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!

The Voice of a Verb

Are you doing something? Or is something being done to you?

Verbs can be passive or active, and knowing the difference isn’t as difficult as one might think. In short, the designation of passive or active voice depends on whether or not the subject of a sentence is actively doing something or passively having something done to it.

The house was built.

The house (subject) sits there passively having something done to it. Changing the sentence to active voice requires a change of subject.

The carpenters built the house.

You may say that the house is still having something done to it, and you are right. The difference is in the subject. Carpenters (subject) are actively building the house (object).

In the other sentence, the house itself is the subject and is having something done to it by nameless, unidentified people, probably with hammers and nails at their command.

At times, when the writer does not know who is the one acting, passive voice comes in handy, but it should be used sparingly.

Active voice verbs add interest for two reasons. One is that the subject is the known doer of deeds, and the second is that the sentence is simply livelier when an expressive verb in active voice describes what is happening. In scientific writing, though, passive voice is preferred because the one conducting a study or experiment is not considered to be as important as the subject matter itself, the study or the experiment. The study (subject) was found to be in error (passive voice), rather than the genius scientist (subject) found the study to be in error (active voice). The important aspect is the study itself, not the person who finds a flaw in it.

Most good writing, however, employs active voice, with subjects clearly identified as performing actions. Which of the following sentences seems more exciting or at least informative?

One, the football was thrown.

Or, two, the quarterback threw the football.

In sentence one, passive voice, there is no one in particular who throws the football. It is just there, the football, and is thrown.

In sentence two, active voice, a quarterback throws the football, someone clearly acting. (A few adjectives to describe the quarterback and adverbs to say how well he threw the football would add zest to the sentence, but that’s another topic.)

Active or passive voice refers to verb use, but whether a sentence is active or passive depends on the subject of the sentence. If the subject of the sentence is having something done to it, the sentence is passive. If the subject of the sentence is acting, the verb is in active voice.

This blog has been written. Roxy has written this blog. Both are true enough, but the voice is different. The blog was just passively having writing come upon it by an unnamed entity in one case. In the other case, Roxy, the writer, came to the page and acted upon it, writing a blog. The passive voice blog may not care either way, but Roxy does care as the active voice writer of this blog.

Roxy’s tip: Use active voice as the rule, passive voice as the exception.

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!

Confused?

Once upon a time there were three brothers who were known as There, Their, and They’re.

There got his name because he was always in place, and the word “there” basically means a place. Their got his name when he inherited a bunch of stuff, thereby becoming an heir. Since the word “their” indicates ownership, it seemed right. They’re was called that because whenever he was asked anything at all, he’d refer to his brothers, saying, “They’re the ones to ask.” “They’re” is simply a contraction for the words “they are.”

Sometimes people got Their, There, and They’re confused. All of their names sounded just alike. It wasn’t a big problem except when people wanted to talk about their possessions, something Their was an authority on, and would call There instead. He’d just tell them about some place or another, here or there. And They’re always referred them to his brothers when they called him, which didn’t help either.

Their went into the banking business, and There decided real estate was his best bet for a career. Their built his bank on land There found. They’re became their assistant and still told anyone with a question that his brothers over there, somewhere, had the answers. “They’re the ones to ask” he’d say. “It’s their business.”

Life was good until the three brothers met two sisters named Its and It’s.

Its was very much impressed with Their, and they had much in common. Its was also a possessive type and thought Their was just the kind of guy for her. She got her name, by the way, from owning a bunch of stuff, too. Each one of the things she owned knew its owner was no one else but Its.

It’s found her ideal in They’re. Her name was a contraction for “it is,” a lot like his name, and to make a long story short, they were soon an item. They’re and It’s were even thinking about changing their name to We’re, a contraction for “we are.”

Poor There felt out of place with his brothers busy and happy with Its and It’s. He kept thinking that he had to find happiness like theirs.

Somewhere in the world, it’s certain that all he hoped for would find its way to him, even if he had to search everywhere. If not here, then there….but where? Hmmm....

Roxy’s tip: Don’t confuse the often confused words “there, their and they’re” and “its and it’s.”

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!

Happy International Writing Centers Week!

This week is International Writing Centers Week! So, I thought it would be appropriate for me to share with you in today’s blog some of my reflections on writing.

Writing has something of an almost magical quality about it. If you stop to think for a moment, considering what the written word is and what it can do, you’ll see that it is an unusual system, one that is known only to human beings. As far as we can tell, seagulls are not passing messages back and forth with their feet, scratching out marks in the sand as they walk along the beach. Among humans, words inspire images, emotions, ideas, and a host of other conditions in the writer and, later on, in the reader. Words represent reality. They are symbols, standing in for the actuality.

We all tend to take language for granted, learning as we grow to communicate through speech first and then through the written word once we’ve discovered reading and writing. The written word becomes an unremarkable aspect of our daily lives as we pass by billboards or see advertisements and notices posted. We scan a newspaper or book without thinking of the essence of what words are and the manner in which they move us to think as we read.

While the adage that “a picture is worth a thousand words” makes a point, nothing else but words can capture meanings with as much detail and accuracy. Our system of symbols has led to invention, keeps laws intact, allows understanding among different peoples, and provides a way to record and remember our lives.

If your ambition is to become a better writer than you are today, the best idea is to read and then read some more. As you are reading, think now and then about the skill involved, what it means to be able to perceive marks on a page or screen that communicate what the writer has chosen to communicate…as if by magic.

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!

We Cannot Agree to Disagree

Humans, generally but not always, enjoy debates; in the world of grammar, however, agreeing to disagree when it comes to subjects and verbs and their agreement is not allowed. The rule governing agreement is not open to debate or argument. No one interested in correct form is inclined to quibble or offer opposition to the following rule: if the subject of a sentence is singular, the verb has to be singular; and if the subject is plural, the verb has to be plural. The subject and verb agree in number, singular or plural. The writer does not get to choose to mix them up but has to follow form.

English is a strange language in some cases, and when it comes to knowing if a verb is singular or plural, an odd thing occurs. Most nouns, and there are exceptions, end with an “s” when they mean more than one, when they are plural: apples, trees, houses, times, oceans, ideas…all end in “s,” which the most common ending for a plural noun. Common, ordinary verbs, not irregular ones, when in agreement with singular nouns, often end in “s,” too, sort of an opposite effect and not meaning plural at all.

For instance, “a girl (singular noun) visits (singular verb) the beach.”

Add two friends, and “three girls (plural noun) visit (plural verb) the beach.”

There is no “s” on the end of the plural form of the verb visit…one girl visits; three girls visit. (The letter “s” appears to like having more than one purpose.)

Since I don’t know who decided to form a rule on subject and verb agreement or who was in charge of spelling rules either, I can’t say why the above peculiarity happens. It does, but it is not a true rule, more a memory device that won’t serve when weirdly spelled nouns or irregular verbs serve as the main components of a sentence.

The word “deer” is spelled the same, regardless of how many “deer” might be involved as the subject of a sentence. But depending on context, one “deer has” a forest home and five “deer have” a forest home.

The English language doesn’t seem to employ many rules without accompanying exceptions, and it’s a wise student who memorizes as many of the exceptions as possible. The rule about plural subject/ plural verb and singular subject/ singular verb stands, though, pretty much (just in case someone finds this debatable) without exception.

Roxy’s tip: Make sure your subjects and verbs agree!

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!

Who Are These People?

Each one of us is accustomed to the word “I” used as a self identification. “We” is the plural form. Other first person pronouns are “me,” “my,” “our,” and “us.”

Second person pronouns refer to the person to whom you speak directly, the person or people across from you in a conversation, or even you as the reader of this blog. Second person pronouns are the basic “you” and “your,” with the additional “you’re” (a contraction for “you are”) thrown in because it is commonly used.

The third person pronoun indicates anyone at all out there in the universe, Third person pronouns are “he,” “she,” “they,” “theirs,” “them,” etc.

No doubt someone has told you not to use second person pronouns (“you,” “your”) in formal writing, and you may wonder why that is the case. The answer is that second person pronouns are considered too personal for formal writing; and third person pronouns are preferred for a considered, somewhat impersonal but objective tone.

One way to remember to use third person pronouns is to concoct a mental picture of your professor holding your essay and reading along nicely until the moment comes when a statement such as, “You should never drink a gallon of whiskey and then get behind the wheel of your car” catches him (or her if you don’t want to be sexist) by surprise.

You might imagine your professor taking terrible offense with a frowning “Who… me?” expression taking the place of a previously pleased one as the reading of your otherwise perfect paper continues. It is far better for your timely advice against whiskey drinking and driving to be directed toward anyone else, some anonymous “he” or “she” or “they” out there in the wide, wide world, rather than your very own professor whose drinking and driving habits are doubtless above suspicion.

In any reading, whoever is doing the reading can be considered the “you” to whom you refer when opting to use a second person pronoun. Stay with third person pronouns so that your reader cannot take what you say personally. (You might note that I used a sentence formation that constitutes the “you understood” form, as in (“You”) Stay with third person pronouns ….)

Two other aspects of pronoun usage have to do with number (Pronoun/Antecedent Agreement) and case (Pronoun Case). I hope that you will look into both topics in order to learn to apply the right pronoun in the right place.

There is little I can say about the awkwardness of “he/she” or “him/her” constructs. That difficulty belongs to grammarians concerned about gender bias. I try to avoid putting myself in the position of trying to solve the problem of sexism in writing, often choosing plural nouns so that the generic “them” or “their” or “they” takes the place of a singular “he/she” or “him/her.” Once upon a long time ago, a singular noun was followed by “he” or “him,” meaning mankind (or humankind), all of us; but that usage has passed from favor nowadays. That said, the unwieldy use of “he/she” or “s/he” is probably more acceptable than using the word “you” in a formal essay.

Roxy’s tip: Avoid awkwardness and confusion in your fomal writing by using pronouns appropriately.

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!

Welcome to the Stone Writing Center!

We don’t have a long and cold winter in South Texas, but we’re glad to know that spring is on its way, even so. New green and growing plants all over the city, time to head to the beach and feel sunshine beaming down… good things happen in the spring.

Another good part of spring is that the Stone Writing Center remains a rock of support for writers in all disciplines on campus and online. You can send a paper to our expert and receive a reply via email in twenty-four to forty-eight hours. You can even submit a quick question and get a faster response.

If you’ve not come to see us yet, maybe I can give you an overview of what to expect when you do visit in person.

You’ll notice immediately how polite, knowledgeable, and welcoming the Student Assistants are. They’ll be the first people you see, and they’ll sign you in to use our computers (loaded with Office 2007, wifi connected) or schedule you for an appointment with one of the tutors. Any one of the staff will answer questions you might have. You’ll also notice an array of handouts, hard copies you can pick up and keep. The topics range from how to cite sources to information on grammar and literary elements. All handouts are written by SWC staff, and they’ve condensed information very clearly and succinctly. You can also find all of our handouts online (Handouts).

The computer lab is quiet, the equipment is up to date, and you are allowed to print your papers here. Tutors and Student Assistants are in the area to help if you have computer questions or writing questions. You can also complete a lab (Labs) make-up here.

Tutoring sessions are face to face with professional Writing Consultants who read your paper and talk with you about your writing. Mostly, we like to make sure you have higher order elements in place, thesis statement, topic sentences, unified paragraphs, etc., but we will point out lower order areas, mechanics problems if there are any, and show you how to fix mistakes with commas and such. It’s against our rules to proofread papers, but we do let you know if there are errors and show you ways to identify and fix them. Some students come to talk with a tutor even before they start writing just to clarify assignments or get feedback on the ideas they have for an upcoming paper.

The SWC‘s Boot Camps (Boot Camps) are great for reviewing and improving all things related to writing, from grammar to essays to research papers. It’s one more way for students to prepare for college level writing.

The SWC is among the first writing centers established in the country, and we have kept pace with the times. You’ll see us on Twitter, we have podcasts, and we have a professional on-line tutoring service.

Spring is a time to renew and to do something new. We hope to see you here or on line. Welcome, from the Stone Writing Center.