Author: Alexandra Brown

Merry Xmas! This informal greeting includes an abbreviation. The Greek word for Christ (Christos) begins with the Greek letter chi, which in English is X; therefore, Christmas is abbreviated as Xmas.

The terms acronym, initialism, and abbreviation can be confusing. They tend to get lumped together as acronyms. But they each mean something different.

acronym
A word formed from the first letters of each term in a phrase. An acronym is pronounceable as a single word.

Scuba—self-contained underwater breathing apparatus

abbreviation
A shortened form of a word or phrase.

Mr.—mister

initialism
A shortened form of a word that’s not pronounceable as a word; it’s spoken as individual letters.

FBI—Federal Bureau of Investigation

Sometimes it’s good to use shortened forms of words or phrases. It saves time for writers and readers.

Certain professions rely on shortened terms. For instance, physicians do a large amount of documentation. Writing abbreviations such as Rx (treatment) or DX (diagnosis) saves time. Educators often use initialisms for phrases that are used frequently; for instance, ESL (English as a second language) and SST (Student Study Team).

But before using a shortened term in your writing, it’s important to define it. I often edit copy that includes acronyms or initialisms that haven’t been defined within the text. Who wants to stop and search for what those letters might mean?

It’s best to explain anything that might not be familiar to your readers. Don’t assume what they know. Give them the information they need to make sense of your message.

Here are some important things to remember about using shortened forms of words or phrases:

• Only define your acronym or initialism once.
• Define it the first time you use it by writing the full term followed by the shortened term in parentheses. For instance: My student was an English language learner (ELL). Later in the text I can write: This ELL student has done all of his homework.
• Once you’ve introduced the full term, use the shortened term throughout. Don’t switch between the two.
• Remember that the shortened term might require an article before it (a, an, or the). Say the shortened term aloud to determine if an article is needed.
• Be sure that you’re using the established abbreviation for the term. Don’t make up your own.

So what does knowing the difference between acronym, initialism, and abbreviation mean for you? It’s good to know that there is a difference, and it’s good to know how to use these shortened terms in your writing.

To communicate your message effectively, it’s essential that you don’t leave your readers baffled by a cryptic message of jumbled letters.

Sometimes colloquial language causes confusion in writing.

I often notice a lot written as one word, alot.

This is a mistake that I’m pretty sure isn’t always a typo. A lot has been written incorrectly so much that many people have accepted the incorrect form as correct. Even educated people make this mistake. So why is it so common? No one really knows. I think the confusion has something to do with the existence of the word allot. Some people even claim they were taught to write a lot as one word in elementary school. Sadly, the incorrect form is now rampant.

alot

alot is not a word.

The correct word to mean a large number is a lot. It’s two words.

• He has alot of books.—incorrect

a lot

It’s an indefinite article (a) with a noun (lot).

The word lot has several meanings including the following:

An object used in deciding something by chance
A share or portion
A plot of land
A group of individuals
A considerable quantity

• He has a lot of books.—correct

And there’s also allot

Allot is a verb that means to distribute as a share.

• The teacher will allot two books to each student.—correct

No one seems to make the mistake of misspelling other article–noun combinations. For instance, we never see acat to mean a cat or adog to mean a dog.

A lot, even when spelled correctly, shouldn’t even be used in formal writing. (But that’s another blog post entirely.) When you not only use a lot but you also misspell it, the quality of your writing declines. And when your readers perceive that your writing is flawed, they will question your message.

Instead of using a lot in your writing, replace it with several or many. But if you must write a lot, remember that it’s always two words.

Have you ever had trouble finding something in a room full of clutter?

It’s overwhelming and can lead to confusion, frustration, and wasted time. Clutter takes our focus away from important things.

I love removing clutter. Editing is like clearing clutter from a room. The result is organization and clarity; important things can be easily found.

It’s important that an author’s message be easily found. This can be difficult when sentences use more words than are needed to convey meaning; this is called redundancy.

Redundancy weakens your writing.

Eliminating it doesn’t necessarily mean using short sentences or not providing details. In the widely trusted handbook, A Writer’s Reference, Hacker and Sommers advise that “long sentences are not necessarily wordy, nor are short sentences always concise. A sentence is wordy if it can be tightened without loss of meaning.”

Why tighten sentences? Because wordiness distracts your readers from the ideas you’re trying to present. A distracted reader will give up trying to understand your message.

There are some situations in which wordiness is acceptable; it’s often seen in fiction writing. Wordiness can also be found in legal writing because certain archaic phrases that are used within that context are inherently wordy.

But when writing nonfiction, it’s better to be succinct. Some repetition of ideas is okay, but this should not be confused with redundancy. When ideas are delivered concisely, it makes you look like you’re more in command of the material. This is particularly important when writing educational materials.

Try not to test your readers’ patience. They shouldn’t have to take extra time to decipher meaning.

The following list includes examples of redundancy that I often see, followed by a more concise way to express the same idea. Some are used so frequently in speech that it can be difficult to notice them in writing.

Write down—Write
2:00 a.m. in the morning—2:00 a.m.
Fast and quick—Fast
Over and done—Over
Each and every—Each
In my personal opinion, I think—I think
Prepare and equip—Prepare
My dream and vision—My dream
Noisy and loud—Noisy
In order to—To

You might not have a problem with a room filled with clutter; but clutter in your home is for you. Your published writing is for your readers. Sentences cluttered with extra words will deter them.

So what do you do to ensure your writing isn’t redundant? Clear out the clutter.

• Keep your eyes out for phrases that can be reduced to the basics. Reading aloud can be helpful; your ear may pick up what your eyes don’t.

• Ask yourself: Can I trim this sentence and still retain the meaning?

• Use a dictionary or thesaurus to help you identify words that are similar in meaning.

A written message is stronger without extra words. It’s a good idea to always choose concision.

People sometimes ask me how many spaces should be after a period at the end of a sentence.

The answer is one.

People who ask this question are those who first learned to type on a typewriter. They were taught to use two spaces, and it became a habit.

Years ago, typographers, the people who choose the arrangement and appearance of printed letters, decided that one space should be used after a period ending a sentence. The two space rule is believed to have started with the introduction of the typewriter. On a typewriter, each letter takes up the same amount of space, regardless of the shape of the letter (this is called monospaced type). Therefore, spacing can look uneven, and it can be difficult to see breaks between sentences; the use of two spaces was intended to enhance readability.

But there’s evidence that long before typographers decided on one space, two spaces were used; therefore, some people believe that the use of two spaces is correct. It’s also thought that the change to one space wasn’t because of typewriters but because publishers found it more economical to have less wasted space on a page.

Most major style guides have adopted the one-space rule. The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, used in the social sciences, is one style guide that does recommend two spaces after a period in a draft manuscript; however, it recommends using just one space for publication. Do two spaces really aid readability?

I find the empty spaces created by the use of two spaces to be distracting. They’re holes that should be filled; they’re big, empty spaces that force my eyes and mind from the flow of the words on the page. I’m an editor. I read all day, and I’m not bothered by seeing just one space after a period. I like it.

I first learned to type in the 1980s on an electronic typewriter that used proportional fonts. So I never used two spaces, and it didn’t become a habit.

It can be difficult to change a long-standing habit. For instance, I once adopted the incorrect belief that I can’t start a sentence with a coordinating conjunction like and, but, and or; a teacher said it was wrong. Once I broke this habit, I never looked back. Starting sentences with these conjunctions creates more freedom in writing. It allows for changes in tone. Although it felt wrong at first, changing this habit was a good idea.

There’s an ongoing debate over one space or two. Rationales for both sides include aesthetics, readability, and comfort with a habit. Is it wrong to perpetuate an old style? Yes, if the style is no longer widely accepted. Language evolves and style does too.

Bottom line? Using two spaces after a period not only looks old-fashioned, it is old-fashioned.

If you want to publish your work, it’s a good idea to follow today’s industry standard of using just one space after a period ending a sentence. If you use two, think about changing your habit. You want your readers to focus on your message, not on your preferred style choice.

In this post, you’ll discover why it’s not always a good idea to stop and edit your work while you write.

The creative process needs to flow with as little interruption as possible. If it stops, original ideas may never come to fruition. When you write, you’re using language to express ideas. Whether you’re writing fiction or nonfiction, there’s an element of creativity that’s present in your process.

Creativity is about using your imagination. Whether you realize it or not, you’re using creativity and imagination when you write. When I was teaching, I worked hard to foster imagination through instruction methods and curriculum design.

My kindergarten students loved working in their writing journals. Here’s what we did:

1. We would start by reviewing the sound of the letter we were learning about.
2. Each student would think of a word that begins with that sound.
3. I would introduce a brief sentence into which they could insert their word.
4. Students would write this sentence in their journals and draw a picture to go with it. They were using their imagination.

They would’ve lost focus and motivation if I’d stopped to ask questions such as “Do you think people will like the colors that you’ve used?” That’s why I walked around the room, watched them work, kept them on-task, and assessed their skills by asking them to read their sentence to me.

I’ve witnessed the frustration of writers whose progress gets hindered by their need to create perfection in one area of their document before continuing. It doesn’t matter how old you are, you suspend your viewpoint when you consider the perspective of others—or even when you stop to edit your own work. Doing so hinders your imagination and can even halt your progress.

This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t evaluate, revise, backtrack, or brainstorm new ideas. But put the focus on maintaining your perspective. Establish and then move in what you think is the right direction. Then, choose to collaborate with an editor. Although you and your editor will approach your project from different viewpoints, you should share the desire to create the best possible finished product.

Consider what an uninterrupted creative process might do for your writing. How do you ensure that your creative process doesn’t become hindered?

A client of mine creates educational materials for teachers, parents, counselors, and physicians. Her top priority is to create information that consumers of her products fully understand. But she also knows that her materials must be attractive enough to spark sufficient interest—or her message will get lost.

A recent article in Education News http://www.educationnews.org/k-12-schools/to-get-kids-to-eat-healthier-in-school-presentation-matters/ discusses the importance of presentation when getting kids to eat healthy food. The article cited a study from Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health that found that “getting kids to eat healthier boils down to taste and presentation.”

This reminds me of one of my kindergarten classes when I was teaching. My students loved hot lunch day. This meant pizza, hot dogs, or burgers delivered from a restaurant. One morning, there was a problem with the lunch service, and the school was notified that there would be no lunch delivered. Our Parent-Teacher Group president came to the rescue. She prepared a huge pot of turkey-vegetable-noodle soup. I was pleased that my students were receiving a healthy lunch. Who wouldn’t want hot soup on a cold, winter day? The dismal looks on their faces when they learned they wouldn’t be getting their familiar fast-food meal were unforgettable. Silence fell through the room as my students looked down at their bowls. I excitedly told them the soup was full of yummy vegetables. And I reminded them how much they all loved the turkey that we had had a few months earlier at our class Thanksgiving feast.

They weren’t sold. I think one reason was because they were unable to identify each vegetable in the soup. Sadly, lunchtime ended with twenty-two hungry students.

A few days later, I taught a nutrition lesson during which I gave each student a large, raw potato and a variety of other vegetables. After learning about the nutritious content of the vegetables, their task was to use the vegetables and toothpicks to create their own Mr. or Mrs. Potato Head. They took their creations home. Parents reported that they cooked the potato, and their children happily gobbled up the vegetables. Was this because they had fun using the vegetables to create something? Was it because they could identify the vegetables?

On that turkey-vegetable-noodle soup day, my students were unable to identify what they were eating; therefore, they hesitated to try it. Also, they were expecting a lunch that they considered to look more enticing, further contributing to their disappointment.

Because the soup was difficult to identify, it was challenging to consume. Even when it comes to adults, attractive and identifiable food will likely be consumed before an unidentifiable or less attractive option.

Readers won’t filter through a soup of incoherency to find meaning. They’ll wait for something that they can delve into.

When you’re writing, think about how you’re presenting information. Is it organized? Do sentences and ideas flow? Is your language going to attract and engage your audience?

Your readers are more likely to consume information that’s presented in a readable and appealing way. And they’ll want more. In the world of writing, this boils down to clarity and concision.

Writing is a lot like parenting. You don’t want someone else making decisions on your behalf. And, most important, you want messages to be stated in your voice. For that reason, it’s easy to fear bringing in an editor. Who knows what they’ll do to your baby?

But effective editors don’t want to make your work their own. A great editor wants to help you make your work shine.

As a former schoolteacher, I see the similarities in guiding writers and guiding students. In a constructive learning environment, teachers collaborate with students. Students grow into writers when they’re actively involved in creating their meaning. Writers improve their writing through active collaboration with their editor.

This includes

• asking and answering questions
• choosing to accept or reject suggested changes
• considering other perspectives

An editor should be able to envision how the final product should look and lead you in the right direction. You and your editor will have different perspectives. The combination of diverse viewpoints will enhance your work. With an editor on your side, you’ll become a more proficient writer. Be open to the guidance of an editor.

Do you think that a writer’s relationship with an editor should be constructive?

There’s a term in education called scaffolding. It refers to a collaborative form of learning support given to students. Scaffolding can come in many forms. For example, a teacher may break down a larger concept into smaller parts and guide students to understanding by asking targeted questions that encourage thought. Just like teachers are the support team for students, your editor is on your team.

So what are some things to consider when choosing the right editor for you?

Think of your editor as someone who

• is on your side
• is supporting you
• is helping you succeed

Your editor should be opinionated and direct. Your editor shouldn’t criticize, condescend, or dampen your process.

If you don’t get what you want, get a new editor. The editing process should be positive and motivating for you.

You want your work to shine. Let an editor guide you to a glowing finished product.

There’s a grammatical error I frequently notice in writing.

It’s the use of could of to represent the contraction could’ve. (And would of and should of.) I frequently see this on social media, and it makes me cringe. It might make your readers cringe. And that’s not going to make them want to read more.

I’m an editor, but when I speak it’s in a casual, colloquial fashion.

That’s because language should sound like it flows. But speech is different from writing. A word or words that sound one way when spoken may look different in writing.

It’s not always a good idea to write in the same way that we speak. Your writing may run the risk of alienating certain readers, such as those for whom English isn’t their native language. It’s important to be respectful of all your readers by ensuring their comprehension. Use clear, direct language so everyone can understand.

Could’ve is a correct contraction that’s accepted in writing. It refers to something that might have occurred in the past, but didn’t happen. However, the phrase could of doesn’t exist.

When the contraction could’ve is spoken, it sounds similar to could of; this is perhaps where the confusion comes from.

But when you write could of, it’s just wrong.

When written without the contraction, could of doesn’t make sense.

The following examples are incorrect and should not be used in writing:

I could of gone to the store.

I would of done my homework.

I should of cooked dinner.

The following are examples of the correct way to write out these contractions:

I could have gone to the store.

I would have done my homework.

I should have cooked dinner.

Of is a preposition. Therefore, it should be followed by a noun or pronoun (the object of the preposition). In the incorrect examples above, the preposition is followed by a verb.

When you correctly spell out contractions, you can be sure that your text is readable. Take a second to say the word aloud so that you can hear what the correct spelling should be. Your readers will thank you.