Many times, writers — aspiring or experienced — bump up against the issue of whether or not it’s permissible to end a sentence with a preposition. For those who can’t remember those English lessons from long ago, or the many occasions they stood in front of a chalkboard writing out grammatically perfect sentences, a preposition is nothing more than a thing that links nouns, pronouns or phrases to other words IN a sentence.
The word or phrase that the preposition (think of the word as a PRE-position and you’re more accurate, actually) introduces is called an “object,” which we’ll discuss in later writing posts. A preposition is best at pointing out what are called spatial, temporal or logical relationships in a sentence. Take a look at these examples:
- The fishing rod is IN the boat.
- The fishing rod is leaning AGAINST the boat.
- He waved the fishing rod OVER the boat.
- He used the fishing rod DURING his vacation.
All of the above illustrate where the preposition normally is located within a sentence, and its relationship in space and time, but we’ve all either spoken or written sentences in which the preposition (or at least, what we think of as the preposition) ends up at the end of that same sentence, haven’t we?
Is this necessarily a poor use of grammar? Of course not, and the reason why — contrary to all logic — some still believe sentences ending in prepositions are some sort of bad thing has to do with the original prejudice many developers or devisers of English grammar had for Latin. Basically, they thought English could be improved by shaping it around the grammatical rules used in that ancient, and very dead, language.
Unfortunately for these grammarians, English descended from a very old German dialect, and the rules so beloved by these Latin-centric developers of English grammatical formulae simply do not fit very well into the basic structure of English as we know it. Consider the following short phrases for a second:
- “To put”
- “To put up”
- “To put up with”
What at first glance appears to be a series of prepositions are actually what English professors and other scholars call “adverbial particles.” They are a part of the verb, in reality. In the particles above, doesn’t it seem more logical to just say “Who are you going to put up with?” instead of “With whom are you going to put up?”
Of course, the old time Latin-obsessed among us might insist on the second example, but if we were to be absolutely grammatically perfect when writing out a sentence that doesn’t end in what we consider a preposition, every single time, such a sentence might look like this:
“There is no need to bring to us issues with which we are already familiar.”
Technically, the sentence itself is correct but it sounds discordant and reads even more discordantly. Better to say something like:
“There’s no need to bring up issues we’re already familiar with.”
In other words, how you place your prepositions depends on the audience you’re writing FOR. Or, it might depend on the audience FOR whom you’re writing. Do you see the difference in tone and pacing? The first sentence, in our opinion, is appropriate for most forms of fiction or even less-formal nonfiction. Scholarly journals of a formal tone are probably the proper venues in which the second sentence in this paragraph might seem more at home.
All in all, English is a wonderfully malleable and flexible instrument as long as we obey a relatively few simple rules of grammar. Obeying every single rule, though — no matter how old or encrusted that rule might be by tradition or ancient prejudice — doesn’t make too much sense when it comes to certain forms of fiction or nonfiction writing.
The Pen is Mightier than the Sword
Many of us mistakenly assume that the process of writing is one-hundred percent inspiration and zero percent perspiration, but that’s just not the way things really are. Admittedly, there’s a bit of inspiration necessary to any good story, but that’s not what we’re talking about here. Rather, we feel that there are five techniques necessary to good writing.
These five are tried-and-true and well-known among just about any writer who’s gone through the process (either by trial and error, or in a classroom setting) of putting pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard, these days) with the aim of turning out — at the end — a product that says something in a cogent and understandable manner.
This could be a work of fiction, or a technical journal article or just about anything in between. What matters here is that anything that’s worthy of being written well has within its DNA one or all of these techniques. Let’s take a quick look at each one:
#1. All good works of writing contain description within them, and it’s just what it means. A writer uses it to help a reader “see” what the writer himself is trying to say. When done well, the reader can hear, see, taste, smell and even feel what the writer or the writer’s characters also hear, see, taste, smell and feel. When you write description, keep in mind the goal of assisting the reader in being better able to understand the people, places and things contained within the story.
#2. The process of informing, explaining and clarifying a writer’s thoughts and ideas in a written piece of work is more formally known as exposition. You most commonly see expository writing in newspapers, magazines and non-fiction books, especially. Exposition is a way to offer the reader a window into your ideas and thoughts as a writer.
#3. Writers many times will use the act of narration when trying to tell a real story. Narrative writing is all around us, and we see it evident in stories that have characters, a setting in which the characters interact, a time frame, a problem and also the various attempts at solving that problem. Novels and bedtime stories quite often use narration as their storytelling device, as do movie scripts and stage plays.
#4. Whenever a writer is engaged in trying to change others’ points of view on a subject, he or she is engaging in persuasion to do so. Usually, a writer will bring out facts and opinion in an attempt to try to bring a reader around to a certain way of looking at things. Politicians, in their speechmaking, attempt to employ persuasion all the time. You can also see it used in editorials and letters to the editor of a newspaper.
#5. The last technique commonly used by writers is the process of compare and contrast when it comes to producing some piece of work. In it, writers will point out or highlight the similarities and differences between something(s) or some topic. We use comparison to show others what is alike or in common, while we contrast to show what isn’t alike or not in common. An example of this would be how we traveled across the country in 1920 versus how we do so today.
When you’re interested in communicating your ideas, as a writer, more clearly and cleanly, you’ll almost subconsciously use one, two or even all five of the above techniques almost without knowing it, once you know how to properly use each individually. So take some time to practice or learn a bit more about each and then try them out in your own writing!
It's a Mystery to Me!
Probably one of life’s greatest simple pleasures has been the act of reading a well-written piece of fiction, especially when it’s something like a classic “whodunit.” The names of famous authors in this genre are legion: Agatha Christie and Raymond Chandler were famous in their day, as are Sue Grafton and Mary Higgins Clark today.
What’s also for certain is that there probably aren’t many people who like to write who haven’t thought of sitting down and penning a juicy mystery novel. For aspiring mystery writers one of the first things to understand is that there are general principles involved in the writing of any story, and especially so when it comes to mysteries in general.
For the most part, there are a number of broad themes when it comes to working out a plot for the novel of your dreams in this sort of genre. Almost all of the most successful writers in the business use some variation or another of these principles when it comes to the writing of their own stories, and these variations have worked well for pretty much as long as the mystery novel has been around.
To begin with, don’t obsess over filling in parts of characters’ lives or even the story itself that most readers will just skip or skim over anyway. Many newer mystery writers fall into this trap, and waste precious pages trying to explain things that the average reader just doesn’t care about, sad to say.
Also, work very hard at plotting a mystery that’s actually going to be a mystery and not just something written to create confusion in a reader’s mind. Give your reader enough info to stay interested in the story but not so much that the storyline just becomes tiring instead. In mysteries, streamlining is vital, so never lose sight of that particular rule when it comes down to plot.
Keep in mind, also, that good whodunits have a number of “what?” questions. Simply put, these are either explicitly or implicitly stated throughout a novel and consist of “what will…?” or “what is…?” lines of plot development. For instance, a writer might pose a “What will the main character do when he’s confronted with the real truth of things?” question indirectly to his or her reader. Readers love those sorts of questions, for a fact, and sometimes – but be sparing when using them – they also love a few “why did…?” questions, which can be good to occasionally throw into the plot mix.
Many newer writers – not only of mysteries but also just about any other sort of fiction – fail to remember that in such styles of writing the story must be moved along with pace and speed. Especially in the mystery genre, it’s not necessary to waste page after page on extraneous plot set-ups and deep character development.
In the above observation, really, who cares — when reading a mystery — what color ties the dead guy wore unless it’s absolutely essential to explaining why he ended up dead and who might have whacked him for wearing such a color tie? Instead, get to the point and throw out the red meat plot stuff that any mystery lover adores.
Another principle in mystery writing to observe is the need to come up with a juicy moral or ethical problem or dilemma for the story’s protagonist, and then weave that problem into the fabric and pace of the story itself. The best stories always seem to present at least one difficult moral quandary that the character will have to resolve, so work hard to develop one for your protagonist.
Perhaps the most important plot element in any good mystery is that there’s tension all throughout it. This tension, for the most part, exists between the good guy (the protagonist) and the bad guy (the antagonist). What this means is that the protagonist needs to be at work trying to solve a problem and that the antagonist needs to be working to try to prevent its subsequent solution. Remember, most of the great stories are about good and bad and how we address either or both of the two, and the problem that needs to be solved will always be a statement about the tension or struggle between good and bad.
Generally, it’s the case that when all of the above plot elements exist in a mystery the story will usually be high quality and of interest to readers, which is should be the aim of any aspiring mystery writer. If you can discipline yourself to stay within the broad themes of classic mystery writing, there’s a good chance that any story you produce will have at least a fighting chance at eventual success.
Stuck on What to Write?
Let’s face it: Every author comes to a point where he or she feels there’s not another word that can be generated from anything rattling around in his or her head. This isn’t an unusual occurrence even for the most prolific of us out there, and it can be fixed with relative ease.
The first thing to realize is that inspiration — for writing, for exercising, for just about everything we do — comes from many different sources and is all around us. In the case of writers it’s even easier to find inspiration because literally anything can be written about. The trick, of course, will be in writing something that people will want to read, but that’s for another time and another article.
What we’re not talking about here is the actual “craft” or “art” of writing but in finding things to write about. Sit back and think for a minute about all the wondrous things going on all about you, or all the things going on that concern you and that you feel you need to say something about — to put your voice into print, in other words.
This might be a small 30-second blurb on your local cable news channel about the goings on in a foreign country, for example. Or it might be about the introduction of some new solar-powered vehicle which promises to end our energy independence forever. Or it could be something prosaic like your local community’s zoning board decisions which have just been released to the general public. Anything is fodder for writing.
Look Around You for Inspiration
With that in mind, take a look below at several recommendations for how to find inspiration to power up your writing efforts:
- Read the paper (either in actual print or online) and watch news broadcasts. “Life imitating art” is probably what actually happens every second of every day in our new digital millennium, and there’s no shortage of issues to comment upon or write about.
- Go to a crowded local mall and do some people watching. Look at how people interact with each other and try to think of a storyline for the characters in this real-life play being acted in front of you.
- Keep a notebook on your nightstand and write down what you dream about when you awaken. Do this as soon as possible after opening your eyes or you’ll quickly forget what it is you’ve dreamt about. Don’t worry about if the dream made sense or not, just write down the action that was played out in your head.
- Go to Google Images or Flickr or any online photo sharing site and just look at pictures. Try to develop a story in your head about what’s going on in the photograph. Don’t look at captions or where the picture came from; just think on what you believe to be going on and why it’s going on.
Check back later this week for other ideas on how to gain inspiration from the life that’s going on around you. Chances are you’ll find it infinitely more interesting when you look at it from this new perspective than you did in the past.
The Writing Process
Principles of good writing come down to a relatively small number of things to actually do or carry out when it comes to trying to write well, and this is as applicable for writing a short one-page paper for a class as it is for writing a book or novel. It’s only in the amount of writing that’s done is there any real difference.
Most successful writers and authors will tell you that good writing comes down to good work habits, also. This means treating it as what it really is, which — besides being your “art” — is also your job. If writing is your job, then, show up for work on time and ready to “go to it.” Below, we offer several recommendations and observations about the process of writing.
1. Sometimes (in fact, most times) writing is hard. There’s just no getting around this fact, but don’t let the occasional struggle EVERY writer experiences when it comes to producing output deter you from doing it at all. Remember, in order to produce something that you and others will be pleased to read you must take the first step on the path, and that means sitting down and starting to write.
2. In order to help yourself when it comes to writing, try to set aside time for research and and putting all those ideas bouncing around in your head down onto paper or into your word processing program. Many writers report far more productivity after they’ve made the effort to block out regular time and then adhered to those blocked-out hours.
3. After you’ve finally gotten written copy created, it’s going to need rewriting, rewriting and possibly even more rewriting. Go through every line in your output and examine it critically and artistically. This will allow you to tie together any loose ends and make sure ideas or character action and other items within the output flow smoothly from idea to idea or from scene to scene, for example.
4. Once you think you’ve revised your work to the point that you like what you’re reading — and think that others will also like reading it — you’re going to need to engage in what’s called “revision.” Revision isn’t the same as rewriting, though, but it’s generally something most writers hate. Basically, you’ll need to edit your work for grammar, punctuation, random typos and anything else that detracts from the story you’re trying to tell.
– Editing, in many cases, can be difficult for a writer because he or she has become so involved and familiar with their story they many times fail to catch simple errors in spelling, punctuation or grammar. In many cases, those writers who can afford to do so hire editors to take on this task. In any event, it make sense to step back from your work for at least an evening and then look at it with a fresh pair of eyes.
5. Experienced writers and authors never fail to look at their profession as something that requires them to be in a constant learning mode. Writers try to absorb data and information as much as they can at every moment they can. Good ones can look at the simple act of opening a can of soup, for instance, and picture the words in their mind that can bring that act to life for a reader.
Vermeer: “Lady Writing a Letter with her Maid”
In the final analysis, there’s no end to the things out there that can provide inspiration to a writer. The mechanisms of writing, though, usually are the same no matter the kind of writing being done, so treat what you do as an art, a craft, and a concrete process and you should soon find success in whatever type of writing it is that you’re trying to do.
Don't Be Taken Down by Bad Grammar
In Part Two of a two-part post dealing with word usage and how many words can sound the same but have totally different meanings, we’ll cover the last five of ten general tips for handling such issues:
6. You’re vs. Your
a. The word “you’re” is a contraction, and it’s used to shorten “you are” (”You’re going to need a new pair of shoes”).
b. “Your” is a word of possession, and it describes the possessor as somone else, generally (”Your pants are very dirty”).
7. Loose vs. Lose
a. The opposite of tight or constricted, the word “loose” is an adjective (”I have loose chickens in the barnyard”).
b. The word “lose” is a verb and usually means “to suffer from the loss of” (”I hate to lose at cribbage”).
8. Choose vs. Chose
a. The word “choose” is used in the present tense, and means “to select” (”I choose not to go without my glasses”).
b. “Chose” is used in the past tense, and also means “to select” (”I chose not to go without my glasses”).
9. Effect vs. Affect
a. “Effect” is most often used as a noun to mean “result” (”The effect of not eating properly is usually poor health”).
b. “Affect” normally is a verb meaning “to influence” (”We hope rain will not affect the ballgame later today”).
10. Know vs. No vs. Now
a. “Know” is normally a verb and it means “to understand” (”I know you need the new article in by tomorrow”).
b. “No” is a reply in the negative, a refusal or a disagreement (”There is no issue with the new lawn sprinklers”).
c. “Now” is usually an adverb which means “at the present time or moment” (”Now I know how hard it is to say no to somebody”).
Examples of Contractions
As writers we’ve all come across the issue of “which word do I use” when it comes to words which sound alike but have different meanings or are contractions of two words to say the same thing. And while the words may sound exactly the same they many times (if not all the time) have different meanings. Take a look at this post’s title to see what we mean. Unfortunately, there are no spell-checkers yet devised that can help eliminate the issue because they’re not intelligent enough (yet) to decode possessive or direction-type words which sound the same, but aren’t really.
With that in mind, take a look at the 5 of the 10 most-common word usage mistakes listed below. We’ll cover the other five in the next post. We’ve also given a short explanation and an example of proper usage:
1. There vs. Their vs. They’re
a. “There” pertains to location (”They ran for their car to get out of the rain”).
b. “Their” indicates possession, and is a version of “they” (”They owned all their new clothes”).
c. “They’re” is a classic contraction, and is a shortened way of saying “they are” (”They’re ready to sell their old car”).
2. A lot vs. Allot vs. Alot
a. “A lot” indicates an amount (”I have a lot of studying to do”).
b. “Allot” means to distribute something (”He will allot each of use two hamburgers and a cold drink”)
c. “Alot” is no longer a word in the standard English. It disappeared many, many decades ago.
3. I.e. vs. E.g.
a. “I.e.” means, simply, “in other words” (”Running more causes greater weight loss. I.e., you will burn more calories more easily”)
b. “E.g.” means “for example” (”I have a lot of studying to do. E.g., in math, English and geography”)
4. To vs. Too vs. Two
a. “To” indicates a relative position and is called a “function word” in the English language (”Take the trash to the garbage dump”)
b. “Too” usually indicates a couple things; either excessiveness or being in addition to something (”The water was too cold,” or “Can I swim too?”).
c. “Two” is a number (2) (”Give me two cards”)
Homonyms Can Confuse Anybody
5. Its vs. It’s
a. “Its” is a possessive, and deals with the word “it” (”Its handles flew off the drawers”)
b. “It’s” is a contraction of the words “it is” (”It’s a great day for golfing”)
In the next post we’ll look at the other five examples for proper word usage when dealing with synonyms, contractions and just plain flat-out quirky word types which seem to populate the English language and make it the wonderful mechanism for colorfully describing life that it is.
Punctuation for Every Situation
Colons and commas help to make a thought that’s been put down onto paper (or into your word processing program) coherent and understandable. In order to make it all come together take care to obey the “rules of the road” as they relate to learning to write well. They’re not hard, but if they’re followed with some regularity they can help make the process of writing (for the writer or author) and the process of reading (for you, the reader) all the much easier.
Here are several guidelines for punctuation:
1. There is only one (1) space required after each punctuation mark. This includes periods, exclamation marks, question marks, colons, semicolons and commas to name just a few. Also, bullets and numbers only require a single space. Most writers prefer two spaces after a period, which is the traditional and classic method of using such a mark but that is completely optional nowadays.
2. Avoid if at all possible the use of excessive punctuation!!! See what we mean? It doesn’t add a greater sense of urgency or emotion, especially in more formal writing efforts.
3. Make sure to always place periods and commas within quotation marks (ex. “I need to go for a walk.”)
4. Make sure not to place a space BEFORE a period or comma.
5. When using an ellipsis (”…”), make sure to use only three dots.
6. If you’re going to use dashes as a way of carrying on a thought after a pause, always use two in a row.
7. Don’t use a space before or after a hyphen (ex. “fast-moving runners”)
8. The only time a question mark is required is after the use of a direct question (ex. “Where are you going?”)
9. It’s a good idea to use parantheses to close words or figures used in clarification (ex. “Use only one (1) space after a period”)
10. If the last word that’s being used in a period ends in a period itself do not use another period (ex. “He’s in the C.I.A. That means he’s a spy.”)
And that’s about it. Use punctuation judiciously and with intent to clarify and make more coherent sentence and paragraph structure. The “rule of the road” relating to spaces after a period — which today need only total one (1) — is about the only guideline which may be bent somewhat. Notice that in this post we’ve used two (2), not one (1), period.
So, write well and write profitably while taking care to write carefully and watch the words flow forth!
You've Been Punctuated!
In addition to the comma, the colon (”:”) is the other most commonly utilized punctuation mark in the English language, outside of a sentence-ending period (”.”). What’s nice is that the rules for colon usage are relatively few in number and fairly easy to remember. Here’s the first one:
1. Don’t use a colon within a sentence after an independent clause. Take a look at the example below:
a. We had a choice of three entries: Steak, chicken or fish.
2. Don’t insert a colon between a verb (an “action word”) and its object or between a preposition and its object. Take a look at the several examples given below to see what we mean:
a. We flew to: Paris, London and Brussels. (Wrong. Don’t insert a colon between the preposition “to” and the object “Paris.”)
b. We flew to Paris, London and Brussels. (Right)
a. My wife bought me: a tie tack, a tie and a shirt. (Wrong. Don’t insert a colon between the verb “bought” (me) and the objects.)
b. My wife bought me a tie tack, a tie and a shirt. (Right)
And that’s about it! Colon usage can be a great way to set up a list, if done properly or a way to set up a lead-in question like the one illustrated in the title to this short article. So ask yourself a few questions when it comes to colons: Are they necessary and are they placed correctly? If they are, then use them where appropriate.
Be the Comma!
Many writers fall into a common pattern of punctuation usage that becomes second nature over their writing lives. And one pattern that almost every writer develops is in the matter of usage of commas.
In many cases, authors tend to use too many of them or none at all. Generally, when too many are used the sentence and paragraph structure can become disjointed — in terms of thoughts and ideas — and when none are used the writer’s piece of work can take on the characteristics of some sort of ’stream of consciousness’ tract. Don’t get us wrong; stream of consciousness definitely has a place in writing and authorship efforts, but we’re not so sure that a short 500-word article on lawn tennis is the place to become so deeply involved in the writing of it.
In this vein, then, here are some tips for contemporary writing styles:
- Most modern writing style guides recommend the use of fewer commas rather than more of them, but always make sure the lack of commas doesn’t lead to a run-on sentence. Our first tip revolves around commas and the word “and,” which can be tricky sometimes.
1. Using a comma before “and” in a series these days is optional (it wasn’t always so in days past, when it was almost mandatory). Make sure, though, that there’s no danger of misreading. Here are two examples:
a. You have a choice of soda, water and lemon juices. (no commas near the “and”)
b. You have a choice of soda, water, and lemon and cherry juices. (comma is used).
In letter ‘b’ above, “lemon and cherry” is one flavor; therefore, a comma is needed to avoid confusion.
2. When employing an introductory phrase or clause, always use a comma. This also helps avoid the danger of run-on sentence creation. Here’s an example:
a. Once I realized that the gas station had not given me my credit card receipt, I returned to the station and they gave me a receipt.
3. The use of independent clauses and commas depends upon the length of the sentence in which the independent clauses reside. Take a look at these two examples:
a. I drove to the park to jog on the trails, but it was already closed for the day. (use a comma with two independent clauses)
b. I offered to pay but she politely declined. (no comma is necessary when using short clauses)
4. There’s no need to use a comma before the first item OR after the last item in a series. Here’s a wrong and a right way to do so:
a. You should mix, olive oil, vinegar, and water into new salad dressings, if you want to get the best possible results. (wrong)
b. You should mix olive oil, vinegar and water into new salad dressings if you want to get the best possible results. (right)
Notice how letter ‘b’ above flows much more smoothly. It’s not ‘janky’ or jerky and disjointed and it conveys perfectly what needs to be done to mix up a great salad dressing. So take a look at comma usage in your writing efforts. See which ones really need to be there and which ones can be removed. It’s a sure bet your writing will flow much more smoothly when you do!
** Find a short comma tutorial from George Mason University here.
