Showing posts with label Crystal Clear Proofing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Crystal Clear Proofing. Show all posts

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Vocabulary


Weird Word

Increase your vocabulary with not-very-common and/or not-frequently-used words.




Today's Weird Word is: noologist, and its pronunciation is: noo la jest.

Noologist is a noun meaning: the study of the human mind.


Who better to write a book about the mind than a noologist.




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Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Janus Words


Janus words are words with two opposite meanings. Such words are named after the Roman god Janus who has two faces that look in opposite directions.


Examples of Janus words are:

"sanction," which means approved by an authority, and otherwise condemned;
"cleave," which can mean to cling to or to separate;
"screen," which can mean to review or display or to hide or shield from view, and
"trim," which can mean to remove things or add things.




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Source: Grammar Girl

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Trusting Your Eyes

Mnay of you hvae sene tihs tpye of pargarpah bfeore. The etnrie piont is taht it deosn’t mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be at the rghit pclae. And I'm nto eevn srue abuot taht! The rset can be a total mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit too mcuh porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Amzanig huh?

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Since we're able to read the above paragraph, it provides an excellent example of just how easy it is to miss errors. It's important to be consciously aware of what you're doing when going over your work; don't rely solely on your eyes!



Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Punctuation Used for Emphasis

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Italics, Capitals, and Quotation Marks For Emphasis

Good writers choose commanding words in their sentences and only use italics, capitals, and quotation marks when required by punctuation rules. Don't overuse these forms of punctuation or your writing will lose its force.

Italics for Emphasis

Examples:

Employees must notify the HR office in writing of any absence.

Will I ever finish this chapter?

I only tried to help!


Capitals For Emphasis


Examples:

Manuscripts sent without self-addressed, stamped envelopes WILL BE RETURNED UNREAD.

Scalpers mingled in the noisy crowd yelling, "TICKETS, SIXTY DOLLARS!"


Quotation Marks Used For Emphasis (in a skeptical or sarcastic way):


Example:

Bob's regular Friday night "volunteer work" turned out to be a poker game.


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Source: Grammar Done Right!

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Thoroughness Challenge


The Thoroughness Challenge is a post consisting of paragraphs that contain spelling and/or grammatical errors. The paragraphs with the errors corrected and highlighted in red can be found at the end of the post.

Note: The purpose of the Challenge is thoroughness. You're only looking for errors in spelling and/or grammar. Names and places will NOT be misspelled, nor will there by any changes to punctuation or sentence structure. In addition, if there is a word that may have more than one accepted spelling, those also will not be changed.


Today's Challenge is on the history of naming hurricanes, and contains 13 errors. Good Luck!

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For several hundred years, hurricanes in the West Indies were often named after the particular saint’s day on which the hurricane ocurred. For example "Hurricane San Felipe" struck Puerto Rico on September 13, 1876. Another storm struck Puerto Rico on the same day in 1928, and this storm was named "Hurricane San Felipe the second." Later, lattitude-longitude positions were used. However, experience has shown that using distinctive names in communications is quicker and less subject to error than the cumbersom lattitude- longitude identification methods.

Using womens' names became the practice during World War II, following the use of a women’s name for a storm in the 1941 novel "Storm," by George R. Stewart. In 1951 the United States adopted a confusing plan to name storms by a phonectic alphebet (Able, Baker, Charlie), and in 1953 the nation’s weather services returned to using female names. The practice of using female names exclusively ended in 1978 when names from both genders were used to designate storms in the eastern Pacific. A year later, male and female names were included in lists for the Atlantic and Golf of Mexico. The name lists, which have been agreed upon at international meetings of the World Meteorlogical Organzation, have a French, Spanish, Dutch, and English flavor because hurricanes effect other nations and are tracked by the public and weather services of many countries.

The Tropical Prediction Centre in Miami, FL keeps a constent watch on oceanic storm-breading grounds. Once a system with counterclockwise circulation and wind speeds of 39 mph or greater is identfied, the Center gives the storm a name from the list for the current year. The letters Q, U, X, Y, and Z are not included because of the scarsity of names beginning with those letters. Names associated with storms that have caused signifcant death and/or damage are usually retired from the list.


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Now, let's see how thorough you are!

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For several hundred years, hurricanes in the West Indies were often named after the particular saint’s day on which the hurricane occurred. For example "Hurricane San Felipe" struck Puerto Rico on 13 September 1876. Another storm struck Puerto Rico on the same day in 1928, and this storm was named "Hurricane San Felipe the second." Later, latitude-longitude positions were used. However, experience has shown that using distinctive names in communications is quicker and less subject to error than the cumbersome latitude-longitude identification methods.

Using women’s names became the practice during World War II, following the use of a woman’s name for a storm in the 1941 novel "Storm," by George R. Stewart. In 1951 the United States adopted a confusing plan to name storms by a phonetic alphabet (Able, Baker, Charlie), and in 1953 the nation’s weather services returned to using female names. The practice of using female names exclusively ended in 1978 when names from both genders were used to designate storms in the eastern Pacific. A year later, male and female names were included in lists for the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico. The name lists, which have been agreed upon at international meetings of the World Meteorological Organization, have a French, Spanish, Dutch, and English flavor because hurricanes affect other nations and are tracked by the public and weather services of many countries.

The Tropical Prediction Center in Miami, FL keeps a constant watch on oceanic storm-breeding grounds. Once a system with counterclockwise circulation and wind speeds of 39 mph or greater is identified, the Center gives the storm a name from the list for the current year. The letters Q, U, X, Y, and Z are not included because of the scarcity of names beginning with those letters. Names associated with storms that have caused significant death and/or damage are usually retired from the list.


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Source: National Hurricane Center



Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Objective Pronouns

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Objective pronouns are used as the objects in sentences. You would say, for instance:

Jennifer came to see her last night.
For the twins' birthday, Amy gave them several new toys.

As with compound subjects, problems arise when there are compound objects. People sometimes write or say sentences like this:

The argument arose last night between Carla and she.
Please buy a raffle ticket from Nancy or I.

Each pronoun is used incorrectly in these sentences. The pronouns used as subjects here should all be in the objective case: me, you, him, her, it, us and them. So, the sentences should read:

The argument arose last night between Carla and her.
Please buy a raffle ticket from Nancy or me.

You can use the same trick that you used for the subjective pronoun problem, but substitute the objective form; that is, write or say the sentence with only one object. You'd never say:

The argument arose last night between she.
Please buy a raffle ticket from I.

Since those pronouns sound wrong when they're by themselves, you know that they're the wrong case. Change the pronouns to the ones you'd normally say when there is only one object.

So why were you and it on the lists of both subjective and objective pronouns? Because, unlike other pronouns on the lists (I and me, for example), English uses the same form for those two words.

It was nice to get a surprise in the mail. (It used as a subject.)
I got it in the mail. (It is used as an object.)
You called me a four o'clock? (You is used as a subject.)
I called you back at five o'clock. (You is used as an object.)

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Source: The Only Grammar Book You'll Ever Need

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Fun Facts

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It's been a while since I've posted 'Fun Facts.' Today felt like a good day for a little break – maybe learn a few FUN FACTS, maybe find something to use in your current or a future WIP – Enjoy!



First pick in the first NFL draft was Jay Berwanger in 1936. He never played - he became a writer.

The year on a bottle of wine refers to when the grapes were picked, not when the wine was bottled.

It's not an old wives' tale! A fruitcake, properly prepared and stored, will last for 25 years.

At its thickest point, the ice in Antarctica is 15,700 feet thick.

At -90ยบ F, your breath will freeze in mid-air - and drop to the ground.

Author Anne Rice's real name is Howard O'Brien. She was named after her father.

Adding up all the times you blink in a day, your eyes are closed for a total of thirty minutes.

Tapeworms can grow to be 75 feet long in humans.

It takes 23 seconds for blood to make a complete circuit of the human body.

Dogs have about 10 vocal cords, cats have over 100.

A snail can sleep for three years.

Washington State has the longest single beach in the United States – Long Beach, WA.


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Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Subjective Pronouns

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Subjective pronouns are used as the subjects of sentences (whom or what you're talking about).

Examples:

I am going to leave for my appointment.
She is late already.
They will never make it on time.

A problem occasionally arises when subjects are compound. You might read, for instance:

His brothers and him are going to the ball game.
Margaret, Elizabeth, and me were at the mall for four hours yesterday.
Me and her see eye-to-eye on lots of things.

These pronouns are used incorrectly. Because the pronouns are used as subjects of the sentence, they should all be in the subjective case: I, you, he, she, it, we, or they. So, the sentences should read:

His brothers and he are going to the ball game.
Margaret, Elizabeth, and I were at the mall for four hours yesterday.
I and she see eye-to-eye on lots of things.
(It's considered polite to put the other person first, so it's better to word this sentence like this: She and I see eye-to-eye on lots of things.)

If you're not sure if you've used the right pronoun, try writing or saying the sentence with only one subject. You'd never say:

Him is going to the ball game.
or
Me was at the mall for four hours yesterday.

Change the pronouns to the ones you'd normally use when there's just one subject (he and I).


Smile and Spread Some HAPPY!

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Source: The Only Grammar Book You'll Ever Need

Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Spelling Challenge

Misspellings
It's time for a Spelling Challenge! Grab a cup of java, a sticky note and pen, and write down the correct spelling for the ten words below!

NO PEEKING!
Peek


1. afficionado
2. ocassion
3. rememberance
4. inadvertant
5. priviledge
6. carbeurator
7. dumbell
8. liquify
9. misogny
10. desicate


If you spell all ten words correctly, you get the beautiful sparkling gold glitter star! Good Luck!

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ANSWERS:

1. aficionado
2. occasion
3. remembrance
4. inadvertent
5. privilege
6. carburetor
7. dumbbell
8. liquefy
9. misogyny
10. desiccate


Whether or not you got your star, everyone gets this spray of PURPLE glitter stars for your efforts!
Have a HAPPY day!

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Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Conjunctions

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A conjunction joins words, phrases, clauses, or sentences. I think we all know the most common conjunctions and when to use them; and, but, for, or, yet, and so. But here are two conjunctions that always confuse people.

When should you use or and when should you use nor?

Don't let these guys trick you. Remember this simple rule and you'll never be confused again.

When using the word either, us or. They both start with vowels. When using the word neither, use nor. They both start with "n."

Examples:


We had to decide if we were going to either the movies or to dinner.
My boss had neither the time nor the patience to listen to Bill's complaining.


Beginning a Sentence with a Conjunction


Just as there is widespread belief that you should not end a sentence with a preposition, there is also no historical or grammatical foundation that you should not begin a sentence with a coordinating conjunction.

A coordinating conjunction you'll remember is for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so. Once again, I could find no substantial evidence that beginning a sentence with a conjunction is an error and is mainly taught to avoid writing fragmented sentences.

If you decide to begin a sentence with a coordinating conjunction, keep these points in mind:

– Be sure that a main clause follows the coordinating conjunction.

– Use a coordinating conjunction only when it makes the flow of your ideas more effective.

– Do not use a comma after the coordinating conjunction. Coordinating conjunctions are not considered transitional expressions like in addition and for instance.

But used as an adversative conjunction can sometimes be unclear at the beginning of a sentence. You'll need to evaluate whether the but in question contradicts the preceding statement and see whether and is really the word you want. If and can be substituted, then but is almost certainly the wrong word.

Examples:

He went to work this morning. But he left his briefcase at home.

Between those sentences is an indirect idea, since the two actions are in no way contradictory. What is implied is something like this:

He went to work, intending to give a presentation, but he left his briefcase behind.


Because and would have made sense in the original statement, but is not the right word.

Correct: He went to work this morning. And he left his briefcase at home.

Of course there are other options for structuring this sentence; however this post being about conjunctions, the example uses only conjunctions.


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Source: Grammar Done Right!

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Vocabulary

Good Morning Friends! Oh how exciting it is to be back in the Blogosphere!

I want to thank everyone for your well wishes and also for the birthday wishes. It was a happy day! Of course I had to share that outrageously expensive diamond and amethyst tiara with you!

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So after recovery and birthday fun and a lot of other stuff thrown in during my absence, this is a super HAPPY day, to be returning to all of my blogging buddies! I sure have missed you!


Okay, now on to business! I thought I'd start with a light post and give you a Weird Word today. CCP will be posting every Wednesday, alternating the infamous tutorials with the Weird Word and the Spelling and Thoroughness Challenges.

Weird Word

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Increase your vocabulary with not-very-common and/or not-frequently-used words.



Today's Weird Word is: mentimutation, and its pronunciation is: mentih-mu-ta-shun.

Mentimutation is a noun meaning: change of mind.

His mentimutation was a result of hours of pondering the facts.



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Source: Luciferous Logolepsy



Thursday, March 11, 2010

Clauses

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Let's find out more about the fun world of sentences, specifically, clauses. If writing is your passion, then having a solid knowledge of what makes a sentence work and what doesn't will separate your writing from the rest.

Different Types of Clauses

Sentences may contain these different types of clauses:

Phrase

A phrase is a group of words that lacks a subject, a verb, or both. Phrases cannot stand alone; they add information to the sentence.

Examples:


to the store
in a hurry
past the window


Independent Clause

An independent clause is a group of words that consist of a subject and a verb but depends on another clause to complete the thought. A dependent clause begins with a connector (or subordinator): if, when, because, although, since, which, or that – and prevents the sentence from standing alone.

Examples:


because I was late
when they arrived
since we're here




Next week we'll take a look at what joins clauses—conjunctions. See you then!



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Source: Grammar Done Right!



Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Spelling Challenge

Misspellings
It's time for a Spelling Challenge! So, grab a sticky note and a pen and write down the correct spelling for the words below. Remember …

NO PEEKING!
Peek


1. guteral
2. septagenarian
3. tableau
4. fourty
5. cooly
6. preferrable
7. annoint
8. saavy
9. carberator
10. ingenous


If you spell all ten words correctly, you get the beautiful sparkling gold glitter star!

Good Luck!

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ANSWERS:

1. guttural
2. septuagenarian
3. tableau
4. forty
5. coolly
6. preferable
7. anoint
8. savvy
9. carburetor
10. ingenious


How did you do? It's been a while since I slipped in a word spelled correctly – did you catch it?

Whether or not you got the gold star, everyone gets this spray of PURPLE glitter stars, representing a little of the famous CCP HAPPY for your efforts!


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Have a HAPPY day!





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