Effective Writing

The incorrect use and formation of plural nouns is one of the most common mistakes people make in their writing. Its one of the simpler grammatical rules, so you’d think it would have the least margin of error. However, it is often the simplest elements that trip people up. And you don’t have to be a grammophobe to understand or remember them; all it takes is a little time and a review every so often.
Remember:

1. A common noun is a person, place or thing;
2. A proper noun is easy to recognize because it is always capitalized.

Now on to plurals we go:

The plural of most words is formed by adding –s to the singular form of the noun:

• lake, lakes; sell, sells; crawl, crawls; shade, shades; the Browns; the Andersons; the Rothmans.

For common nouns ending in y and preceded by a vowel, add an –s:

• Sashay, sashays; bay, bays; cay, cays; day, days

For proper nouns ending in y, the plural is formed with the regular –s:

• the two Pattys; the two Scullys; the two Kansas Citys. (Continued)

Find Resources at websites like Project Gutenberg and Bartelby’s.com.

Public Domain webisites like Project Gutenberg and Bartleby.com are gold mines if you’re looking for free literature or verse, style and grammar guides, and more.  They provide a plethora of work pre-1920’s, and its all free for you to devour at your pleasure.

Project Gutenberg offers 18,000 books online. These include everything from books by Ovid and Dante to Jane Austen, Mark Twain, and numerous other authors. They are an excellent resource, and all the books can be downloaded as e-books.

Bartleby.com is an open resource, Public Domain site that offers numerous writing and grammar resources, including the American Heritage Dictionary, Strunk & White,  Bartlett’s Familiar Quotations, and even Gray’s Anatomy. Their searches are divided into reference, verse, fiction, and non-fiction.

Only the grammophobes out there will actually care about this topic, but it is important to point out that many people evidently lack knowledge of this simple little rule: the period or comma always comes before the quotation mark.

In short: don’t write “something”. Write “something.”

While this sounds nitpicky, it shows a lack of proofreading, the ultimate sign of carelessness in a professional document.

Common mistakes like this imply several things:

a) the writer doesn’t know or can’t remember their grammar.
b) the writer forgot to proofread.
c) the writer doesn’t care.

Whether you’re a writer or not, it is your responsibility to your readers to present clean, error-free material. If you don’t proofread, that implies laziness. And while lazy writing is bad enough, not caring is worse. Now some might say “well, most people aren’t that observant, so it doesn’t matter anyways.” Perhaps. But not caring does suggest a lack of respect for your own work that isn’t lost on your readers. Never underestimate your reader or client. If they’re going to read or buy something from you, they want a product or service that inspires the most confidence.

After all, if you don’t care about your work, why should they?

Bad grammar is yet another pitfall that is common in writing, and the internet happens to be an effective sink hole. Not only is it unpleasant to see, but it can create a feeling of carelessness that isn’t lost on a reader. Bad grammar can dilute your customers’ confidence in your product or service because it shows a lack of professionalism.

Luckily, there is an easy solution to bad grammar: repetitive proofreading. For most people, once is not enough. Lather, rinse and repeat. In addition, have at least two other people proof your work for you.