About Good Grammar & Copywriting

by Phyllis Schwartz

A double celebration for ProfitSpace today! For Denise, it’s
Thanksgiving (Happy Thanksgiving to Denise and all our Canadian
friends!). And here in the US, it’s Columbus Day. Since both
countries are commemorating events with roots that go back hundreds
of years, I was thinking about what conversations must have sounded
like in earlier times. Can you imagine yourself in the midst of a
dinner in 1492 or 1578? However would you get someone to “pass the
potatoes?” :-)

When you think about the melting pot of cultures we have in our two
countries, it’s no wonder the English language is so crazy! Latin,
Greek, German, Norwegian, Spanish, French, Indian, Asian – virtually
every every language on earth has contributed to the development of
English s we know it today. And that brings us to a question that
seems perfect for this doubly special day – from subscriber Lisa
Reddell:

“Is there a guide somewhere online that has the rules (of grammar)?
For instance, what makes a word possessive? What makes a word
contractive? Are commas supposed to be used after ‘and’ in a
sentence?”

Great question Lisa and I do have a resource or two for you. :-) But
first I’d like to share a cute little poem that I came across some
time ago. It describes the complexity of the English language far
better than my words ever could:

We’ll begin with a box, and the plural is boxes; but the
plural of ox became oxen not oxes.

One fowl is a goose, but two are called geese, yet the
plural of moose should never be meese,

You may find a lone mouse or a nest full of mice; yet the
plural of house is houses, not hice.

If the plural of man is always called men, why shouldn’t
the plural of pan be called pen? If I spoke of my foot
and show you my feet, and I give you a boot, would a pair be
called a beet?

If one is a tooth and a whole set are teeth, shouldn’t the
plural of booth be called beeth?

The one may be that, and three would be those, yet hat in
the plural would never be hose, and the plural of cat is cats,
not cose.

We speak of a brother and also of brethren, but though we
say mother we never say methren.

Then the masculine pronouns are he, she and him but
imagine the feminine, she, shis and shim.

So English I fancy, you will agree is the craziest language
you ever did see! -- Anonymous

Hope that got a smile out of everyone. Now time to get serious
again. There are a number of not just okay, but top notch resources
to help us all with English grammar and usage. Here are my three
favorites:

“Common Errors in English” by Paul Brians has subjects listed
alphabetically – AM/PM to your/you’re. There is also a published
version of this book. Click here: Common Errors in English

“Guide to Grammar and Writing” also has subjects listed
alphabetically – ‘a, an’ to ‘zero articles’ (which, by the way, does
not mean that you won’t find articles to read!) You can go to a
slot called “word and sentence level,” click and get a comprehensive
list of subjects to choose from, including capitalization, sentence
parts, punctuation, subject/verb agreement – if you don’t find it
here, I suspect you won’t find it anywhere. Click here: Guide to
Grammar and Writing

“The Elements of Style” by William Strunk, Jr. is a classic
copywriter’s tool. While a bit older and perhaps not as slick in
presentation as the two above, it is comfortable to work with and
easy to understand -- kind of like a favorite old pair of shoes:
Click here: Strunk, William, Jr. 1918. The Elements of Style

If anyone out there knows of any other websites you’d like to add to
the list, by all means let us know. Meanwhile, I think you’re
pretty well covered. Whatever you’re doing today – celebrating,
working or anything else -- I wish you a wonderful day. Next week a
look at the subject of copyrights. And that, my friends, is today’s
last word. Have a great week!

Phyllis Schwartz, your copy guide
phylsmac@aol.com

About The Author: Phyllis Schwartz is a longtime copywriter. She clicks from her home office in Ventnor City, New Jersey, a stone’s throw away from Atlantic City. She is offering copywriting services at BetterCopywriting.com

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