----------------------------------------------------------------- THE BETTER WRITING SKILLS NEWSLETTER, April 2009 By Tim North of Scribe Consulting www.scribe.com.au ----------------------------------------------------------------- Welcome to the April 2009 Better Writing Skills newsletter. IN THIS ISSUE 1. Can I end a sentence with a preposition? 2. Quoting versus paraphrasing 3. Punctuating bulleted lists 4. Just for fun Your comments and questions are always welcome. Just send e-mail to: info@scribe.com.au Cheers, Tim North (Perth, Western Australia) ----------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Can I end a sentence with a preposition? ----------------------------------------------------------------- My first correspondent this month, Gemma, wrote in to ask about prepositions: A voice way back in the past keeps telling me never to end a sentence with a preposition. The obvious question at this point is "Tim, what's a preposition?" Well I'm glad you asked. The most common prepositions are "of", "to", "in", "for", "with" and "on". They're just words that indicate the relationship between two objects in a sentence. Now to Gemma's issue. Can you have a preposition as the last word in a sentence? For example: What are you sitting on? Who are you going with? You may be thinking "Sure. Why not?" If so, pat yourself on the back. There's nothing wrong with it at all. Almost everyone from Shakespeare onwards has written this way. The claim that one can't end a sentence with a preposition can be laid at the feet of a Bishop Robert Lowth. In the late eighteenth century he wrote a widely published style manual that contained that little gem among others. Lowth based his advice on the fact that, in Latin, one didn't end sentences with a preposition. He then generalised -- unwisely in my opinion -- to say that because one didn't do it in Latin, one shouldn't do it in English. Most modern style manuals have long since discarded this advice. For example, my favourite -- the Australian publication "The Style Manual for Authors, Editors and Printers" -- notes in its sixth edition that "there is nothing to prevent them occurring as the last word in a sentence" (p. 77). Hope this helps. -- (c) 2009 Tim North: http://www.scribe.com.au ----------------------------------------------------------------- 2. Quoting versus paraphrasing ----------------------------------------------------------------- My next correspondent asked about quotations: We are writing a brochure to promote a new service in our company. I thought it would be interesting to include a thought of a famous specialist on this subject, but his literature is in English and I need it in Spanish. Now, I have two problems: 1. If it is translated literally, it doesn't sound correct in Spanish. 2. If I rearranged the text so it sounds right, could I still write the author's name under the thought? If you could help me sort this out, I would be most grateful. This raises the difference between quoting someone and paraphrasing them. Consider this wonderful quote from Robert J. Hanlon: "Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity." By presenting the text in quotation marks, I'm claiming that these are Hanlon's exact words. If I want to alter the wording (for example to translate it into Spanish), I could remove the quotes and paraphrase him. That is, I could say the same thing using other words. For example: Robert J. Hanlon observed that we should not assume an action is motivated by malice if it can be adequately explained by stupidity. Paraphrased like this, it is clear that I am presenting the substance of what Hanlon said, rather than his exact words. Hope this helps. -- (c) 2009 Tim North: http://www.scribe.com.au ----------------------------------------------------------------- Do you know someone who'd like this newsletter? ----------------------------------------------------------------- Do you have a friend or colleague who'd find the Better Writing Skills newsletter interesting? If so, please feel free to send a copy of this issue to them. Alternatively, please tell them they can browse back issues here: http://www.scribe.com.au/newsletter.html Thanks for helping to make this newsletter so successful! ----------------------------------------------------------------- 3. Punctuating bulleted lists ----------------------------------------------------------------- Punctuating bulleted lists can be surprisingly hard. Here then are some tips to help you become the local expert. Simple multiline lists ---------------------- In simple multiline lists (that is, where each item is a single word or a very short phrase) there is often no punctuation at the end of each list item. For example: We need these items: * A4 paper * staplers * scissors * pens Notice that there is a colon (:) at the end of the introductory text. Lists of fragments ------------------ If the elements of a multiline list do not form complete sentences then all but the final element are traditionally followed by a semicolon. For example: Training contributes to organisational effectiveness through: * correcting skill deficiencies; * developing a flexible and adaptable workforce; * increasing employee commitment and job satisfaction; * increasing productivity; * increasing adaptability; and * providing competitive advantage. It's surprisingly difficult to present a list of fragments correctly. The fragments all start with lower-case letters and don't have full stops. There is a colon before the list, semicolons after all but the final element, the word "and" after the second- last element and a full stop after the final element. This punctuation becomes clearer when you realise that the entire list is a single sentence. It has a single capital letter at the start ("Training ...") and a single full stop at the end. Today, some writers omit the semicolons. While this is not a traditional usage, it is becoming more common. Lists of sentences ------------------ If the elements of a list are each sentences then they (naturally) start with a capital letter and end with a full stop. For example: Training contributes to organisational effectiveness in the following ways: * It corrects skill deficiencies. * It develops a flexible and adaptable workforce. * It increases employee commitment and job satisfaction. * It increases productivity. * It increases adaptability. * It provides competitive advantage. Compare this to the previous example. Instead of being a single very long sentence it is now several sentences. Your readers may find this easier to read. Try not to mix and match ------------------------ Writers sometimes create a multiline list in which some of the elements are fragments but others are sentences. Look at the following malformed list: Training contributes to organisational effectiveness through: * correcting skill deficiencies; * developing a flexible and adaptable workforce; * It increases employee commitment and job satisfaction. * increasing productivity. This can lead to greater profit. * increasing adaptability; and * providing competitive advantage. The first two elements are fragments, yet the third is a sentence. The fourth is a strange combination of both. :-( There's only one way to fix this type of problem. You should rewrite the list so that the elements are all fragments or they are all sentences. Mixing the styles like this reduces clarity. -- This article was adapted from Chapter 5 of my e-book "Editing and Proofreading". You can find more -- including a sample chapter -- on my web site: http://www.scribe.com.au/editing-proofreading-1.html Hope this helps. -- (c) 2009 Tim North: http://www.scribe.com.au ----------------------------------------------------------------- 4. Just for fun ----------------------------------------------------------------- This month have a look at "Comics, Grammar and Tradition". This wonderful page presents an entertaining look at the surprisingly rich typographic traditions associated with comic-book lettering: http://www.blambot.com/grammar.shtml Enjoy. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Would you like more help with your writing? ----------------------------------------------------------------- On my web site, you'll find my range of jargon-free, downloadable e-books that will help you to become a better writer. These e-books will help you with business proposals, report writing, term papers, technical writing, grant writing, creative writing and more: http://www.scribe.com.au/ebooks.html ----------------------------------------------------------------- REPRODUCING THIS MATERIAL You're welcome to reproduce the articles from this newsletter that are copyrighted by Tim North, but please don't modify or sell them. Also, please provide a clickable link back to: http://www.scribe.com.au FUTURE MAILINGS You can prevent (or receive) future mailings by visiting this page: http://www.scribe.com.au/newsletter.html This is a GENUINE service, and you will not receive any unsolicited e-mail as a result. You have my word on it. -----------------------------------------------------------------