Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Commonly Misused Words: Shudder and Shutter

With hurricane season just around the corner, this next set of commonly misused words is quite appropriate. Even though the words "shutter" and "shudder" have similar pronunciations, they have very different meanings. Let's take a look!

The word "shutter" is generally used as a noun. Think of the shutters you put on your home when a hurricane is predicted to happen. (It can also be used as a verb if you're going to "shutter" something up.) Examples of both uses are below.

Example ("shutter" as a noun): We put metal hurricane shutters up on our windows.
Example ("shutter" as a verb): My neighbors are going to shutter their windows tomorrow.


The word "shudder" can be used as a noun or a verb. As a noun, it means a small shake or vibration. As a verb, it means to shake.

Example ("shudder" as a noun): There was a shudder in the car as we drove on the bumpy road.
Example ("shudder" as a verb): Sitting in the very cold room, John shuddered.


Now it's your turn. Pick one of those words and use it correctly in a sentence.

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Commonly Misused Words: Peace and Piece

Let's discuss two more commonly misused words: peace and piece. These words are homonyms. They are pronounced almost exactly the same, but have very different meanings and spellings.

The word "peace" means harmony, calmness, or a lack of fighting.
The word "piece" means a part of something.

Can you use those two words correctly? Try it now by writing two simple sentences that show the correct meanings of "peace" and "piece."

Here's an example.

1.) There is no peace when war is happening.
2.) I'd like to try a piece of the chocolate cake.

Monday, March 15, 2010

Commonly Misused Words: Which and Witch

Halloween won't be here for a while, but that's ok! This next blog post is about the words "witch" and "which." These words, like many others that we'll discuss during the "Commonly Misused Words" topics, are homonyms or homophones. They're pronounced almost identically, but have very different meanings. Let's look at each one a bit closer!

The word "witch" is meant to be used when describing the Halloween character who has the pointy hat, pointy shoes, and rides a broom. It can also be used to describe a nasty, mean-spirited person.

The word "which" can be used as a pronoun, as in the example below.
"Which of these should we buy?"

It can also be used as an adjective, shown in the example below.
"I spent the day at the mall, during which time my car was being fixed."

Probably the easiest way to remember this is to ask yourself if you're talking about a person or character, similar to what you see in the picture below. If that's not what you mean, then go with the word "which."


Can you write two sentences that show how to use the words "witch" and "which" correctly? Give it a try now!

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Writing - Compound Words

A compound word is one that has two parts to it. Think of the word "pancake." That's a compound word made by combining the terms "pan" and "cake." So why is it important to know about compound words? Well, like many of the things we've discussed, the more correct your words and writing are, the more effective you'll be in getting your ideas across to the reader!

Test your knowledge of compound words. Try this activity and see how you do! Did you know all of them? Did you know most of them? Pick out your favorite compound word from the activity and use it in a sentence.

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Writing Terminology

No matter what test you're doing (GED, FCAT, SAT, etc.), there are some basic terms associated with essay writing. In fact, if you've ever attended one of the online workshops about essay writing, you've probably heard these terms used.

Try this Quia "Rags to Riches" game that tests your knowledge of writing terminology. It's ok if you don't know all of the terms; for those that you don't know, however, consider writing them down and making flash cards to help you learn them!

Once you complete the game, come back here & blog about your results. Was this a review for you or did you learn something new? What terms (if any) were you not familiar with, but learned after doing the activity? What was your final score? Did you enjoy this activity?

Quia game link: http://www.quia.com/rr/311270.html

(Please note that although this game is referencing the FCAT test, everything presented is still 100% valid for those who are not doing the FCAT. Feel free to share this with any friends or relatives who are working on their FCAT writing skills, as this can help them too.)

Have fun!!!

Monday, March 8, 2010

Commonly Misused Words: Break and Brake

Words that sound the same, but have different spellings and meanings are called "homonyms" or "homophones." In your writing, it's important to make sure that you use the right word. Remember that writing is a reflection of you and you always want to make a great impression, even with your readers!

The word "break" can be used as a verb or as a noun. Let's look at some examples. (The first two sentences use "break" as a verb, and the last two sentences use "break" as a noun.)

1.) If you drop the glass, it will break.
2.) The burglar was going to break into the neighbor's home.
3.) There will be a break between the morning and afternoon classes.
4.) Let's stop the car and take a break at the gas station.


Quite the opposite, though, is the word "brake." This word can also be used as a verb, noun, or adjective, but has very different meanings.

Verb Example: I had to brake hard to avoid hitting the skunk in the road.
Noun Example: Tim had the brakes replaced on his truck.
Adjective Example: Pep Boys will have brake pads on sale this week.

Notice that in all of those examples, there is some relation to a vehicle. (You could also talk about "brakes" on a bicycle, motorcycle, scooter, dirt bike, etc.)

Can you use those words in two sentences and use them correctly? Give it a try now!

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Writing-Handling Numbers

Sometimes when you write, you're going to need to include a mention of numbers of things. In formal writing, it's best to follow this simple rule: write the numbers from one (1) to ten (10) using letters; numbers eleven (11) and larger can be written using just the numbers.

Below are two examples illustrating this rule.

Terry bought nine types of soda for the party.
There were 45 people at the city council meeting.

Why does this rule for writing out the numbers using words only apply when going up to ten?

Well, first of all, those are sho rt, easy words to write (or type). Could you imagine having to write every number with wor ds? Gosh! It would be a pain to have to type one thousand five hundred twenty seven instead of 1,527. Secondly, remember that this is just for formal writing, such as essays. Other types of writing (informal emails, lists, or memos) can use numbers for any value.

Start to look for this when you read newspaper or magazine articles! I bet you'll begin to notice this more and more.

Give it a try. Write two sentences. The first one should use a number where the rule tells you to write it out using words. The second sentence should use a number that does not have to be written in words. Let's see how you do! I'll start!

I can run up to four miles. I hope to be able to run 13 miles one day!

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Writing-Stay Away from "Fluff"

Look up into the sky and find the fluffiest cloud you can see. It's probably large and "poofy." But if you condensed it down, there wouldn't be much substance there. Well, fluffy writing is the same way! It's large (fills up a lot space on paper), but doesn't have much substance to it. Since your goal is to be an effective writer, you want to avoid the "fluff" as much as you can!

You're probably asking yourself, "What exactly is fluffy writing?" and that question is important. If you know what it is, you know what to avoid. Below are a few examples of "fluff."

The following phrases/sentences are things to stay away from in your writing.

1.) "Let me tell you..." (You're doing the writing, so it's understood that you'll tell it.)

2.) "Let me explain this." (It's expected in your writing that you'll explain your topic.)

3.) "As I will show..." (You're the author, so you're in charge! There's no need to state this.)

4.) "I believe that..." (Since this writing is coming from you, it's implied that this is what you believe.)

5.) "As I've shown..." or "As I've explained..." (There's no need to state this, unless someone else did the "showing" or "explaining," the reader knows that you showed/explained these things.)

Sometimes it may be hard to not use these phrases. But you're all good writers, so you can always find a different way to state what you're trying to say in a strong, effective, compelling way!

Now, look back at something you have recently wrote (email, homework, letter) and share where you may have found some "fluff" or share your thoughts on this topic.

Monday, March 1, 2010

Usage- "Like" versus "Such As"

Did you know that formal writing makes a very clear distinction between the terms "like" and "such as" when using them to cite examples? (Don't worry, I didn't know that either until I researched it a bit, but it does make sense!)

Both terms are used to make comparisons, and here is how to know when to correctly use each one.The term "like" is used if you're citing only one example. Look at the sentence below that demonstrates this.

Search engines like Google help people locate information quickly. Conversely, the phrase "such as" is used if you're citing more than one example. The sentence below shows this.

Search engines such as Google and Yahoo help people locate information quickly.

Try it out! Write two sentences where one uses the term "like" and the other uses the phrase "such as." Let's see how you do!