51. Can you help me with proper apostrophe use?

The apostrophe is used when leaving out a letter or number in a contraction, e.g., can't, wouldn't. The apostrophe is used for omitted letters, e.g., rock 'n' roll, and for omitted numbers, such as the class of '72, the '20s. The apostrophe is used for plurals of letter abbreviations with periods and single letters, e.g., p's and q's; two A's and four B's. Plurals of multi-letter combinations and plurals of numerals end in s with no apostrophe, e.g., VIPs, 1000s. The possessive of singular nouns ending in s, including nouns ending in s, x, z, ch, or sh, is formed by adding 's, e.g., witness's affidavit. However, if the next word begins with s, then add only an apostrophe, e.g., witness' story. The possessive of singular nouns not ending in s is formed by adding 's, e.g., VIP's seat, baby's food. The apostrophe follows the s of a word with two sibilant sounds, e.g., Kansas', Moses'. The apostrophe is added for the possessive of a noun that is plural in form but singular in meaning, e.g., mathematics' formulas. The apostrophe follows the s for the possessive of plural nouns that end in s, e.g., girls' movies. For the possessive of a plural noun that does not end in s, add 's, e.g., women's rights. For singular proper nouns, add only an apostrophe for the possessive, e.g., Achilles' heel. No apostrophe is used for personal pronouns, such as: hers, his, its, mine, ours, theirs, whose, your, yours. Indefinite pronouns require an apostrophe, e.g., one's lover. For other pronouns like another and others, follow the rule for singular and plural, e.g., another's and others. For joint possession, the 's is added to the word nearest the object of possession, e.g., Francis and Kucera's book. The apostrophe is not used in names of organizations unless actually part of the legal name. The apostrophe is not used in plurals of numerals or multiple-letter combinations.











52. I need help with there/their/they're. How can I make sure I use the right form?

The confusion stemming from these words is that they are homophones: they have the same pronunciation but differ in meaning and/or derivation. There is a location, their is the possessive case of the personal pronoun they, and they're is a contraction for they are. If you have written they're, ask yourself if you can substitute they are. If you have written their, ask yourself if the thing referred to belongs to someone, as in: Their seats were taken when they left to go to the bathroom. For there, use this hint: it has here as part of it, which reminds you that you should be talking about a place. For their, use this hint: it has heir as part of it, which reminds you that you should be talking about possession.










53. What ways can I use dictionaries to improve my spelling?

Good spellers have a dictionary by their side, a quiet companion that they check constantly and learn from. You should have one within arm's reach at your desk - even if you have a computer and Internet access. You should have a dictionary by your bedside or wherever you read or write. Whenever you feel unsure of the spelling (or meaning, etc.) of a word, you should look it up. This is a great opportunity for improvement of your spelling. If you are a poor speller and you have problems finding the words you look for in dictionaries, then you have to put in some extra effort to familiarize yourself with all the possible spellings for particular sounds. You can also take this approach: you know alphabetical order, so that is a big tool for finding words. Say you want to learn how to spell "separate." You know it begins with an s and it is followed by a vowel. You start in the dictionary at the letter s and choose the vowel you think is most likely, like e, so you are looking under se. You sound out the word and figure out that the next likely letter is p - so you are now looking under sep. When you get to the first letter you are unsure of - like the fourth letter in "separate" - then you check the different possibilities. You will find separate pretty quickly as you read down the list of words in the dictionary. Having success with either of these methods boosts your self-esteem in the area of spelling and is positive reinforcement. Another way you can use a dictionary to improve your spelling is by paying attention to the way the entries are separated into syllables. You can file words into your memory in easily retrievable pieces so that the next time you go to spell it, you can pull out the pieces and build the word, e.g., to-mor-row. The syllable division can also help you recognize common prefixes, roots, and suffixes which will be useful in spelling related words. Reading the definitions is another tool for spelling improvement. The stronger the associations you make with a particular word, the more likely you are to remember its spelling. Knowing the word's meaning will allow you to put it in your everyday vocabulary. The origin or etymology of the word is another aid to better spelling. Each word often shares its root or roots with other words and these associations may help you spell it and its relatives correctly. Proper pronunciation is also an important part of correct spelling. You can make a list of problem words and look up each one in a dictionary, and then say each aloud while looking at the correct spelling. In doing this, you can make a conscious connection between the sounds you are making and the correctly spelled word on the page.












54. How can I become a better proofreader?

Good proofreading takes practice and an important part of learning how to spell is to learn how to proofread. Becoming a better proofreader can help you catch spelling errors. First, though, it is important to understand the difference between reading and proofreading. In most reading you get a good general sense of what is going on and the relations of various things involved in the document. By contrast, careful proofreading is about gaining a more thorough understanding of the structure and character of the document. As far as tips, type instead of handwrite whenever possible. Type is clearer and your familiarity with your own handwriting makes it look right in many instances when it is wrong. You can use an electronic spell checker either before or after your own proofreading, but you must pay special attention to any mistakes before correcting them. It is important to spend a little time becoming familiar with the errors or types of errors. You will lessen your chances of making such mistakes in the future - or at least make it more likely that you will catch them. It is important to read for meaning. Paying attention to the context helps you correct grammatical mistakes and find things like misused homophones (like their, there, they're). When you write something new, allow it to simmer for awhile. Give your eyes a break. Set it aside and do not look at it for 24 hours. When you come back to the piece fresh, you will no doubt spot many errors that you would have otherwise overlooked. Reading from a lighted surface (such as your computer monitor) causes a great deal of eyestrain. It is a good idea to print out your document on paper and then proofread it. You will have a much easier time seeing the words. We often have a tendency to read whole sentences; however, when you proofread, you should make a point to read each individual word. Oftentimes, using your finger to underline each word as you read helps call your attention to mistakes.











55. If more than one spelling is given in a dictionary or more than one form of the plural, how do I choose? Should I stick with one source when I am working on a document?

Let's answer the second question first. You should choose a main dictionary on which you rely for most of your word information and to assist you with consistency in choosing spellings, forming derivatives, and explaining meanings. However, it is great to have more dictionaries available if you cannot find a word or a piece of information in your main resource. You might even want to take a best of approach when there are variations. If two out of three dictionaries list a certain spelling first and another as the variant, then you can go with that as the spelling to use. In answering the first question, you must understand how most dictionaries choose the order of variants. All variants shown are acceptable in any context unless the dictionary assigns a restrictive label indicating otherwise. The label would say something like chiefly Brit, var of or dial var of. Most dictionaries offer two types of variants - equal and unequal. For equal, these variants occur with virtually equal frequency in electronic and printed citational evidence (i.e., in written usage). These are usually shown with an or in between: e-mail or email, ocher or ochre. The first one may be slightly more common than the second, but both are standard and can be used according to personal choice. For unequal, the first form occurs most frequently and it is followed by also and other less frequently found forms: ambiance also ambience, rhyme also rime. The use of the conventions or and also applies not only to main entries but to all boldface entry words, including inflected forms, plurals, and run-on entries which have variant forms.

__________________
ஜ иστнιπg ιš ιмթΘรรιвlε тσ α ωιℓℓιиg нєαят ஜ