Making the Grade
Tips for creating a more polished article, and one to be proud of.
How can we polish our work and make it stand out? I say this as I currently await a requested fix from
Triond, and I confess, this is not my first one.
I typed “well,” when I meant “will,” and another time I typed “knew,” when I meant “new.” I must admit that I am also guilty of trying to perform many tasks simultaneously, and being perhaps too anxious to see my article in print. But then, I would also like to have an article that I can be proud of, not one that embarrasses me, as I view its many imperfections. (If I were still in school, my professors would have subtracted a grade.)
Most of the work that I have had the privilege of reading on Triond’s pages has been creative, informative, and well written. I have truly learned a lot from my fellow writers and count myself lucky to stand among them. So, please believe me when I say that this article is not meant to be critical, because I am perhaps the most at fault.
Triond works some magic for their writers with their article placements, and the tools they give to improve readership. We owe it to ourselves to work some magic of our own, called editing.
How could I have avoided my errors?
Let the Work Get Cold
When the creative juices are flowing, I know exactly what I am saying. Thoughts are flowing, fingers flying to keep up. Here is where my problem lies. My fingers have not captured all of my mind’s thoughts, but as I read it, my mind tricks me by filling in the blanks. If I wait until my mind is occupied with something else, I can see my work much clearer and correct these little errors.
Homonyms
These tricky little words “sound” just like the right ones, but are spelled differently. Spell check does not pick them up, because they are not misspelled words, if they were used in the right context.
When I said “knew studies reveal” I know it should have been “new studies”, but spell check did not. If you have read any of my work, I am sure you could list a few of my errors for me. (Send me an email at Triond Community, and I will be sure to address those areas.)
I relied on spell check to correct my misspelled words. If I had read it in an article written by someone else, I would have picked it up immediately, and perhaps not continued reading. Do I want someone to drop my article, before they have finished the last word? No, I want them to be so impressed that they bookmark it and return later to reread.
Some Common Homonyms
- bread, bred
- blue, blew
- add, ad
- flue, flew
- high, hi
- knew, new
- sea, see
- their, there, they’re
- through, threw
Verb Usage
According to Building English Skills published by McDougal, Littlle & Company “There are two numbers in grammar: singular and plural.” If a word refers to one person, place or thing it is singular, but if it refers to more than one, it becomes plural. But this would not truly be a rule, if there was not an exception, would it? Are not there always exceptions to the rule? The verb “be” is one of them, and the pronoun “you” is another.
Examples
The more often we say these aloud, the more familiar we become. Proper verb use becomes second nature, with repetition.
When more than one subject is discussed the verb agrees with the subject nearest to it, such as:
Neither Kelly nor Joanne is here today.
The Browns and Smiths are coming.
Notice how the verb is singular in one instance and plural in the other. A hand out can be viewed at Owl
explaining the use of verbs. The difference in this example is explained as dollars being referred to as an amount of money needing a singular verb, and speaking of dollars themselves requiring a plural verb. Many examples are offered there at no charge. Practice exercises are also included.
Let Your Reader Know Your Sources
If you read it in a book, let them know the title and author, in case they would like to verify the information. If it came from an internet site, leave the address, so the reader can see for themselves that what is in the article is legitimate. Often information can be found on the internet that is amazing and interesting. Although it makes good reading, we owe our audience credibility, and can only find that through credible sources.
If I want an article that I can be proud of, not concerned about the commenter’s picking apart, and one that can be submitted to book marking services, I need to pay more attention. If that means letting it sit overnight before I press the submit button, so be it. I did not mean to leave my English skills behind when I completed my English class so here is my refresher course.
Editor’s Tip
When submitting your articles to Triond, please be sure to check out the basic
Styling Guidelines. This should ensure a smoother (and better looking) publication process.
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November 29th, 2007 at 4:18 am
Some interesting points, but the main thing as far as I am concerned is pleasure. Enjoyment is the driving force of most writers. Grammar matters, I don’t deny that, but individual style is far more important. No one should get so hung up on correct grammar that writing becomes a chore.
November 29th, 2007 at 5:42 am
I agree, but I must say that I wouldn’t stop reading an otherwise enjoyable article because of a few errors, because I know that I make them too.
November 29th, 2007 at 6:55 am
As a human being, errors cannot be avoided but we should try to minimise them. Once we knew that there is an error in the published text, we should get it fixed. Nevertheless, we should care about the spelling error as it will get readers confused and may kill people’s life especially dealing with health related article( It’s an extremely tougher job to write in these articles as compared to other types of articles).
Anyway, this article is brilliantly written. Thanks, Judy.
November 29th, 2007 at 7:18 am
Very interesting and informative article, Judy.
November 29th, 2007 at 8:36 am
Thank you for the information, Judy. Very useful suggestions.
November 29th, 2007 at 8:43 am
Super article! I also at times am in a hurry and misspell, mostly on my comments left. I used to think Oh, no! I hit the wrong key, and like an e-mail it’s gone. I used to beat myself up about it but now can only try my best and let it go:) You are very correct in what you write and it is better to go over and reread.
*my computer keys have been sticking lately and when I read what I write on some comments I see some punctuations not intended, but only after I have hit send! I just hope the person understands and accepts or I would have to apologize in another comment. I think I will start blaming my computer.
November 29th, 2007 at 9:09 am
Louie, Anne, Chan, Icy, Valli, and Francie thank you so much for reading and commenting on my article. This article was only about the mechanics of writing. Triond writers have much in the way of creativity, imagination, and knowledge. I would not want an outsider to let one little typo detract from what we have to offer.
I have been so guilty of requiring fixes myself and I hate when I have to ask Triond to fix my error, because I can’t do it myself.
Chan, you are correct. When you deal with medicine and health related issues a misspelling can make a big difference, and you so careful in that aspect.
Thank you all, and know that I enjoy your writings immensely. I do not pick them apart, but some of my commenters have done that to me.
November 29th, 2007 at 11:52 am
Not sure who you are referring to in the ‘pick them apart’ department. I for one only intended to express my own opinion on this subject, and I’m sure that was the intention of each of us. Your article is exceptional!
November 29th, 2007 at 12:52 pm
It was two of my other articles, and it was not you who picked me apart. One of them I had a typo, which definitely warranted the criticism, because it changed the whole meaning of what I was trying to say.
I mostly hate that “I” am in such a hurry sometimes that I miss these typos, and then have to wait until Triond corrects them, before I can submit them to bookmarking services. I have never seen a typo in work. You must be a natural, or at least more careful than I am. I even have typos in my comments sometimes. I press submit, and then review. Oops. But the chance is gone. lol
November 29th, 2007 at 1:36 pm
i downt mak typoz oftin coz i use a smellchecka!!! LOL
November 29th, 2007 at 2:38 pm
Louie, I would be forever grateful if you would allow me to borrow your smellchecka sometime. Yours has so much more imagination than mine.
November 30th, 2007 at 1:24 am
Wonderful, valuable, great article. Nice work Judy!
Best wishes.
Sincerely,
-Liane Schmidt.
November 30th, 2007 at 3:32 am
That was delightful, especially the after party comments!
November 30th, 2007 at 8:06 am
Liane, thank you for reading and commenting, and Lucy thank you too. Isn’t it nice that we have that kind of comradery? Thank you Louie, for your great sense of humor.
January 1st, 2008 at 1:12 pm
I’ll have to check out Triond’s styling tips, as I haven’t read them in months. I also, like you, get caught trying to publish, without really feeling like it’s the best it can be. The ones that are the best they can be are the ones I take the time and follow most of these steps.
your, you’re is another common mistake I see.
January 1st, 2008 at 2:55 pm
Thank you, Jared, for reading, commenting, and understanding.
January 8th, 2008 at 6:07 pm
A lot of information I can use here. I get in a hurry sometimes and skip letters or hit the wrong key so I know I need to slow down and be more careful. I hate it when I see a mistake and its days before it is corrected but it does make me check more carefully before I publish.
January 9th, 2008 at 2:45 pm
Just thought I’d give you another read since this has been republished!
January 9th, 2008 at 3:49 pm
Thanks for reading again, Louie. They moved me. lol
January 11th, 2008 at 1:40 pm
A good article with great tips. I tell myself not to edit or submit an article when I am tired. I have done it more than once and then had to ask for a fix for some silly mistake that could have been avoided if I had waited.
January 11th, 2008 at 3:38 pm
Thank you so much, Darlene, for reading and commenting. Your encouragement is appreciated.
January 12th, 2008 at 1:08 am
Dear Judy,
After reading Jared Stenzel’s article about StumbleUpon – I signed up for the sight. This site offers you more avenues to enjoy more article views from readers. I have added this article. When you sign up for it – it will make you add the tool bar – then all you do is click on the “thumbs up” for articles to either submit (if it hasn’t already been) or give a “thumbs up” positive rating to articles you enjoy!
Best wishes.
Sincerely,
-Liane Schmidt.
January 17th, 2008 at 11:36 pm
Very nice! I love it! Do you teach English or writing? I plan on teaching it.
January 18th, 2008 at 4:39 am
I have taken journalism in the military, a college English class, and a college writng class. With all that, I still make mistakes. lol
M.C., In reading your articles, I can see that you will be good at teaching. I love reading your articles and poetry. I hope your classes don’t keep you too busy to visit us.
January 25th, 2008 at 10:10 am
Hi I like this article so much I copied it for myself, since I too write articles! Thanks
January 25th, 2008 at 10:39 pm
Thank you for reading and commenting, but from what I’ve read of your writing, you really don’t need any grammar tips. You must have borrowed Louie’s “smellchecka”!
July 25th, 2008 at 11:06 am
Great artilce Judy, I still review it and pass it on to others! Kep up the good writes! writershirley
July 25th, 2008 at 8:03 pm
Shirley, it is great to hear from you again. I hope things are fine for you. Take care & God bless.
August 24th, 2008 at 8:00 pm
thanx for da info..