----------------------------------------------------------------- THE BETTER WRITING SKILLS NEWSLETTER, November 2011 By Tim North of Scribe Consulting www.scribe.com.au ----------------------------------------------------------------- Welcome to the Better Writing Skills newsletter. IN THIS ISSUE 1. One or two spaces after a full stop? 2. Taming Microsoft Word's AutoCorrect settings 3. "Take" versus "bring" 4. Just for fun Your comments and questions are always welcome. Just send email to: info@scribe.com.au Cheers, Tim North (Perth, Western Australia) ----------------------------------------------------------------- 1. One or two spaces after a full stop? ----------------------------------------------------------------- My first correspondent this month, Gaye, writes: A question that's being talked about with some executive assistants at the moment in our office: Do you have one or two spaces after a full stop? The modern convention is to use one space after a full stop. The older practice of using two spaces dates back to "ye olden days" (which I remember well, sigh) of typewriters and mono-spaced fonts. The intent was to provide a clear gap between sentences. Today, word processors usually widen the spacing between sentences automatically; thus, the second space is unnecessary. You can tell Microsoft Word that you prefer one (or two) spaces after a full stop. If you then use the wrong number of spaces it will point this out with a green, wavy line. In Word 2010, follow these steps: 1. Open the "Word Options" window by selecting "Options" from the File menu. (In Word 2007, click on the Office Button then "Word Options".) 2. Select the "Proofing" tab. 3. In the section marked "When correcting spelling and grammar in Word", press the "Settings" button. 4. From the pop-up labelled "Spaces required between sentences", select from "1", 2" or "Don't check". Other versions of Word will require different steps. If you can find the options for the grammar checker, though, you'll have no problems. Hope this helps. -- (c) 2011 Tim North: http://www.scribe.com.au ----------------------------------------------------------------- 2. Taming Microsoft Word's AutoCorrect settings ----------------------------------------------------------------- Coincidentally, my next correspondent this month, Elizabeth, also raised a topic that requires a discussion of Word's, sometimes arcane, options. She writes: I don't usually end abbreviations with a period, because I'm unable to explain to Microsoft's grammar check that a period after an abbreviation does not indicate the start of a new sentence. Here Elizabeth is referring to last month's article that suggested that we end abbreviations (like "Prof.") with a full stop. Contractions (like "Mr") didn't need one. Here's the link if you'd like a reminder: http://www.scribe.com.au/newsletter.html This time, we can fix the problem by altering the settings for Word's "AutoCorrect" feature like so: 1. Open the "Word Options" window by selecting "Options" from the File menu. (In Word 2007, click on the Office Button then "Word Options".) 2. Select the "Proofing" tab. 3. Click on the "AutoCorrect Options..." button. 4. In the AutoCorrect tab, clear the check box marked "Capitalize first letter of sentences". Problem solved. This will also fix Word's annoying tendency to capitalise the items in a bulleted list, even if they're not sentences. Elizabeth continues: And I'd never group digits inside a number with a space instead of a comma, because the computer may then format the number across two lines. This is also why I always type 12kg, and never 12 kg, when using numbers and abbreviated units. This one's easily fixed. If you wish to avoid having "12 kg" split over two lines, just type Ctrl-Shift-Space instead of a normal space. That will ensure that both words are always on the same line. Hope this helps. -- (c) 2011 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. "Take" versus "bring" ----------------------------------------------------------------- My final correspondent, Linda, asked if "bring" and "take" could be used interchangeably. She writes: I was taught a rule that I cannot remember in it's entirety, but it included the hint to use 'take' if the indication was to move away, associating both take and away as four letter words. If I were to hear someone say, "I have to bring my son to his soccer game" I would say bring is used incorrectly. Linda, your memory is doing fine. Bring is usually used to mean "carry to a nearer place". Take usually means "carry to a more distant place". You're spot on with your soccer example. As you're walking out the front door, you might say "I have to take my son to his soccer game". When you get there, someone might ask "Did you bring your son?" I said above that this is the way that they're *usually* used. There's no rule carved on a stone tablet, though, that says that this is the way they *must* be used. Consider the sentence: I'll bring my son to soccer. I wouldn't go as far as to say that this usage is incorrect. In practice, when the meaning is clear from the context (as above), the words are often used interchangeably. Hope this helps. -- (c) 2011 Tim North: http://www.scribe.com.au ----------------------------------------------------------------- 4. Just for fun ---------------------------------------------------------------- Something different this month: a brain teaser. There's a common English word that's nine letters long. Each time you remove a letter from it, it still remains an English word -- from nine letters right down to a single letter. What is the original word, and what are the words that it becomes after removing one letter at a time? Not sure? Snopes.com has the answer here: www.snopes.com/language/puzzlers/9letters.asp Incidentally, snopes.com is a fantastic resource for testing the truth of urban legends, fallacies, misinformation, old wives' tales, strange news stories, rumours, celebrity gossip and similar items. It's ideal for testing the claims made in emails forwarded to you by well meaning, but insufficiently sceptical, friends. Enjoy. Cheers, Tim. ----------------------------------------------------------------- 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. 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