Thursday, December 10, 2009

A Travel Guide . . . of a Fictional Sort

We usually think non-fiction when we think travel guide--something w/ the name of the destination in the title, plus the year--but E.M. Forster's A Room With A View is a good travel guide as well as a novel. The novel doesn't say anything about literally packing light--it's first a light schedule so you won't end up like "the American girl in Punch who says: 'Say, Poppa, what did we see in Rome?' And the father replies: 'Why, guess Rome was the place where we saw the yaller dog'" (Forster 64). Then it's a light attitude, leaving behind those preconceived notions about where you're going and about travel in general to leave room for information about the real place you visit and the real people you see, and perhaps even find "that social barriers were irremovable, doubtless, but not particularly high" (119). If you use those travel guides for anything, it should only be for historical information as Lucy Honeychurch does when she "committed to memory the most important dates of Florentine history. For she was determined to enjoy herself on the morrow" (Forster 13). And who knows . . . you might find yourself travelling around the world, like the Miss Alans! :)

Note

Forster, E.M. A Room With A View. New York: Barnes & Noble Books, 1993.

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Capitalization

We know when words need to be capitalized--the first word in the sentence, proper names (e.e. cummings is the exception), place names, etc., but other times . . . well, we need to be careful, or what we're writing will sound like something out of Milne. Milne is one of my favorite authors, but his capitalization conventions fit his work, not just anything, as in the following examples--

"Today, there are many historic sites and structures that serve as a lasting reminder of that terrible time on our Nation's history."

Why would the word nation be capitalized? It's not a proper noun.
Correct to Today, there are many historic sites and structure that serve as a lasting reminder of that terrible time in our nation's history.
The readers need to focus on the subject of the sentence, not be distracted by unnecessary capitalization.

"Both Confederate and Union Forces used it as a hospital during the War Between the States."
Why capitalize the word forces? The word isn't part of the name of either of the armies.
Correct to Both Confederate and Union forces used it as a hospital during the War Between the States.

"During the Civil War the town was burned, had a visit by U.S. General William Sherman, and was the site of the largest cavalry force ever amassed in the Western Hemisphere."
Again, why the capitalization? The sentence is just referring to a region.
Correct to During the Civil War the town was burned, had a visit by U.S. General William Sherman, and was the site of the largest cavalry force ever amassed in the western hemisphere.

"The University of North Alabama was established in 1830, and is Located in the heart of Downtown Florence."
I'm assuming Located is a typo. The word downtown should not be capitalized unless it is part of the name of a specific historic district, which it is not, or at least that is not indicated in the brochure.
Correct to The University of North Alabama was established in 1830, and is located in the heart of downtown Florence.

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Hyphens and Adjectives

We need to remember that when two words work together to describe another, those words must be connected with a hyphen:

"Two hours of high energy family fun just one hour North of the Dallas Metroplex."

Now, the above sentence is a fragment that works because of the context. However, there needs to be a hyphen between high energy to make the sentence correct: Two hours of high-energy family fun just one hour North of the Dallas Metroplex. And there isn't a hyphen between energy and family because family fun works as one noun, even though family describes what sort of fun.

Thursday, December 3, 2009

Misplaced Commas

We need to pay attention to where we put the commas! We want to be clear for our readers.

"Pause for refreshment in the panelled splendour of the Kings Arms Kitchen and before you leave, visit the Conservatory Shop, packed with must-have souvenirs."

The above sentence needs a comma after Kitchen and after and because there is a natural pause in both places. Corrected, the sentence will read Pause for refreshment in the panelled splendour of the Kings Arms Kitchen, and, before you leave, visit the Conservatory Shop, packed with must-have souvenirs.

"March back in time with the Twentieth Legion to the military Fortress of Deva, and use today's technology to discover the lives of yesterday's people."

The above sentence does not need a comma after Deva, because what happens after the and is directly connected to what happens before. So the sentence should read March back in time with the Twentieth Legion to the military Fortress of Deva and use today's technology to discover the lives of yesterday's people.

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Its or It's--Which Is It?

When writing quickly, sometimes it's easy for us to get confused about the difference between it's and its, as in the following example:


"Explore eyewitnesses throughout American history in the treasures from the National Archives, experience the landmark show Dallas and it's impact on television . . . ."

The sentence should read "its impact on television," since the impact that Dallas had on television is being discussed.

When we're looking over our work or someone else's and there is an it's/its problem, we need to look carefully at the context to see if the to be verb is is in use or if there is possession, as in the above example.

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Confusing Sentence Fragments

Some sentence fragments are all right. Some even have drama and as such are used for emphasis. But some are simply incorrect and confusing, as in the following paragraph:

"This museum is geared to the preservation of the history of the Native Peoples of the Plains. Magnificent displays and art exhibits make this a jewel. Ceremonial dance schedule and youth hostel reservations. Open winter Thurs-Sat noon-5 pm, Sun 1p-5-; summer Wed-Sat 11a-6p, Sun 1-5p. Adults $3.00, youth $1.50; 9151 I-40 East."

The sentences that contain schedule and price information are fragments and they're fine--we expect those sorts of sentence fragments in travel brochures. But the sentence "Ceremonial dance schedule and youth hostel reservations" leaves us wondering about those things. And why are those even in the same sentence fragment, much less the same sentence, unless the sentence told where visitors could find out what they needed to know about those things at the visitors' center, i.e. The Visitors' Center has information about other activities and facilities, including the ceremonial dance schedule and youth hostel room reservation instructions.
As I've mentioned in previous posts, we need to get someone to look over our work to see if there is anything that will confuse the reader and, if there is, correct it. Clear communication is important!