Writing Tip : Does appearance really matter?

Does appearance really matter?

Summary

The way we present our writing is as important as what we say.

 
It's not just what you say, it's also how you present your writing that will determine how effective your message is. A professional appearance gives your writing credibility.
 
You might have written the best memo or report of your career, but if it contains spelling errors, punctuation mistakes and a poor layout, it's just not going to be as effective as it otherwise might.
 

After you're satisfied that the content of your document is top notch, run through the following checklist to ensure that its appearance is just as good. Check that you've used:

• correct spelling and grammar;
• correct punctuation;
• a readable font;
• readable line spacing and paragraph spacing; and
• neatly formatted tables and figures.

The first thing that people will notice about your writing is the way it looks. After all, they have no choice; they have to look at it, even briefly, before they can start reading it. You'll know from your own life, that it's a lot easier to start out with a good impression than to have to try to recover from a poor one.
 
First impressions count, so make a good one.

Writing Tip : Copyright confusion clarified!

Copyright confusion clarified! 

Summary

This article provides links to practical, easy-to-read information about copyright.

 
With the ease of copying information from the Internet, there is a lot of confusion (and misinformation) surrounding the notion of copyright. The following links provide easy-to-understand discussions of the subject.

• Brad Templeton has two very useful copyright articles on his web site. The first is a great introduction to the basics of copyright:
      http://www.templetons.com/brad/copyright.html
• The other is a great sequel that clears up some common misconceptions:
      http://www.templetons.com/brad/copymyths.html
• The U.S. Copyright Office's web site provides a thorough coverage of copyright issues:
      http://lcweb.loc.gov/copyright/

Writing Tip : Character spacing for fun and profit

Character spacing for fun and profit

Summary

This article explains how and why to use the character-spacing feature in Microsoft Word.

In this tip, we'll see how to adjust the spacing between the individual characters.
 
Why would you bother with this, though? Well look at the following text:

This paragraph has normal character spacing.

 
Notice the single word dangling alone on the last line? This looks unsightly and can be an inconvenience if you're trying to fit your text into a restricted space. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could just squash the words together a bit so that the text fit onto four lines instead of five?
 
Well in Microsoft Word we can do just this. Select the entire paragraph then select the Font... command from the Format menu. Press the Character Spacing tab, and you'll see this dialog:

From the Spacing pop-up menu select Condensed then use the arrows in the box to the right to enter a value of (say) 0.2. This will tighten up the spacing just enough to push that dangling word up onto the previous line, like so:

This paragraph has tightened character spacing.

 
Of course, you don’t have to tighten the spacing. You can loosen it up, instead, by selecting Expanded from the Spacing menu.

Adjusting the spacing between character in this way is sometimes called adjusting the tracking.

Writing Tip : Avoid excessive punctuation!!!

Avoid excessive punctuation!!! 

Summary

This article provides alternatives to the use of excessive punctuation.

Multiple exclamation marks or question marks are a clear sign of amateurish writing.

 
The following sentence seems unprofessional, and the triple punctuation is simply redundant:

 

That was really great!!!

 

Excessive use of exclamation marks and question marks also dilutes their effectiveness. Consider the following over-punctuated examples:

• "Oh, my God!!!", he exclaimed.
• Ring now for great bargains!!!
• "Are you sure???"

Restrict yourself to a single exclamation mark or question mark at a time. In the unlikely event that you need more emphasis, try adding initial capitals, italics or bold face. For example:

 

"Oh, my God!", he exclaimed.

Keep in mind that most business documents can (and should) be written without any exclamation marks.

Writing Tip : Are we losing the desire to write well?

Are we losing the desire to write well? 

Summary

We're all judged on the way we write, so it's important to write well.

British polling company ICM Research recently conducted a survey on behalf of MSN. They found that around two-thirds of the two thousand 18–24 year olds surveyed cared not at all about punctuation, spelling and grammar when composing e-mail.
 
This overly casual attitude to e-mail seems to be quite widespread — and not just among 18–24 year olds. Much of the e-mail I receive (from both friends and business colleagues) is poorly written. Now this may be defensible in personal correspondence, but sloppy writing has no place in business.
 
Remember, you're judged on the way you write.
In a face-to-face meeting, you'll be judged on your looks, height, clothing, perceived wealth, accent, social class and a whole host of other features. While we tell our children not to judge a book by its cover, the reality is that we do exactly that every day of our lives.
 
When reading a piece of correspondence from someone you haven't met face-to-face, though, none of these factors are present. You have only one thing with which to form an impression of them — their writing.
So, in this twenty-first century world of increasingly faceless communication, your writing is more important than ever. I'll say it again: you're judged on the way you write, so write well.

Writing Tip: "A historic" or "an historic"?

"A historic" or "an historic"?

Summary

A historic is more common in online writing, but both usages are sufficiently common to be considered correct.

A well known grammar rule says that we should use an before vowel sounds; for example, an accident, an item, an hour. We use a otherwise: a book, a hotel, a university.
 
Notice that we say an hour, not a hour. The choice of a or an is based upon the sound of the word, not the spelling. Hour sounds as if it starts with a vowel sound (ow); hence, we use an.
 
Following this rule, we would say a historic, not an historic because (for most speakers) historic doesn't start with a vowel sound.
 
Words of three or more syllables that start with h are treated differently by some speakers, though. (This may be because of the tendency of some regional accents to drop initial Hs.)

 

Here's another example. Which of these pairs of sentences sounds better to you?

• We can't agree on a hypothesis.
• We can't agree on an hypothesis.

A quick bit of Googling reveals that — as of December 2008 — the phrase a hypothesis is used on 2.22 million pages (80%), and an hypothesis on 538,000 pages (20%). Similarly, a historic gets 70% of the popular vote, and an historic only 30%.
 
There is a clear preference on the web in favour of a hypothesis and a historic. Even so, a significant minority uses the other form. This supports the view that both forms are widespread. Which form you use seems to be little more than a personal preference and perhaps a matter of accent.

In summary: A historic is more common in online writing, but both usages are sufficiently common to be considered correct.

Writing Tip : All about ellipsis (...)

All about ellipsis (...) 

Summary

This article explains the use of the elipsis punctuation mark.

The ellipsis is a series of three — and only three — full stops used to mark missing words, an uncertain pause or an abrupt interruption. For example:
 
        The review said, "It's wonderful ... a complete triumph".
        Niles:   But Miss Fine's age is only ...
        Fran:   Young! Miss Fine's age is only young!
 
Most editors precede the ellipsis by a space, even at the end of a sentence.

Note: Within Microsoft Word the ellipsis can be typed as a single character, rather than three separate periods, by typing Alt-Ctrl-period.