#Workshop - Helpful Tips on Grammar and Article Structure - Mon., Feb. 11th at 8 PM EST

Contributor: SneakersAndPearls SneakersAndPearls
Quote:
Originally posted by *Ashley*
It was a question. I didn't want to confuse anyone by adding the question mark.

I just listing things that I find myself questioning all the time.

Opinions... Do think it is better to use the ; mark OR just make a short sentence?
It depends. If you're unsure, use a period. If you already have a ton of short sentences, use the semicolon.
02/11/2013
Contributor: *Ashley* *Ashley*
Quote:
Originally posted by SneakersAndPearls
Alot is not a word. It's actually "a lot." For reference, this will help you remember: link
I don't see anything to help me remember...
02/11/2013
Contributor: Pandwhora Pandwhora
Quote:
Originally posted by SneakersAndPearls
Pole vs Poll

This one is very simple. Strippers have POLES. Planets have POLES. Telephone lines have POLES. However, forums have POLLS.

Simply put, a POLL is something like a questionnaire. A POLE is a structure, or the magnetic ... more
And speaking of apostrophes...It's vs Its.

It's = It is
02/11/2013
Contributor: SneakersAndPearls SneakersAndPearls
Everyone ready to move on?
02/11/2013
Contributor: *Ashley* *Ashley*
Quote:
Originally posted by SneakersAndPearls
It depends. If you're unsure, use a period. If you already have a ton of short sentences, use the semicolon.
Note taken.
02/11/2013
Contributor: Loriandhubby Loriandhubby
i get very confused on little things like, the ' symbol and how to use it with plural. and such...
02/11/2013
Contributor: *Ashley* *Ashley*
Quote:
Originally posted by SneakersAndPearls
Everyone ready to move on?
Ready to learn.
02/11/2013
Contributor: Lickable Lollie Lickable Lollie
Quote:
Originally posted by SneakersAndPearls
Everyone ready to move on?
Please.
02/11/2013
Contributor: SneakersAndPearls SneakersAndPearls
Quote:
Originally posted by *Ashley*
I don't see anything to help me remember...
Just remember that alot is not a word, then.
02/11/2013
Contributor: *Ashley* *Ashley*
Quote:
Originally posted by Loriandhubby
i get very confused on little things like, the ' symbol and how to use it with plural. and such...
me too.
02/11/2013
Contributor: SneakersAndPearls SneakersAndPearls
Quote:
Originally posted by Loriandhubby
i get very confused on little things like, the ' symbol and how to use it with plural. and such...
We'll get there.
02/11/2013
Contributor: Pandwhora Pandwhora
Quote:
Originally posted by SneakersAndPearls
Everyone ready to move on?
yes
02/11/2013
Contributor: travelnurse travelnurse
yes
02/11/2013
Contributor: SneakersAndPearls SneakersAndPearls
Let's move on to sentence structure. There are a few things to keep in mind here as you write articles. First off, avoid the passive voice, and instead use the active voice.

An example of the active voice: Jon threw the ball. In the passive voice, it would read like this: The ball was thrown by Jon. The difference is very simple. In the active voice, the subject is acting on something. Jon (the subject) threw (verb) the ball (direct object). When the subject acts on the direct object, that's the active voice. The passive voice, on the other hand, is when the subject is acted upon instead. When we take the sentence, “The ball was thrown by Jon,” the ball becomes the subject, but it is acted upon, instead of doing the acting.

In short, the active voice makes stronger sentences. Use it.
02/11/2013
Contributor: *Ashley* *Ashley*
Quote:
Originally posted by SneakersAndPearls
Just remember that alot is not a word, then.
Wasn't sure if you tried to add a link of a picture or something; I'll remember. Thanks.

(did I use ; correctly?) lol
02/11/2013
Contributor: Rayne Millaray Rayne Millaray
Quote:
Originally posted by Loriandhubby
i get very confused on little things like, the ' symbol and how to use it with plural. and such...
That's a good one! Lots of people get mixed up on possessive and plural nouns.
02/11/2013
Contributor: SneakersAndPearls SneakersAndPearls
Quote:
Originally posted by *Ashley*
Wasn't sure if you tried to add a link of a picture or something; I'll remember. Thanks.

(did I use ; correctly?) lol
Borderline, but I'd say acceptable.
02/11/2013
Contributor: SneakersAndPearls SneakersAndPearls
Quote:
Originally posted by Rayne Millaray
That's a good one! Lots of people get mixed up on possessive and plural nouns.
I've got a whole post on apostrophes coming up. I knew people get confused on how to use them.
02/11/2013
Contributor: *Ashley* *Ashley*
Quote:
Originally posted by SneakersAndPearls
Borderline, but I'd say acceptable.
too long of a sentence? (sorry I am trying to get this down!) lol.
02/11/2013
Contributor: *Ashley* *Ashley*
Quote:
Originally posted by SneakersAndPearls
I've got a whole post on apostrophes coming up. I knew people get confused on how to use them.
NICE! Thank you. I'll be sure to mark/heart it.
02/11/2013
Contributor: Ansley Ansley
Quote:
Originally posted by *Ashley*
too long of a sentence? (sorry I am trying to get this down!) lol.
The trick with a semi-colon is that it's pretty formal. It's almost always better to use a comma to indicate a small break in speech to join two phrases or use a period.
02/11/2013
Contributor: SneakersAndPearls SneakersAndPearls
Quote:
Originally posted by *Ashley*
too long of a sentence? (sorry I am trying to get this down!) lol.
No. Actually, it's the "I'll remember" that seems to not quite fit right with the first statement. Semicolons are fickle things.
02/11/2013
Contributor: Lickable Lollie Lickable Lollie
Quote:
Originally posted by SneakersAndPearls
I've got a whole post on apostrophes coming up. I knew people get confused on how to use them.
Please, go on. I'm sure you have a lot to cover tonight. How about questions at the end, if they aren't covered?
02/11/2013
Contributor: travelnurse travelnurse
I always have issues with the semi colon's
02/11/2013
Contributor: SneakersAndPearls SneakersAndPearls
Quote:
Originally posted by Ansley
The trick with a semi-colon is that it's pretty formal. It's almost always better to use a comma to indicate a small break in speech to join two phrases or use a period.
What Stormy said.
02/11/2013
Contributor: Pandwhora Pandwhora
Quote:
Originally posted by travelnurse
I always have issues with the semi colon's
Me too. I never never use them.
02/11/2013
Contributor: SneakersAndPearls SneakersAndPearls
Some words are overused and added as filler where they shouldn't be. One example of a much overused word is “that.” Let's look at an example.

She was much taller than the women that Jon usually dated.

-OR-

She was much taller than the women Jon usually dated.

As you can see, “that” is just a filler and can be removed. That takes us into our next topic: superfluous words.
02/11/2013
Contributor: *Ashley* *Ashley*
Quote:
Originally posted by SneakersAndPearls
No. Actually, it's the "I'll remember" that seems to not quite fit right with the first statement. Semicolons are fickle things.
Maybe I should have completed that last thought..

"Wasn't sure if you tried to add a link of a picture or something; I'll remember it's not a word. Thanks."

Or throw out the ; and add a ,
But I have a hard time figuring out the proper use.

What is the difference between the two marks again?
02/11/2013
Contributor: travelnurse travelnurse
I have an issue with using and as my word.
02/11/2013
Contributor: SneakersAndPearls SneakersAndPearls
Quote:
Originally posted by *Ashley*
Maybe I should have completed that last thought..

"Wasn't sure if you tried to add a link of a picture or something; I'll remember it's not a word. Thanks."

Or throw out the ; and add a ,
But I have a hard time ... more
Actually, those are still two different thoughts. You could say:
I wasn't sure if there was supposed to be a link; there wasn't.
02/11/2013