Tips & Tricks Travel: Where to Find the Best Airline Deals

Booking airfare can be a tricky business. Fares can change by hundreds of dollars in a matter of hours, and with so many booking options it’s hard to know where to start. While calling an individual airline or going directly to their website are certainly options, this approach will limit your options of finding the best deal. The best way to begin is to access a website that pulls airfare directly from multiple airlines. A few to check out are:

• Bing Travel - http://www.bing.com/travel/
  Bing pulls ticket prices from multiple major airlines and has a very user friendly interface. It also offers Farecast technology which utilizes past fare pricing data to predict if the fare is likely to go up or down.
• Expedia - http://www.expedia.com/default.asp
  Expedia is a well-known interface that pulls information from most major airlines and is commonly used by businesses for their travel needs. Should you need assistance, their customer service is almost always prompt and helpful.
• Booking Buddy - http://www.bookingbuddy.com/
  Unlike the other two sites, Booking Buddy pulls from the major travel sites like Expedia, Hotwire, Travelocity, etc. You can access more information this way, but it can be less user-friendly.

Things to note:

• Mondays and Fridays are popular with business travel and often result in higher fares. Changing your travel dates by just a day can sometimes save you a bundle.
• Southwest Airlines (http://www.southwest.com/) often has great deals but their information isn’t pulled by other websites. It’s a good idea to check their website before committing to another flight.
• Priceline (http://www.priceline.com/) can save you money on airfare but is definitely a gamble. You enter your travel cities and dates and name the price you want to pay but once you submit this information, you’re committed to buying the ticket if your bid is accepted. You also don’t have control of the flight times or stops. If you’re a leisure traveler who just wants to get to your end point, this can be a great option.

Whichever route you choose, the most important thing to remember is that shopping around pays off. It’s easier to head straight for your favorite airline’s website but you never know where a great deal may be waiting. Best of luck and safe travels!

Due to vs. Because of

The use of due to and because of is a common source of confusion (or perhaps you’re like me and hadn’t given it much thought before).

Did you have trouble getting to work due to the weather or because of the weather?

Here’s the scoop:

• Due to modifies nouns
• Because of modifies verbs

So what’s the correct answer? You had trouble getting to work because of the weather. Getting is the word being modified, and getting is a verb.

*Hint: After the verb to be (and forms of it including is, was, were, are), because of is usually the correct choice.

Other examples:

• Anna was late for her appointment because of a flight delay. (Modified: late.)
• Anna’s tardiness was due to a flight delay. (Modified: delay. Also, notice the verb “was.”)
  
  
• The roads were slick because of the snow. (Modified: were.)
• The slickness of the roads was due to the snow. (Modified: snow. Also, notice the verb “was.”)

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Making Sure Pronouns Agree in Number

This week’s grammar tip is to make sure that your pronouns agree in number.

First, let’s review what a pronoun is. A pronoun is a word that takes the place of a noun (a person, place or thing). For example, “he” would be a pronoun for Catherine’s brother “John.”

Since a pronoun should be able to stand for the noun that precedes it, the pronoun and the noun should agree in number. If the noun is plural, the pronoun should be plural. If the noun is singular, the pronoun should be singular.

In casual speech, pronoun usage when it comes to number agreement is often incorrect. For example:

If anyone wants to claim this ticket, they have to visit my desk now.

A grammatically correct way to word this sentence (even though it may sound a little awkward) would be:

If anyone wants to claim this ticket, he or she has to visit my desk now.

“Anyone” refers to ONE person, not several; therefore the pronoun must also refer to ONE person.

Nouns that you should be careful pairing with pronouns include anyone, nobody and everyone, because they are singular. It might feel natural to pair these words with plural pronouns like their or they, but this is incorrect!

More examples:

Incorrect: My neighbor always leaves their cat outside on my lawn.
Correct: My neighbor always leaves her cat outside on my lawn. (Let's assume that I know my neighbor is a she.)

Incorrect: If a student takes the exam on Friday, they’ll have to wait until Wednesday to receive the grade.
Correct: If a student takes the exam on Friday, he or she will have to wait until Wednesday to receive the grade.

However Joined

In our November 3rd Tips & Tricks post, we discussed “Run-on Sentences.” One of the ways discussed to properly join two sentences was “Inserting a comma and then a conjunction (and, but, or, yet, for, nor or so).” One of the grammatical mistakes I’ve seen lately has been the use of however as a conjunction.

To join two sentences together you need to use a conjunction (and, but, or, yet, for, nor or so); however, it is a common error to use the word however. However is not a conjunction: it is an adverb. Here are several quick tips to help you tidy up your use of however.

One way is to use a conjunction instead of however:

• Incorrect: The weather outside is frightful, however the fire is so delightful.
• Correct: The weather outside is frightful, but the fire is so delightful.

The conjunctions but and yet work well in places you would likely use however to join two sentences.

If you are set on using the word however in the middle of the sentence, another tip is to use a semi-colon and a comma. The semi-colon does the work of a conjunction, joining two independent clauses. Place a semi-colon before however and a comma after it:

• Correct: The weather outside is frightful; however, the fire is so delightful.

The third tip is to put however at the beginning of the sentence (don’t forget to put that comma after it):

• Correct: The weather outside is frightful. However, the fire is so delightful.

Don’t fall victim to misusing however. However is an adverb and by itself cannot be used as a conjunction. The quick fixes are to either replace however with a conjunction (but or yet work best); use a semi-colon before however and a comma after; or place however at the beginning of a sentence.

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Lose vs. Loose

Lose and loose are two words that are often misused in place of one another. Perhaps the source of confusion is that lose is a verb and loose, while sometimes an adjective, can also be a verb.

Let’s examine the differences between them.

Lose is a verb. A few common definitions are:

• to come to be without (something in one's possession or care), through accident, theft, etc., so that there is little or no prospect of recovery.
• to suffer the deprivation of.
• to fail to win (a prize, stake, etc.).

Examples of the correct usage of lose:

• Allie didn’t want to lose her place in line.
• Carmen lost her mother in a car accident in 1997.
• Sharon knew that her basketball team was going to lose the tournament on Saturday.

Loose can be an adjective or a verb.

Some common definitions of the adjective loose are:

• free or released from fastening or attachment.
• free from anything that binds or restrains.
• not put up in a package or other container.
• not firm, taut, or rigid.

Examples of the correct usage of the adjective loose are:

• The eggs in the “local farms” area of the supermarket are loose; I pick which ones I want and later place them in a carton.
• The bolt on the wheel was loose; I was afraid the wheel would come off the bike.

Some common definitions of the verb loose are:

• to let loose; free from bonds or restraint.
• to release, as from constraint, obligation, or penalty.
• to unfasten, undo, or untie, as a bond, fetter, or knot.
• to make less tight; slacken or relax.

Examples of the correct usage of the verb loose are:

• On Saturday, Jenn let the parrot loose from the aviary.
• My dad loosened the bolt on my bicycle wheel to fix it.

Quick quiz (answers are below — don’t look ahead!):

1. After ____________ (-ing form) a good amount of weight, John found that his pants were ____________.
2. The doves were set ___________ on a sunny day.
3. You’re going to ___________ in this situation unless you tell him the truth.
4. I don’t want to ____________ you as a colleague.
5. He left the screw too ____________, so the frame fell off the wall.

Answers:

1. losing, loose
2. loose
3. lose
4. lose
5. loose

Thanks to www.dictionary.com for the above definitions.

The Adjective and the Countable/Uncountable Noun

This weekend, my niece and I played Mad Libs and she asked me to name an adjective. I paused to recall the difference between adjectives and adverbs, so as not to make a fool of myself in front of a 9 year old. I quickly remembered that adjectives are words that describe or modify a person, place or thing in the sentence. Most of us have a handle on this basic rule; however, there are a few tricky adjectives that I’d like us to look at.

First, we need to understand the difference between a countable noun and an uncountable noun. Countable nouns are ones that take on a plural form such as “dog - dogs,” “friend - friends,” “cookie - cookies,” “person - people.” Uncountable nouns usually don’t change in their plural form: “water,” “food,” “deer,” “money,” “air.” We don’t say, “I sold the deers for many moneys” because these nouns don’t change in their plural forms.

For the majority of adjectives, it doesn’t matter whether the noun is countable or uncountable. We say “the dirty dogs” and “the dirty water.” But I mention these two types of nouns, because using a countable or an uncountable noun matters with a few tricky adjectives.

Much or Many
We only use much to describe uncountable nouns:

• A pregnant lady drinks so much water.
• We don’t have much money saved.

We use many to describe only countable nouns:

• Many dogs don’t wear collars.
• The little girl ate many cookies.

A lot of or Lots of
Think of these two adjectives as casual substitutes for what we just went over with much and many. Use them with uncountable nouns when we are using them to mean much and with countable nouns when they mean many. Let’s look at some examples:

• A pregnant lady drinks lots of (much) water.
• We don’t have a lot of (much) money saved.
• Lots of (many) dogs don’t wear collars.
• The little girl ate a lot of (many) cookies.

Little or Few
Just like with much, little describes only uncountable nouns:

• There was little food leftover after Sunday’s dinner.
• It was so hot outside that it felt as though there was little air to breathe.

Likewise, the adjective few modifies only the countable nouns:

• The girl only has a few friends.
• A few people are going to the show tonight.

A little bit of
This adjective phrase is informal and always precedes an uncountable noun.

• There is a little bit of food in the dog’s bowl.
• I’m hoping for a little bit of snow before Christmas.

The tip and trick is: when using any of the adjective or adjective phrases listed above, check whether or not the noun is countable or uncountable and use the appropriate adjective. Have fun modifying!

Top 3 Reasons Why Grammar Matters

Many times over the years, I have been called a “grammar Nazi” for my devout adherence to and championship of grammar rules. Usually these comments just roll off my shoulders. However, a recent comment left on a previous blog started me thinking about why good grammar is so important. I believe that appropriate grammar should not only be important to me, but to everyone — especially in the workplace. Let’s take a look at my top 3 reasons why grammar matters (or should matter) in the workplace:

1. Getting a job. Good grammar and correct spelling are important in getting a job. In a survey of hiring managers, 75% said it was worse for an applicant to have a spelling or grammar error on her application than to show up late or even swear during an interview! In another survey conducted by the Recruitment & Employment Confederation, nearly half of all recruitment professionals said that over 50% of the resumes they received contained grammatical errors. What do these errors in your resume say about you? Those reviewing your application may think you’re uneducated, you lack communication skills, or you don’t pay attention to details. This is not the message you want your resume or job application to convey: these messages won’t get you that job you want.
   
2. Keeping a job. Even after you have the job you want, grammar mistakes and spelling errors can be costly (and in some cases even cost you your job). For instance, in 2005 poor grammar and atrocious spelling cost U.K. companies a staggering $25 billion in lost sales. Can your company, organization or office afford to lose that kind of money? Another costly grammar mistake led the Cancer Research Center in Hawaii to lose $8 million in funding: a bill to tax cigarettes established a one-cent tax increase for the next 6 years (a total of 6 cents), but the bill was supposed to designate one-cent per cigarette sold. I definitely would not want to be the person responsible for that costly mistake! In a survey by Office Angels, 84% of surveyed employers believed that excellent work is devalued by sloppy spelling and poor grammar.
   
3. Giving and receiving respect. Lastly, grammar isn’t about following rules like a robot: it isn’t about blindly following the orders of us “grammar Nazis.” Correct grammar is about being aware of appropriate context and making your voice, your message, your content understood. Appropriate grammar shows respect for the person you are addressing. Good grammar sends a message that will be respected.

Basically, if you want your excellent work to receive the value it deserves and if you want to receive the respect you deserve in the workplace, then grammar matters!

Used to (and Would) vs. Use to

Last week a co-worker and I were discussing our biggest grammar pet peeves over lunch (yes, some of us nerdy-types do sit around and discuss this from time to time) and her biggest grammar pet peeve is when people write use to when they mean used to. There I sat with my fork in hand and my salad in front of me, wondering how often I was guilty of this grammar infraction. To be honest, I couldn’t remember the rules about when to use used to and when to use use to. I went back to work and did a little research and decided to share this with you as this week’s Tips and Tricks topic: when to use “used to (or would) vs. when to use “use to” (without the ‘d’).

Used to (or would)
1. When we say something used to happen, we are talking about repeated events and actions in the past, which usually are things that are now finished and no longer happening. (For this use of used to you can also use would.)

• When Suzy was a child, she used to collect Barbie dolls. (When Suzy was a child, she would collect Barbie dolls.)
• During the Great Depression, my grandfather used to sell scrap metal. (During the Great Depression, my grandfather would sell scrap metal.)
• I used to go out a lot before having children. (I would go out a lot before having children.)

From the examples, we can assume that Suzy no longer collects Barbie dolls, my grandfather no longer sells scrap metal and I no longer go out a lot.

2. We also use used to when talking about repeated habits in the past (Here we cannot use would).

• My cat used to hiss at squirrels.
• My husband used to smoke.
• I used to be a tribal administrative assistant.

These sentences imply that my cat no longer hisses at squirrels, my husband no longer smokes and I am no longer a tribal administrative assistant.

Use to (without the ‘d’)
The only time that we should use use to (without the ‘d’) is when it follows “did” or “didn’t” in a sentence. (Here we also cannot use would without changing the meaning).

• Did you use to work in the same office as Sally?
• Didn’t we use to go out?
• What sort of games did your children use to like?
• Sally and I did use to work together.
• Due to the snowy winters, we didn’t use to go out much.

To spare my co-worker from the annoyance of her pet peeve, please remember this general tip: when “did” or “didn’t” is in the sentence, use use to (without the ‘d’), but when there is no “did” or “didn’t” in the sentence, use used to.

Run-On Sentences

Often it's thought that a run-on sentence is a very long sentence that cannot be spoken in one breath. Not true! A run-on sentence has two or more independent clauses (groups of words that communicate complete thoughts — an independent clause could stand alone as its own sentence) placed together without the correct punctuation. By this definition, a run-on sentence can be very short.

People use run-on sentences when speaking, but by using changes in vocal tone or in tempo (pauses, speaking slower, etc.) the meaning is easily understood. In writing, correct punctuation must be used so that the reader does not become confused.

Run-on sentences can be corrected by:

• Inserting a semicolon between the independent clauses
• Making the clauses two separate sentences
• Inserting a comma and then a conjunction (and, but, or, yet, for, nor or so)

Now, let’s look at some examples and how we might correct them.

(Short) Run-on: That little girl didn’t seem happy she was crying.
Correct Option: That little girl didn’t seem happy; she was crying.

Run-on: Karen was upset with Jenna about what she said however, she appreciated her honesty about the matter.
Correct Option: Karen was upset with Jenna about what she said; however, she appreciated her honesty about the matter.

Run-on: Jessie’s dog was sick this morning, Jessie had a bad day at work.
Correct Option: Jessie’s dog was sick this morning, so Jessie had a bad day at work.

Run-on: I found my keys in my roommate’s purse, she mistook them for hers.
Correct Option: I found my keys in my roommate’s purse. She mistook them for hers.

*It’s important to note that even though a lengthy sentence might not be a run-on sentence, multiple sentences might be easier to understand.

Necessary Words Only

Business writing (from e-mails and memos to articles and reports) needs to be about clarity over length. Keeping your sentences short, using easily understandable words and minding the length of your writing ensures a clearer message for your reader.

Tip 1: Use short sentences.
Research shows that understanding drops when sentences are too long. A suggested average sentence length is less than 20 words. Break longer sentences down into two or more sentences, if possible. Try to stick with simple sentence construction by using the S-V-O (subject-verb-object) model for your sentences, where the subject of the sentence is first, the verb second and the object last.

Tip 2: Use simple words.
Simple words ensure that your meaning comes across loud and clear. Your audience may not have the same vocabulary that you have. Here are some examples:

• Use “prove” instead of “substantiate.”
• Use “use” instead of “utilize” or “operate.”
• Use “now” instead of “currently.”
• Use “broken” instead of “nonfunctional.”
• Use “this means” instead of “tantamount”

Apply this tip to phrases as well. Instead of saying “on a regular basis,” just say “regularly.” Instead of saying “advance planning,” stick with “planning” (all planning is technically in advance after all). You don’t want to overload your reader with unnecessary adjectives and adverbs.

Tip 3: Pay attention to overall length.
Avoid general wordiness — cut out any words, phrases, sentences or paragraphs that aren’t central to what you want your reader to understand. A general rule is to proof read your writing and cut it by 10%.

In today’s business writing, wordiness and length tend to obscure the meaning of the writing, leaving the reader confused. We tend to value length over clarity — a habit that needs to be broken so our readers will understand what we are saying.

Writer for the Harvard Business Publishing blog, David Silverman poses the following challenge to reduce a complex phrase to something simple. Can you cut this to just a word or two?

It is the opinion of the group assembled for the purpose of determining a probability of the likelihood of the meteorological-related results and outcome for the period encompassing the next working day that the odds of precipitation in the near-term are positive and reasonably expected. [Silverman, David. “Why Is Business Writing So Bad?”]

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Hyphens: Correct Usage Between Words

In my experience, usage of the hyphen both in formal and informal writing is often haphazard. Sure, it’s possible that your readers will not notice (or care) that your hyphenation is incorrect (or missing), but when it comes to writing in professional situations, your credibility may be at stake.

This Tips & Tricks post will focus on the correct usage of the hyphen when it’s placed in between two words.

Let’s examine some common hyphenation rules and examples to illustrate them:

1. Numbers:
• Compound numbers from twenty-one to ninety-nine:
• The lady who lived in the house at the corner of my street was known to have twenty-three cats.
• Fractions:
• He was out of town on business for about one-fifth of each year.


2. Adjectives that come before a noun and operate as one modifier:
• The right-side window was broken.
• Jerry’s long-awaited promotion offer was given to him on Friday.


3. Compound nouns: In the case of compound nouns, it’s best to check a dictionary (or http://www.dictionary.com/) to see if a compound noun should be two separate words, one whole word (without a hyphen) or hyphenated.
• That new horror movie isn’t for the faint-hearted.
• I borrowed my mom’s hand-held blow dryer when I visited her for the weekend.


4. To provide clarity: In confusing sentences, a hyphen may be used to clarify words that should go together, even though the words are technically separate.
• My first grade school teacher was Mrs. Smith. or My first-grade school teacher was Mrs. Smith.
• I saw thirteen odd dogs. or I saw thirteen-odd dogs.


5. Between the repetition of a letter:
• Her sister lived on a co-op with several friends; they grew and shared produce on land they all owned.
• The snake re-emerged from the pool of mud, and Jake screamed.
• EXCEPTIONS: There are several exceptions to this. For instance, the words overrule and underrate should not be hyphenated.

Finding Your Active Voice

Grammatically speaking, writing in the passive voice is not wrong. However, it is important to know the difference between passive and active voice. The active voice tends to be more direct, which is necessary in business and professional writing. Knowing the difference between these two voices is important because “the habitual use of the active voice…makes for forcible writing” (The Element of Style by William Strunk, Jr. and E.B. White).

In the active voice, the subject of the sentence acts. In the passive voice, the subject of the sentence is acted upon — the subject isn’t “doing” the action. Let’s look at a simple example:

(Active) I love you.
(Passive) You are loved by me.

In the first sentence (the active voice), “I” am the subject and “I” do the action (“love”). The second sentence isn’t as straightforward or direct. The subject of the sentence is “you” and “you” don’t do anything — “you” are the recipient of the action (“love”).

To clarify, let’s look at a few more examples:

(Active) Your letter of October 9, 2009 arrived today.
(Active) We received your letter of October 9, 2009 today.
(Passive) Your letter of October 9, 2009 was received by us today.

(Active) The “spell-check” feature makes correcting my spelling easier.
(Passive) Correcting my spelling is made easier with the “spell-check” feature.

(Active) The administrative assistant filed the report.
(Passive) The report was filed by the administrative assistant.

Tip: Nearly 100% of the time, the active voice uses fewer words than the passive voice. It is more direct and usually conveys a clearer message.

Remember that neither voice is grammatically incorrect. However, most business writing needs a clearer, more direct voice to convey a clear message, so use the active voice.

Exception: In instances when diplomacy and tact are necessary, the passive voice tends to sound softer. The passive voice works well to convey unpleasant news.

(Active) I find your work unsatisfactory.
(Passive) Your work has been found unsatisfactory.

That vs. Who

Many years ago, a teacher corrected an essay of mine. Since I can’t remember the exact topic of the essay, let’s say I was recounting a dream that I’d had:

“Then, I ran into the woman that had given me the exam.”

Whoops. My teacher crossed out “that” and replaced it with, “who.” In the margin, she wrote, “That refers to objects. Who refers to people.”

Since then, I’ve found myself catching others’ misuse of these two words.

While it’s come to my attention that the English language is actually very forgiving of instances when individuals (whether in writing or in speech) interchange that and who, conventional grammar rules do offer a clear (and easy to remember) distinction.

That refers to objects.

• I liked the shirt that fit me somewhat loosely.
• I applied to a school that was known for its Visual Art program.
• I trained the dog that knows how to “speak.”

Who refers to people.

• She became best friends with the girl who played with her first.
• I’m the one who taught the dog how to “speak.”
• He’s the guy who found my keys at the gym.

See also: That vs. Which.

Using Bad Badly or Using Badly Bad

Over the weekend I watched the movie Kiss, Kiss, Bang, Bang (2005), staring Robert Downey Jr. and Val Kilmer. In this movie the two main characters go back and forth correcting each others’ use of bad and badly in a humorous way. After Robert Downey Jr. tells Val Kilmer that he should say "sleep bad" not "sleep badly," Kilmer responses indignantly, saying “Who taught you grammar? Badly’s an adverb. Get out. Vanish.” This comedic exchange led me to this week’s Tips and Tricks topic: Using Bad Badly or Using Badly Bad.

Here’re the facts: it is correct to say you feel bad when expressing an emotion. Bad is an adjective that modifies the noun.

Saying “I feel badly” implies that there is something wrong with your sense of touch or something wrong with the way you feel. It’s like saying you don’t feel things correctly.

Badly is an adverb - it modifies a verb. When someone says “I feel badly,” the adverb badly modifies the verb (feel).

Think of it like this: would you say, “I feel madly” or “I feel sadly”? No, you’d say, “I feel mad” or “I feel sad.” It works the same with bad and badly.

This tip applies with all verbs that describe our senses (feel, taste, smell, etc.). For example:

• “I smell bad” means “I have an offensive odor.” / “I stink.”
• “I smell badly” means “My sense of smell doesn’t work correctly.”
• “That tastes bad” means “That doesn’t taste good.”
• “That tastes badly” means “That things sense of taste works incorrectly.”

Additionally, after most other verbs (excluding those that describe our senses), it is correct to use an adverb (such as badly). For example:

• “My review went badly.”
• “As a child, I behaved badly.”

Therefore, in Kiss, Kiss, Bang, Bang, Kilmer’s character is correct in saying “I sleep badly” because badly is an adverb and the verb (to sleep) does not describe the senses. Don’t worry, Robert Downey Jr. — it’s a common mistake.

Like vs. As

This week, let’s examine the confusion between like and as. The words are commonly misused in both speech and writing when comparisons are being made. The trick to determining which word should be used in a situation is to take note of what follows the word.

When making comparisons, the word like is a preposition. A preposition is a word that demonstrates the relationship of a noun to something else (for a detailed explanation about prepositions, please click here to visit English Grammar Revolution).

*Like should be used when a verb does not follow it.

For example:

• Jen was obviously angry and seemed to roar like a lion.
• At six months old, Evan looks just like his father.

*Like compares nouns but does not demonstrate equality. In the first example above, Jen is displaying a mannerism of a lion, but she is not a lion.

The word as should be used as a conjunction. A conjunction is a word that connects words, phrases or sentences.

*As should be used when a phrase with a subject and a verb follows it.

For example:

• When Sara’s mother passed away, her Aunt Jeanine acted as her mother.
• When Clara is reading, it’s as though she is in another world.

*As compares clauses and demonstrates equality. In the first example above, Aunt Jeanine functions as (or, is “equal to”) Sara’s mother.

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The Continuing Drama of Lay and Lie

In last week’s Tips and Tricks, I began the discussion of the ever confusing lie vs. lay by focusing only on the present tense. Assuming we are all on the same page and up to speed with our present tenses, let’s muddy the water by shifting our attention to the past tense and the past participle tense.

(Remember, we are talking about lie as in “to recline” and lay as in “to put or place.” The present tense of lie is lie or lying. The present tense of lay is lay or laying.)

To begin the confusion, let’s look at the past tense of lie. The past tense of lie (to recline) is lay — as in “Yesterday afternoon, I lay on my bed for an hour.” Wait! Let me get this straight — the past tense of lie (to recline) is LAY? Yes, as confusing as it may be, lay is the past tense form of to lie (to recline).

The past participle tense (when we use have, has or had) of lie (to recline) is lain — as in “She has lain on the bed all day.”

Got it? Okay, moving on to the verb lay (to put or place):

The past tense of lay (to put or place) is laid — as in “Yesterday afternoon, I laid the folder on your desk.”

And the past participle tense (using have, has or had) of lay (to put or place) is also laid — as in “She had laid the revised proposal on her boss’s desk before leaving for the day.” Well, that is easier to remember because the past tense and the past participle tense are the same word — laid!

For quick reference, I’ve created a little chart to help you keep track of these tricky verbs:

Feel like you’ve got it down or want to see if you can remember which verb and tense is which? Test your knowledge of lie vs. lay in this quiz from GrammarBook.com.

The Here and Now of Lay and Lie

Driving to work this morning, I caught myself singing along to Bob Dylan’s song “Lay, Lady, Lay” as it played on the radio. As I belted out the familiar lyrics, I was struck by yet another casualty of the ever confusing “lay vs. lie.” To avoid this mistake ourselves, let’s take a quick look at these two tricky verbs.

*Note: For this post, we’re not talking about “to lie” to mean “to tell an untruth”, but the “to recline or to set” meaning.

The key is to remember that in the present tense, lay requires a direct object and lie does not. For instance:

• You lay the folder on his desk. (The folder is the direct object)
• You lie in the afternoon’s hot sun. (No direct object)

When talking about doing something now, you lie in the sun, and you lay down the folder.

Here are two tricks to help you to remember when to use lay and when to use lie:

1. The famous Bob Dylan song that I heard in the car this morning, “Lay, Lady, Lay” is grammatically incorrect! “Lay, lady, lay, lay across my big brass bed,” implies that someone else is placing Dylan’s lady on his big brass bed, which isn’t his intended meaning. Dylan is imploring his lady to stay with him, and grammatically speaking, Dylan should have said, “Lie, lady, lie, lie across my big brass bed.” (The same grammatical error occurs in Eric Clapton’s song “Lay Down Sally.”)
2. County music artist Chris Young’s song “Lay It on Me” uses lay correctly! When Young sings about his lady’s kiss that he wants her to “come on and lay it on me,” the kiss is the direct object that he wants placed upon him.

So in the present tense, in the here and now, Bob Dylan’s “Lay, Lady, Lay” is wrong because you lie across his big brass bed, and Chris Young’s “Lay It on Me” is right because whatever “it” is, it’s a direct object.

Remember, this is just the present tense use of these tricky verbs. I’ll tackle the even more confusing past and past participle tenses of lay and lie in next week’s exciting installment of Tips & Tricks.

More Confusing Homonyms: Its vs. It's

Let’s continue last week’s post on homonyms. “Its” and “it’s” are two more confusing homonyms that people, even native speakers of English, commonly misuse for one another. The source of confusion is that English speakers are used to adding 's after a noun to suggest possession of something; however, this isn’t the case with “it’s.”

To put it simply:

• “Its” is the possessive form of “it.” It expresses that “it” possesses, or has or owns something.
• “It’s” is the contraction form of “it is” or “it has.”

A quick check: If you can substitute the word “it is” or “it has,” the word that you should use is “it’s.”

Examples:

Its

• Its capital city was very hectic.
• I found its taste to be a bit too rich.
• I saw that movie on the night of its premiere.
• The dog spent all evening licking its paw.

It’s

• In my opinion, it’s too hot outside to run.
• It’s been a very eventful week.
• The sky looks like it’s going to rain on us!
• Do you think it’s time for us to leave?

Shedding a Little Light on Affect and Effect

Effect and affect are two of the most confusing homonyms (words that sound similar but have very different meanings), repeatedly misused for one another. The misuse of these two words isn’t necessarily because they simply sound similar, but more likely because the rules of when to use affect with an ‘a’ and when to use effect with an ‘e’ are so confusing! My job today is to try to simplify this as much as possible…

More often than not, we should follow the very simple guideline that effect with an ‘e’ is a noun and affect with an ‘a’ is a verb. If you use affect and effect in this way, you’ll be right 95% of the time!

Effect
As a noun, effect with an ‘e’ has many meanings; however, at the heart of all of these definitions seems to be the same underlying meaning. When used as a noun, effect means “a result.” If you are talking about a result, you need to use effect. For instance:

1. The humidity today had no effect on Susan’s hair. (The humidity produced no result on Susan’s hair.)
2. The negative effects of her attitude were noticed by our supervisor. (The negative results of her attitude were noticed by our supervisor.)

Affect
Affect with an ‘a’ is a verb with multiple meanings as well. One usage means “to influence,” as in:

1. The humidity today affected my hair. (The humidity today influenced my hair.)
2. Her negative attitude affects the entire office morale. (Her negative attitude influences the entire office morale.)

A second meaning for affect with an ‘a’ is that as a verb it can be used to mean “to act in a way that you don’t feel.” For example:

1. In order to help the children remain calm, I affect a degree of serenity despite my own fears.


2. The politician affected an air of self-confidence that most found unsettling.

As I said, most of the time affect with an ‘a’ is the verb and effect with an ‘e’ is a noun. There are rare instances when these roles are reversed, but those exceptions will have to be another Tips and Tricks entry. For now, remember this basic rule and you’ll be right 95% of the time!

Don’t Neglect Proper E-Etiquette

E-mail is now as common in most workplaces as the telephone call. With the wide use of Internet applications such as Facebook and instant messaging, online correspondence is often seen as more casual, but there is proper e-etiquette that can’t be forgotten when conducting business.

The following 10 tips are useful when communicating about official business via e-mail.

1. Treat your e-mail as though you are writing it on letterhead (e.g. address Anne Smith formally as Ms. Smith rather than as Anne) when your relationship with a business contact is still new. Once your relationship begins to feel more relaxed, so can the tone of your e-mails.
   
2. Your subject line should accurately state what your e-mail is about. This will help your contact prioritize their e-mails. Note: Start a new e-mail thread with a new subject line if the subject of your e-mail is going to take a turn from the previous e-mail. Don’t simply hit “reply” if the e-mail isn’t a response about the previous content.
   
3. Don’t use abbreviations. Abbreviations such as “lol,” “idk,” “imo” and “brb” are best left outside of the workplace.
   
4. Avoid writing in all capital letters. SENTENCES WRITTEN LIKE THIS WILL BE READ AS THOUGH YOU ARE SCREAMING.
   
5. Avoid using sarcasm or making jokes. Sarcasm and comical tones don’t always come across as such in e-mail and might be taken offensively.
   
6. Don’t use emoticons (e.g. :) or :(). Emoticons are very informal.
   
7. The “Reply to All” option should only be used when you are sending a response that must reach each person who received the original message. You don’t want to clog your contacts’ e-mail inboxes with messages that don’t concern them.
   
8. Generally speaking, e-mails should be brief. In the busy workplace, longer e-mails should be replaced with telephone calls or meetings.
   
9. Attach any promised attachments. It’s a waste of your and your contact’s time to deal with two e-mails just because you’ve forgotten to include an attachment, even more so if you don’t realize that you’ve forgotten until much later.
   
10. Finally — Never send an e-mail that you haven’t proofread.

TriSec 17 in Las Vegas, NV at Red Rock Casino, Resort and Spa

TriSec 2010 has a home! We are excited to see you April 20 - 22, 2010 at Red Rock Casino, Resort and Spa. Stay tuned for more details.

That vs. Which

Many people mistakenly use the words that and which interchangeably; however, they do not serve the same purpose and are not interchangeable. While some grammar experts complicate and obscure the rules dictating the usage of that and which, I strive to keep them as simple as possible! The simplest way to properly use them is to remember:

• That precedes an essential (or restrictive) clause
• Which comes before everything else.

That and the Essential Clause
To understand when to use that you must understand what makes a clause essential. An essential clause (also known as a restrictive or defining clause) provides a necessary part of the sentence by restricting or modifying another part of that sentence. Basically, you can’t get rid of the clause without losing part of the meaning and these clauses use that to introduce them. For example:

• Dogs that constantly whine annoy those around them.
  
  “That constantly whine” defines the type of dogs you are talking about. Without the clause you would be saying that all dogs annoy those around them, changing the meaning of the sentence. That comes with a clause that cannot be thrown out.

(Note: With essential clauses and therefore with that there are no commas used to separate the clause from the rest of the sentence.)

Which and the Non-Essential Clause
Which introduces the non-essential, additional information to the sentence. The non-essential clause (also known as the non-defining or non-restrictive clause) provides information in the sentence that can be removed without changing the meaning of the sentence. Which clauses can be thrown out and the sentence meaning remains the same. For example:

• Dogs, which sometimes bark out of excitement or fear, make good pets.
  
  “Which sometimes bark out of excitement or fear” can be removed from the sentence and the integrity or meaning of the sentence does not change - “Dogs make good pets.”

(Note: commas are always used to separate the non-essential information from the rest of the sentence.)

Wrap It Up
That provides vital information that cannot be removed from the sentence without changing the meaning, and commas are not needed. Which introduces additional, non-essential information to a sentence, and commas are always necessary.

Bonus Tip
Remember: Do not use which or that to refer to a person. Use who (or whom or whose). See Tips and Tricks entry on Who vs. Whom.

Misplaced and Squinting Modifiers

A modifier modifies whatever it’s closest to in a sentence. A misplaced modifier might modify the incorrect thing.

For example, consider the following sentences:
I nearly met all of my sales goals.
I met nearly all of my sales goals.

As the writer, you have to make sure that what you write will be easily understood by the reader. Do you want the reader to think that you were very close to meeting all of your sales goals, or that you met most but not all of your sales goals?

Other examples:

The sun in Florida was hot. (Confusing — is there more than one sun?)
In Florida, the sun was hot. (Clear)

My husband took the newspapers to the bins that were more than a week old. (Confusing — the bins were recyclable?)
My husband took the newspapers that were more than a week old to the bins. (Clear)

A squinting modifier is a modifier that is placed in such a fashion that it could modify either what comes before it or what follows it. Your reader may not know which thing is being modified and will therefore not understand your sentence.

Examples:

He told his daughter eventually the dog would have to go back to its owner. (Confusing — did he tell her eventually, or would the dog eventually have to go?)
He told his daughter the dog would eventually have to go back to its owner. (Clear)

Janice likes that band only because she thinks the guitarist is talented. (Could be confusing — does Janice like only that band, or does she only like the band because of the guitarist?)

Janice only likes that band because she thinks the guitarist is talented. (Clear)

For more information on modifiers, please check our post on Dangling Modifiers.

We're planning TriSec 17!

We're starting to plan our next Tribal Secretaries Conference! What would you like to see at TriSec 17? Respond to this post with comments. We want your ideas!

Exercising the Writing Process to Eliminate Error

One of the best ways to avoid common writing pitfalls is to follow an important writing process. People often think to use the writing process in formal writing or while in school, but it's just as important to utilize this process in our emails, memos, reports, grants, reviews, articles and everything else we write in the workplace.

All writing is a process and there are crucial steps in this process:

1. Plan the message you want to convey. Think about what you want your reader to understand from your writing. Sometimes this phase is as short as thinking through your email response before you type it, but other times this phase can include brainstorming, outlining or writing out a plan for your thoughts.

2. Draft - get the words down. Imagine that everything you write is a first draft and therefore unfinished!

3. Revise. Make clear what you are trying to say by changing words, clarifying, simplifying or reiterating. The main way to avoid common grammar pitfalls is through revising and proofreading before we hit send, print, publish or submit.

4. Proofread. There are proven proofreading strategies. First, read your writing aloud. We often hear the mistakes we write because they “just don’t sound right.” Second, start at the end. Read your writing one sentence at a time, starting with your last sentence. This works well to help clarify your ideas and your grammar sentence by sentence. The third strategy is to ask a friend or co-worker to read your draft. An additional set of eyes will often catch what we overlooked. Finally, utilize spell check, grammar check and other “look-up” tools, like www.dictionary.com. If the program you're writing in doesn’t have spell check or grammar check, copy your text into Microsoft Word and check it there. For more, click here for our May 5 Tips and Tricks Tuesday post.

According to Strunk and White’s acclaimed book on writing, The Elements of Style, we all benefit from approaching everything we write through this writing process because “few writers are so expert that they can produce what they are after on the first try.” Remember, everything you write is a rough draft until after you have worked it through the entire writing process.

Indian Country Human Resource Management Conference Speaker, Sherri Elliott

Exciting news about Falmouth Institute’s 2009 Human Resource Management Conference (August 27-28, 2009 in Phoenix, Arizona at Radisson Fort McDowell):

The author of the new book Ties to Tattoos will be one of our excellent speakers at this year’s conference. Sherri Elliott addresses the issue of a multigenerational workforce in her new book and through her company Gen InsYght (http://www.geninsyght.com/). Sherri will be leading a session at the conference on this very topic — helping companies understand and successfully overcome the challenges and reap the rewards of a multigenerational staff.

Sherri Elliott is the president and owner of Optimance Workforce Strategies, LLC, a leading human resource consulting firm. She is a Senior Professional in Human Resources with an Associate designation in Risk Management with over fifteen years of corporate experience.

Please join us for this and many other exciting sessions at Falmouth Institute’s Human Resource Management Conference in Phoenix, AZ on August 27-28, 2009.

For a full list of conference topics, please click here.

Double Negatives

A double negative is the improper placement of two negative words in the same sentence. Most of the time, the user of a double negative intends to make a negative statement, but two negatives form a positive statement. One negative and one positive form a negative statement.

Examples of negative words include no, not, nobody, hardly, barely and none.

The following sentences are examples of double negatives and what the sentences are actually implying. The negative words in the original sentence are indicated in bold.

• I didn’t see nobody. = I saw somebody.
• I barely ate none of it. = I ate a lot of it.
• She didn’t need no one to help her. = She needed someone to help her.

The original sentences make positive statements because two negatives cancel each other out.

The following sentences are the incorrect sentences above rewritten correctly. The negative words are indicated in bold. The positive words are indicated in italics.

• I didn’t see anybody.
• I barely ate any of it.
• She didn’t need anyone to help her.

The sentences make negative statements because of the placement of one negative and one positive.

Good/Well: When to Use "Good" and When to Use "Well"

Speakers of the English language often use good when they should use well, especially in speech. The general rule regarding this common grammatical error is that you do something well, but a thing is good.

Well is an adverb — it modifies verbs. Good, on the other hand, is an adjective, describing nouns. As a rule then, we do not use good to describe verbs.

Correct: The boy behaves well when he is around his mother.
Correct: For his good behavior, he is given a good sized piece of pie.
Correct: The dog fetches well.
Correct: He is a good dog.

However, there are exceptions to this general usage rule (which is probably why this is such a tricky, typical error).

The first exception deals with verbs of sensation (relating to the senses). The word good is appropriate to use as an adverb with verbs of sensation. For example, saying, “The homemade cookies smell good,” is correct. Saying, “The homemade cookies smell well,” implies that the cookies have noses.

Exception number two is even trickier! An often difficult decision takes place when using a linking verb. Linking verbs don’t take adverbs, so we’ll want to use good and not well. For instance, we say, “I feel good,” and “He is good at pool,” because the verbs “feel” and “is” are linking verbs.

While keeping these exceptions in mind, the most important bit to remember is the general rule: you do something well, and a thing is good.

Know Before You Go: Airport Regulations

Strict airport guidelines can add frustration and unnecessary time to your travel plans. Pay attention to these key tips to save time and energy at the airport:

• Check in ahead of time. Most airlines let you check in and print your boarding pass on their Web site 24 hours before your flight. For airlines that don't assign seats, like Southwest, this is especially important because the sooner you check in, the earlier you will board and choose your seat. Printing your boarding pass ahead of time lets you bypass the long line for regular check in and go straight to the bag drop off.


• Have your ID and boarding pass ready. Security agents will be looking for your photo ID and your boarding pass to be sure the names match when you join the security line. Save yourself the hassle and have these documents ready when you get in line.


• Speed through Security. No one likes a long line. Do your part by wearing shoes that are easy to take off, limit your layers, leave the heavy metal at home and keep electronics convenient. Have a plan in mind for when you get to those little plastic bins. Be sure to take out any electronics such as laptops, dvd players etc. and place them visibly in a bin outside of your carry on. Assume that everything will make the sensor go off and put all jackets, bulky sweatshirts, shoes and belts in the bins as well. If you're traveling with liquids, check out the next tip.


• Carry-on Rules for Liquids. There are very strict rules for bringing liquids through security and on the plane. TSA follows the 3-1-1 rule. Passengers are allowed to carry on containers of no more than 3 ounces each, concealed within 1 single 1 quart bag. The regular one quart ziploc bags are recommended. Any containers over 3 ounces will not be permitted through and will be thrown away (or you'll have to leave the security line and figure out what to do with them before returning). Water or soda purchased at the gate once you're through security is allowed on board but anything purchased before security will be thrown away. There are a few exceptions including baby formula and some prescriptions. For a full list of exceptions and prohibited items please visit the TSA Web site.

Keep these simple rules in mind for your next trip to have happy and safe travels!

I Vs. Me

The pronouns “I” and “me” are often confused in writing and in common speech. “I” should be used as the subject in sentences and “me” should be used as the object in sentences.

“I” is a subject pronoun. It is the person performing the action.

For example: Michelle and I visited the local high school to conduct the experiment.

“I” visited the local high school with Michelle.

“Me” is an object pronoun. It is the person the action is done to.

For example: The local high school contacted Michelle and me about the experiment.

The school is the subject, and the school contacted “me.”

A good test is to see if the sentence makes sense when written or spoken with just the pronoun.

For example: The local high school contacted me.

You wouldn’t say: The local high school contacted I.

More examples:

• Incorrect: The taxi drove Leslie and I to the airport.
• Correct: The taxi drove Leslie and me to the airport.
  
  
• Incorrect: Alisha and me felt like taking a walk at 4:00.
• Correct: Alisha and I felt like taking a walk at 4:00.
  
  
• Incorrect: My dad loves my sister and I.
• Correct: My dad loves my sister and me.

Falmouth Online Training Offerings

The following online training sessions are scheduled for later this month. Register today! Please click here for more information on online training with Falmouth.

Dealing with Difficult People, Places and Things
July 29, 2009 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. EST
Conflict is a part of any work environment but steps can be taken to manage conflict and help you deal more effectively with difficult people and situations. Learn the skills that will help you take action and create a more harmonious and productive workplace.

Sexual Harassment for Tribes and Tribal Organizations
July 30, 2009 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. EST
Anyone who has encountered sexual harassment will tell you that it’s bothersome, irritating and demeaning. It’s also against the law. During this workshop, you’ll learn the important aspects of handling sexual harassment issues and complaints. You’ll examine how to prevent unacceptable behavior from the beginning.

My Darling Dangling Modifier

One of the most common grammatical errors is the dangling modifier. Although your reader may be able to decipher your intended meaning from the sentence, having a dangling modifier can create misleading information, confusion or concern.

What is a modifier? A modifier (also known as a participle) is a descriptive word, phrase or clause that adds detail to the noun to which it’s attached. It describes the noun closest to it. Dangling modifiers — also called dangling participles — are descriptive words, phrases or clauses suffering from separation anxiety. We usually find them at the beginning of sentences. The modifiers are perfectly happy (and grammatically correct) when the thing they describe is planted right next to them. When that modified thing isn’t next to the descriptive phrase, the participle will clutch at and describe the closest noun, ultimately changing the meaning of your sentence.

Let’s look at a few examples:

Example 1: Incorrect: Smashed flat by a passing truck, the dog sniffed at what was left of a half-eaten hamburger.

Oh no! That poor dog! Because of the way this sentence is arranged, the modifier in the above sentence — “smashed flat by a passing truck” — describes the noun nearest it, which is the dog. That was not the author’s intent. Read the sentence below with the modifier describing the appropriate noun.

Example 1: Correct: The dog sniffed at what was left of a half-eaten hamburger that had been smashed flat by a passing truck.

Let’s try another one:

Example 2: Incorrect: After rotting in the basement for a week, your brother brought me an orange.

According to this example, your brother has been “rotting in the basement for a week.” No one wants a rotten brother anywhere near them, so we move the dangling modifier to correctly modify the appropriate subject.

Example 2: Correct: Your brother brought me an orange that had been rotting in the basement for a week.

Here’s a slightly more serious example and one that is more likely to occur in an office setting. A company policy reads:

Example 3: Incorrect: If taking more than 3 consecutive sick days, a signed doctor’s note is needed.

Who is taking more than 3 consecutive sick days? This sentence says that “a signed doctor’s note” is taking more than 3 consecutive sick days. That is not the intended meaning. To revise, decide who actually will be taking off these days.

Example 3: Correct: If taking more than 3 consecutive sick days, an employee will need to provide a note from their doctor.

Dangling modifiers plague our emails, memos, letters, reports and policies, changing the meaning of them in unintended ways. When you know what to look for and be aware of, you too can avoid this common grammatical pitfall.

Your Workspace

Due to the lack of responses to last Wednesday's post, we regret to inform you that we don't have any workspace photos to share.

Thank you for checking back!

Parallelism

In writing, a parallel structure demonstrates that two or more ideas or items in a list are of equal importance. Parallelism is accomplished by beginning each idea or item with the same part of speech.

For example:

On Saturday, Jeanine wanted to visit her mother, mow the lawn and the dog needed a bath. NON-PARALLEL

The first two of Jeanine’s desires begin with verbs. Readers would trip over the last desire in this sentence. The following example uses parallelism and is much easier to understand.

On Saturday, Jeanine wanted to visit her mother, mow the lawn and bathe the dog. PARALLEL

Using parallelism makes it easier for your reader to understand what you are trying to convey; mixing forms risks misunderstanding.

More examples:

• During the soccer tournament, Adam played quickly, excitedly and he was very happy. NON-PARALLEL
• During the soccer tournament, Adam played quickly, excitedly and happily. PARALLEL
  

• Carla is enthusiastic, hard-working and is a nice person. NON-PARALLEL
• Carla is enthusiastic, hard-working and friendly. PARALLEL
  

• Over the weekend, Kevin bought a new MacBook Pro online, two software programs, and arranged for free shipping. NON-PARALLEL
• Over the weekend, Kevin bought a new MacBook Pro online, ordered two software programs, and arranged for free shipping. PARALLEL

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We Want Photos of Your Creative Workspace!

"Designing a Creative and Effective Workspace" was an exciting and popular workshop at TriSec 16.

Is your workspace the perfect reflection of your personality? Is it comfortable, professional and creative? Send us a photo! If you aren't yet ready to show off your personal retreat, take the next week to add some spice to it, and then send us a photo. We'll stop accepting submissions on Wednesday, June 24 at 12:00 p.m. EST. We'll post submissions to the blog on Wednesday, June 24 at 4:00 p.m. EST.

Please attach your photos to an e-mail and send them to us by clicking here.

We can't wait to see your workspace. Have fun!

More on Writing in Style

A style manual will not cover all the grammatical and writing questions that you confront as someone who works for a tribal government. Even the most comprehensive guide will not tell you the proper way to address a tribal leader in a letter or which source will be used to guide you on the proper name for tribal governments.

These are questions that may require research and consultation with department heads. Once a decision is made, it should be documented in a style sheet. A style sheet is a supplement to the style manual and it should address spelling, grammar and other writing questions that cannot be answered anywhere else. It should be shared and used like any other reference.

Style sheets are fluid documents that are constantly amended and updated as needed. As with most writing style questions, there may be several correct answers. The key to a good writing style is to decide on one answer and stick to it.

Below are some useful sources that may help you in developing a style sheet for your tribal organization.

National Congress of American Indians Tribal Directory – This is updated regularly and is a good source for checking the proper spelling and preferred reference for American Indian and Alaska Native governments.

Websites for Tribal Governments

U.S. Government Web sites – These will help you with the proper titles for government officials, the spelling of names and the official names for various agencies and departments.

U.S. Department of Interior -- includes the Bureau of Indian Affairs

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services -- includes the Indian Health Service

Writing in Style

Have you ever had an argument with one of your colleagues over whether this word or that should be capitalized or whether to use a comma or not? Before you come to blows with your office mates, remember this: you both may be right.

There are many questions about grammar that can be answered in several ways, for example the capitalization of certain words, how to write time, or whether to use courtesy titles. These types of grammatical questions are called style questions. In most cases, there are several correct answers. The most important thing is consistency — within all your correspondence and documents, within your department and across your organization.

Most dictionaries contain a basic style guide, but more comprehensive guidance on style questions can be found in style manuals. There are several well-respected style manuals available; which one you select may depend on the type of writing you do. Most manuals will tell you how to cite other works within your document and give you some guidance on capitalization, italicization and punctuation. If you do very specialized writing, such as legal writing or grant writing, be sure to have an additional style manual that will guide you on the standards for that industry. Below are just a few of the commonly used style books available today.

GENERAL

The Elements of Style: A Style Guide for Writers

BUSINESS

The AMA Style Guide for Business Writing

Style Guide: For Business and Technical Communication

GOVERNMENT DOCUMENTS

United States Government Printing Office. Style Manual.

LAW

The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation

Quotation Mark Usage

In the workplace, correct usage of quotation marks is essential. Today, you’ll get a basic overview of quotation mark usage.

Quotation marks are called for in the following situations:

• To note someone else’s exact written or spoken words. **Remember that quotation marks indicate that the words within the quotes are exactly what the person said — word-for-word.
• Shelly said, “I would never do that in one million years.”


• To note the title of short works or smaller parts of a bigger work. Short works include songs, book chapters, poems, articles, short stories and essays.
• “Wild Horses”: A song by the Rolling Stones

Remember the following tips about quotation mark usage:

• In the workplace or in research writing, it is crucial that your quotes are exact. Otherwise, you may state what someone wrote or said with an indirect quote.
• Direct quote: Carol said, “I absolutely hate this restaurant.”
• Indirect quote: Carol said that she didn’t like the restaurant.


• Always make sure that you provide closing quotation marks for every quote.


• Commas and periods should always be inserted before the closing quotation mark.
• Stacy said, “Insert a period at the end of that sentence.”


• Exclamation points and question marks should always be inserted after the closing quotation mark, unless they are part of the quotation.
• “Do you believe his luck?” Robin asked me after the lottery drawing.


• Colons and semicolons should always be inserted after the closing quotation mark, unless they are part of the quotation.
• If you remember one thing about what your father said today, let it be, “Don’t let negative people get the best of you”; but I understand that sometimes that’s easier said than done.


• When you need to use quotation marks within a quote, you should use single quotation marks for the interior quote.
• “I don’t usually listen to the Beach Boys but I do like their song ‘Feel Flows’ a lot,” Mike said.