| Back
to Index
Simple Writing Tips You
May Be Forgetting
By Gary Speer
There are some quick, simple rules
of spelling and word usage everyone learned and few were allowed
to forget when I was a kid. Somehow, I think those rules are now
missing in action these days.
I mean simple rules such as this
spelling ditty: "Use "i"
before "e," except after "c" and when sounding
as "ei" as in "neighbor"
and "weigh." That became a very practical way to get
it right with one very troublesome vowel combo most of the time.
A simple usage type rule was this:
"It's" is the contraction for "it is." "Its"
is the possessive meaning "belonging to it."
I'm not sure,
but nowadays I fear most people are never taught such simple,
basic ideas about the English language. Or if they are so taught,
they're too busy watching the latest "reality" TV show
or cheering on their favorite non-talent singer in the American
You-Know-What competition.
Grumble, grumble,
grumble.
I admit learning
to use the English language and to do it well is a daunting task.
But I work at a "day job" where adult men and women
are hired for their ability at "communications skills"
-- and many of them misspell "recieve"
and misuse "it's/its" in
their
business letters every day.
Please, my friends,
make an effort to get it right. I'm reminded of a saying attributed
to both President Harry Truman and Mark Twain: "Always do
right. It will please many people and astonish the rest."
A few simple grammar rules, easy
ways to remember spelling tricks and usage tips, can go a long
way toward "doing right" with the language.
About the author:
Gary Speer, former newspaper
copy editor and news editor for a major Christian denominational
publication, is a freelance writer and marketer who focuses on
writing tips and online marketing. Gary offers writing tips at
Writing Tips at garyspeer.com. He also owns
a number of affiliate marketing sites, such as Expect
a Bargain Online Shopping.
|