My Favorite Editing Humor Website

To be succinct, I'll just provide the link: https://www.facebook.com/ICorrectYourGrammarBecauseILoveYou. Laugh away.

Wipe Out Word Wasting

 

Which would you rather read?

When it comes to reading anything—do you prefer the short or the long version?

I thought so. 

My point is, when you're writing—be it an email, directions or a book—people are more likely to read it if it's short and to the point. Brief and succinct. Quick and concise. Short and snappy. (Getting the picture?)

In other words, get to the point. 

So, instead of writing "I was taken by Joe to the Piggly Wiggly where I was able to buy a gallon of milk to drink," simply write, "I went to the store with Joe for milk." Nine words versus 21—less than half!

When writing, remember this tried-and-true tip: Subject, Verb, Object. Who did what to whom. This simple structure will save you tons of time when writing. And, it'll keep you from writing passively (which means, don't write "I was going" when you can say it with "I went"; don't write "She was driving" when "She drove" gets the job done.) 

It'll also save your reader from having to sift through the word overload for meaning.

Yes, there are times when you'd want to be more descriptive. But honestly, would most people care if you bought your milk at the supermarket or the convenience store? And would they need to know whether you poured it on your Cheerios or you drank it? Probably not.

Compulsion— every editor's companion

Front & center: red editing pen

I'll admit—compulsion is the editor's constant companion. What do I mean by that?

Have Red Pen Will Travel. When I read, my red pen is always within reach. Yes—there's one by my couch, one on my desk, one in the cup on my kitchen windowsill, one in my bedside table and one in my purse. It bugs me to no end when grammatical errors interrupt my enjoyment of a good novel, article or other document. It bugs me even more when I can't make the error right, regardless of whose error it is. (Imagine my frustration when the document in question is online and uncorrectable!)

Sit On My Tongue. I do my level best to keep my mouth shut when "what's done is done." For instance, when a friend orders a custom-carved wooden sign to identify their family's home as "The Smith's." Yes, I'd love to tell her that said sign indicates there's only one Smith living there when in fact there are half a dozen. But would encouraging her to order a new sign that says The Smiths—or even The Smiths'—really nourish our friendship? Regardless, I've been guilty of pointing out the error.

And Then—Those Vanity Tags. They're like motorized crosswords. I love decoding the messages hidden—subtly or not so subtly—in the vanity plate vernacular. For instance: IN10SE? Intense. PKCDUST? Pixie Dust, on a Tinkerbell-lover's car. 1IT? Won It (the hint: The car toting the plate was Mary Kay Cosmetics pink). The latest to catch my attention: BSTANG on a bumblebee yellow Mustang. OK, not so  mysterious, but fun nonetheless.

So I've resigned myself to my compulsions. Well, I guess I could say that I've embraced my compulsions. Annoying? Perhaps. But if the shoe fits...

Avoid Caps Lapses

Is Kate Middleton's title capitalized or not?

You're not alone if you go to write someone's title and can't decide if you should capitalize it or not.  Wonder no more. Here's the scoop according to the commonly used Associated Press Stylebook.

• Capitalize formal titles when they're used immediately before a person's name. 

          Example: Princess Kate; President Reagan

• Lowercase formal titles when they're used without a proper noun (that is, without the person's name). 

          Example: the princess; the president

• Lowercase formal titles when they're set off from a name by commas.

          Example: Ronald Reagan, former president of the United States

• BUT, capitalize a full title when used as an individual's alternate name.

          Example: Duchess of York         

• Lowercase titles that are in reality job descriptions.

          Example: astronaut Mark Gifford

Rules can be so confusing, can't they? I hope this post helps free you from CAPS traps.

Likes & Yikes for Job Seekers

Four Resume-writing Tips

1. Know who will be reading your resume. 
          If you write exactly what the resume reader wants to hear, 
          you’ll be one of the 4-5 candidates who get an interview.

2. Write what the reader wants to read. 
          The resume reader doesn’t want your life story. 
          They want to know what makes you the right person for the job.

3. Make your resume easy to read. 
          Use a bulleted format that lets the resume reader get 
          the information they want within a few seconds rather than 20 minutes.

4. Write a resume with substance and depth. 
          Use 8-12 bullets that give an in-depth look at what you’ve done 
          and tell your prospective boss that you’re thorough.

Six Resume-writing Mistakes

• People summarize, water down, and oversimplify their responsibilities 

and accomplishments. The result is the potential employer thinks, 

"This person is lazy and doesn't do very much."

• People create an autobiographical document. Your resume should be 

an advertisement addressing the needs of the potential employer who’s reading the resume. As they’re reading, the employer should be thinking, 
"Wow, this person has exactly what I’m looking for."

• People use hard-to-read and confusing formats. A potential employer will spend approximately 20 seconds scanning each of the 50-100 resumes in front of them. 

You want your resume to have an easy-to-read format 

that enables them to read it in that 20 seconds.

• People provide more detail and depth in the job descriptions of older jobs 

than their present job. The employer that feels your career peaked 

and is declining will interview other candidates.

• Important information that the potential employer is looking for is buried

in the text or layout. Prioritize the information that the employer seeks 

and simplify or omit information of minimal interest to the employer.

• People submit resumes with spelling errors, grammatical errors and formatting inconsistencies. The potential employer will say, "A person presenting him/herself 

this poorly on paper will likely represent our company poorly, too."

A pet project

One of the Word Nerd projects I work on is a local magazine called Uniquely Palouse.

Call me biased, but anyone who has visited the Palouse knows why the region (the rolling hills surrounding Pullman, Washington and Moscow, Idaho) is special, and why it warrants its own publication to herald its incomparable beauty.

On the Palouse, you can experience the emerald months of spring when endless wheat, pea and lentil fields burst forth in verdant beauty. Then the rich, brilliant green fades into the golden months of summer—surely the inspiration for America the Beautiful's "amber waves of grain." Gorgeous fall colors follow, and finally, harvested fields snuggle into a snowy blanket for the winter.

Uniquely Palouse celebrates the beauty of the Palouse, and the people, passions and pastimes that define it and enrich it. If you're in the area, you can pick up free copies at various locations (try Precision Engraving at 409 W. 3rd St. in Moscow). If not, you can subscribe on the web site: www.UniquelyPalouseMagazine.com . You can also follow (and LIKE) it on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Uniquely-Palouse-Magazine/151389868260354.

And to view some photos that depict the beauty of the Palouse, visit my website at www.DianeRicePhotos.com and click on

• Location --> Idaho's Palouse, or 
• Online Ordering --> Location Photos --> The Palouse Region, or 
• Online Ordering --> Location Photos --> Moscow Idaho, and open the Moscow Scenic gallery

If you've never been to the Palouse, I hope someday you can visit and drink in the beauty. If you've been here in the past, I hope you can return. And if you're blessed enough to live here, I share your happiness.

I prefer to remain homonymous

Yes, that title is just word play on "anonymous." What else could you expect from a total Word Nerd?

Anyhow, to get back on topic, our third and final "homo" Word Nerd topic is the homonym—words that sound alike and are spelled alike, but have different meanings.

Bear

Bear (a load or burden)

Examples:

• Bear (an animal; to carry; to withstand)
• Beat (to strike; to win; exhausted)
• Pool (a body of water; the money bet in a wager; a readily available supply, as of workers)
• Pop (a sharp, explosive sound; a sugary carbonated drink; a nickname for Dad)
• Rat (a rodent; to tattle; a person who tattles; to backcomb hair for greater volume)

 Aren't words just so fun?!