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On Words: Writing Tips

Writing Tip 10: “Nauseous” vs. “Nauseated”

It’s not just at Christmas time that people often confuse “nauseous” vs. “nauseated,” but for some reason, it seems to come up during the holidays a lot.

Here’s a quick reminder:

  • If you feel ill, you are “nauseated.”
  • If you make the people around you feel sick, you are “nauseous.”

Boris Karloff famously sings, “You nauseate me, Mr. Grinch.” This is the correct form of the word. He doesn’t say, “You make me nauseous.”

Nauseous is usually reserved for things that affect other people. Fumes are nauseous. That dish your Aunt Sally always brings to Christmas dinner is nauseous. Okay, maybe some people and grinches are too, but most of the time, “nauseated” is the word you’re looking for when describing how gross you feel if you ate too much roast beast.

Too much eggnog makes me…

Do you know the right word?

Nauseated.

Maybe when people are feeling a bit sick, we can allow for their word choice to be less than perfect, but this seems to be a case of not knowing the difference.

But now you know. Be careful with your holiday spirits and your word choice, folks.

 

Writing Tip 9: The Comma Wars

Do you put a comma before “and” in a list? Should you? Can you finally correct your persistent coworker/friend/spouse once and for all?

Writing realizationsSadly, no. They’re both correct.

Here’s the difference: The Oxford comma (as in “Dancer, Prancer, and Vixen”) is used by the Oxford University Press and is recommended in the Chicago Manual of Style. Academia and most traditionally published books follow this rule, always inserting a comma before “and” in a list of 3 or more for the sake of clarity. The Associated Press, however, recommends ditching this comma for the sake of space (as in “Dancer, Prancer and Vixen”) only using it when necessary for clarity’s sake (as in “grilled cheese, peanut butter and jelly, and turkey sandwiches”). Following this guideline, newspapers, advertisers, and some websites often skip the Oxford comma.

Deciding when to use it and when not to seems silly to me, so I use the Oxford comma in most situations (see the previous sentence). But really, as long as a writer is consistent in his or her choice, either form is correct.

Questions? Let me know!

Writing Tip 8: The Most Unique Snowflake

Something is either unique or it isn’t. Degrees of uniqueness are illogical.

Example 1: It was the most unique snowflake of Christmas morning. (incorrect – what makes it more unique than other unique snowflakes?)
Example 2: A unique snowflake fell upon the fur of a bouncing bumble. (correct)

Writing Tip 7: Would of, Could of, Should of

While we’re often sloppy in speech, remember that the correct form of these phrases is “would have,” “could have,” and “should have.” Non-standard usage in conversation is fine; in writing, it just makes you look silly.

Example 1: All I should of eaten is one slice of pumpkin pie. (incorrect)
Example 2: If I stopped at one slice, my pants would have still fit. (correct)

Happy belated Thanksgiving from the K. S. Writing team!

Writing Tip 6: “Fewer” vs. “Less”

Fewer vs Less
She just needed a few ingredients. Now, which aisle does she need? 10 items or…

From grocery store check-outs to live election-coverage, one mistake is made over and over again. I’m talking the number of items in your cart and vote counts. Oh yes, I’m going there. Social faux-pas be damned.

This is important. Let’s talk about the difference between “less” and “fewer.”

  • “Less” is properly used in a comparison when the different amounts in question are not countable (e.g., less happy, less powerful, less rice, less sand on the beach).
  • “Fewer” is properly used in a comparison when the different amounts are countable (e.g., fewer votes, fewer people, fewer apples, fewer boxes of cereal).

All those “10 items or less” lines? They’re all grammatically incorrect. I applaud the rare stores using “10 items or fewer.”

All those declarations of candidates winning less votes? I just don’t know what to believe when a news outlet’s grammar is questionable.
These are the subtleties that sometimes are never taught, but now you know. It’s time to get it right.

Writing Tip 5: Brains, It’s What’s For (Zombie) Dinner… or Is It?

“Brain,” singular, refers to the organ central to the nervous system. “Brains,” plural, refers to either many of the aforementioned organs or a general sense of intelligence.

Example 1: (a zombie picks a lock) “That zombie’s got brains.”
Example 2: (a zombie attacks) “That zombie’s got brains!”

Writing Tip 3: Why Bob Dylan & Snow Patrol Aren’t Grammarians; Why Sophie B. Hawkins & Bon Jovi Are

lay-lie guitarDo you know the difference between “lay” and “lie”?

“Lay” always needs an object. In other words, what is being set down is not the subject of the sentence. I lie down (correct – the subject is reclining); I lay the book/the baby/the remote down (correct – the object is being set down).

Ergo:
Bob Dylan’s “Lay, Lady, Lay…” (no object) should be “Lie, Lady, Lie/ lie across my big brass bed…”
Snow Patrol’s chorus “If I just lay here/if I just lay here…” (no object) should be “If I just lie here.”

Sophie B. Hawkins’s “As I Lay Me Down to Sleep” (object: me) is correct.
Bon Jovi’s “Lay Your Hands On Me” (object: your hands) is correct.

Writing Tip 2: “Than vs. Then”

In regards to or in regard toDo you often confuse “than” with “then”? Remember, “than” is used in comparison; “then” is used to show passage of time.

Example: He knew his grammar was better than his friends’. He often saw flawed Facebook posts, then added names to his running list of offenders.

(Whether this is building up to a grammarian horror flick or a mental breakdown amid bleeding red pens, I don’t know.)

Writing Tip 1: “Farther” vs. “Further”

Man with Pen2-smallDo you know the difference between “further” and “farther”? Only use “farther” when talking about measurable distance.

Example 1: Why go farther, when you have a great writing conference right here in Richmond? (Ahem, James River Writers Conference plug.)

Example 2: Take your writing abilities further by attending.