I find this useful when considering if "I" should be used instead of "me".

Think about the sentence I have just written and substitute "Me" for the initial "I" - "Me find this useful..." just does not make any real sense in that context and "I" is correctly used.

Now think about this sentence:

"They gave my father and I drinks at the pub."

That sounds natural and correct to me but it is not correct - remove "my father" and you would have "They gave I drinks at the pub." which sounds wrong and indeed it is - using "me" is better, so:

"My father and me were bought drinks at the pub."

Now look at this example:

"My son and I went to the park."

Removing "My son" leaves us with "I went to the park." and that is correct - in this instance "I" is correctly used rather than me.

I see "myself" used to get around this grammatical conundrum but that just seems clumsy.

No related posts.

Editing is much more than this as it combines proofreading together with revisions that should improve the flow and structure of your work to maximise the impact of the piece.

Some may disagree as Nabakov (he of Lolita fame) once said "By editor I suppose you mean proofreader." Indeed, editing is often referred to as the "butcher's trade".

Editing requires a thorough grasp of English whereas proofreading requires an ability to simply spell. It is also fair to say that editing requires the exercise of the little grey cells to a far greater extent as they will be actively considering the subject matter and how well the piece will communicate with the prospective reader. This contrasts with simple proofreading which is a more mechanical process.

For instance, I try not to proofread a piece immediately after I have completed it. I personally find that if some time elapses between completing the draft and going back to correct the grammar and spelling errors, then I am able to focus my attention on the words rather than the ideas and ensure greater accuracy. If I proof a document as soon as I have finished, I usually end up becoming immersed in the ideas and subject matter which leads to proofreading errors and ultimately, a few spelling mistakes sneaking into otherwise finished product.

Editing courses exist on the internet that will help you deal with the issues involved but for many, editing as a profession is in decline which is technically known as "not a good thing". Modern day editors simply do not have the time to edit, and the sharp suits have taken over with their eye on the cost and bottom line rather than the quality of the work. This doesn't simply affect literary pieces but commercial copy as well as editing is the ultimate peer review you can have.

I read a piece in the Guardian which dealt with the decline of editing and relayed a story concerning Tom Wolfe (not the Bonfire of the Vanities author but the other one) and it made me smile.

Our Tom Wolfe was a prolific generator of words - so exceedingly verbiose in fact that I was instantly reminded of the Michael Douglas character in the film, Wonder Boys when he plays an English professor with writers block and a penchant for smoking dope. His editor, Maxwell Perkins advised that he was going to take the book away from Tom and indeed he did so after receiving a manuscript some two feet high containing 450,000 words. Eventually this was whittled down and published; something that would not have happened without an editor though Ernest Hemingway (who also used Perkins as his editor) proclaimed, "It's 60% shit!"

For many, the editor is a bully boy, larger than life character and their use of the pruning shears on your work can leave it completely altered beyond any recognition. The reality is if you are lucky enough to have someone who will edit your work, build that relationship, devote some time to it and this will pay dividends with your work.

T S Eliot once was asked if editors were simply failed writers to which he replied:

"Perhaps - but so are most writers."

Related posts:

1. The Difference Between Editing and Proofreading
2. Dissertation Proofreading and Editing
3. What is Proofreading?

Prewriting, Writing, Proofreading, Editing and Submitting

That’s another variation. Of course, if you look through books and websites you’ll find quite a few other variations. But the bottom line is there is some confusion, the difference between Proofreading and Editing.

Why are there two different steps in the writing process that mean the same thing?

Well, they don’t really. A Supaproofreader will cover both steps. All you have to do is submit what you have written and we’ll take it the rest of the way to the Publish or Submit part.

But, proofreading and editing are different. They are actually two different sides of the same coin, but they have two different purposes. Let’s take a closer look.

Proofreading

Proofreading is actually the tougher of the two in my book. When you look your paper over after writing it, you should look for better ways of writing. You have awkward sentences that need some touching. You have words that don’t quite fit and you could make decisions about replacing them with more effective words.

You’re not just looking for errors in awkward sentences and weak words. You should look for places where you could be clearer. You should try to find places where you could make a stronger argument. Add sentences where explanations need to be. Proofreading is about tightening up your work and making your writing that much better.

Editing

Editing is where you look your work over for the actual grammar and spelling errors. That’s when you look through your document for all the “Red” squiggly lines – I can’t imagine anyone doing it with a typewriter anymore, but I do believe some old schoolers still exist. Just don’t consider every red squiggly line an error. “Supaproofreader” from a few paragraphs up and “schooler” in the last sentence technically are errors. But, I’m not changing them. I meant them just the way they are.

Don’t forget to look at grammar errors too. Subject and Verb agreement, Punctuation, Capitalization…those are the errors you catch when you are editing.

Yes, proofreading and editing can overlap. Let me put it this way, if I find a spelling error while I’m proofreading I’m not going to let it go. But, that’s the difference and now you know. Like the Justice League used to say all the time… “Knowing is half the battle.”

Related posts:

1. What is the Difference Between Editing and Proofreading?
2. Dissertation Proofreading and Editing
3. The Writing Process

When you have asked for a very technical process or you think it’s a very technical process, what do you want to hear?

“I no the job you ask and I can do. Luk at my resume. Give me a call.”

Note: Spelling errors were added for effect.

Or:

“I have worked as a business consultant for several companies and I understand that you need an expert in online promotion. There are several techniques I have mastered that will enhance your online promotion efforts. The first thing I would like to do is…”

Exactly! The second project proposal makes me feel like I’m in good hands. But, like I’ve said before that the hardest part of writing a project proposal is changing your mind around. When you wrap your brain around what the client wants and you learn to address those needs, now you are writing an effective proposal.

Acknowledge what you think the goals of the project are. What are the objectives? How does the client want them accomplished? Take a look at the timeframe too and make sure you understand exactly what the client wants as a finished project.

Most freelancers think that writing a project proposal is as simple as saying they can do the job and to get in touch with them. That’s not true at all. In fact, project proposals don’t fly when the writer doesn’t even acknowledge the final product.

For instance, a client who wants an e-book submitted in pdf format is being very specific about the finished product. Pdf is different from word doc and it used to be hard to put documents in pdf format. But, not anymore. Cutepdf.com will let you download software for free that allows you to convert your word documents to pdf format. Problem solved!

But, that’s just the final product. What if the client says that they need 30 pages with a TOC, appendixes and title page not included in the page count? In your project proposal, it’s a good thing to mention that you understand the page count exactly and that the TOC, appendixes and title page are not included.

What else does the project manager want? If the client mentions that they want cover graphics too, do you know anything about that? If you don’t address that you know anything about graphic design and can design a cover, you might as well not even submit the proposal.

It’s not hard to wrap your brain around what the client wants. Simply think about what you would like to hear if you had posted that project. Read it and put yourself in the potential client’s shoes. Once you have managed to see it from their side, you can write the perfect proposal. The only thing left is to make sure that it’s proofread. It doesn’t hurt to get a project proposal proofread if it means more business for you.

Related posts:

1. Being Professional: Comes Through in First Impressions
2. Writing the Dynamite Project Proposal
3. Blogging for Pay

So what is the difference between an Active Voice and the Passive Voice?

A grammatical definition will go something like this:

"The active voice uses the subject of a sentence to act upon something, whereas the passive voice has the subject itself acted upon."

In plain English, the subject of a sentence is doing something to something else so;

"ERH wrote this using his computer."

The subject is ERH and he is writing, in other words ERH is doing something and this makes it the active voice.

Compare this sentence with;

"This was written on a computer by ERH."

This is written in the passive voice where ERH is still the subject but instead of ERH "doing something" he has "something done" by him - the verb "written" is acting upon the subject "ERH".

The active voice is more direct and conveys energy far better than the passive voice. As a writing style it tends to be preferred by readers (and critics) as it flows more smoothly compared to the passive voice and is more economical in terms of words required to convey your meaning.

Another way to view the active/passive voices is to consider the action order:

ACTIVE VOICE: Doer of Action -->Action-->Receiver of Action

PASSIVE VOICE: Receiver of Action-->Action-->Doer of Action

Examples:

ACTIVE VOICE: At each competition, the gymnasts performed at least one exercise on the floor.

(gymnasts = doer of action;performed = action; exercise = receiver of action)

PASSIVE VOICE: At each competition, the floor was used to perform at least one exercise by the gymnasts.

Readers and writing stylists preference for the active voice does not mean you must slavishly comply with the stricture of using the active voice only when writing. There are times when the passive voice provides advantages over the active voice. For instance, imagine you wish to convey greater effect from what the sentence itself has to say rather than focus on the "doer" of the action eg. "The world record for the mile was broken today." At other times it will not be clear who the "doer" of the action is or it is not necessary to know eg. "The audit has been completed." While at other times, you may wish to use the passive voice simply because it gives some variety to your writing.

If you would like to learn more you can check out these resources:

Towson University

Purdue University

Related posts:

1. Mistakes That Ruin Your Writing
2. Do You Have Your Writer’s Voice?
3. Blue Grammar

Supaproofread has a section that goes into far more detail than I will here on this post and you can find it in the writing tips section here.

Who is a subjective pronoun that describes what or which person.

Whom is a pronoun that acts as an object for a verb or preceding preposition.

Phew!

In plain English please!!

A subjective pronoun is a word that is used when the person is a subject of the sentence. So, "I like fast cars but he doesn't" - "I" and "he" are subjective pronouns. We would ask "Who likes fast cars?" but not "Whom likes fast cars?"

A verb object is the person or thing the verb is acting on. So, "ERH flew the plane" has ERH as the subject, the verb is flying and the object is the plane. Except we would never refer to a plane as "whom" so how about "ERH flew her to Paris." In the latter case, "her" would be the object and so we would ask "With whom did ERH fly to Paris?"

Got that?

Here's a cheat tip then.

If you have a sentence using he/she then use "Who" and if it is him/her use "Whom".

Related posts:

1. Passive-v-Active Voice
2. The Five Most Common Errors
3. Out of the Mouths of Babes

Now, communication is not a problem. Anyone who has been talking in forums, chat rooms, or sending instant messages for any significant amount of time will be able to decipher the following conversation:

Girl #1: Btw, r u n T gtg gf

Girl #2: DEGT

Girl #1: ?

Girl #2: ihnc

Girl #1: brb

Girl #2: hb

Girl #1: muah

OK, that might be a little exaggerated. But, that is how bad it gets. Anyone coming in on that conversation who is not familiar with the language is lost unless they have the pocket-size internet slang handbook.

But see, that’s the thing. Communication is not in jeopardy. As humans, we will always know how to communicate. But, writing is different. Writing has rules and internet slang is starting to impose itself onto the written word.

So, I thought I would revisit the topic and make a few things clear. These are common mistakes so don’t feel alone. But, they are so common that they need highlighted…more than once…all over the place.

It’s and Its

This is actually a confusing rule that I don’t blame anyone for getting wrong. It’s the reverse of what you would think. So to make it easier for you to remember, just make a note to yourself that this is the rule opposite to all others.

When “It” owns something, the word to use is “Its.” There is no apostrophe even though there is ownership. In anything else, an apostrophe “s” would belong in an expression of ownership. While Bob’s ownership is proper with an apostrophe “s,” its ownership is not.

The contraction of “it” and “is” is written with an apostrophe “s.” That’s why this rule is so weird. But, ownership and contractions both have an apostrophe “s” when it comes to anything else like “that’s interesting” and “what’s the problem.” It would be very confusing if “it” and “is” were written the same as if “it” owned something. So, it’s easier this way.

Know and No

This is so common that it makes a person’s head spin. Sometimes people use “no” in place of “know” just to simplify things. That’s ok online in informal communication situations. But, this is one of those errors that bleed over into homework and work papers.

“Know” is having the knowledge of something. I know you know that.

“No” is the negative. There is no way the two should ever be confused again.

To, Two and Too

These three homonyms are often switched. It mainly comes from the substitution of “2” for any of these three words. I’d like it 2 stop.

“To” is actually a preposition that begins a prepositional phrase. So if you’ve heard the rule, you can’t end a sentence with a preposition. That’s because if it’s supposed to begin a phrase, how can it do that at the end of a sentence? Therefore, “to” is basically a connector from one part of a sentence to another that adds more meaning.

Remember the cloud analogy? A preposition is anything you can do to a cloud. You can go “under” a cloud, “over” a cloud, “around” a cloud and “through” a cloud. Technically, you can also go “to” a cloud. So, these words give you a general understanding of the purpose of a preposition. There are other prepositions like the word “of,” but you can’t “of” a cloud. So, our cloud analogy only gives you a general rule that helps you learn the basics. It’s a starting point and you build from it.

It’s probably easier to understand the word “to” if you learn the other two. “Two” is the spelling of the number. We’re going over three homonyms, but we’ve only covered “two” so far.

“Too” is an adjective. It comes before a noun or an adverb. I’ve written way too much about these three homonyms.

Once you start to see how your informal communication practices are bleeding into your actual work, you’ll look at your papers a little closer. Supa proofreaders already know these common errors and many others. We’re geared to pick them up instantly.

But, it’s not hard to catch them yourself if you put your work up for a few days and then come back to it just before the due date. You’ll see your errors much clearer and I’ve said that over and over. I think I’ll keep saying it just to keep reminding you guys.

Related posts:

1. The Five Most Common Errors
2. Common Mistakes in Written English
3. Pet Peeves: Because Correct Grammar is Simply Forgotten Sometimes

Even though great writers might seem to skip a few steps or rearrange the order of steps when they are writing their masterpieces, it doesn’t mean that they haven’t done the preparations. Great writers are just so used to the steps that they’ve probably done a few of them in their heads.

When a writer begins to write a book without an outline, the organization of his book is in his head. I often do that when I know what I’m writing and I just want to get to it. Especially in this day and age where I have a computer and a word processor, the writing process is made so much easier.

Prewriting

Prewriting is the first step in any writing where the writer is trying to come up with ideas for what to write about. A good writer who is already familiar with the writing process might sit down in front of the computer and just start writing. I think of ideas all the time and when I’m ready to write, I’m ready to just roll with it.

But if you need to come up with ideas, there are plenty of ways. Do a little freewriting I wrote about in an earlier piece. Stimulate your brain with news or music. Look through your journals and pull something out that you’re interested in doing.

There is a great strategy that you can use: R.A.F.T. It stands for Role, Audience, Format, and Topic. If you think through these things, you’ll likely have your thoughts together by the time you’re finished. What is the role of your writing or what are you trying to accomplish with it? Audience is who are going to be reading it? Format is whether your writing is going to be an article, an essay, a book or whatever. Finally, you get to the Topic of your writing and you are ready to roll.

Writing

Of course, this is where the writing actually happens. But, a good writer might simply get started and work all the way through. Other writers might need to write an outline to organize their writing first. That’s actually not a bad idea.

Getting your thoughts organized helps actually save time. If you know exactly where you are going to go next with your thoughts, you can get there already. Sometimes after I’ve already started and I’ve had all my thoughts organized in my head, I can forget where I’m supposed to go with it. It takes a few minutes or even longer to get back on track. If I had an outline, I would know instantly.

When you are writing, it’s fine to make corrections. I do it all the time. But, there is an actual step in the process where you correct your grammar and spelling errors. I like to correct myself as I’m going so that there are fewer errors later to correct. But, you can simply write and then correct it all later.

Revising

There are two steps in the writing process where you make changes. Revision is when you look at your writing and try to make it better. It has nothing to do with spelling and grammar. Although, you might catch a few errors in this step.

Revising takes place after you’ve put your writing up for a few days or even weeks. It’s directly proportionate to the size of the document. If you’ve written an article, you can put it up for a few days and then come back to it. If you’ve written a novel, you should probably put it up for a few weeks at the very least.

When you look through it, read it out loud and rearrange any parts that were awkward to read. Then, look for parts of your writing that need to be more informative. Look for places where you can add descriptors and bring your writing more to life. Then, move on to the next step.

Editing

Editing is the step where you correct your grammar mistakes. A computer word processor attempts to make this step easier. When you see red lines under words, you know they are spelled wrong. But, it’s limited. There are words that exist that aren’t in your word processor’s dictionary. Simply go to the Merriam and Webster online dictionary to get ideas of how to spell.

Also, homonyms are technically spelling errors. Homonyms are words that are pronounced the same, but have different meanings. Like the three words they’re, there and their, these are three different words that people get confused from time to time. They won’t come up as spelling errors. So, you have to pay attention to little details like this.

Grammar errors are a little more difficult to find. The green lines in a word processor attempt to help you see your own grammar errors. But, this is limited as well. In fact, sometimes it’s just wrong. It might tell you that you have a fragment when you have a noun and a verb in the sentence. A word processor is also not good at picking out such things as misplaced modifiers, misplaced words that change the entire meaning of a sentence.

“I served hamburgers to the men on paper plates.”

Where the men on paper plates?

I served the men hamburgers on paper plates.”

Now, it makes sense.

There are resources online that you can refer to get help on correcting your grammar errors. Most colleges have a resource of common grammar errors like the Capital Community College.

Publishing

The final step is actually getting your work out there. If your project was an assignment, this part is easy. Just give it to your teacher or your boss. If your project was something you came up with yourself, publishing can get a little more difficult. Find the magazine that wants your article or the publisher that wants your book. Finding an agent to help is actually advisable. Sometimes finding an agent is just as difficult as finding a publisher. But once you have one, your days of finding a publisher that fits your work and presenting your material are over. That’s what the agent is supposed to be doing.

The writing process isn’t very difficult and a good writer can move through the steps smoothly without a second thought. Out of habit, we just get better and better. The steps come naturally just like cooking is to a cook. But, a novice should get familiar with the steps and follow through with each one until writing becomes second nature.

Related posts:

1. Cooking for Writers: A Recipe for a Great Paper
2. The Difference Between Editing and Proofreading
3. Proofraeding is essential!

“…i want u to find that 4 me…idk my bff rose…lol…”

I’m not saying I have a pet peeve with shortcuts in the chat rooms. But, it translates to mistakes in more formal settings. When you write an essay for your college professor or you have a report to write for your boss, you don’t want to turn in a presentation with simple errors that could have been avoided. So, let’s take a look at a few of the more common mistakes in hopes that you’ll catch on and start correcting your own errors by yourself.

One that has really caught on big is the use of the word, “thru.” This wasn’t even a word until a few short years ago. Added to the dictionary because of its wide usage, it is the informal spelling of the word “through.” I “threw” a ball or I went “through” the door are the two homonyms used for formal writing. “Thru” should be kept for hand-written signs on Laundromats that tell you the doors are open “Monday thru Friday.”

“U” actually appears in formal documents for the word, “you.” Just like “wut” and “wuz” show up in place of “what” and “was.” Be aware of the proper way to spell words that you use in your chat rooms. I haven’t seen “2” or “4” show up for “to” or “for” yet, but I have a feeling they’re coming.

In even the most advanced documents, I see one that really kills me. It’s the combination of the words “could” and “of,” or in other words, “I could of gone to the concert last night.” No you couldn’t have because you needed to stay home and study grammar! This combination of words is the incorrect form many people mistake because they hear the helping verb “could” used in conjunction with the main verb “have.”

“I could have gone to the concert last night.” This sentence translates to, “I could’ve gone to the concert last night.” Therefore, “could of” is incorrect.

That goes with “Would of” and “Should of” as well. The correct forms are “Would’ve” and “Should’ve” or “Would have” and “Should have.”

Informal chat is a practice that makes you form bad habits. So, recognize that there is a difference between the informal writing you share among your friends and the formal writing you do in school or in the business world. Once you recognize the difference, you’ll start to make the adjustments you need to be error free.

Related posts:

1. Being Professional: Comes Through in First Impressions
2. Common Mistakes Revisited
3. The Five Most Common Errors

• Improper Use of the Apostrophe – It is used generally in two cases. One for contractions (don’t for ‘do not’), and secondly for showing that something belongs to someone (Bobby’s pen would mean this pen belongs to Bobby). If you are ever in doubt, leave the apostrophe out. It generally causes more confusion if you introduce an apostrophe where it does not belong than it does to omit one.

• i.e. vs. e.g. - These two Latin abbreviations are very useful to modern writing only if you use them correctly. The Latin phrase id est. means “that is,” so i.e. is a way of saying “in other words.” It’s designed to make something clearer by providing a definition or saying it in a more common approach. Whereas, the Latin phrase exempli gratia means “for example”, so e.g. is used before giving specific examples that support your assertion.

• Loose vs. Lose – One of the more common errors of bloggers and copy writers is to distinguish between loose and lose. It’s so common that one feel’s that ‘lose’ at times can be a proper substitute for ‘loose’, but in reality they are two different words which have two different meanings. Here’s something that will keep you guessing ( If your watch is too loose, you might lose your watch).

• It’s vs. Its - This is another common mistake. It’s also easily avoided by thinking through what you’re trying to say. “It’s” is a contraction of “it is” or “it has.” “Its” is a possessive pronoun, as in “this item has lost its value.” Remember this, and it will pay you dividends later. Read your sentence out loud using “it is” instead. If that sounds strange, “its” is likely the correct choice.

• There vs. Their - “There” is used in many ways, including as a reference to a place (“let’s go there”) or as a pronoun (“there is no hope”). “Their” is a plural possessive pronoun, as in “their shoes” or “their bottles.” Are you talking about more than one person and something that they possess? If so, “their” will get you there!

• These little points, when kept in mind while writing will help you avoid common writing errors, and make you a better writer. There it is. So, don’t lose your focus!

Related posts:

1. Common Mistakes Revisited
2. When to Use Who and Whom
3. Going off at a Tangent