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Tip #21: Know the word on words used as words

5/29/2014

I’ve long decried the failure to distinguish between spoken English and written English. The two animals are not the same!

Using words as words provides a good example. Tone inflection can distinguish words used as words in spoken English, but what about written English? This is why italics are employed.

What does it mean to use words as words? It means that the way you use words are not as they are intended to mean and function within the structure of the sentence. The use makes clear that it’s the word itself and not the meaning behind the word that is intended to be used.

I do this in my blog posts here and expect to continue it for the foreseeable future. Here’s a good example from just a couple of weeks ago. We discussed the use of maybe versus may be.

Now look at that sentence right there. Maybe is not being used to mean perhaps. It is the word itself as a word that is being used. Same with may be, a verb phrase that in this instance is being used as a noun. Words used as words appear in italics.

As I said in that previous blog post, attention to the little things can make all the difference. So learn the word on words used as words. More effective communication, if only in little ways, makes for better writing. And that can make all the difference.

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Tip #20: Understand apostrophes and the plural

5/22/2014

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Last month we looked at the use of apostrophes to form the possessive form of singular nouns. Today we’ll do the same for plural nouns.

By way of review, writers simply add ’s to the end of any singular noun to form the possessive. Some writers prefer to add simply an apostrophe when the singular noun is a proper noun ending in s. Though not necessarily grammatically incorrect, I recommended against that and offered my reasoning. Today I’ll share another reason for making that recommendation.

I’ll also attempt to clear the confusion surrounding the use of apostrophes to form possessives of plural nouns.

The basic rules for forming the possessive forms of plural nouns are simple. If the plural noun ends in s, add just an apostrophe (’). Otherwise, add ’s.

Where some writers get confused is with thinking that the singular form of a noun ending in s (very often a proper noun) is actually the plural form. So they then add an apostrophe and nothing more. And they don’t realize their mistake because what they write sounds less awkward than any alternatives.

The best approach when forming the plural possessive form is to form the plural form first and then make the plural form possessive per the basic rules above.

Take the final sentence in the graphic above. When referencing the car which belongs to the Jones family, the plural possessive form is used since more than one Jones possesses the object. The plural form of Jones is Joneses. An apostrophe is then used to indicate the possessive form.

But does the writer place an additional s after the apostrophe or leave the apostrophe without the ending s?

No additional s is needed in this case. For plural nouns which end in s, only an apostrophe is needed to create the possessive form. Thus, the example sentence should be rewritten as follows:

When they could not do so, the alleged culprits promptly damaged the Joneses' vehicle and fled the area.

I’ve said before that writers should avoid using spoken English to guide their use of written English. But if the construction in the revised sentence above sounds too awkward, you can always change the structure of the sentence to avoid using the possessive form while still indicating possession.

When they could not do so, the alleged culprits promptly damaged the vehicle of the Joneses and fled the area.

If you ask me, that sounds even more awkward. So if you wanted to change the sentence, I would recommend this:

When they could not do so, the alleged culprits promptly damaged the vehicle and fled the area.

The surrounding sentences already establish ownership of the vehicle, so there is no real need to insist on using the plural form of Jones in this sentence. This last option is quite acceptable.

The confusion encountered by some writers comes with forming the plural of Jones, not the possessive. But if you create the plural first (the Jones family possesses the vehicle and so the vehicle belongs to the Joneses) and then make that plural form possessive (the Joneses’s vehicle), you should be okay.

So, to recap, when forming the possessive form of singular nouns, always add ’s. When forming the possessive form of plural nouns, first obtain the plural form and then add just ’ if the plural form ends in s and ’s in all other cases.

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Tip #19: Maybe use may be

5/8/2014

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English contains many nuances as a borrowed language. Sometimes things just aren’t as consistent as they could be.

In other cases, slight nuances can make all the difference. Take, for example, maybe and may be. In spoken English they sound exactly the same. In written English they differ only by a single space. So it’s easy to get the two confused.

Yet maybe, an adverb meaning perhaps, differs substantially in meaning and function from the verb phrase may be.

A good way to determine the difference is to use perhaps as a replacement. If that replacement makes sense, then maybe is the correct choice. Otherwise, use may be.

Observe the example sentence in the graphic above. Using the perhaps replacement yields

Stainless steel type 404 perhaps used as a replacement material.

That makes no sense. Thus, may be is the correct choice.

Attention to the little things can make all the difference. So learn and practice the difference between maybe and may be. And it may be that this little thing makes all the difference in your writing.

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Tip#18: Short is sweet

5/1/2014

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Shakespeare once said, “Brevity is the soul of wit.” Brevity also characterizes good writing. Short is sweet.

The most important purpose of any document or piece of writing is to communicate between writer and reader. In more general terms, good writing first conveys a message from sender to receiver.

That means that fewer words are not always better. If the writer needs more words to communicate effectively the intended message, then more words are better. But provided that primary objective is satisfied, better writing usually communicates the same message with fewer words. Short is sweet.

Obviously striking this balance requires some skill, but it’s not some secret magic that only a privileged few can master. Like any other skill, you can learn to produce better writing.

Employ the active voice

Using an active voice has helped me to produce more concise yet effective prose, especially in technical writing. Many scientists and engineers follow the tradition of writing in the passive voice. Passive voice obscures the subject of the sentence, the doer of the action embodied in the predicate which contains the verb. This usage conforms with the desire of the scientific community to communicate results and conclusions independent of the researchers. And since the researchers are often the doers of the action of the sentences in technical writing, passive voice allows technical writers to satisfy that desire.

The downside to passive voice is that it communicates the same essential message with more words. Active voice communicates the same message with fewer words. That’s because the construction needed for passive voice usually requires extra words.

Take a look at the example sentence in the graphic above. This sentence uses the passive voice. While it is grammatically correct and typical of the type of writing common in technical circles, the passive voice adds words. Changing the sentence to active voice improves the sentence considerably.

We tested in uniaxial tension fourteen samples, which demonstrated tensile strengths between 205 MPa and 220 MPa.

Note that the word count changed from 20 to 17. That’s just three words, a 15% decrease. Now consider the improvement in the feel of the sentence made by losing that 15%. The same basic message is still communicated, but the “packaging” is reduced, thus providing for greater economy. You get more bang for your effort. That’s why short is sweet.

Make technical writing fascinating to read

Active voice is also typically more enticing to read than passive voice. Thus, writers who employ the active voice can make technical reports, which are typically dry and stale to most readers, both interesting and engaging for readers when writers employ the active voice.

Of course, taking this route sacrifices the common tradition of separating the investigator from the investigation. Active voice gives the doer of the action a prominent place in the sentence. In most cases, however, the trade-off makes good sense.

Sometimes more is less, but only if more words convey the intended message more effectively. Where function is met, compacting the form usually leads to better writing. And better writing always makes a better impression in the minds of readers.

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Tip #21: Know the word on words used as words

Tip #20: Understand apostrophes and the plural

Tip #19: Maybe use may be

Tip#18: Short is sweet

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