 | |
| |
Writing Information & News
| |
|
|
|
 Get Published: The Nuts and Bolts of English, and How to Impress a Publisher (2)
The tiniest things can be so useful when you come to consider the nuts and bolts of writing. The comma is one of them. No, don't go away: it's a useful device that's often used badly -- or ignored altogether. As an editor of books, I am forever sticking commas into other people's prose, having first of all had to work out what their sentence is trying to say. Many people are slapdash about comma use, and it can go down badly with a commissioning editor who is, say, looking at your approach letter and sample chapter and thinking, "Uh, oh. This one's going to give us problems. Where's that equally promising but better-presented proposal that will cost us far less in copy-editing fees?" There are many useful punctuation and grammar tips in a downloadable book I co-wrote on how you can get yourself published very quickly, You Can Write Books (at www.youcanwritebooks.com), although its main focus is on how to get your work before a publisher. But here I'll deal with this one useful but sometimes overlooked little squiggle, and a few things that many writers neglect. First, should be used in a list of items to break them up: pens, pencils, books, and paper. Should you use a comma before and in that list, though? Well, yes if you're, say, a North American; yes and no if you're British. This is called the list comma or serial comma (it is often called the Oxford comma, and is still used by Oxford University Press). Many people say it's not necessary, because the word and in that sentence is doing the job the commas were doing earlier in the sentence. However, many writers of English throughout the world -- notably, as I said, in America -- like the serial comma, and insist on it. Most British writers, publishers, and newspapers don't bother with it, and so would write "writers, publishers and newspapers"; "pens, pencils, books and paper." What should you do? Well, you choose a style and stick to it. Be consistent. Better still, you see which style your potential publisher uses, and go with that. That goes for all stylistic considerations. Don't forget: you're selling an idea to a publishing house, and anything you can do to impress them will go in your favor. The comma is also very handy to separate two distinct clauses in a sentence, and this is where many writers ignore it. You'll see how I used it in the last sentence, after the word sentence. Not only does it give you a pause for breath (a mental breath if you're not reading aloud, of course), but often it can help the meaning. Take this: "I passed the ball to Joe and Fred kicked it into the net." I passed the ball to Joe and Fred? No, I passed it to Joe, and then Fred came along and kicked it into the net. You get the meaning eventually, but why should I as writer give you, the reader, pause? If I'd written, "I passed the ball to Joe, and Fred kicked it into the net," you wouldn't even have blinked, because the meaning would have been immediately clear. Or look at this sentence: "That day I went to the movies ..." could mean that on that particular day I went to the movies ("That day, I went to the movies") or that it was on the day I went to the movies that something else happened ("That day I went to the movies something else happened"). In the first pair of parentheses above, you'll see how the comma has been used to convey the first of the two possible meanings. But, if you miss it out, you're going to have your reader thinking you meant it the other way. If that's not your intention, make sure you use the comma. A few final brief points, then, about the comma. Commas come before quoted speech: "Joe said, 'Let's go and see a movie.'" Commas come after a piece of quoted speech, before you say who's speaking: "'Let's go and see a movie,' said Joe." Commas can be used in the way brackets are used: "My English teacher, Martha Moonbeam, gave me good marks this week." The commas here are known as bracketing commas, because they do the same work as parentheses (round brackets, like these) but in a "weaker" way. Another example of bracketing commas would be, "The train, which was late leaving, made up for lost time." Don't miss off the second comma; many people do. Commas separate adjectives in such sentences as, "It was a cold, damp, dreary sort of day." In this context, they're doing much the same work as in the list of items above, except that here we have adjectives, not nouns. In one short article, you have, I hope, got to grips with this bit of occasionally troublesome but very useful punctuation. You may have been familiar with some of the things, anyway, but I hope that, if there were one or two concerns you weren't too sure about, this article has been of help. Andrew John is co-author of You Can Write Books, a no-nonsense downloadable book from http://www.youcanwritebooks.com that will get you into print if you follow its advice. He and his co-author, Stephen Blake, have written more than a dozen print titles (details on http://www.youcanwritebooks.com). Both are writers and editors, and You Can Write Books is crammed with advice you can trust.
MORE RESOURCES:
Heartless traffic agent Daniel Chu STILL writing off drivers after scuffle ... - New York Daily News
Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
The Writing Club Typically when falling asleep in bed at night great thoughts enter the mind, long stringed and meaningful sentences trip over each other to receive attention at the front of the brain alongside all the brilliant findings, results, meanings that speak volumes and hard hitting phrases that are just the ticket to open the door to success. The last thought in the brain before sleep overrides this brilliant future work is, "must use that tomorrow". Pages: Your Book of Life Many of us dream of writing a book. Why not. You Can Be An Author "You should write a book." For years, I had been hearing this comment. Becoming a Writer The urge to write fiction seems God given for some, a learned skill for others.One thing is certain - it requires practice and a particular mindset. Write SMART: How to Create Terrific Writing Goals - And Achieve Them! Open up your favorite calendar and circle today's date.Why? Because no matter what day it is, you've been given a wonderful gift: a bright and shiny year ahead to make your writing dreams come true. Advice for New Writers With the advent of email communications in the workplace, it's not uncommon to exchange dozens of messages daily. Sometimes, I sense a writer's "voice" in such messages. When Getting Stuck Goes Amuck Many of us have always wanted to write. We have all gotten writer's block. A Plan All writers should use a plan whether written or reflected. This includes the initial idea, the content or main points, and the conclusion whether it is an article, a short story, a chapter, or a complete novel. The Hard Facts About Editing Whether you're interviewing for a new job, trying to woo a love interest on a first date, selling your work on the Internet, or submitting a query to an editor, you can never make a second first impression. It's true. Getting Looked Over, Without Getting Overlooked: Writing for Scanners and Skimmers * Scanning and Skimming Practices *Whether you're writing e-mail messages or Web site sales letters, you need to know how to hold the attention of different types of readers. Even the readers that don't actually "read. Top 10 Common English Goofs by Web Authors In reviewing and browsing web sites over the years, I have compiled a list of the most common misuses of English by web authors. Here they are in Letterman (reverse) order. Keep your Book Dream Alive Is your book nearly finished, finished, published, or even in its early stages? Do you want to know how to promote it with ease and low cost?Maybe you have already tried other methods to sell you book and felt tired of?- Submitting unseen or unheard media releases- Chasing book reviews that yielded small negligible results- Selling only a few books at your book signings- Exerting a lot of effort to travel, to speak, only to reap mediocre book sales- Experiencing radio and TV talk show low book sales results- Wondering why your bookstore or distributor has stopped selling your books- Worrying about who will promote your book now that your publisher has stopped- Feeling dismayed your book isn't giving you the ongoing, passive income you hoped for- Feeling discouraged about all the wasted time and money you have spentKeep Your Book Dream AliveJust like you, I wrote Ten Non-Techie Ways to Market your Book Online because as an author, just like you, I was tired of the old ways to get my books sold. Lackluster sales and chasing a low-results pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, I turned to the Internet four years ago. How to Write Headlines for How-to Articles Want to write a how-to article but can't come up with a topic?Start by naming the three biggest problems your customers or clients face. You've just come up with three ideas for three different articles. Writing Tips For Novice Authors If you are reading this article then you probably have asked yourself at some point in your life, "Do I have what it takes to become an author?"I believe that successful authors, those who actually write and finish that novel, or book of poetry, or even that book of short stories, and see it all the way to publication, have certain characteristics.Characteristics of Authors1. Be A Savvy Writer: Go Where The Business Is If you're a writer, you're in business. It doesn't matter whether you're writing picture books, or a self-help book for underachievers, or promotional material and flyers for anyone who wants it. Cheap Therapy I call it cheap therapy. That gushing, near-religious, poured-from-the-body stress release that comes after writing my heart out for hours each day, delivers more balm to my soul than years of psychoanalysis. Suspense Novels Made Easy Suspense novels are probably the easiest novels to write. Suspense novels require a simple formula, which will make your work truly suspenseful. Learning to Question Your Elephant Child: Who, What, Where, When and Why Having problems writing? I don't know why. San Francisco Chronicle columnist Jon Carroll writes up to five columns a week. Timer Magic for Writers If your writing muscle isn't in shape, writing a novel may seem like a sheer, unscalable cliff. ("Gee, I don't think I can write today. Become the Writer You Always Dreamed of Being So you want to be a writer, except you don't know where to begin. Heck you can't even think of something to write about let alone how you're going to get paid for writing.
|
| © Writing Information 2010 |