These insights into proper usage will help young writers avoid many common mistakes made through misusing words.
Today's usage tip: knowing when to use "like".
Like may well be both the most overused and misused word in the English language. The guidelines below will explain when and when not to use this word:
Like should not be used in place of as or as if. Like should never be used to begin a clause. Use as, as if, or as though:
Incorrect:
He looks like he might start crying at any moment.
Correct:
He looks as though he might start crying at any moment.
Incorrect:
She looked like she had seen a ghost.
Correct:
She looked as though she had seen a ghost.
The word like is used to show that a person or thing resembles another person or thing. It is used for comparison:
He looks like his father.
She looks like her aunt.
Like should not be used in place of such as:
Incorrect:
Many controversial issues, like immigration, divide our nation.
Correct:
Many controversial issues, such as immigration, divide our nation.
The expression like for instance should never be used:
Incorrect:
Many controversial issues, like for instance immigration, divide our country.
Correct:
Many controversial issues—for instance, immigration—divide our country.
Check back in next Monday for another Usage Tip!
Inspiring the Uninspired Writer in Your Child—Using Description to Make Writing Interesting
Today’s post is written directly to your student writer. Feel free to print it out and give it to your student as a supplement to his weekly writing exercises.
The most basic type of paragraph is the descriptive paragraph. Descriptive paragraphs describe the characteristics of people, places, and things. Descriptive writing is used to draw a complete, clear picture for the reader.
A writer is much like an artist. The writer formulates an image in his mind and transmits that image on paper in such a way that the reader is able to see the same image. The writer’s job is tricky because, unlike the artist who can use the canvas and his brushes to convey his picture through colors and textures, the writer creates all of his images through the use of words. He can accomplish his task only by using vivid, detailed descriptions of his subject. The more detailed the author’s description, the more complete the image will be.
The first step in becoming a good descriptive writer is to become detail- conscious. Suppose that we want to create a story about a woman. The first step is to picture the woman. Although we may already have an idea of what kind of a woman we want to create, we need to take that general idea and create specific details. We might ask the following questions:
Is this woman young or old?
What is her approximate age?
What is her race?
What color are her eyes? What color is her hair?
What shape and size are her facial features—for instance, what about her eyes, nose, lips, jaw line and cheekbones?
What is the length and texture of her hair?
How tall is she? What is her approximate weight? Does she appear frail or strong?
How is she dressed? Are her clothes expensive or cheap?
What is the color and fabric of her clothing?
The answers to these questions reveal other aspects of her physical appearance, personality, and character. For example, if her clothes are expensive, is she wealthy? Perhaps the character has gray hair; this would indicate that she is an older woman. Perhaps she is now a mature, wealthy widow dressed in a simple black dress with a single strand of pearls. Is she attractive or unattractive? Does she seem pleasant and happy or does she appear to be short-tempered and harsh? The more detailed the character is, the easier it will be to effectively describe her.
How detail-conscious are you? The following exercises will help you to become more aware of your surroundings so that you can describe detail more effectively.
Exercise A:
Look around the room in which you are working. In five minutes make a list of everything you see in your room. When you are finished, count the number of items on your list and write that number at the bottom of your paper. If you are working with another person, compare your list with that of the other person.
Thousands of details in the room were probably overlooked. People have a tendency to generalize when looking at objects rather than really studying them to see the detail. For example, perhaps a clock is on your list. Was the detail on the clock mentioned? Read the following description of a clock and see how it compares to the clock on the list:
The clock is small—about eight to ten inches around. The back and sides of the clock are black, but the face is clear plastic. On the face of the clock, the numbers 1-12 appear in a circle to represent the hours of the day and the number of five minute blocks in an hour. Among the numbers are short lines—each of which represents one minute. The lines are black and every fifth line is wider than the previous four. The clock has three hands—the hour hand which is a short, wide, black line; the minute hand which is a long, wide, black line, and the second hand which is long, thin and red. The second hand moves continuously while the minute and hour hands move only when the intervals of time they indicate have passed.
Exercise B: Using as much detail as possible, describe the chair on which you are sitting. Discuss the size and shape of the chair, the materials from which the chair is made, and the color of the chair. Is there fabric on the chair? If so, what is its color, texture, and pattern? In what style is the chair designed? Are there any special features of the chair which make it particularly practical or useful? Think about the way that the chair feels to you when you sit in it. Try to write in such a way that another person can really “see” the chair. When you have finished this paragraph, read it to a friend or family member and have that person comment on the paragraph.
