I'm pretty excited that my blog is being read by people from all over the world. You might notice I allowed myself the luxury of using an exclamation mark in my title today. Warning: I'm going to use a few more!
I'm especially interested in reaching readers from some of the countries I've visited recently. Because I live on the extreme edge of western Canada, I often feel isolated from much of the world. Hello Turkey! Hello Italy! Greetings Spain and Portugal! Serbia, too!
Why don't you drop me a line? Leave me a comment?
Serena Janes
serenajanes.com
Friday, 24 May 2013
Methinks thou dost exclaim too much!
Like ellipses, exclamation marks are often over-used by enthusiastic writers. When we want to add a sense of urgency or excitement to our writing, like spices in a recipe, a little goes a long way.
Exclamation marks are most commonly used to close an emphatic declaration. For example: My home town is so small it isn't even on a Google map!
They're also used with interjections, like "Great!" and imperatives or commands, like "Slow down! Stop!" Note that a period is not required if an exclamation mark closes a sentence.
Generally, exclamation points should be reserved for informal writing.
My position on exclaiming is best illustrated by the story of The Boy Who Cried Wolf. Remember that? The first time he cried out to warn the town about a lurking wolf, he was just kidding around. The second time, ditto. But when a real wolf appeared, his cries for help went unheeded. Everyone was accustomed to his false alarms, and paid no attention.
Well the same can be said for over-using the exclamation mark. Use one, and your reader understands that your words are meant to express excitement! Use another one, and the excitement continues! By the time the third one appears, the sense of urgency you hoped to convey is starting to wane!
Using any more than three--unless you're crafting a pretty intense thriller--is usually just silly!
If you must, you can use more than one exclamation mark at a time to end to express an intense
degree of emotion!!! But, again, not in formal writing, please!
You can also use exclamation marks (!) within sentences. In this example, the exclamation mark inside parentheses is meant to emphasize the words "exclamation marks."
And if you want a single word or a phrase to express emotion, you can use parentheses or dashes to set them off from the rest of the sentence, and insert an exclamation mark.
Here are some examples:
The air teemed with rain--buckets of it!--and we were soaked through instantly.
You should watch your speed (it's only 30 mph!) on that stretch of road.
Sometimes you'll see an exclamation mark used together with a question mark. Do you really think this is a good idea?! Maybe, again, in some types of informal writing.
Lastly, exclamation marks are useful in expressing sarcasm. I hope you found this posting exceptionally (!) illuminating!
Serena Janes
serenajanes.com
Exclamation marks are most commonly used to close an emphatic declaration. For example: My home town is so small it isn't even on a Google map!
They're also used with interjections, like "Great!" and imperatives or commands, like "Slow down! Stop!" Note that a period is not required if an exclamation mark closes a sentence.
Generally, exclamation points should be reserved for informal writing.
My position on exclaiming is best illustrated by the story of The Boy Who Cried Wolf. Remember that? The first time he cried out to warn the town about a lurking wolf, he was just kidding around. The second time, ditto. But when a real wolf appeared, his cries for help went unheeded. Everyone was accustomed to his false alarms, and paid no attention.
Well the same can be said for over-using the exclamation mark. Use one, and your reader understands that your words are meant to express excitement! Use another one, and the excitement continues! By the time the third one appears, the sense of urgency you hoped to convey is starting to wane!
Using any more than three--unless you're crafting a pretty intense thriller--is usually just silly!
If you must, you can use more than one exclamation mark at a time to end to express an intense
degree of emotion!!! But, again, not in formal writing, please!
You can also use exclamation marks (!) within sentences. In this example, the exclamation mark inside parentheses is meant to emphasize the words "exclamation marks."
And if you want a single word or a phrase to express emotion, you can use parentheses or dashes to set them off from the rest of the sentence, and insert an exclamation mark.
Here are some examples:
The air teemed with rain--buckets of it!--and we were soaked through instantly.
You should watch your speed (it's only 30 mph!) on that stretch of road.
Sometimes you'll see an exclamation mark used together with a question mark. Do you really think this is a good idea?! Maybe, again, in some types of informal writing.
Lastly, exclamation marks are useful in expressing sarcasm. I hope you found this posting exceptionally (!) illuminating!
Serena Janes
serenajanes.com
Tuesday, 14 May 2013
The Informal Ellipses
In my last post I distinguished between ellipses used in formal writing--like legal documents or academic papers--and ellipses used in informal writing. In casual writing, ellipses are usually employed to suggest a pause, or some sort of emotion or state of mind. In this case, the ellipsis looks the same, but it's not meant to indicate omission of one or more words.
When we text, write emails, personal letters, or fiction, ellipses can add a range of meaning to our expressions. First of all, ellipses can indicate an unfinished thought, or a trailing off into silence.
Like this: She hadn't ever given politics much thought, but then . . . .
Notice the ellipsis is followed by a period because it falls at the end of the sentence.
Ellipses are also useful for indicating the passage of time, or an unfinished list.
For example: The minutes ticked . . . and ticked, adding up to hours, days, weeks, . . . .
Lastly, ellipses are great for suggesting an awkward or temporary silence within or between sentences. They might indicate faltering or fragmented speech caused by confusion, uncertainty, or strong emotion.
For example: I can't believe it . . . what they did to me. It was so . . . unfair!
Note that a dash could be used instead of the first ellipsis in the above example. But my sources suggest that dashes should be reserved for stronger, more emphatic pauses within a sentence.
The last thing I want to say about ellipses is to warn against their over-use. When summarizing material, it's usually better to paraphrase than quote extensively, using too many ellipses. They tend to annoy readers.
That's especially true in informal writing. Overuse tends to make even our most casual writing seem vague, disjointed, or wishy-washy.
A friend sent me the following link to a BBC article about a new grammar test being implemented in British schools. Check it out.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-22403731
When we text, write emails, personal letters, or fiction, ellipses can add a range of meaning to our expressions. First of all, ellipses can indicate an unfinished thought, or a trailing off into silence.
Like this: She hadn't ever given politics much thought, but then . . . .
Notice the ellipsis is followed by a period because it falls at the end of the sentence.
Ellipses are also useful for indicating the passage of time, or an unfinished list.
For example: The minutes ticked . . . and ticked, adding up to hours, days, weeks, . . . .
Lastly, ellipses are great for suggesting an awkward or temporary silence within or between sentences. They might indicate faltering or fragmented speech caused by confusion, uncertainty, or strong emotion.
For example: I can't believe it . . . what they did to me. It was so . . . unfair!
Note that a dash could be used instead of the first ellipsis in the above example. But my sources suggest that dashes should be reserved for stronger, more emphatic pauses within a sentence.
The last thing I want to say about ellipses is to warn against their over-use. When summarizing material, it's usually better to paraphrase than quote extensively, using too many ellipses. They tend to annoy readers.
That's especially true in informal writing. Overuse tends to make even our most casual writing seem vague, disjointed, or wishy-washy.
A friend sent me the following link to a BBC article about a new grammar test being implemented in British schools. Check it out.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-22403731
Sunday, 12 May 2013
Ellipses Demystified
I've noticed a trend in student writing to over-use the ellipsis (plural ellipses), also known as the suspension point, the points of ellipsis, the periods of ellipsis or just plain old dot-dot-dot.
The main problem, as I see it, is that students often cannot discern between formal or academic writing (that requires ellipses to indicate omission of material), and informal writing (that allows ellipses to suggest emotions).
Let's start with ellipses in a formal context. The word ellipses in Ancient Greek means omission, or falling short. It's required in academic and legal writing to indicate that a word, sentence or section has been omitted when the writer is copying/quoting text. An ellipsis is written as three periods.
For example, see how I use two ellipses to summarize a sentence without changing its meaning.
Original sentence: The candidates worked a long, hard, excruciatingly demanding campaign throughout the entire month of May.
Summary: The candidates worked a . . . demanding campaign throughout . . . May.
Notice that I've left a space on either side of the ellipses, and separated each dot or period with a space. Be aware, however, that some publishing houses prefer no spaces between the dots, and write ellipses like this: The candidates worked a ... demanding campaign throughout ... May.
But it gets trickier.
It's not necessary to use an ellipsis at the beginning of a sentence, even if we've omitted one or more words.
Incorrect: . . . candidates worked . . . throughout May.
Correct: [C]andidates worked . . . throughout May. (I'll address square brackets in a later post).
And if we omit one or more words at the end of a sentence, we add a period after the ellipsis.
The candidates worked a . . . demanding campaign . . . .
That's right. Type four periods in a row, with spaces between.
What if we're omitting more than one word from our original source? Then we must place the ellipsis between the preceding and following sentences, with a space on either side, to avoid confusion.
Example: All candidates expect to be on the road for weeks at a time. . . . A political career must take its toll on family life.
In the above passage, I've used an ellipsis to indicate that I've omitted one or more sentences that fell between the word time and the word A.
There's one more handy dandy application of ellipses in this omission business. If we want to show we've omitted one or more paragraphs, we place four dots or periods (presumably an ellipsis and a period) on a separate line, indented to match the rest of the text.
Like this.
. . . .
See?
Next time I'll address the other uses of the ellipsis, namely its role in informal writing.
The main problem, as I see it, is that students often cannot discern between formal or academic writing (that requires ellipses to indicate omission of material), and informal writing (that allows ellipses to suggest emotions).
Let's start with ellipses in a formal context. The word ellipses in Ancient Greek means omission, or falling short. It's required in academic and legal writing to indicate that a word, sentence or section has been omitted when the writer is copying/quoting text. An ellipsis is written as three periods.
For example, see how I use two ellipses to summarize a sentence without changing its meaning.
Original sentence: The candidates worked a long, hard, excruciatingly demanding campaign throughout the entire month of May.
Summary: The candidates worked a . . . demanding campaign throughout . . . May.
Notice that I've left a space on either side of the ellipses, and separated each dot or period with a space. Be aware, however, that some publishing houses prefer no spaces between the dots, and write ellipses like this: The candidates worked a ... demanding campaign throughout ... May.
But it gets trickier.
It's not necessary to use an ellipsis at the beginning of a sentence, even if we've omitted one or more words.
Incorrect: . . . candidates worked . . . throughout May.
Correct: [C]andidates worked . . . throughout May. (I'll address square brackets in a later post).
And if we omit one or more words at the end of a sentence, we add a period after the ellipsis.
The candidates worked a . . . demanding campaign . . . .
That's right. Type four periods in a row, with spaces between.
What if we're omitting more than one word from our original source? Then we must place the ellipsis between the preceding and following sentences, with a space on either side, to avoid confusion.
Example: All candidates expect to be on the road for weeks at a time. . . . A political career must take its toll on family life.
In the above passage, I've used an ellipsis to indicate that I've omitted one or more sentences that fell between the word time and the word A.
There's one more handy dandy application of ellipses in this omission business. If we want to show we've omitted one or more paragraphs, we place four dots or periods (presumably an ellipsis and a period) on a separate line, indented to match the rest of the text.
Like this.
. . . .
See?
Next time I'll address the other uses of the ellipsis, namely its role in informal writing.
Tuesday, 7 May 2013
The surprising decimal mark
The weather has been unusual this past week, with temperatures averaging about 10 degrees Celsius above average during the day. As a result, I've been busy doing outdoor things instead of working on this blog. The garden needs extra watering, and I'm worried that the poor little goldfish in my pond will overheat.
I live on the west coast of Canada, on Vancouver Island. Normally, early May is cool and wet, but we've had straight sun for days now, with highs of 27C. Our summer weather is rarely this good, so I'm going to enjoy this while I can.
Now, back to work . . . .
I learned far more than I wanted to when I began researching the proper use of the decimal mark (or decimal point).
Because I'm Canadian, and we pretty much follow British customs, I was taught to use a decimal point to separate the integer part of a number from its fractional part, when the number is written in a decimal form. This decimal mark is called a radix point.
The company owed $198,440.50 in back taxes.
The temperature hit 18.5 degrees yesterday.
But what I didn't know until today is that some countries, in certain instances, use a comma instead of a decimal mark to separate the integer from the fractional.
This can be quite confusing to the traveller, especially when trying to make a purchase in a foreign country.
And what's even trickier, not only is a comma often used as a radix point instead of a decimal point, the symbols used to separate thousandths (in a large number) might vary. Sometimes a space is used, sometimes an upper comma (what is that?), and sometimes decimal marks do the job. It's all too confusing.
For example, here is the same number as it might be written in different parts of the world.
888,888,888.00 (North America)
888 888 888,00 (Brazil and much of Europe)
888.888.888,00 (Brazil and much of Europe)
888'888'888,00 or 888'888'88.00 (Switzerland)
I remember the first time I went to Venice. I was astounded at the number of jewellery stores, windows piled high with glittering stones. But I found I couldn't decode any of the prices. This was before the Euro, and the Italian Lira was a mystery to me: were those diamonds real or were they zirconia? The price couldn't help me. They cost either $3,000 or $300 US--but I couldn't figure it out.
Too many commas, decimal marks and zeroes on the price tag.
Needless to say, I didn't buy a thing.
I live on the west coast of Canada, on Vancouver Island. Normally, early May is cool and wet, but we've had straight sun for days now, with highs of 27C. Our summer weather is rarely this good, so I'm going to enjoy this while I can.
Now, back to work . . . .
I learned far more than I wanted to when I began researching the proper use of the decimal mark (or decimal point).
Because I'm Canadian, and we pretty much follow British customs, I was taught to use a decimal point to separate the integer part of a number from its fractional part, when the number is written in a decimal form. This decimal mark is called a radix point.
The company owed $198,440.50 in back taxes.
The temperature hit 18.5 degrees yesterday.
But what I didn't know until today is that some countries, in certain instances, use a comma instead of a decimal mark to separate the integer from the fractional.
This can be quite confusing to the traveller, especially when trying to make a purchase in a foreign country.
And what's even trickier, not only is a comma often used as a radix point instead of a decimal point, the symbols used to separate thousandths (in a large number) might vary. Sometimes a space is used, sometimes an upper comma (what is that?), and sometimes decimal marks do the job. It's all too confusing.
For example, here is the same number as it might be written in different parts of the world.
888,888,888.00 (North America)
888 888 888,00 (Brazil and much of Europe)
888.888.888,00 (Brazil and much of Europe)
888'888'888,00 or 888'888'88.00 (Switzerland)
I remember the first time I went to Venice. I was astounded at the number of jewellery stores, windows piled high with glittering stones. But I found I couldn't decode any of the prices. This was before the Euro, and the Italian Lira was a mystery to me: were those diamonds real or were they zirconia? The price couldn't help me. They cost either $3,000 or $300 US--but I couldn't figure it out.
Too many commas, decimal marks and zeroes on the price tag.
Needless to say, I didn't buy a thing.
Wednesday, 1 May 2013
Periods, dots, decimal points and ellipses
You may think it's redundant to spend time explaining how to use the period, but when you consider the title of this post you'll see there's room for confusion.
The period is probably the first punctuation mark we learned as children. Its concept was, and still is, quite clear. It indicates a full stop at the end of a sentence.
But then things got a little trickier when we were told that a period also follows an abbreviation. Now I understand that this use is waning, perhaps more in Europe than in North America.
So, today we might see either Mr or Mr., Prof or Prof., and either is considered correct. Just be consistent.
Again, a word of warning. If your abbreviation might lead to confusion, best to use a period to make it clearly understood as an abbreviation.
For example: The third amend. is under revision. (amend. is an abbreviation of amendment).
Be aware that autocorrect will capitalize the letter that follows the period you place after an abbreviation. In the above example, I had to change the "i" of the word "is" to a lower case because autocorrect sensed I was beginning a new sentence and capitalized it.
You'll need to watch out for this kind of error, and amend it. (No period required here because amend is not an abbreviation in this context).
And just in case you didn't know, when typing sentences, it is now correct to leave only one space between them. Years ago, we always used two spaces.
To be continued . . . .
The period is probably the first punctuation mark we learned as children. Its concept was, and still is, quite clear. It indicates a full stop at the end of a sentence.
But then things got a little trickier when we were told that a period also follows an abbreviation. Now I understand that this use is waning, perhaps more in Europe than in North America.
So, today we might see either Mr or Mr., Prof or Prof., and either is considered correct. Just be consistent.
Again, a word of warning. If your abbreviation might lead to confusion, best to use a period to make it clearly understood as an abbreviation.
For example: The third amend. is under revision. (amend. is an abbreviation of amendment).
Be aware that autocorrect will capitalize the letter that follows the period you place after an abbreviation. In the above example, I had to change the "i" of the word "is" to a lower case because autocorrect sensed I was beginning a new sentence and capitalized it.
You'll need to watch out for this kind of error, and amend it. (No period required here because amend is not an abbreviation in this context).
And just in case you didn't know, when typing sentences, it is now correct to leave only one space between them. Years ago, we always used two spaces.
To be continued . . . .
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