Download File - MTI News Writing

Cleaning Your Copy
Credit: Bess, Freesia, Xin, & Sandy
https://www.newsu.org/courses/cleaning-your-copy-grammar-style-and-more
This self-direct course helped us understand the basics of grammar and
AP style. The course has four content sections that focus on the most
common mistakes and teach us how to avoid them.
Four parts: Grammar, Style, Punctuation, Spelling
Learn to:
 Identify and solve grammatical problems in your copy
 Pick the right word when choosing between tricky pairs such as
"that/which," "that/who" and "who/whom"
 Use the correct AP style for addresses, ages, money and numbers
 Identify and correct common punctuation errors
 Correctly spell words that are tough to get right
 Avoid typos caused by homonym trip-ups
1.
Grammar:
The rules can help you keep the writing clear and tell a story effectively.
When the language is mudded, the readers may get confused and quit
reading.
Modifiers, Pronouns, That/ Which, That/ Who, Who/ Whom, Verbs,
Lay/ Lie, Parallel Construction
1.1
Modifiers
Location is the key of modifiers. put them in the wrong spot and the
sentence is unclear or inaccurate.
Common problems:
 Dangling modifiers
You’ll run into this when you start a sentence with a phrase. Make
sure the beginning phrase matches the subject of the sentence.
e.g. Running across the street, the bus hit her. ( The bus can’t run.)
 Misplaced modifiers
e.g. The city manager was told the contract had been awarded by the
mayor. ( Did the mayor award the contract or did she tell the city
manager about the contract?)
Using passive voice contributes to the problem.
A better sentence:
The mayor told the city manager that the city got the contract.
 Squinting modifiers:
歧形修饰语
A word, usually an adverb, that a reader thinks can describe more than
one word.
e.g. Those who lie often are found out.
( Is it who lie often or are they often found out?)
Location in the sentence will tell the reader which way is correct.
Other adverbs that will give you this trouble are: only, just, nearly,
barely.
 How many words?
Some modifiers combinations are one word as an adverb and two
words in other usage. Here are some examples:
a) Awhile/ A while
It is one word as an adverb (that means for a while), and it’s two
words when it’s a direct object or when it’s followed by a preposition,
usually the preposition for.
e.g. He plans to stay awhile ( an adverb describing stay).
He plans to stay for a while.
The packing took a while.
b) Anyway/ Any way
Anyway, as one word, is an adverb that means regardless.
Any way, as two words, means in any manner or any way.
1.2
Pronouns
The reader should know who or what you are describing when you
use a pronoun.
 The person of pronouns should remain consistent.
Wrong: If you see a driver who appears to be drunk, one should
call the police.
Right: If you see a driver who appears to be drunk, you should call
the police.
 Singular nouns require singular pronouns. Plural nouns require
plural pronouns.
e.g. Wrong: Each student is responsible for their own assignment.
(There is not a substitute for his or her, and them is not a
substitute for he or she.)
Right: Each student is responsible for his or her own
assignment.
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2.
Better: All students are responsible for their own assignments.
Unsure whether to use I or me? Here’s a handy tip:
Use implicit words as a guide.
e.g. Mr. Ames is older than I (am).
She admires him more than (she admires) me.
Collective nouns (class, committee, crowd, family, group, herd,
jury, orchestra, team), the ones that mean a single unit, requires
singular pronouns and verbs.
Wrong: The company trumpeted their success.
Right: The company trumpeted its success.
When you really mean a group of individual items, use plural
pronouns and verbs.
A thousand bushels is a good yield. (A unit.)
A thousand bushel were created. (Individual items.)
The data is sound. (A unit.)
The data have been carefully collected. (Individual items.)
Style
All publications follow a set of rules dictating when words should be
capitalized, spelled out or abbreviated, as well as listing punctuation rules
and the preferred spelling for landmarks and businesses.
Address, Ages, Abbreviation, Capitalization, Dates, Distances,
Interstates, Money, Numbers,
1.3
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1.4
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Ages
Always use figures. When the context not require “years” or “years
old,” the feature is presumed to be years. Ages used as adjectives
before a noun or as substitutes for a noun need hyphens:
A 5-year-old boy.
The boy is 5 years old.
The boy, 7, has a sister, 10.
The woman, 26, has a daughter 2 months old.
The woman is in her 20s.
Date
Capitalize the names of months in all uses.
Spell out the name of the month when using by itself or with a
year. When a month is used with a specific date, abbreviate Jan.,
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1.5
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3.
Feb., Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov. and Dec. Spell out the name of month
when using it alone, or with a year alone.
Use commas when use the date, month and year to set off the year.
e.g. Feb.14, 1987, was the target date.
When a phrase lists only a month and a year, do not set off the year
with commas.
For the date, always use numerals for the day of the month, without
st, nd, rd or th. Always use numerals for the year.
Use Arabic figures to indicate decades of history. Show plurals ( to
indicate spans of decades or centuries) by adding the letter s. Use
an apostrophe to indicate numerals that are left out: the 1890s, the
1800s, the ’90s, the 1920s, the mid- 1930s.
e.g. January 1972 was a cold month.
Jan. 2 was the coldest day of the month.
His birthday is May 8.
She testified that it was Friday, Dec. 3, when the accident
occurred.
Dec. 18, 1994, was a special day.
Time
Use figures except for noon and midnight. Use a colon to separate
hours from minutes: 11 a.m., 1 p.m., 3:30 p.m.
Avoid such redundancies as 10 a.m. this morning, 10 p.m. tonight.
Avoid vague language of at about 10 p.m. It’s either 10 p.m. or
about 10 p.m.
Punctuation
Punctuation helps the reader understand a story. Commas, periods, dashes
and other marks indicate the writers’ voice. They signal an emphasis or
tone in language, as well as telling a reader when to stop or pause.
Think of punctuation this way:
 The comma is a slight break in the thought of a sentence;
 the semicolon is a longer pause;
 and the dash represents an abrupt, dramatic turn.
Apostrophes, Colons, Commas, Dashes, Hyphens, Quotation Marks,
Semicolons
3.1
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Apostrophes
For possessives: For singular and plural nouns not ending in s, add ’s:
women’s rights. For singular common nouns ending in s, add ’s unless
the next word begins with s: the hostess’s invitation, the hostess’ seat.
For singular proper names ending in s, use only an apostrophe:
Achilles’ heel, Agnes’ book.
For plural nouns ending in s, add only an apostrophe: The girl’s toys.
For plurals: Apostrophes usually aren’t needed. Most plurals are
formed by adding s or es. If you are not sure, look it up.
e.g. His speech has too many “its,” “ands” and “buts.”
The custom began in the 1920s.
Temperatures will be in the low 30s.
She knows her ABCs.
But there’s this:
Mind your p’s and q’s.
He earned three A’s and two B’s.
Proper nouns: Family names are easy if you follow the rules:
Bill lives near the Smiths ( it’s plural).
Bill lives near the Smiths’ house ( plural and possessive).
For contractions: Apostrophes tell a reader that a set of letters or
numbers is missing. Do not is don’t, I am is I’m; the 1960s is the ’60s.
3.2
Dashes
Dashes denote an abrupt change in thought or an emphatic pause: We
will fly to Paris—— if I get a raise.
 Dashes also set off a phrase that already has commas: He listed the
qualities——intelligence, humor, conservation, independence——that
he liked in an executive.
Right: They trudged wearily along the trail——dozens had died on it,
and they knew it——until they made camp utterly exhausted.
Wrong: He said his grandmother——who had just reached 89——was
a “ vigorous old lady.” (There’s no break in thought; commas would be
fine.)
 When dashes are used in pairs, the rest of the sentence must be
grammatically correct, and make sense, without the material between
the dashes.
They trudges wearily along the trail until they made camp utterly
exhausted.
 Also use dashes for datelines: GULFPORT——The mayor announced
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today…
3.3
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4.
Hyphens
Hyphens are joiners. Use them to avoid ambiguity or to form a single
idea from two or more words: The president will speak to smallbusiness owners. He re-covered the leaky roof.
A handy tip: Most compound modifiers are hyphenated when they
come before the noun but not when they come after: The magazine
wants a full-time editor. She succeed because she worked full time.
But when a modifier comes after a “ to be” verb, keep the hyphen to
avoid confusion: The man is well-known. The play is second-rate.
Compound modifiers that include an adverb ending in ly are not
hyphenated: The 1,000-page book is barely readable.
And don’t forget suspended hyphenation: He received a 10- to 20year sentence in prison.
With vote tabulations
 Always use figures and a hyphen for the totals. The City Council
voted 5-4 to approve the rate increase.
 Spell out below 10 in other phrases related to voting: by a fivevote majority, with three abstentions, four votes short of the
necessary two-thirds majority.
 For results that involve fewer than 1,000 votes on each side, use
these forms: The House voted 230-205, a 230-205 vote.
Spelling
Spelling is a little thing that sends a big signal to a reader. If words are
spelled and used correctly, a reader won’t notice your skill. However, if a
story contains misspelled words or words used incorrectly, a reader will
be distracted and think the writer is careless.
Commonly Misspelled Words, Confusing Word pairs & Homonyms
4.1
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Commonly Misspelled Words
If reporters and copy editors can’t spell, we are in trouble. Here are a
few for your list:
 accommodate - Remember, this word is large enough to
accommodate both a double "c" AND a double "m."
 changeable - The verb "change" keeps its [e] here to indicate that
the [g] is soft, not hard. (That is also why "judgement" is the
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4.2
correct spelling of this word, no matter what anyone says.)
drunkenness - You would be surprised how many sober people
omit one of the [n]s in this one.
embarrass (ment) - This one won't embarrass you if you
remember it is large enough for a double [r] AND a double [s].
harass - This word is too small for two double letters but don't let
it harass you, just keep the [r]s down to one.
liaison - Another French word throwing us an orthographical
curve: a spare [i], just in case. That's an [s], too, that sounds like a
[z].
noticeable - The [e] is noticeably retained in this word to indicate
the [c] is "soft," pronounced like [s]. Without the [e], it would be
pronounced "hard," like [k], as in "applicable."
sergeant - The [a] needed in both syllables of this word has been
pushed to the back of the line. Remember that, and the fact that
[e] is used in both syllables, and you can write your sergeant
without fear of misspelling his rank.
vacuum - If your head is not a vacuum, remember that the silent
[e] on this one married the [u] and joined him inside the word
where they are living happily ever since. Well, the evidence is
suggestive but not conclusive. Anyway, spell this word with two
[u]s and not like "volume."
Confusing Word pairs & Homonyms
http://www.grammarbook.com/homonyms/confusing-words-letter-b.asp
to agree; to receive
accept
but, with the exception that
except
adverse unfortunate; strongly opposed (refers to things, not people)
Examples: an adverse reaction to the medication
adverse weather conditions
having repugnance (refers to people)
averse
Example: He is averse to a military draft.
affect vs. Rule 1. Use effect when you mean bring about or brought
about, cause or caused.
effect
Example: He effected a commotion in the crowd.
Meaning: He caused a commotion in the crowd.
Rule 2. Use effect when you mean result.
Example: What effect did that speech have?
Rule 3. Also use effect whenever any of these words precede
it: a, an, any, the, take, into, no. These words may be
separated from effect by an adjective.
Examples: That book had a long-lasting effect on my
thinking.
Has the medicine produced any noticeable
effects?
Rule 4. Use the verb affect when you mean to
influence rather than to cause.
Example: How do the budget cuts affect your staffing?
Rule 5. Affect is used as a noun to mean emotional
expression.
Example: She showed little affect when told she had won the
lottery.
to refer indirectly
allude
Example: He alluded to his past as a spy.
avoid capture
elude
Example: The fugitive eluded the police for a month.
mislead
illude
Example: He illuded her about his age.
twice a year
biannual
every two years
biennial
semiannual twice a year (same as biannual)