally, abbreviations aren’t necessary or even acceptable. It is not a great, grand and glorious idea to type in Eng. for English or Tues. for Tuesday. Your Eng. paper is not due on Tues. Your English paper is due on Tuesday.

At times, you might be writing about an organization with a long name, like The Population for Word Innovation. What you can do is insert in parentheses (TPWI) as soon as you have identified the group’s full name and then refer to TPWI for the rest of the time you write about them. By placing the abbreviation right after the full name, The Population for Word Innovation (TPWI), you have indicated to the reader that the abbreviation will be used in place of the full name for the rest of the paper.

A few common abbreviations are accepted. Instead of writing out Mister Sand, Mr. Sand is fine. If you‘re discussing Dr. Seagull, use the abbreviation for doctor. It is part of his title.

According to a line in Hamlet “…brevity is the soul of wit” (Shakespeare). While that is often true enough and can lead to improved writing at times, there is no reason to make a habit of shortening words without a clear reason to do so, especially in academic essays.

Roxy’s tip: Abbreviate sparingly and appropriately in an academic essay.

See you next time the breeze is cool, the sun is up, and the waves roll into view! My next entry is coming soon. ‘Til then, hang ten!

What is This?

They say that life is a beach. I’d like to know who they are, but there is no identification in the sentence to tell me. If the sentence were written with a definite subject, I’d know who they are. Experts on life and beaches say that life is a beach, and they may be right. They are experts.

The most important time to make sure that a sentence begins with a precise subject is when the sentence is a topic sentence, the first sentence of a new paragraph. If I start a paragraph with a vague word like “this” or “that” or “it” or “they,” the reader has some catching up to do. Maybe I’ll get around to saying what this or that or it is later; maybe I’ll even say who they are.

The following two examples of possible topic sentences can be compared for clarity.

Sentence A. - It is a great way to spend the day.

Sentence B. - Surfing is a great way to spend the day.

Sentence B gives the reader the exact topic of the paragraph to come. No confusion troubles the mind of the reader because the subject is clearly and concretely stated right from the start. The sentence begins with a gerund – “Surfing,” – not an indefinite pronoun – “It.”

Pronouns can be used effectively when clear antecedents or following identifiers are in place. I could even refer to the subject in Sentence B in Sentence C:

It is the best sport in the universe.

The reader would know that the subject “It” refers to “Surfing,” which is the subject of the sentence right before.

Surfing is a great way to spend the day. It is the best sport in the universe.

When you go over your papers to make sure that you’ve said exactly what you mean to say, it’s a good idea to double check indefinite pronouns along the way. (I have said what “it” is with the identifier – a good idea). You might ask yourself if the reader will have a perfectly clear understanding of what the subject is. You might even ask each time that you’ve used the words “it,” “which,” “that,” and “this” what the reference or antecedent is for each pronoun.

Roxy’s tip: Make sure you identify indefinite pronouns.

See you next time the breeze is cool, the sun is up, and the waves roll into view! My next entry is coming soon. ‘Til then, hang ten!

On Becoming a Better Writer

What we say to ourselves about ourselves can make a difference in how we feel and even how well we do in our work. Students have told me that they are not good writers, which is not the best way, or even a realistic way, for them to view their abilities or their potential. If they would say instead that they are on their way to becoming better writers, one of many reasons they are attending college, their work would reflect the positive view they take as their writing improves. All of us start somewhere along the road, maybe not already on the superhighway but at least on an access road that leads to the highway.

A huge part of learning to write well depends on students’ having faith in themselves and their capacity to improve on skills they already have. It is a way of learning by doing. The more students write, the better they begin to write.

Having a problem with comma splices does not make any student a bad writer but rather a potentially good writer who can do a bit of research to learn what a comma splice is and how to recognize and fix the punctuation problem, thereby becoming a better writer. Instructors generally will tell students in what areas of writing they need to improve, and there is information available on pretty much every topic that has to do with writing - in texts, on the web, among peers. In fact, the SWC has handouts on many writing topics. Seeing a tutor in the SWC to talk about writing one-to-one is also a good and effective way to get past difficulties and solve problems.

Confusing the path with the destination can cause people to give up along the way because they haven’t arrived yet. School is a time for growing; it is a time for adding to knowledge and ability; and it is time to enjoy the process of learning, no matter what kind of effort it takes.

You are on the way to becoming a better writer than you were the first day you picked up a pen or plugged in your laptop. Do not allow yourself to call yourself a bad writer, not without giving yourself a chance to see how well you can write as you continue your education.

Roxy’s tip: Keep your head up and keep writing!

See you next time the breeze is cool, the sun is up, and the waves roll into view! My next entry is coming soon. ‘Til then, hang ten!

A Capital Question

Sometimes tiny details can drive a person to distraction. When exactly is a noun capitalized, and when is lower case correct? A general way to know is to determine whether or not the noun substitutes for a name. Names are capitalized, so a noun that stands in place of a name or serves as part of the name, as in a title, is also capitalized.

It may be tricky at times, so it never hurts to consult a reference book to verify the rules when you have a specific question about a specific noun. One example for when the same noun is capitalized or not is as follows:

“Captain Fearnot steered his ship out to sea in the storm, but the captain of the other ship chose to go into the nearest port.”

In the first part of the sentence, a specific captain goes out to sea, and the title is part of his name. In the second part of the sentence, an unnamed captain heads inland, so no capital letter is used.

Another example shows the difference between father and Father, lower case or capitalized. Which to use depends on how the word is used in a sentence. If the word father is used in place of his name, as in “I told Father that I was going to the beach,” then it is capitalized. If I change the sentence to read, “I told my father that I was going to the beach,” then the word father is not used as his name and is, therefore, not capitalized.

Some words are always capitalized, days of the week or months; public holidays; countries, states, or cities; and brand names, for instance. Again, if there is any question, checking a grammar reference is an excellent idea. If there is no time or opportunity to check a reliable reference for the correct answer, go with the general rule that if the noun is used as a name, capitalize it.

Roxy’s tip: Don’t forget to capitalize proper nouns!

See you next time the breeze is cool, the sun is up, and the waves roll into view! My next entry is coming soon. ‘Til then, hang ten!