Lesson 8: Spell Check and Commonly Confused Words

Welcome back class! Today our lesson is on something that is pretty much common sense, but also a good thing to be reminded about. We all love spell check- it is very helpful when we are writing words we do not know how to spell, and when we type fast and make mistakes; spell check catches these for us. However, spell check is not perfect- it will tell you when you spell words incorrectly, but not when you use a wrong word, because it is spelled correctly.

When it comes to commonly confused words, spell check cannot help you. Here are come words that you should watch out for:

1. Then/than: Then deals with time, and than deals with comparisons. (I will go to the store, then pick you up. You are slower than Bob when you run.)

2. There/They're/Their: These words are common to all of us, but sometimes we mess them up when we type rapidly. Some examples: There you are! They're all pretty good. Their house is the first one on the right.

3. Here/Hear: Again, we all know the meaning of these words, but it is important to look at them carefully to make sure we used the right one, because spell check won't catch them for us. Examples: Here is where you'll hear the birds sing.

Well, you get the idea. Just remember to search out trouble words like these as you proofread your writing; don't expect spell check to do everything for you.

Lesson 7: Pronoun References

Hello again! Welcome back to class. Today's lesson is on pronoun references- one that isn't too hard to handle.

When you write sentences, you want them to be as clear and concise as possible. You do not want your readers to get confused when they read what you write. This goes back to the first lesson on audience awareness. When sentences contain pronouns whose antecedents (the noun your pronoun is referring to) are unclear, those who read them may mix-up different pronouns with different antecedents. They may get a different meaning from reading that sentence than was intended by the author.

Here's an example of a sentence that has an unclear pronoun reference: Mom told Bobby and Sam to do their chores, but he refused. Now, was it Bobby or Sam that refused to do his chores? It is impossible to tell, because the pronoun he could refer to either Bobby or Sam. Either boy could be the antecedent. To correct this sentence, simply be more specific: Mom told Bobby and Sam to do their chores, but Bobby refused. Pretty simple, right?

Well, short lesson today. Just remember to be clear and specific in your writing, and you shouldn't have any problems with unclear pronoun references. Always ask yourself if there could be multiple nouns that your pronouns can possibly refer to. If the answer is yes, revise your sentence so that there will not be any misunderstandings.

Lesson 6: Apostrophes

Welcome to another great day of grammar! Today we are going to study apostrophes. I will teach you the different ways that apostrophes are used and how to know which one to use when. Ready? Here we go.

Apostrophe use #1: Contraction
Basically, the apostrophe stands in for the letters being left out in the word. the apostrophe in don't stands for the deleted o in do not.

Apostrophe use #2: Possessive
Now this use is a little more complicated. People often get confused on whether the apostrophe goes before or after the s.

If the noun you are making possessive doesn't end in an s, the apostrophe goes before the s. For example if you are making class possessive, you add 's to it: class's.

If the noun you are making possessive does end in an s, the apostrophe goes after the s. For example, if you are making classes possessive, you add only the ' to the end of it: classes'.

With proper and compound nouns, you simply add the 's to the word: Jones's, Mary's, brother-in-law's.

If you want the possession to apply to two or more nouns, add the 's to the last noun: Mary and Jones's homework. If you want to possession to apply to only each of the nouns separately, add the 's to each of the nouns: Mary's and Jones's homework.

Well, that's the simply run-down on apostrophes! Hopefully now you will be more confident when you have to use apostrophes in your writing. See you next time!

Lesson 5: Parallel Structure

Welcome back to another grammar class! Excited? I know, me too. We are going to discuss parallel structures today. This might sound a little hard, but it is actually really easy to understand and apply in your writing.

Basically, you just need to use the same types words to describe two or more ideas in the same sentence that have the same amount of importance, or is about the same thing. Still confused? Let me give you an example, and then the light ball above your head will click.

Good Examples- Mary is a housekeeper; her job is to cook and (to) clean.
Mary is a housekeeper; her job is to cook and to clean.
Mary is a housekeeper; her job is cooking and cleaning.

Bad Example- Mary is a housekeeper; her job is cooking and to clean.

See how easy this is; the bad example simply sounds weird. But a little explanation with the first good example- you can drop the second "to," but have to use it in the first one. But if you use the "to" in the second one, you have to use it for all of them (third, fourth, fifth-however many things you are listing).

Well, that is all. A short lesson today, but one that if you implement well, will get you far in life (at least in your writing life).

Lesson 4: Sexist and Stereotypical Language

Hello class, it's time for more grammar! But don't worry, today's lesson is pretty simple and painless. We are going to discuss sexist and stereotypical language today.

As we've previously discussed, it is important to keep your audience in mind when writing. Doing this will solve many of the problems we're about to discuss-if you know your audience, you'll be able to make wise decisions when choosing words to use. However, as is often the case, you won't know exactly who your audience is-their gender, age, or race. This is why it is important to avoid sexist and stereotypical language in your writing.

Many words in the English language are sexist in nature: businessman, fireman, authoress, man-made, and so on. Most of the time, we are not trying to be sexist when we use words like these, only that they are words we are accustomed to using. Replace words like these with words that are neutral: businessperson, firefighter, writer, and artificial. It may seem a little awkward at first to use words like these; however, to avoid offending people, it is crucial that we use neutral terms. This is true when writing for school, work, or just life in general.

Another thing to watch out for is masculine pronouns (he, his, him). It is harder to avoid using these words when gender is not specified, but a good way to get around it is to make the subject of the sentence plural. For example, instead of writing Every student must turn in his paper by Monday, write Students must turn in their papers by Monday. Another way to avoid the masculine pronoun is to replace it with "the" or "a" or eliminate it altogether. For example: Every student must submit the paper by Monday or Every student must submit papers by Monday. Another option is to use the phrase his or her, though this can become wordy if used too much. Making your sentence passive would also work.

Other than eliminating sexist language from your writing, do not forget to avoid all kinds of stereotypical language, such as singling people out because of their appearance, race, age, or physical conditions.

Well, this will be all for today. Remember your audience and these simple tricks to avoid offending them, and write away!

Lesson 3: Active vs. Passive Voice

Welcome back class! Ready for some more grammar? If not, I wouldn't blame you. Grammar is not the most exciting topic to learn, but it is certainly very important. It is something everyone has to learn in order to write well.

We are going to focus on the concept of active voice versus passive voice today. While passive voice can actually be desired in certain types of writing (like scientific writing) or in certain types of situations (when what is done is more important than who did it), most of the time, you will want to write all of your sentences in active voice.

So, what is active voice? It is when the agent performing the action is the subject of the sentence, when it is very clear who did what.

For example, the following sentence is written in active voice: I kicked the dog. I, the agent, am also the subject. I performed the action, kicked. This way of writing the sentence is clear and to the point. It is also shorter than its passive counterpart.

Now, the same sentence in passive voice: The dog was kicked by me. See how the dog is now in the subject? The fact that me kicked the dog has become secondary to the fact that the dog was kicked. Not only has the emphasis of the sentence changed, it is not as clear-cut, and is longer by two words. With a simple sentence like this, the length does not increase much and may not seem like a big deal; however, writing effectively means that you have to make every word count.

A worse way to write this sentence passively would be to omit the agent altogether: The dog was kicked. While this version of the sentence is just as short as the active one, now we don't know who, or even what, kicked the dog. Sometimes people use passive voice, and even omit the agent, to minimize their blame or eliminate it completely. This passive sentence might be how a little child might respond to a questioning mother about why the dog is yapping.

Now, this is just a simple, in a nutshell way of explaining the differences between passive and active voice, but it should suffice. If you would like more information, The OWL at Purdue is a great resource. And remember, make every word count!