Even Accomplished Editors Can Learn from June Casagrande

Those of you who visit this blog or are subscribed to it know that I also blog at The New Book Review where this lovely review might inform (and tease!) you a bit, but because I have long been a fan of June Casagrande's sage editing advice, I wanted to share it with you here, too!  

Title: The Joy of Syntax

Subtitle: A Simple Guide to all the Grammar You Know You Should Know

Author: June Casagrande

Publisher: Ten Speed Press (July, 2018)

Paperback: $14.99

Pages: 272

ISBN-13 9780399581069

Genre: Reference/Writing/Grammar/Editing

Buy on Amazon: http://bit.ly/JoyofSyntax

NOT YOUR GRANNY'S SYNTAX BOOK

Reviewed by Marlan Warren originally posted on L.A. Now and Then blog

“If someone tells you that it's wrong to X, where X is something native English speakers do regularly, you can be pretty sure the rule is bogus.”  ~ The Joy of Syntax, June Casagrande

The first thing that popped into my head when I first began reading June Casagrande's lively, informative The Joy of Syntax: A Simple Guide to All the Grammar You Know You Should Know was me in the backseat of my parents' car circa 1960, listening to Mom and Dad engage in a heated argument over incorrect vs. correct grammar. I don't recall what "rule" they were debating, only the yelling. That's how seriously a grammar mistake can affect us.

When it comes to syntax, I suspect people may be divided into three categories: those who know what syntax is and care; those who heard about it in English class but it didn't stick; and those who do not care at all. The first group contains people who love words or need them to advance their careers, future careers, and/or social standing. Those are the people who stand to get the most out of this book.

Casagrande's style is simple, direct, and friendly-humorous. The book's contents reflect a trove of enlightening trivia such as "Well as an Adverb and an Adjective;" "Dangling Participles and Other Danglers;" "Language Myths" (brace yourself). Part I focuses on "Syntax" and Part II on "Usage and Propriety." The latter goes beyond the average English speaker/writer's grasp of what is grammatically correct and explains that the acceptability of certain words can depend on whether they have been accepted into common usage.

Did you know that if a word is found in the dictionary, it's considered "valid"? Not necessarily appropriate for your dissertation, but not "wrong" in more casual contexts.

Pop Quiz:

True or False?

(1) It is always wrong to say or write "ain't."

(2) "Nauseous" and "Nauseated" can be used interchangeably.

(3) "Tomorrow" is both a noun and an adverb.

(4) Most, if not all, grammar questions can be answered by looking in the dictionary.

Here's a hint: number one is false. Surprised? Want to know why? Read the book. As for the rest...read the book. It won't kill you and you might even learn something.

ABOUT THE REVIEWER

About the Reviewer:

Marlan Warren is an L.A. journalist, novelist, playwright, screenwriter, blogger, and publicist with Roadmap Communications and Book Publicity by Marlan. She reviews for the Midwest Book Review and her blogs include “Roadmap Girl’s Book Buzz”  and “L.A. Now and Then.” Her press releases are published in Broadway World Book News and the BBC Record. She is the author of the novel, “Roadmaps for the Sexually Challenged: All’s Not Fair in Love or War” and the producer/writer of the acclaimed documentary, “Reunion." Marlan is now in production for the documentary “What Did You Do in the War, Mama?: Kochiyama’s Crusaders” based on her play “Bits of Paradise." 

Contact Reviewer: mailto:memoircity@gmail.com

ABOUT THE BLOGGER

Howard-Johnson is the author of fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry. She is also a marketing consultant, editor, and author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally Series of books for writers including the award-winning second editions of The Frugal Book Promoter  and The Frugal Editor. Her latest is in the series is  How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically. Learn more on her Amazon profile page, http://bit.ly/CarolynsAmznProfile. 

Great Little Last Minute Editing Tips for Writers is one of her booklets--perfect for inexpensive gift giving--and, another booklet, The Great First Impression Book Proposal helps writers who want to be traditionally published. She has three FRUGAL books for retailers including one she encourages authors to read because it will help them convince retailers to host their workshops, presentations, and signings. It is A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques. In addition to this blog, she helps writers extend the exposure of their favorite reviews at TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com. She also blogs at all things editing--grammar, formatting and more--at The Frugal, Smart, and Tuned-In Editor (http://TheFrugalEditor.blogspot.com )Her SharingwithWriters.blogspot.com blog focuses on the writing life and book marketing and promotion. It is a Writers' Digest 101 Best blogs pick.

Graduation Grammar: Alumn, Cum Laude, Ermeritus - - - And More

June is upon us. Greeting card racks remind us that graduation is here. But knowing the niceties of acceptable academic language is a skill that editors need year round.  Ahem!  I won't hurt the rest of us to bone up on it--and maybe retain it for the next cap-and-gown season.

Graduation Grammar: Alumn, Cum Laude, Emeritus … And More

Guestpost by Kathleen A. Watson, M.S. 

Spring brings graduations, along with confusion about use and misuse of related terms. Let’s clear up a few.

Do you say: “Seth graduated Harvard University last week.”

What about: “Becca will graduate Clemmons High School in May.”

Neither is correct. Why?

Because Seth is not graduating Harvard; he is not causing Harvard to graduate.

Nor is Becca graduating the school named Clemmons. Harvard University and Clemmons High School are conferring graduation status by awarding a degree to Seth and a diploma to Becca.

The correct way to express these accomplishments is:

Seth is graduating from Harvard University.

Beth is graduating from Clemmons High School.

Graduating with honor

There are three levels of graduating with honor (cum pronounced koom; laude pronounced loudy):

• Cum laude: Graduating with honor (grade point average of 3.5–3.7)
• Magna cum laude: Graduating with great honor (grade point average 3.8–3.9)
• Summa cum laude: Graduating with highest praise (grade point average of 4.0+)

Post graduation

Moving on, once Seth graduates, he will become a Harvard alumnus.

When Becca graduates, she will become a Clemmons alumna.

• Alumnus refers to one male graduate.
• Alumna refers to one female graduate.
• Alumni is the plural of alumnus, but it also can refer to a group of mixed-gender graduates.
• Alumnae is the plural of alumna, referring to a group of female graduates.
• A shortcut and easy way to avoid errors when using these Latin terms is to use alum for a graduate of any gender and alums for any group of graduates. However, I recommend using these generic terms only in informal contexts.

Post retirement

• A retired university professor is referred to as a professor emeritus.
• A retired female university professor often is referred to as a professor emerita.

However, not every retired professor is granted this honorific; the educational institution from which a professor retires decides to whom it grants this honor.

Nor does everyone agree that it is necessary to distinguish a male from a female when it comes to retirees from academia. Professor is a gender-neutral term, so some claim that emeritus is appropriate for any gender.

Note: Emeritus designation can be applied to other retired dignitaries such as a pastor, bishop, pope, director, president, prime minister and others.

As it does with other titles, Associated Press style suggests using capital letters for those that precede a name and using lowercase for those that follow a name:

• Harvard University Professor Emeritus Seth Simon will address our group on Tuesday.
• Seth Simon, professor emeritus of Harvard University, will address our group on Tuesday.

If your organization has a style guide, check it for recommendations. Gender designations are changing, and there might be updated ways to use these steeped-in-tradition Latin terms.

Honor & Respect: The Official Guide to Names, Titles, & Forms of Address will tell you everything you want to know about how to properly address those in society with titles. Author Robert Hickey has for decades been teaching at The Protocol School of Washington.

If you’re graduating this spring, sincere congratulations! If you’re attending a graduation, best wishes to you and yours. I’m sure your support has been vital to the success of your friend or family member.

And please don’t say or write that a graduate “received” a degree. Honor the accomplishment with the appropriate verb: Graduates “earn” a degree. 

ABOUT THE GUEST BLOGGER

Kathy has a love/hate relationship with grammar; she loves words and the punctuation that helps them make sense, yet she hates those pesky rules. A self-proclaimed ruthless editor, she blogs weekly. Her easy-to-use Grammar for People Who Hate Rules helps people write and speak with authority and confidence. She encourages and welcomes questions and comments: Kathy@RuthlessEditor.com

Kathleen A. Watson, M.S. 

Author: Grammar for People Who Hate Rules

NOW AVAILABLE ON Amazon

For FREE twice-monthly Killer Tips from The Ruthless Editor, 

send request to: Contact@RuthlessEditor.com

www.RuthlessEditor.com  | www.RuthlessEditor.com/blog | LinkedIn  

 MORE ABOUT THE BLOGGER

 Carolyn Howard-Johnson is the author of fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry. She is also a The Frugal Book Promoter and The Frugal Editor. Her latest is in the series is  How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically. Learn more on her Amazon profile page, http://bit.ly/CarolynsAmznProfile . Great Little Last Minute Editing Tips for Writers is one of her booklets--perfect for inexpensive gift giving--and The Great First Impression Book Proposal, another booklet, helps writers who want to be traditionally published. She has three FRUGAL books for retailers including one she encourages authors to read because it will help them convince retailers to host their workshops, presentations, and signings. It is A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques. She helps writers extend the exposure of their favorite reviews at TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com. She also blogs at all things editing--grammar, formatting and more--at The Frugal, Smart,and Tuned-In Editor (http://TheFrugalEditor.blogspot.com). Her SharingwithWriters.blogspot.com blog focuses on the writing life and book marketing and promotion. It is a Writers' Digest 101 Best blogs pick. Carolyn is also
marketing consultant, editor, and author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally Series of books for writers including the award-winningest book in the series,  The Frugal Editor.t 101 Best blogs pick.

Time Magazine Reports New "Rule" on Spit and Image

It's been a while. Just couldn't resist popping in to tell you, there's one thing you don't need to worry about these days. Or is there?

Editors have always needed to be on the lookout for the corruption of the true form of “spit and image.” It comes “from the notion of God’s using spit and dust to form the clay to make Adam in his image.” Garner’s says it’s now OK now to use the incorrect form, “spitting image.” 

I think that’s foolish in this digital world where everyone is an editor (and an expert) and only too eager to dis something as “incorrect” with no leeway for style choices. And when your career could be affected by the judgment a gatekeeper like an agent or publisher makes about what they consider your lack of interest in the written word.

But even those who choose to write on the side of caution, the exception for "spit and image" might be its use in dialogue when people tend to talk the way they always have--regardless of what reference books say. After all, the way characters use words tells something about their—well, character. For more on dialogue, I suggest Tom Chiarella's book published by Writer's Digest.  

ABOUT THE EDITOR AND BLOGGER

 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. (-:

Bet Your English Teacher Never Taught You This About Sentences

I love welcoming guest bloggers. Most writers do a bit of everything and today's guest is one of those writers. She heads up book fairs. She edits. She helps writers with their marketing. She writes short stories and makes sure they get read by publishing on Kindle. And--as you can see--she shares her knowledge with fellow writers. And, quite honestly, after many graduate level courses in grammar, I never thought to look at sentences quite this way. 

Sentences: It’s All in the Presentation

by

Valerie Allen

There are several types of sentences and each conveys information to the reader in a different way. Varying the type of sentences in your manuscript will help the reader stay focused and add interest.

Here are four different types of sentences and their uses.

Controlling sentences: name and control the topic.

The prison was damp and cold in the winter. It was humid and hot in the summer.

Clarifying sentences: help make the topic clearer.

Inmate comfort was not a top priority with the warden. It was no secret a high percent of his annual bonus was, in part, based on reduction in the cost of running the facility. Discussion of the utility bills took up a major portion of his weekly staff meetings.

Completing sentences: add specific details.

There was no air conditioning at the Cadejama Prison in Death Valley. The cells had no windows to open in the spring to take away the humidity, nor in the summer to relieve the oppressive heat. In winter the inside temperature never exceeded 40 degrees. The only attempt at climate control for the inmates came in December, with the issue of one thin well-used blanket.

Period Sentence: delays the most important thought and deliberately withholds it from the reader to create a special climax.

Confined in her cell day after day, she began to go mad.

The first three types of sentences are cumulative. They begin with the main clause and continue with details. The period sentence is more powerful because it offers known information at the start of the sentence and saves the unknown detail for the end.

The way we arrange words in a sentence brings our story to life, adds interest, and makes a significant impression on the reader. Sentence structure can make a good story great.

=====================================================================

MORE ABOUT TODAY'S GUEST BLOGGER

Valerie Allen, author, playwright, and speaker, writes fiction, non-fiction, short stories, plays, and children's books. She is a popular speaker at writer's conferences, libraries, and community events using her book: Write, Publish, Sell! Quick, Easy, Inexpensive Ideas for the Marketing Challenged 2^nd Edition.

She is a co-founder of Authors for Authors, which supports new and experienced authors with book fairs, book launches, book displays, and writing seminars. Authors from across the US have had their books displayed at two Florida book fairs held in March and November sponsored by AuthorsforAuthors.com.

Valerie Allen can be contacted via FB, Twitter, Google+ and at VAllenWriter@gmail.com or ValerieAllenWriter.com

~ Valerie Allen ~

VAllenWriter@cs.com                                          ValerieAllenWriter.com

Facebook.com/Valerie.Allen.520

Amazon.com/Author/ValerieAllen

 

 

 Beyond the Inkblots: Confusion to Harmony

Write Publish Sell!

Summer School for Smarties

Bad Hair, Good Hat, New Friends

The Prodigal Son

Amazing Grace

Sins of the Father

Suffer the Little Children

'Tis Herself: Short Story Collection, Vol 1

 

-----
 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. (-: