A simple explanation about using “that”

by Davina on May 1, 2012

Pronouns, adjectives and adverbs aside

One of the most overused words is that, but did you know that 90 percent of the time it can be left out of a sentence?

I have read detailed explanations about how that is used as a pronoun, an adjective or an adverb. Explicit posts outline how that joins an independent clause and a dependant clause, and how it may be used after a verb of attribution, such as says or announced.

I think this is too much information, so I decided to keep things simple.

1. That joins two thoughts to clarify or add information.
Example: She bought the dress that was on sale.

You cannot leave that out of this sentence, but you could replace it with which if you add a comma after dress. Using that offers a direct statement. Using which adds an afterthought: By the way, the dress was on sale.

2. That emphasizes or measures the extent of something.
Example: I wouldn’t go that far.

If you left that out of this sentence it would be vague, but still grammatically correct.

3. That introduces or designates something specific.
Example: Look at that tree.

Following, are some examples that illustrate when that is needed for clarity and when it can be omitted.

When should you use “that”?

Leaving that out of a sentence may confuse the reader, causing them to reread.

  • The music instructor noticed [that] the students who practised often were the most confident in her class.
    The music instructor didn’t notice the students, she noticed something about the students.
  • The teacher announced [that] the winner of the contest would be revealed soon.
    The teacher didn’t announce the winner, she announced something about the winner.
  • The manager announced [that] on May 15 the store would be closing.
    If you left that out, you might wonder if the manager made the announcement on May 15 or if the store was closing on May 15.
  • While stuck in traffic, Dana realized [that] she was running late and [that] she had left her cellphone at home.
    Dana has remembered two different things, both of which require the use of that. This is known as the double that.
  • Did you know [that] 90 percent of the time “that” can be left out of a sentence?
    If you left that out, it could sound like you know this 90 percent of the time.

When can you omit “that”?

In these examples, that is not required.

  • She said [that] she was hungry.
  • The book [that] I just bought is a bestseller.
  • I knew [that] the baby was tired.
  • Shirley knows that if she doesn’t remember to wake Jessica, [that] she will be late for school.
    This illustrates the use of a double that. Because both thoughts are related, the second that is unnecessary.

These sentences read smoothly without that, but it’s up to you whether you use it or not. Using that will offer a more formal and precise tone to your writing.

Unless you are studying for a grammar exam, if the meaning of your sentence is clear and the reading flows smoothly, you’re good! When you’re in doubt, get a second opinion or use that. If you’re using it too often, rewrite so it’s not necessary.

Using that when it’s unnecessary is better than omitting it when it is needed. According to the AP Stylebook, “When in doubt, include that. Omission can hurt. Inclusion never does.”

It didn’t hurt this verse in the nursery rhyme, This Is The House That Jack Built:

This is the farmer sowing his corn, that kept the cock that crowed in the morn, that woke the priest all shaven and shorn, that married the man all tattered and torn, that kissed the maiden all forlorn, that milked the cow with the crumpled horn, that tossed the dog that worried the cat that killed the rat that ate the malt that lay in the house that Jack built.

If you have questions about using “that,” please ask. If you have a grammar topic you’d like me to write about, I’m open to requests.

Thanks to Stephen at Simply Stephen, for requesting this topic. He blogs about sustainable living and if that is something you’re interested in, surf through his archives. He shares some interesting and creative ideas.

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Using Correct Punctuation with Dialogue

by Davina on April 14, 2012

Let’s talk about dialogue

Writing dialogue is one alternative to a literary technique known as exposition, which can be the “quickest way to kill a plot’s momentum and get your story bogged down in detail.”

Dialogue moves the plot forward, providing the opportunity to show through telling. A writer will also use it to develop character. You can tell a lot about a character who interrupts another, or finishes another’s sentences.

It can be used to add conflict or heighten suspense. Dialogue also paces the story, breaking up long monologue and creating white space on the page.

Dialogue is comprised of 1) a direct statement or quotation and 2) a dialogue tag (or attribution tag), such as “he said.” Writing seamless dialogue requires correct use of punctuation and capitalization, and attention to the position of the dialogue tag.

How to punctuate dialogue correctly

5 tips to remember:

  1. The direct statement is enclosed in quotation marks.
  2. The direct statement is separated from the dialogue tag by a variety of punctuation, most often the comma.
  3. Commas and periods are always placed inside the quotation mark.
  4. Colons and semicolons are always placed outside the quotation mark.
  5. Question marks and exclamation marks go inside OR outside the quotation mark.

10 examples of dialogue using correct punctuation & capitalization:

Example 1: The dialogue tag follows the direct statement and is separated by a comma, which is placed inside the quotation mark.

“I’ll have the house salad, with the dressing on the side,” said Sally.

Example 2: The direct statement is a complete sentence, which ends with a period. The dialogue tag, which appears first, is followed by a comma to separate it from the direct statement.

Sally said, “I’ll have the house salad, with the dressing on the side.”

Example 3: The dialogue tag interrupts the direct statement, separated by two commas. The second part of the direct statement does not start with a capital.

“I’ll have the house salad,” said Sally, “with the dressing on the side.”

Example 4: The direct statement is a complete sentence, which ends with a question mark that is placed on the inside of the quotation mark. Notice that the dialogue tag does not begin with a capital.

“Can I have the dressing on the side?” said Sally.

Example 5: The direct statement is made by the waitress and includes a quote, which is placed in single quote marks. Notice that the question mark is placed outside of the single quote mark because it is not part of the quote, and inside the double quote mark because it belongs to the direct statement made by the waitress.

“Did she say, ‘I’d like the dressing on the side’?” said the waitress.

Example 6: This sentence is a question that is quoting someone else’s exclamation. Notice that the exclamation mark is inside of the quote mark because it belongs with the quote. The question mark falls at the end of the sentence and outside of the quote mark because it applies to the complete sentence.

Did I just hear her say, “There’s a fly in my soup!”?

Example 7: The direct statement is a complete sentence, ending with a period. There is no dialogue tag in this example. Instead, a descriptive phrase has been used to indicate who spoke.*

“There’s a fly in my soup.” Sally sighed.

*It would not be ideal to write this as: “There’s a fly in my soup,” sighed Sally because sighing while speaking this number of words would be difficult.

Example 8: The direct statement is followed by a semicolon, which is placed outside of the quotation mark, indicating an afterthought that applies to the statement made by the waitress. It does not belong inside the quotation mark because it is not part of the direct statement.

The waitress said, “Could you please repeat that?”; the restaurant was noisy that evening.

Example 9: If you want to show a character’s silent thoughts, follow the same punctuation and capitalization rules, but eliminate the quotation marks.

This is a busy restaurant, she thought.

Example 10: This is similar to Example 9. The direct statement is a complete sentence ending with a question mark, however, the dialogue tag does not start with a capital. As in the above example, just follow the same punctuation and capitalization rules but eliminate the quotation marks.

How long will I have to wait? she wondered.

Dialogue that spans multiple paragraphs

Whenever the speaker changes, start a new paragraph. Each new paragraph will start with quotation marks.

However, if writing multiple paragraphs of dialogue for the same speaker, only one closing quotation mark is required, which is placed at the end of the final paragraph.

Example:

“Dialogue moves the plot forward,” said Davina, “providing the opportunity to show through telling.

“A writer will also use dialogue to develop character, to illustrate conflict or heighten suspense. Dialogue breaks up monologue and creates white space on the page.

“Writing seamless dialogue requires correct use of punctuation and capitalization, and attention to the position of the dialogue tag.”

If you have any questions about dialogue and punctuation that I’ve not covered here, please ask!

I’d like to hear about other topics you’d like me to cover, too. Just let me know in your comments.

Thanks to Linda at From Roses to Rainbows for requesting that I write on this topic. She writes a collection of poetry and prose on her blog. One of her recent posts — part of a series — touched my heart: The Rose Garden: Allison

Image credit: Marc Wathieu

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Confusing Words: Accept and Except

by Davina on April 1, 2012

Two commonly confused words

The confusion between “accept” and “except” arises from their similar spelling and pronunciation. What is interesting about this is that the meaning of “accept” is the opposite of the meaning of “except.”

Accept: A verb, which means “to take” or “receive”; to accept a gift, for example. Or “to agree” or “consent”; to accept the consequences.

Except: A preposition or conjunction, which means “excluding” (all but) or “otherwise.” Occasionally, except is used as a verb, in which case it means “to exclude” or “leave out.”

Accept and except used in a sentence

Here are a few examples of how you might use them in a sentence:

1. (To receive): I accept your compliment with gratitude.

2. (To consent): I will accept the consequences of my decision.

3. (Otherwise):  I would dance with you, except that I’m too tired.

4. (To exclude): Wheat is one grain that is excepted from the gluten-free diet.

How might you use them both in the same sentence?

I would accept your offer, except that it is not favourable.

It seems there is a pattern here whereby “accept” has a more positive connotation, while “except” has a negative connotation.

A tip to remember the difference between accept and except

The bottom line here is that “accept” means “to receive” and “except” means “to exclude.” What better way to remember this than with Xs and Os.

“X” for X-cept or exclude.

“O” for Accept; accept the whole, so to speak.

Focus on the X and the rest will fall into place. I hope that helps.

Do you have any other tips for remembering the difference?

Image Credit: PSILOVEGLASS

Please note: The owner of this image has disabled downloading of her images on Flickr. I emailed to ask for permission to use this one and she graciously “accepted” — there’s that word again :) Thank you for the use of this image, Pat. It’s beautiful.

If anyone else decides they would like to use this image I would ask that you contact Pat through her Flickr account to ask for permission and to link to her site, giving her credit. Thank you in advance.

Thanks to Dorothy Sander over at Aging Abundantly for requesting that I write on this topic. Her blog was voted as a finalist in SeniorHomes.com “Best of the Web 2012.”

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It’s all right, grammatically speaking

by Davina on March 14, 2012

All right vs alright

According to the Canadian Oxford Dictionary, “all right” has been defined as “satisfactory; safe and sound.” The single-word spelling “alright” has never been accepted as the standard.

However, The American Heritage Guide to Contemporary Usage and Style notes that despite this, “all right” and “alright” have two distinct meanings.

It explains that when written as two words in the sentence “The figures are all right,” it means that the figures are accurate. When written as one word — “The figures are alright” — it means that the figures are okay or satisfactory.

So, according to the majority of sources, to use this word correctly you might say “Is it all right if I eat the last piece of pie?”

Personally, I find that when used as two words and especially in this example, it is formal and speaks more to accuracy rather than being satisfactory. It’s just a feeling. My tendency is to “read” this as “Is it alright if I eat the last piece of pie?”

Alright is all right, in my opinion

While researching this article, I saw the phrase “Alright is not all right” being used frequently. It’s like folk are simply repeating what everyone else is saying, with no real reason why. While the majority of grammar sources reject the word “alright,” I think this cartoon helps to put things in perspective.

In the definition supplied by the Canadian Oxford Dictionary, the word “accurate” is not even used. The English language continues to evolve and I’m apt to use both spellings of “all right” and “alright” to make the distinction between something being accurate or just satisfactory.

What do you think?

Do you have a preference?

Thanks to Hilary Melton-Butcher, one of my regular readers, for requesting that I write on this topic. Check out her blog Positive Letters for engaging posts on a wide variety of topics. I always learn something new from reading her posts; she is quite the researcher! You won’t be disappointed.

If you have a request for a grammar post, please let me know.

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Lie or Lay? Grammar Confusion Laid to Rest

by Davina on February 1, 2012

Lie versus lay

While researching this common grammatical question I decided that a visual tool would help you remember the difference between lie and lay.

In the photo I chose, either lie “to rest” or lay “to place” could be applied correctly. It simply depends on the action that is taking place.

There are two possible scenarios here:

1. The child chose to have a rest on the sofa.

You would use the verb lie (to rest). The child wanted to lie on the sofa.

However, you could also say The child lay himself down on the sofa.
(He placed himself on the sofa with himself being the object.)

2. Someone placed the child on the sofa. Again, because the child is the object receiving the action you would use the verb lay (to place).

2 helpful tips to remember the difference:

1. Define lie and lay.
Lie means “to rest”. Lay means “to place”. What action is happening? Are you lying (to rest) down or are you laying (to place) something (an object) down?

(Lie also means “to deceive”. We will not discuss that here to keep things simple.)

2. The word lay requires a direct object while the word lie does not.
In the following examples baby is the object that is receiving the action. Notice that the verb lay (to place) applies in those cases.

Present Tense

Lie (to rest): You lie on the sofa. / You are lying on the sofa.
Lay (to place): You lay the baby on the sofa. / You are laying the baby on the sofa.

Past Tense*

Lie (to rest): You lay down to rest earlier today.
Lay (to place): You laid the baby down to rest earlier today.

*It gets confusing because lay (to place) also serves as the past tense of lie (to rest). Here they appear in the same sentence:

You can lie beside your baby after you lay him down on the sofa.

Past Participle

Lie (to rest): You have lain on the sofa since this morning.
Lay (to place): You have laid the baby down to rest.

Lie and lay: a common grammatical error

The most common grammatical error with these two verbs is conjugating lay (to place) when you should be conjugating lie (to rest).

Example: The child laid still for hours.

This is incorrect because laid is the past tense of “to place”.

The child is resting and therefore this sentence should read as The child lay still for hours.

Remember Eric Clapton’s hit song Lay Down Sally? Well, this title is grammatically incorrect. It would be correct if written as Lie Down Sally (to rest) or Lay Me Down Sally (to place). In the second example, “Me” is the object that would be receiving the action. So, not to sound like a broken record — no pun intended — when conjugating the word lay it needs to refer to an object in the sentence.

If you’re still confused, remember that a chicken lays an egg. The egg is the object that is receiving the action. Using lay is correct because lay always requires an object.

Recognize the difference between “to rest” and “to place” in these 4 examples:

1. The chicken was lying in its nest when it laid an egg.
2. The chicken lies in its nest, laying eggs.
3. The chicken lies on top of the egg that it just laid.
4. The chicken has lain in its nest all day and has not laid one egg.

Do you have any other tips on how to remember the difference between lie and lay?
Is there another word that confuses you?

Image Credit: Lars Plougmann

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Rena’s Carnelian

by Davina on January 13, 2012

The last day of August was hot. Too hot even for Rena. The air felt heavy, offering the sensation of unwelcome clammy arms wrapped around her. It was hard to breathe.

The sundress she had put on after her shower, just a half hour ago, clung to her curves. Her long red hair, which had been swept up in a bun was already looking unkempt as she rushed along the crowded street in the Beaches neighbourhood of Toronto.

She avoided eye contact with the Friday rush-hour pedestrians, dodging suited-up briefcase-toting businessmen, housewives dragging their kids two steps behind them, couples strolling arm-in-arm, feverishly texting singles and one dog walker. Whatever would possess a dog walker to navigate three dogs in these crowds was beyond her.

Rena glided in and out of traffic, turning her shoulders left and then right, not stopping as she squeezed past everyone. It was 5:20 and she had one more block to go. Her pace slowed as she turned right and headed away from the crowds. The tree-lined street offered shade from the sun. The perspiration glistening on her chest cooled and refreshed her.

His house was in view now and she realized she was tied up in knots in anticipation of this session with Marc. She paused. A deep sigh helped to relax her shoulders and she let her chin fall to her chest. She enjoyed a brief stretch, admiring her new carnelian opate pendant that rested between her bosom.

Marc had suggested she buy this crystal after their last session. He told her it helped to resolve anger and hatred when worn near the heart. He told her that this stone would evoke deep sensations of well-being and relieve sexual tension. It is also worn for courage and physical power over enemies. She wondered how it would protect her from her mother, Virginia, who had passed away just four months ago.

The front yard resembled an overgrown meadow speckled with daisies, buttercups and clover. Marc never mowed it, much to the chagrin of his neighbours. The front door was closed and that meant he was still with a client.

There wasn’t any shade nearby and she hoped she wouldn’t have to wait long. Sweat trickled past the carnelian and down the small of her back. She sat down on the steps and closed her eyes, trying to relax. Vivian’s face tormented her memory and she shifted nervously, gravel gritting on the step beneath her.

Thankfully, after a couple of deep breaths her vision was interrupted by the sound of voices and footsteps on the stairs inside. A young blonde, who couldn’t have been more than 25, opened the door. “See you in two weeks,” she called behind her. Her eyes rested briefly on Rena’s carnelian and then without a word she stepped past and left her reeling in a cloud of perfume. Rena sneezed.

“Bless you, love.” Marc was peeking through the doorway, grinning. “Come on in.”

The tiny room at the bottom of the stairs was dimly lit, the curtains having been drawn to block the sunlight. Incense was burning and a tall red candle was flickering from its post atop a tiny round table in one corner.

Rena reached for her carnelian, cradling it in her sweaty palm. It was ice cold.

* * *

While working on my novel one afternoon I took a break to write something different. I think there could be another story here if I so desire to keep it going. This was a welcome exercise and I thought I’d share because I’d like to invite anyone who’s interested, to write the next scene.

What do you wonder about, after having read this short piece?

If you were writing the next scene what would you write about? (If you do write the next scene, I’d love to read it!)

What do you like about this, or what would you change?

There is one intentional error in this story. Can you find it?

Photo credit: Powerhouse Museum

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December 29, 2011

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August 16, 2011

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August 3, 2011

I’m a writer with a new blog – now what? In my last post I shared 8 tips for writers starting a new blog. And so here you are, perhaps with a few drafts written. You’ve chosen a name and design for your blog, and you’ve been visiting and commenting on writer’s blogs. You’ve just [...]

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July 19, 2011

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Writing Around the Exclamation Mark

July 7, 2011

Write it with emotion, not just punctuation The exclamation mark is one type of punctuation that is often overused. It is commonly written in dialogue to express shock, excitement, urgency, encouragement and astonishment. Frequent use of the exclamation mark is considered poor writing, and can in fact take away from the message rather than add [...]

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