Sunday, August 19, 2012

Typos

Typos are so common, especially when spell check isn't used. But even with spell check they can occur. Since I am a good speller, it disturbs me when I see anything I've posted having a misspelled word in it. I like to think that the word isn't misspelled--it's a typo. And it usually is. In my last post the word 'immediately' has the a missing. I hate that!

So my apologies for that missing letter a. Now for another misused word:

Your vs You're:

Your.........denotes ownership--belonging to you.

You're....is a contraction for you are.

That's it for today. Happy Sunday!!

Friday, August 17, 2012

I Read...a lot!

Since I am an independent self-publisher, I enjoy supporting other authors who are in the same position. I have noticed a lot of common errors in writing. Of course there are typos. Even the best of authors with expensive editors and agents cannot catch every typo.

I am referring to common grammaical errors and word usage. When I see them, I automatically  want to correct them. Since I cannot do that, I am going to put the misused words here in this blog, and post the correct usage. This is not meant to be condescending or hurtful, but I hope it can be helpful. I want every writer to succeed. There can never be too many books. So here are the words that immeditely come to mind. As I see more, I will post them here.

its vs. it's:

It's..............a contraction for it is
Its................belonging to it.

Then vs. Than (This one is so commonly used incorrectly.):

Than is used to show a comparison.  Bigger than; taller than; The water was deeper than she thought it to be. (Test: The water was deeper than she thought it was deep.) Than is actually a conjunction.

Then is used for sequence of events or sometime time frames. Ex: The days seemed longer back then. She hurried to straighten up the room, and then she went to the door. Then is an adverb.

Their; There; They're:

Their......an adjective showing ownership. Their job; Their car; Their purpose.
There.....denotes a place or position. Over there. Put the book there. Adverb.
They're...A contraction for they are. And without the apostrophe (theyre), it is not a word.

That's it for today. As they come to mind, I will post them. Remember, I only want to be helpful.

Sunday, August 12, 2012

I Moved!!

I have been soooo busy with this move. After living in the same apartment for 8 years, I finally moved into my own place. You can just imagine how much stuff one can accumulate in 8 years! I felt sorry for those guys who had to carry all those boxes of books. I know they were heavy, guys! Sorry! I'm a book freak.

Anyway....now I'm living in my place and still looking at mountains of boxes to open and unpack. One box at a time....that's all I can do.

My computer desk didn't survive the move. It looked like it exploded when they were carrying it down the steps! I finally got a new one. It was really uncomforable trying to answer emails hunched over the chair my monitor, mouse, and keyboard sat on, so I didn't do much else other than get through the emails.

Hopefully I can spend a little more time here at the computer now that my transition is all downhill from here.

Have a great Sunday and a fine week.