A reader asks: When sending in a manuscript, how much fancy things do you do? I mean the creative font of the, “Chapter 1,” or the swirly design that is sometimes in between paragraphs to demonstrate a lot of time has passed, or its a new scene. Does the publisher just decide it all? Agents … Read more
If you don’t know what a fused participle is, read on. The present participle is the form of the English verb that ends in –ing: walk walked walking To function as a verb, the present participle must be used with an auxiliary verb: Jack is repairing the roof. Used without an auxiliary verb, the participle … Read more
I’ve long known that the sentence The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog contains every letter of the alphabet. What I didn’t know is that such a sentence has a special name. It’s a pangram. pangram – from the Greek pan “every,” and gramma “letter” – also called a holoalphabetic sentence; “a sentence … Read more
We are getting close to the end of the second Short Story Competition. Today’s round has some interesting stories as usual, so make sure to read them and cast a vote for your favorite one. Every week only one story passes the round and gets promoted to the grand finale, where we will declare the … Read more
A reader inquires: Is it permissible to list Enclosures at the top of a letter right after Subject and/or References or should they always be listed at the bottom of the letter after your closing? I suppose that anything is “permissible,” but some things are not advisable. Shaking up the conventional order of a business … Read more
One of my favorite country expressions is “pig in a poke.” For those unfamiliar with the expression, a “poke” is a sack. To buy something without first looking at it is to buy a pig in a poke. (As we do when we buy things online.) I once used the word with a group of … Read more
In 1928 H. W. Fowler listed these phrases and their uses: Yours faithfully (to unknown person on business) Yours truly (to slight acquaintance) Yours very truly (ceremonious but cordial) Yours sincerely (in invitations and friendly but not intimate letters) With slight variations between British and American usage, these forms are still in use. If you … Read more
A reader has been “having a discussion with a friend” about which of the following is “the right grammar” You was..or You were… The fact that this question can be the subject of discussion in an age of free public education suggests either that basic standard grammar is not being taught effectively in the schools, … Read more
Reader Blaine asks Does anyone out there know of a website or a book with a lot of sample query letters? The question comes just as I’m studying this guide to marketing a novel: The Sell Your Novel Tool Kit: Everything You Need to Know About Queries, Synopses, Marketing, and Breaking In by Elizabeth Lyon. … Read more
Another round with eight stories is live. The poll will stay open until the midnight of the upcoming Sunday. If you have suggestions or criticism about any of the stories or about the competition itself, please share it in the comment section. Now to the stories! 1. For Society’s Sake by Catherine Sharp She’d been … Read more
The high school in my community is about to undergo a major redesign. I opened the morning paper and read the following headline: Details of tonight’s high school design charette revealed Wednesday I was puzzled because the only meaning for charette/charrette I was acquainted with was “wheeled cart,” like the one that hauled Sidney Carton … Read more
Thousands of English words may be classed as eponyms, words derived from proper names. Many eponyms derive from deliberate choices to call a product, invention, or scientific discovery after the person most closely associated with it, for example: macadam, guillotine, pasteurisation. Sometimes scientific terms are coined to honor a famous person or a friend, for … Read more