Rarely Discussed Wordtrippers

CONFOUNDING WORDTRIPPERS

This is just a quick copy-and-paste from my #SharingwithWriters newsletter so subscribers to this blog won't think I've forgotten them! (-:  It's one of those wordtrippers that doesn't get much attention. and one I can almost guarantee you didn't get any help with in school.

"Predominate” is not just a verb. It is also an adjective just like “predominant.” In fact, according to dictionaries “predominate” means “predominant.” Still, great editors know which are first choices when one or the other faces them in the copy they are editing.

 Mirriam-Webster, the go-to dictionary for those who write books, says “predominatey” is the variant form of “predominantly”—meaning “predominantly” is more standard.  In fact, it's so preferred that my Word program keeps auto changing predominately for me. It has no clue that I am trying explain the difference there and that's a good lesson in keeping a sharp eye out for its bad habit of thinking it's always right! 

Regardless of which one you choose to use when you are writing books, you don’t want to use one version on one page and another on another page.  

By the way, consider finding more editing tips by subscribing to SharingwithWriters at http://howtodoitfrugally.com. The subscription form is on almost every page of that Web site in the upper right corner.  There's a freebie for doing so, too!

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 Carolyn Howard-Johnson edits, consults, and speaks on issues of writing and publishing. Find her at http://howtodoitfrugally.com. Find the second edition of her multi award-winning The Frugal Editor: Do-it-yourself editing secrets for authors: From your query letter to final manuscript to the marketing of your bestseller. (HowToDoItFrugally Series of Books for Writers). Learn more about her other authors' aids at www.howtodoitfrugally.com/writers_books.htm , where writers find lists and other helps including , Great Little Last-Minute Editing Tips on the Resources for Writers page. She blogs on all things publishing (not just editing!) at her SharingingwithWriters blog. She tweets writers' resources at www.twitter.com/frugalbookpromo . Please tweet this post to your followers. We all need a little help with editing. (-:

My Fave Tip from SharingwithWriters for Word-Lovers

Just a quick tip for visitors and subscribers to this newsletter. It's originally from my SharingwithWriters newsletter, but those who love words, grammar, and editing, it's a tip worth following through on. 

June Casagrande is my go-to grammar girl when stylebooks and dictionaries are all disagreeing. She is the author of several grammar books published by the likes of Penguin and Ten Speed and writes a syndicated column called A Word Please. In this article, she reiterates the cry you have often heard from me in this newsletter and in my The Frugal Editor, “Don’t trust the Internet for editing and grammar rules.” She even gives a list of articles from supposedly reliable sources the definitely miss the boat! (-: Here it is. Leave a comment for her and mention your book while you’re doing it.   http://www.glendalenewspress.com/opinion/tn-gnp-a-word-please-grammar-lists-often-forget-to-check-the-facts-20150116,0,5044084.story

PS: To subscribe to SharingwithWriters newsletter and get a free e-booklet on wordtrippers, go to http://howtodoitfrugally.com. There is a subscription book at the top right of almost every page.
 
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Carolyn Howard-Johnson edits, consults. and speaks on issues of publishing. Find her The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success (How To Do It Frugally series of book for writers). Learn more about her other authors' aids at www.howtodoitfrugally.com/writers_books.htm , where writers will find lists and other helps including Great Little Last-Minute Editing Tips on the Resources for Writers page. She blogs on all things publishing (not just editing!) at her Sharing with Writers blog. She tweets writers' resources at www.twitter.com/frugalbookpromo . Please tweet this post to your followers. We all need a little help with editing. (-:

OMG! Trouble Ahead for Students Who Text Well But Lose Writing Skills

From a recent edition of my SharingwithWriters newsletter where I feature editing tips, publishing news, book marketing ideas and articles, too.  If you'd like me to subscribe you just put that coveted word (SUBSCRIBE) in the subject line and send an e-mail to HoJoNews@aol.com. I'll do it for you. (-:

 

Grammar News: It seems as if texting is ruining kids’ grammar skills. According to a Pennsylvania State study, kids are learning a new language.

 

The bad news is that the language the kids are learning is texting. So, OMG! This worries me a lot because  the grammar skills of most adults are not as good as they should be. What if they deteriorate?

 

We could argue that our language is changing just as it always has. English in motion! But maybe we should also be concerned if we want our kids to pass their SATs They may fail because the study says these same students are unable to “code switch,” a term used by linguists to mean that they can easily figure out and adjust to the old-fashioned way of spelling something or wording it.

 

So, if we sit by blindly, they'll get poor scores on SATs, and they'll also have poor writing skills for their Freshman classes and for the communication required by their first jobs.

 

Some more news—good or bad depending on your viewpoint. Fewer universities are relying on SAT scores as heavily as they once did.

 

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Carolyn Howard-Johnson edits, consults. and speaks on issues of publishing. Find her The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success (How To Do It Frugally series of book for writers). Learn more about her other authors' aids at www.howtodoitfrugally.com/writers_books.htm , where writers will find lists and other helps including Great Little Last-Minute Editing Tips on the Resources for Writers page. She blogs on all things publishing (not just editing!) at her Sharing with Writers blog. She tweets writers' resources at www.twitter.com/frugalbookpromo .

The Onion Weighs In on Style Choice

From my newsletter that covers marketing and career building for writers--and, of course, that includes editing:

In the News:  Those of you who might think I overdo my mini rants about the difference between style choices and grammar rules a la The Frugal Editor (http://budurl.com/TheFrugalEditor) and Great Little Last-Minute Editing Tips (http://budurl.com/WordtrippersPB) need to see this essay from the Onion. At least satire isn't dead or didn't get killed. http://www.theonion.com/articles/4-copy-editors-killed-in-ongoing-ap-style-chicago,30806/

 

To subscribe to my SharingwithWriters newsletter and receive a free e-copy of my booklet of word trippers, go to http://howtodoitfrugally.com. The sign-up window is in the upper right corner of most every page.

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Carolyn Howard-Johnson edits, consults. and speaks on issues of publishing. Find her The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success (How To Do It Frugally series of book for writers). Learn more about her other authors' aids at www.howtodoitfrugally.com/writers_books.htm , where writers will find lists and other helps including Great Little Last-Minute Editing Tips on the Resources for Writers page. She blogs on all things publishing (not just editing!) at her Sharing with Writers blog. She tweets writers' resources at www.twitter.com/frugalbookpromo . Please tweet this post to your followers. We all need a little help with editing. (-: