People often confuse then and than, although they mean completely different things. Then is most often used as an adverb, and it indicates something that takes place after an initial action, whereas than is a conjunction usually used to make comparisons. Here are some examples:
"I ordered Chinese food. Then I went looking for a great DVD."
"I ordered Chinese food, which is much better than Thai in my opinion."
The hazard of using "then" is that it's easy to write a run-on sentence, because it often seems as though "then" is still part of your initial sentence. But it's not. Example -- "I got in the car, then turned on the radio." That's not officially correct. If you're a stickler for grammar, you can rephrase it by saying, "I got in the car, and then turned on the radio." Or make it into two sentences: "I got in the car. Then I turned on the radio."
Hope everyone enjoyed their Chinese take-in, DVDs, and great music over the weekend.
Sigrid Macdonald is a book coach, a manuscript evaluator, and the author of three books, including Be Your Own Editor, now available on Amazon.com: http://tinyurl.com/2a3zx6t (Paperback) and http://tinyurl.com/2blyqng (Kindle).
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Monday, June 21, 2010
Monday, June 7, 2010
How to Write a Smashing E-Mail: Part Three
In part two of this series, I discussed the importance of using a subject line in e-mails. Today, I’d like to focus on the content of e-mails, specifically what information can be omitted.
Don't spend half your e-mail apologizing for the amount of time that it has taken you to reply to the sender. This is the adult version of "the dog ate my homework." There's no need for an explanation and oftentimes it backfires. You're trying to be polite. You want someone to know why it has taken you two days or three weeks to reply to a note. So you expound with an elaborate description of how busy you've been. But does this make the recipients feel better? Not always.
Sometimes, it makes them feel worse. If you're so busy, maybe the people you're writing to aren't that important. Maybe they’re taking up your precious time. You are certainly wasting their time by going on for three or four lines about your busy schedule. Move on! Sometimes an apology is warranted and you can make a brief acknowledgment, simply stating that you're sorry that it took so long to get back to the person. But don't go on about why. No one really needs or cares to know unless the matter is urgent and pertains to them (e.g., your cat died and the person you're writing to is an animal lover).
Tune in on Monday, June 21, for Part Four of "How to Write a Smashing E-mail."
* This article was written for and reprinted from Freelance-zone.com.
Sigrid Macdonald is a book coach, a manuscript evaluator, and the author of three books, including Be Your Own Editor, now available on Amazon.com: http://tinyurl.com/2a3zx6t (Paperback) and http://tinyurl.com/2blyqng (Kindle).
Don't spend half your e-mail apologizing for the amount of time that it has taken you to reply to the sender. This is the adult version of "the dog ate my homework." There's no need for an explanation and oftentimes it backfires. You're trying to be polite. You want someone to know why it has taken you two days or three weeks to reply to a note. So you expound with an elaborate description of how busy you've been. But does this make the recipients feel better? Not always.
Sometimes, it makes them feel worse. If you're so busy, maybe the people you're writing to aren't that important. Maybe they’re taking up your precious time. You are certainly wasting their time by going on for three or four lines about your busy schedule. Move on! Sometimes an apology is warranted and you can make a brief acknowledgment, simply stating that you're sorry that it took so long to get back to the person. But don't go on about why. No one really needs or cares to know unless the matter is urgent and pertains to them (e.g., your cat died and the person you're writing to is an animal lover).
Tune in on Monday, June 21, for Part Four of "How to Write a Smashing E-mail."
* This article was written for and reprinted from Freelance-zone.com.
Sigrid Macdonald is a book coach, a manuscript evaluator, and the author of three books, including Be Your Own Editor, now available on Amazon.com: http://tinyurl.com/2a3zx6t (Paperback) and http://tinyurl.com/2blyqng (Kindle).
Today's Writing Tip: Could of, Should of, Would of
I grew up in Northern New Jersey and many people, myself included, would often say, "I could of gone to that movie but I decided to go shopping instead." Well, what we should have done was stay home to study! Because "could of" should be replaced by "could have."
"I could have gone to that movie. I should have gone to that movie. I would have gone to that movie if I hadn't been biologically compelled to go to Bloomingdale's."
Whatever you say can be much more casual than what you write, except if you're a public speaker. In that case, you want to be just as careful when you're speaking as when you're writing. Meanwhile, remember that "could of" is improper usage.
*This article was reprinted from freelance-zone.com.
Sigrid Macdonald is a book coach, a manuscript evaluator, and the author of three books, including Be Your Own Editor, now available on Amazon.com: http://tinyurl.com/2a3zx6t (Paperback) and http://tinyurl.com/2blyqng (Kindle).
"I could have gone to that movie. I should have gone to that movie. I would have gone to that movie if I hadn't been biologically compelled to go to Bloomingdale's."
Whatever you say can be much more casual than what you write, except if you're a public speaker. In that case, you want to be just as careful when you're speaking as when you're writing. Meanwhile, remember that "could of" is improper usage.
*This article was reprinted from freelance-zone.com.
Sigrid Macdonald is a book coach, a manuscript evaluator, and the author of three books, including Be Your Own Editor, now available on Amazon.com: http://tinyurl.com/2a3zx6t (Paperback) and http://tinyurl.com/2blyqng (Kindle).
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