Monday, November 16, 2009

Kerrilynn M's Quick Grammar Guide

Writing is a large part of most careers, and grammar mistakes bring many people down. There is nothing more unprofessional then making grammatical errors in a formal report. It is very possible that one may only need a quick review on the most common errors made in writing.

  • Homonyms: It is common to confuse homonyms such as, your and you’re, to, two and too as well as, they’re, their and there. Making errors with homonyms is a large issue in writing. Feel free to look at the youtube videos posted to get a better feel for the differences in homonyms.
  • Commas: Make sure commas are put in the correct spots. Commas need to be places after introductions, and conjunctions. They are also used when listing in a sentence. An easy way to remember where to use commas is to read aloud, and if there is a natural pause in speech then there is most likely a comma there. For more information on using commas, visit the owl at purdue website
    http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/607/02/.
  • Apostrophes: There are different ways to use apostrophes. One way is for possession, for example, Kerrilynn’s blog. If a name ends with an S, it is not necessary to add another S, but most writers add it. If the possession is plural, then the second S is not added. For example, the class’ blog. Apostrophes are used with conjunctions also and should be placed where the letter was removed. For more help with apostrophes visit http://www.grammarbook.com/punctuation/apostro.asp.
  • Spelling: Spelling in general is a large issue. I have one easy fix for this problem: spell check! It is extremely important to use this feature. Be careful however, when using spell check pay close attention to the words it is fixing because it may change something, a name for example, that you do not want changed.

Proof reading and spell check will help all writers catch their mistakes. A lot of writers read their writing out loud because it is easier to hear the errors that way. Word processors provide so many tools to help avoid these issues, it is important to use them.









Resources:

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/607/02/

http://www.grammarbook.com/punctuation/apostro.asp

5 comments:

  1. Good use of visuals in your post. One problem, for me at least, your videos are displaying as too wide for the blog space and are running off the center area. Other than that though, it looks good and the videos are very informative. I'll have to see if others see the same formatting issue with the videos or if it is just me.

    In fact, the videos helped me use your and too correctly in this comment.

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  2. I thought this was a good blog and offered good information. The only suggestion I can offer, though, is to be sure you are using the rules you are writing about! Some of your comma usage was not correct, and in one place, you used then instead of than. Other than that, I thought you did a great job!

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  3. The videos from youtube are very informative and easy to the eye. I do not think many people like to read articles, but would rather watch these videos.

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  4. Great advice! We can all use these tips to improve our grammar. I especially liked your tip on checking the spell checker to be sure that it does not change a word that you did not want changed. This has happened to me quite a few times. One suggestion I have for your post is to use fewer videos. I liked the videos you used in your blog, but I think one or two is enough. Three videos might be a little overwhelming to your reader. Overall, you post was great. I look forward to reading your next one!

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