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Not my work. Like the others, I keep it around to help with my writing, and as a guide to anyone else who needs it. TECHNICAL ERRORS This week, I'd like to focus on the issue of technical accuracy in your writing. It's an issue of critical importance, whether we're talking about erotica, a business letter, or a review on WDC. The simple truth is that errors in writing make us look bad. Everyone's prone to typos, or the wrong use of word, or just plain 'ol goofs from time to time, but when mistakes frequently appear in the technical execution of whatever you're writing, you jeopardize your image as a professional writer. After all, if words are your stock and trade... how does it look to other people when those words are wrong, or filled with errors? With that in mind, I'd like to go over a few of the most common technical errors that show up in writing; errors which make you look bad: There / Their / They're - "There" is a reference to a place. "Their" is a plural possessive pronoun. "They're" is a contraction for "they are". Example: They're going on vacation; their bags are already packed and the cab is waiting over there. Your / You're - Similarly, "Your" is a possessive pronoun. "You're" is a contraction for "you are". Example: You're going to be late for your recital. Its / It's - "Its" is a possessive pronoun. "It's" is a contraction for "it is" or "it has". Example: It's a great day; even the dog was wagging its tail. To / Too / Two - "To" is the preposition, "too" is the adverb, "two" is the number. Example: The two of us want to go to the store too! Lie (lying, lied) / Lay (laying, laid) - "Lie" means to rest or recline on a surface. "Lay" means to put or place something. Example: I laid my wife on the bed before lying down beside her. Affect / Effect - "Affect" is the verb, "effect" is the noun. Example: You can affect someone deeply, and they can have an equal effect on you. The Dangling Modifier / Participle - This occurs when a grammatical modifier is associated with a word other than the one intended, as a result of poor sentence construction. A modifier can come anywhere in a sentence, while a participle comes either at the beginning or ending of a sentence. Example: I saw the trailer peeking through the window. While the intent of that sentence was to say, "I was peeking through the window and I saw the trailer", the sentence construction leads the reader to believe that the trailer is peeking through the window. A clearer way of writing that sentence would be, Peeking through the window, I saw the trailer. Good / Well - "Good" is an adjective (used to describe or qualify a noun). "Well" is an adverb (describes an action). Therefore, a story can be good, but the author writes well. Example: He's a good kid, who plays well with other kids. Than / Then - "Than" is a conjunction used for comparisons. "Then" is an adverb (describes an action). Example: She's better than him; she finished the test first and then left. Who's / Whose - "Who's" is a contraction for "who is" or "who has". "Whose" indicates possession. Example: Whose house is this? Who's that sitting in the corner? Pronoun/Antecedent disagreement - The false assumption is that you can use the pronoun "their" or "they" to stay gender neutral when referring to an antecedent, instead of saying "his or her". For example, "Every person is entitled to their own opinion." The correct forms of that sentence are: 1.) Always refer to individuals jointly as "his and/or her" (Every person is entitled to his or her opinion.), 2.) Refer to individuals by a single pronoun consistently throughout the work (Every person is entitled to his own opinion), or 3.) Make the subject plural so it agrees with the "their" pronoun (All people are entitled to their own opinion.) Another example: "If someone said that, they're lying." should be If someone said that, he or she is lying. / If someone said that, she is lying / If people are saying that, they're lying. Of / Have - Because of certain contractions (should've, could've, would've) and the way they sound when we speak them, people sometimes get the impression that the word should be "of" instead of "have". The correct form is should have, could have, would have, not should of, could of, would of. Irony - Something is ironic if it is the opposite of what is appropriate, expected, or fitting. Irony is not the same thing as coincidence, or unfortunate. Example: It would be ironic if Bill Gates used an iPhone and a MacBook. It would not be ironic if you need a knife to cut your food and there wasn't one at the table. And here are some commonly misused words: Accept / Except - "Accept" means to receive. "Except" means to exclude. Example: I accept all of your criticism, except for the one comment about the character's name. Adverse / Averse - "Adverse" means hostile or unfavorable. "Averse" means having a feeling of opposition. Example: I am averse to traveling in these adverse weather conditions. Allusion / Illusion - "Allusion" is a reference. "Illusion" is a misconception or false image/impression. Example. The ghostly illusion I wrote into my story was an allusion to Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. Assue / Insure / Ensure - "Assure" means to give confidence. "Insure" means to purchase insurance. "Ensure" means to make certain of. Example: "I assure you that if you insure your valuables, it will ensure security and peace of mind. Capital / Capitol - "Capital" refers to a city, wealth, or resources. "Capitol" refers to a building. Example: I went to the Capitol Building in Sacramento (the California state capital), to discuss raising start-up capital for our new non-profit organization. Climactic / Climatic - "Climactic" is derived from "climax", while "Climatic" is derived from "climate". Example: The climactic battle that takes place at the end of the movie in the severe climatic conditions of a thunderstorm was really entertaining. Complement / Compliment - "Complement" means to go well with something. "Compliment" means to praise. Example: We received many compliments on the way our Halloween costumes complemented one another. Disburse / Disperse - "Disburse" means to give out, particularly money, while "disperse" means to scatter. Example: I disbursed the contents of the cash register to the robber, who promptly dispersed it to the masses by throwing it off the balcony to the street below. e.g. / i.e. - "e.g." stands for "exempli gratia", which means "for example". "i.e." stands for "id est", which means "that is". Example: We should hang out together sometime (i.e. go on a date). We could do all kinds of fun stuff (e.g. go bowling, have dinner, see a movie, etc.). Elicit / Illicit - "Elicit" means to evoke, while "illicit" means illegal or unlawful. Example: I cannot participate in these illicit activities; breaking the law elicits nervousness and fear on my part. Emigrate / Immigrate - One "emigrates" from somewhere, and "immigrates" to somewhere. Example: Her family emigrated from China and, like many others, immigrated to the United States. Lose / Loose - "Lose" means to fail to win, misplace, or no longer in possession of. "Loose" means the opposite of tight. Example: How could you lose your loose-fitting jeans? If you don't have your lucky jeans, the team might lose their game! Past / Passed - "Past" refers to events that have previously occurred. "Passed" is the past-tense of "pass". Example: I can't believe he passed us going 90 MPH on the freeway. Oh well, it's in the past now; no sense worrying about it. Principal / Principle - "Principal" is the head of an organization (usually a school) or a sum of money. "Principle" is a basic truth, law, or concept. Example: The school principal tried to teach everyone the principle of The Golden Rule. He later went to the bank to discuss what interest was due on the principal amount of his home loan. Sight / Site / Cite - "Sight" means something seen. "Site" is a place. "Cite" means to reference, quote, or list as a source. Example: Did you see the burial site? It was quite a sight to behold. The ranger said I could cite his interview in my term paper. Remember that as writers, words are your stock and trade. If you misuse words, for any reason, you could potentially give your reader the impression that you're less professional or less knowledgeable than you actually are. Sure, they may just be typos (we've all been there), but writers with technical errors are like athletes who commit errors on the field or court. Everybody makes mistakes... but if you make enough of them, people start to wonder why you're in the big leagues with so many frequent mistakes. The good news is that most of these errors can either be avoided by taking just a few moments to think about which way is the correct way to write something... or fixed quickly when proofreading your work prior to sending it out. However you want to do it, if you can avoid these common technical errors in your writing, your craft will be all the stronger for it. Until next time, SoCalScribe Editor-In-Chief
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