Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Words That Aren't Words

There are some words that aren't really words--they're collections of letters that spring up and don't really mean anything and certainly don't add anything no matter what we're speaking or writing about. Impactful is an example of this. It doesn't mean anything. It's just a poor version of the word impact which itself is used incorrectly as much or more as it is used correctly. What people are getting at when they use impactful and when they use impact incorrectly is that something has an affect or an influence. Well, if that's what you mean, say it--don't rely on inaccurate usage or made-up words. We're too intelligent a people to not write well and speak well for our readers, hearers, clients and customers, and ourselves.

Monday, September 28, 2009

Book Review: Words That Sell

Richard Bayan's Words That Sell is not just for business people, tho' it is helpful. It's a niche thesaurus for anyone who needs to jumpstart persuasive writing. Bayan divides the book into chapters focused on need--leads, for example--and word type, such as authentic.

Note

Bayan, Richard. Words That Sell. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2006.

Thursday, September 24, 2009

Misplaced Punctuation

Sometimes punctuation is misplaced or left out altogether, as in the following sentences:

"The nostalgic impact of the Dewey Hotel, the Tom Mix Museum and Prairie Song Village has served as a drawing card for history buffs and tourists to wander and browse the many antique shops and delightful specialty stores."

Now, are the Tom Mix Museum and Prairie Song Village connected? It's difficult to know since there isn't a comma after the word Museum, and that confuses the reader. If those places aren't connected, let the reader know by putting a comma in the proper place:

The nostalgic impact of the Dewey H0tel, the Tom Mix Museum, and Prairie Song Village has served as a drawing card for history buffs and tourists to wander and browse the many antique shops and delightful specialty stores.

Commas do not go between two independent clauses:

"Just prior to World War I, Joe Bartles went to Washington, D. C., to offer land north of Dewey for an airplane factory and flying school, the offer was accepted."

There is more than one way to correct that problem. You could turn the sentence into two separate sentences by adding a period, or you could replace the comma with a semi-colon, or the word and and a comma. Or you could use a dash, which would add some drama, but that is unnecessary given the context of the information.

Just prior to World War I, Joe Bartles went to Washington, D.C., to offer land north of Dewey for an airplane factory and flying school. The offer was accepted.

Just prior to World War I, Joe Bartles went to Washington, D.C., to offer land north of Dewey for an airplane factory and flying school; the offer was accepted.

Just prior to World War I, Joe Bartles went to Washington, D.C., to offer land north of Dewey for an airplane factory and flying school, and the offer was accepted.

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

The Lord of the Rings quiz answers

1. Dernhelm

2. Wormtongue

3. Sharkey

4. Estel

5. Slinker and Stinker

6. Meriadoc

7. Peregrin

8. Olorin

9. Elanor

10. Finduilas

Friday, September 4, 2009

Friday Literary Quiz

Names in Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings

1. What does Eowyn call herself when she goes off to war?

2. What is Grima's nickname?

3. What is Saruman's nickname?

4. What name does Aragorn go by in childhood?

5. What does Sam call the two personalities of Gollum?

6. What is Merry's real name?

7. What is Pippin's real name?

8. What is Gandalf's name in the West?

9. What name does Frodo suggest that Sam and Rosie call their first child?

10. What is Boromir and Faramir's mother's name?

Thursday, September 3, 2009

Book Review: Rufus M. by Eleanor Estes

Rufus M., part of Eleanor Estes' series about the Moffat family of Cranbury, Connecticut, focuses on the youngest Moffat, seven-year-old Rufus. He persists at everything he wants to accomplish, whether it's checking out a book from the library the first time, figuring out the identity of an invisible piano player, knitting washcloths for soldiers, helping his family when the pipes freeze, joining his sister's baseball team, or commemorating special family and international events.
Readers will enjoy this book for the characters and the plot, but it is also interesting for the setting and time--small town life during the last years of World War One. Readers learn about rationing, Red Cross work, Victory gardens, and war stamps and war bonds. Younger readers will also find intriguing life when kids entertained themselves without benefit of radio, television, or the type of formal sports teams popular today.

Note

Estes, Eleanor. Rufus M. New York: Harcourt, 1970.

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Repetition Problems and Punctuation Problems

There's no need to repeat words too close together when they're implicit in one idea and needed for another, as in the following example:

"Since opening its doors in 1909, the historic and elegant St. Anthony has accommodated legendary personalities, including presidents and Hollywood's "Golden Era" celebrities. The elegant décor and historic value are present today to offer guests timeless elegance, comfort, modern conveniences, and a great location to experience the River Walk. Be a part of San Antonio's Grand Tradition, and reserve your place in history today."

Why tell the reader that the hotel is historic and elegant when the décor and value are better served by those words, especially when the reader will get the idea in general from the mention of the year of the hotel's opening and the reference to "presidents and Hollywood's "Golden Era" celebrities"? And why use "elegant" and "elegance" in the same sentence? The use of the word "history" in the last sentence works because it's tying in the readers with the guests in the first sentence to cause the readers to be even more interested in staying there on a visit to the city.

With changes, the paragraph reads

Since opening its doors in 1909, the St. Anthony has accommodated legendary personalities, including presidents and Hollywood's "Golden Era" celebrities. The elegant décor and historic value are present today to offer guests timeless glamour, comfort, modern conveniences, and a great location to experience the River Walk. Be part of San Antonio's Grand Tradition, and reserve your place in history today.

Repetition can also occur in ideas, rather than words, as in this sentence:

"With the support and commitment of so many community stakeholders, we continue to thrive as a competitive urban center, without losing sight of our historical roots."

The idea of history is inherent in the word "roots" as used in this context, so why include it?

The sentence without repetition reads

With the support and commitment of so many community stakeholders, we continue to thrive as a competitive urban center, without losing sight of our roots.

The semi-colon is for separating independent clauses. Any other use, such as in the following examples, doesn't communicate well:

"Our citizens come from diverse backgrounds, yet we were unified in a single promise; a promise for a better life here in our Kyle community."

Why the semi-colon? The words after it do not make up an independent clause, and besides being incorrect, the semi-colon certainly doesn't convey the strength of the idea that the author is looking for. There is, of course, more than one way to correct the problem, but the sentence as written below has the impact the writer seeks:

Our citizens come from diverse backgrounds, yet we were unified in a single promise: a promise for a better life here in our Kyle community.

(Why the past tense--"we were unified"? Shouldn't they still be "unified in a single promise" or has the sell-by date come and gone?)

Semi-c0lons do not belong in lists of things:

"The district features a state-of-the-art Performing Arts Center; a dual-language magnet program at two elementary campuses; advanced placement courses and a variety of career and tech courses at the secondary level; and music, art, library, and computer lab included in the weekly rotation at the elementary level."

Don't underestimate the readers--they can find their way through the listings when there is correct punctuation:

The district features a state-of-the-art Performing Arts Center, a dual-language magnet program at two elementary campuses, advanced placement courses and a variety of career and tech courses at the secondary level, and music, art, library, and computer lab included in the weekly rotation at the elementary level.