On Words: Writing Tips

Writing Tip 20: “When Grammar Nazis Speak Latin”

People confuse “i.e.” and “e.g.” all the time, often not knowing that there’s a difference. Breaking it down Julius Caesar style, “i.e” is short for “id est” or roughly “that is”; “e.g.” is short for “exempli gratia” or “for example.”

So when you’re trying to be at your writerly best (i.e., showing off your grammarian know-how), make sure you don’t incur the wrath of those who know the difference (e.g., grammar nazis, disgruntled Latin teachers, or anyone going by the name of Brutus).

Writing Tip 19: (a.k.a. “Passed Perfect – or Not”)

Past vs. Passed Confusing “past” and “passed” is a funny thing. Perhaps people type too quickly. Perhaps, there’s a bigger confusion to address.

Yes, “past” and “passed” are homonyms, two words that sound the same, but that doesn’t mean they are synonyms, two words that mean the same thing. Remember:

“Past” usually refers to time, and
“Passed” is the past tense (tricky, eh?) of “pass.”

World, I’m tired of shaking my heads at you on this one. Edit yourself carefully!

Writing Tip 18: (“Threw v. Through v. Thru” or “Clarity to Fast Food Defenestration”)

It has come to our attention that “Thru” has slipped into the business world. Repeatedly. We know we aren’t the only ones cringing. Remember, “through” is a preposition; “threw” is a verb, the past tense of “throw.” Yes, “thru” seems ubiquitous from fast food chains to major news network twitter feeds (twitch, wince… deep breath), but this is an abbreviation that simply is not appropriate for the workplace.

To help you remember these differences, let’s think about a fast food chain employee exasperated by customers’ bad grammar. One day, he was so annoyed, he threw (verb) food through (preposition) the drive-thru (annoying abbreviation) window. See the variance? And don’t you love that a word like “defenestration” exists?

Writing Tip # 18.1: Defenestration – The act of throwing something through a window.

Writing Tip 17: (Capital vs. Capitol)

Let’s talk about the difference between capital and capitol. It’s not just a typo, though many non-Americans might assume it’s just that. “Capitol” with an “o” refers to the government building in Washington DC or to the building or buildings of a state government. “Capital” with an “a” is every other definition of the word.

Example: I am thankful for those who invested the capital (money) in the capital (excellent) Capital Ale House Richmond (name of the restaurant) near the Capitol (building) in the capital (home of state government) of Virginia.

Got it?

Writing Tip 16: “Its” vs. “It’s” (vs. “Its'”?)

In regards to or in regard to This one is simple:

” Its’ ” is not a word.
“It’s” is a word, a contraction of “it is.”
“Its” is a word, a possessive pronoun.

Your apostrophe placement (or lack thereof) is important, folks!

That is all.

Writing Tip 15: (a.k.a. “Wary/Weary of Dennis Leary?”)

Remember “wary” means to be cautious; “weary” means to be tired. To nicely confuse things, “leery” (often misspelled “leary”) rhymes with “weary” but is actually a close synonym of “wary.”

Ah, the English language…

Writing Tip 14: (a.k.a. “Keeping up with the Joneseses”)

Apostrophes don't make a family name plural — How many times have you seen this mistake?

No matter how many times you see it monogrammed on invitations, cute beach bags, and graceful signage by the front door, apostrophes never make a family name plural. Never. Retailers sometimes seem convinced of the opposite on this one, but it isn’t true.

Apostrophes should only be used to indicate possession or a contraction. Don’t be one of the many who use them incorrectly, referring to a family as the Jones’ or similar. Add ‘s’ or ‘es’ to refer to a family group, never an apostrophe.

Example 1: Happy New Year from the Smith’s! (Incorrect. Unless this is from the Smith’s dog or pet chinchilla, “Smiths” is the proper form)

Example 2: Happy Nothing Day from the Smiths! (Correct. And who knew there was such a thing as Nothing Day every January 16th?)

Happy Writing!

Writing Tip 13: “Definitely” vs. “Defiantly” (a.k.a. “The Radically Opinionated”)

Man with Pen2-small One of my favorite typos of all time is when people write “defiantly” instead of “definitely.” This may be a spell check auto-correct mistake, but it gives me a laugh every time. Avoid laughing editors. Check yourself on this one.

Example 1: I definitely agree. (agreeing passionately)
Example 2: I defiantly agree. (agreeing with a tri-cornered hat on; Huzzah!)

Writing Tip 12: Overdoing the Ellipsis

Overdoing ellipses You know… I think… we all are using ellipses way too much these days… There’s a diet I can get behind.

Did you know that “…” is called an ellipsis? Did you know that, technically, when you’re removing a few words from a sentence, you should use three periods, and if you’re omitting a full sentence or more from a quotation, you should use four? Or maybe, that’s just for the academics…

My note for you: Keep your ellipses to a minimum. It’s fine for personal correspondence, but don’t… overdo it. (Sorry, I couldn’t resist.)

Writing Tip 11: (a.k.a. “Santa Anxiety”)

“Anxious” is not a synonym of “excited.” People often misuse “anxious” in this way, but the true definition has a more negative connotation. When you are slightly nervous about something coming soon, you are anxious.

Example 1: Lulu was anxious about Santa Claus’s arrival on Christmas. (i.e. Lulu wasn’t looking forward to it.)

Example 2: Lulu was excited about Santa Claus’s arrival on Christmas. (i.e. Lulu was looking forward to it.)