Today is officially Grammar Day. In
celebration, I'm sharing some things writers should watch out for when
self-editing. Written communication increases with every year because of social
media posts, emails, and text messaging. We share a great deal of information
every day through the written word. Knowing how to self-edit is invaluable.
Editors and proofreaders know all too well what can happen when errors are left
uncorrected. It can be as simple as being misunderstood or as complicated as
landing in court. As you edit your work, keep these grammar tips and style
suggestions in mind.
The first tip for writers is to
never, and I do mean never, rely on grammar and spelling checkers. Simply put,
they don't catch every mistake and give bad grammar advice at times. They are
meant to be tools, not editors. No one knows your writing style better than
you. You know which words trip you up and which grammar rules make you pause.
Always start there when checking your grammar and spelling. For instance, I
know that when I type I tend to misspell environment. If that word comes
up, I either check every instance of it for spelling or replace it with another
word.
While checking your grammar, keep an eye
out for capitalization and verb tense. These are two areas that can be tricky.
Make sure that proper nouns, names, and items such as acronyms are all
capitalized. On the other hand, check that common nouns like business
analyst are lowercase. In business, I often see words capitalized that
shouldn't be. Watch your verb choices to make sure they are all the same tense.
It shouldn't flip flop between past and present unless you are actually
speaking about the past and the present.
The mechanics of grammar are
important, but your writing style also plays a critical role. As you edit your work, be aware of consistency, clarity, and citations. Most people are not going to
be checking the Chicago Manual when writing a tweet. I certainly don't blame
them because in that context it isn't as important. What is important is
choosing a way to write and sticking with it. Use the same punctuation,
spellings, and tone throughout a single work so that it is cohesive. Being
consistent in your choices prevents the reader’s flow from being disrupted. As
soon as a reader gets thrown off by something in your writing, the reader is
less likely to understand your point because their focus will be on that
element that upset their train of thought.
Consistency does little good if your writing is not clear. Make sure what you’re writing can be understood by your
intended audience. You can never please everyone, but it is good to strive for
making your work accessible. To have clarity, pay attention to word choice and
count. Think about a word's connotation. It needs to imply exactly what you
mean. Concerning word count, don't use five words where two can complete the
same job. However, don't take that advice and cut out all extra words.
Sometimes those extras are what give writing personality.
Finally,
pay attention to citations. Always cite your sources. Nothing will get you into
trouble more than not citing your source. When you do cite a source, be certain
that you are providing the right information. Even if you don't follow a
particular style guide, be careful that you supply enough information that a
reader could easily track down your source and read it for themselves. If
anything, check that all hyperlinks to your online sources work properly. The
citation does little good if the hyperlink either doesn’t work or directs
readers to the wrong page.
There is plenty more that goes into
editing, but not all writing needs the same amount of scrutiny. As you use different
forms of written communication, these tips should help you catch some common
mistakes and express yourself better. If you find yourself in over your head
though, don't be afraid to ask for help from an editor. Editors are writers'
cheerleaders and want to assist writers in presenting their best to the world.
Happy Grammar Day, folks!
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