Tag: editing
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Spelling: Capitals
To capitalize or not to capitalize? The answer isn’t as philosophical as to be or not to be. In other languages, capitalization rules can vary drastically, but the rules for English are, I’ve found, fairly straightforward. Beginning of a Sentence Capitalize the first word of every sentence. *Note: dialogue tags do not count as their…
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Punctuation: Parentheses
Definition: a punctuation mark; a pair of round brackets ( ) used to mark off a parenthetical word or phrase. Note: Do not rely on grammar or spelling checkers to identify missing or misused punctuation. Although a checker may flag possibly missing or incorrect marks, it cannot do much else. While I still recommend using…
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What is Book Doctoring?
To understand book doctoring, you must first understand what developmental editing is. In short, developmental, also known as content or substantial editing, deals with the actual story. [Click here for a longer explanation.] An editor will make comments about the characters, the settings, the plot, and more, helping you to achieve the best work you…
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Punctuation: Double Quotation Marks
Definition: each of a set of punctuation marks, single (‘ ’) or double (“ ”), used either to mark the beginning and end of a title or quoted passage, or to indicate that a word or phrase is regarded as slang or jargon or is being discussed rather than used within the sentence. Note: Do…
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Punctuation: The Apostrophe
Definition: a punctuation mark (’) used to indicate either possession or the omission of letters or numbers. Note: Do not rely on grammar or spelling checkers to identify missing or misused punctuation. Although a checker may flag possibly missing or incorrect marks, it cannot do much else. While I still recommend using these AI checkers…
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Punctuation: The Exclamation Mark
Definition: a punctuation mark (!) indicating an exclamation. Note: Do not rely on grammar or spelling checkers to identify missing or misused punctuation. Although a checker may flag possibly missing or incorrect marks, it cannot do much else. While I still recommend using these AI checkers while you’re writing, I insist that you also trust…
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Punctuation: The Question Mark
Definition: a punctuation mark (?) indicating a question. Note: Do not rely on grammar or spelling checkers to identify missing or misused punctuation. Although a checker may flag possibly missing or incorrect marks, it cannot do much else. While I still recommend using these AI checkers while you’re writing, I insist that you also trust…
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Punctuation: The Semicolon
Definition: a punctuation mark (;) indicating a pause, typically between two main clauses, that is more pronounced than that indicated by a comma. Note: Do not rely on grammar or spelling checkers to identify missing or misused punctuation. Although a checker may flag possibly missing or incorrect marks, it cannot do much else. While I…
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Punctuation: The Colon
Definition: a punctuation mark (:) used to precede a list of items, a quotation, or an expansion or explanation. Note: Do not rely on grammar or spelling checkers to identify missing or misused punctuation. Although a checker may flag possibly missing or incorrect marks, it cannot do much else. While I still recommend using these…
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Punctuation: The Comma
Definition: a punctuation mark (,) indicating a pause between parts of a sentence. It is also used to separate items in a list and to mark the place of thousands in a large numeral. Note: Do not rely on grammar or spelling checkers to identify missing or misused punctuation. Although a checker may flag possibly…