Beachcombing for Sea Glass
http://joanwz.hubpages.com/hub/What-Is-Sea-Glass
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Flood Watches, Flood Warnings, and Flood Preparedness
http://joanwz.hubpages.com/hub/FloodWarningsFloodPreparedness
http://joanwz.hubpages.com/hub/FloodWarningsFloodPreparedness
Halloween Glow Sticks: Getting the Most Glow for Your Buck
http://joanwz.hubpages.com/hub/Halloween-Glow-Sticks-Getting-the-Most-Glow-for-Your-Buck
http://joanwz.hubpages.com/hub/Halloween-Glow-Sticks-Getting-the-Most-Glow-for-Your-Buck
Global Warming, Ways to Stop or Reduce It
http://joanwz.hubpages.com/hub/21WaysStopReduceGlobalWarming
http://joanwz.hubpages.com/hub/21WaysStopReduceGlobalWarming
Texas Historical Markers, Marking the Places of our Past
http://joanwz.hubpages.com/hub/Texas-Historical-Markers
http://joanwz.hubpages.com/hub/Texas-Historical-Markers
Topographic Maps, How to Read and Use Them
http://joanwz.hubpages.com/hub/ReadingUsingTopographicMaps
http://joanwz.hubpages.com/hub/ReadingUsingTopographicMaps
10 Ways to Enjoy Downtime, and the Art of Doing Nothing
http://joanwz.hubpages.com/hub/10WaysEnjoyHavingNothingToDo
http://joanwz.hubpages.com/hub/10WaysEnjoyHavingNothingToDo
Writing the High School or College Research Paper
http://joanwz.hubpages.com/hub/AcademicWritingAssignment
http://joanwz.hubpages.com/hub/AcademicWritingAssignment
12 Ways to Teach Kids About Grocery Shopping
http://joanwz.hubpages.com/hub/12TipsGroceryShoppingKids
http://joanwz.hubpages.com/hub/12TipsGroceryShoppingKids
8 Ways to Save Time or Money Christmas Shopping
http://joanwz.hubpages.com/hub/8-Ways-to-Save-Time-or-Money-Christmas-Shopping
http://joanwz.hubpages.com/hub/8-Ways-to-Save-Time-or-Money-Christmas-Shopping
Are You Ready for the New School Year to Start?
http://joanwz.hubpages.com/hub/AreYouReadytoStartNewSchoolYear
http://joanwz.hubpages.com/hub/AreYouReadytoStartNewSchoolYear
Catholic Charities, Galveston Houston Diocese
http://joanwz.hubpages.com/hub/Catholic-Charities-of-the-Galveston-Houston-Diocese
http://joanwz.hubpages.com/hub/Catholic-Charities-of-the-Galveston-Houston-Diocese
45 Websites for Writers and Researchers
http://joanwz.hubpages.com/hub/45GreatWebsitesWritersResearchers
http://joanwz.hubpages.com/hub/45GreatWebsitesWritersResearchers
How to Use Search Engines and Metasearch Engines
http://joanwz.hubpages.com/hub/SearchEnginesMetasearchEngines
http://joanwz.hubpages.com/hub/SearchEnginesMetasearchEngines
The Cullen Sculpture Garden at the Museum of Fine Arts Houston
http://joanwz.hubpages.com/hub/CullenSculptureGardenMFAH
http://joanwz.hubpages.com/hub/CullenSculptureGardenMFAH
Creating Grandma's Books for Your Grandchildren
http://joanwz.hubpages.com/hub/Guidelines-for-Building-a-Grandmas-Book
http://joanwz.hubpages.com/hub/Guidelines-for-Building-a-Grandmas-Book
Monday, August 27, 2012
Sunday, August 26, 2012
Saturday, August 25, 2012
Grammar Checking: Verb and Noun Usage
By Joan Whetzel
Words are the foundation of every writer.s tool box. And the most imprtant words are the nouns and verbs. Nouns and verbs, more than any of the other offerings of language, set the scene and the action and the pace of any writing.. It fitting foa writers to understand these two writing tools, and how to use them to their advantage.
Subject-Verb Number Agreement
Subject-verb agreement means that singular subjects are combined with singular verbs and plural subjects are combined with plural verbs. Example: A single remote is necessary to operate the television, but sevearl remotes are necessary to run an entire entertainment system.
Singular and Collective Nouns
Sinular and collective nouns work the same way; both require singular verbs. For example, when talking about a sports team both the team player and the team as a whole use the singular verb is. However, when the collective noun refers to all the members of the collective, in this case the team, then the plural verb is used. Example: the team members are.
Subject-Verb Person Agreement
Subject –verb person agreement requires that the verb agrees with the person who is the subject of the sentence when writing in first person and third person. Examples in present tense:
· 3rd person – He walks to the mailbox
· 1st person – I walk to the mailbox.
The Verb “To Be”
“To be” is an auxilliary verb, meaning it is used in conjunction with other verbs. “To be” is conjugated into eight forms – 3 present tense, 2 past tense, infinitive, past participle and present participle.
· Present Tense Forms: am, is, and are.
· Past Tense Forms: was, were
· Infinitive, Past Participle, and Present Participle Forms: be, been, being
Problems with Subject-Verb Agreement
Problems with subject-verb agreement sometimes occur when the verb precedes the noun (the subject) in the sentence.
· Incorrect: There was several toucans at the nature center.
· Correct: There were several toucans at the nature center.
Here, the modifier “several” confuses the issue. By removing the adverb, it becomes clerare that the subject (the toucans) is a plural subject and, therefore, requires a plural verb,
Noun Classifications
There are seven classifications, or categories, of nouns: common nouns, poper nouns, collective nouns, abstract nouns, concrete nouns, count nouns, and mass nouns.
- Common Nouns: Common nouns include persons, places or things in the general sense, which means they can be applied to all manner of similar objects. Examples: boy, man, medical personnel, forest, house, buildings, bridge, water, rock, metal. Common nouns are not precise terms such as those used for naming specific people (Doctor Spock, President Obama), places (Methodist Hospital, the White House), or things (granite, pine tree).
- Proper Nouns: Proper nouns are capitalized and are used to name specific people, places and things. Examples: President Obama, Dr. Spock, the White House, Lake Erie, Xerox, Rolex.
- Collective Nouns: Collective nouns represent a group or collection of people, places or things. Example: a team of players, an orchestra, the Great Lakes, or a range of numbers,
- Abstract Nouns: Abstract nouns stand for intangibles like freedom or redemption. Abstract nouns can be defined, but they aren’t a solid object that can be touched, held, seen, tasted, or smelled.
- Concrete Nouns: Concrete nouns are the opposite of abstract nouns. These tangible objects can be felt (tree bark), seen (Picasso paintings), heard (clanging church bells), smelled (cinnamon rolls baking in the oven), and tasted (pumpkin pie with whipped cream).
- Count Nouns: Count nouns are any nouns that include a number as part of their identifications. Examples include: the 7 deadly sins, a dozen eggs, or the 7 wonders of the world.
- Mass Nouns: Mass nouns are plural nouns; they have more than one unit. The units, however are not usually counted or numbered. Examples: eggs, sins, rays of sulight, team players, or games.
Verb Tense
There are, of course only three verb tenses: past, present, and future.
· Past Tense: Past tense articulates actions that have already occurred and, thus, are finished. Most of these verbs – the regular verbs - end with the “–ed” suffix. Irregular verbs change form. Examples: The verb “to act” changes to “acted.” The verb “to be” changes to “were” or “was”, “to write” changes to “wrote”, and “to run” changes to “ran.”
· Present Tense: Present tense verbs illustrate actions that recur, repeat, never change, or are occuring as we speak.
· Future Tense: Future tense verbs describe actions or events that have yet to occur. Other verbs are used with the future tense of “to be” - will, will be, or is going to be. For Example: He will be playng with the orchestra; she will sing with the choir; and he is going to be watching the world cub soccer match that day.
Friday, August 24, 2012
Sunday, August 19, 2012
Sunday, August 12, 2012
Saturday, August 11, 2012
Week of Aug. 12, 2012 - Using the Grammar and Spell Check When Writing
By Joan Whetzel
All good writers check their grammar and spelling as a part of the editing process. The question is, do you use the grammar and spell check programs that come with your word processing programs to do part or all of that work for you? The grammar and spell checkers are a great resource when used in conjunction with the writer's own common sense and creativity.
How Grammar and Spell Checkers Work
Spell checkers highlight the words that are misspelled. Grammar checkers highlight the words, phrases, and sentences that appear to be grammatically incorrect. In both cases, older versions of grammar and spell checkers, may not offer suggestions to correct the highlighted portions. Newer versions of grammar and spell checkers usually do offer suggestions for modifications.
For writers who's spelling and grammar knowledge leave room for improvement, this tool is an essential. For those whose writing skills are quite good, and whose writing rarely receives suggested changes, the grammar and spell check is more of a back up tool.
Knowing When to Ignore Suggested Changes
Sometimes the grammar and spell check suggestions get in the way. The words, phrases, or sentences that are highlighted as mistakes, are not actually mistakes, but the writer's creative license. When running the check, if the grammar or spell check makes suggestions that run counter to the writer's creative license, it's time to ignore the suggestion. For instance, in a piece of fiction, the grammar check may suggest changes to make a character's speaking parts more grammatically correct. However, if the character wouldn't normally speak that way, then it's time to ignore the grammar check and let the character speak the way they should speak. As another example, if the spell checker highlights a word that appears to be misspelled, the writer could choose to correct it. However, if there is a good reason for spelling the word differently (it's a company logo, it's the way a character pronounces the word, the writer is using the misspelling to coin a new phrase or as part of an explanation of a new concept), then the writer can choose to ignore the suggested change.
Grammar / Spell Check - Not for Australian and British English
Many grammar and spell checkers are programmed from an American English point of view. So they offer suggestions for writers using American English. For Australian and British writers, this must be taken into account. Check and see if there is a way to change the grammar and spell checker from American to British English as the language of choice.
The best advice is: "When in doubt, run the grammar and spell check." Then decide for yourself whether a change in grammar or spelling is necessary or desirable, and make changes accordingly.
All good writers check their grammar and spelling as a part of the editing process. The question is, do you use the grammar and spell check programs that come with your word processing programs to do part or all of that work for you? The grammar and spell checkers are a great resource when used in conjunction with the writer's own common sense and creativity.
How Grammar and Spell Checkers Work
Spell checkers highlight the words that are misspelled. Grammar checkers highlight the words, phrases, and sentences that appear to be grammatically incorrect. In both cases, older versions of grammar and spell checkers, may not offer suggestions to correct the highlighted portions. Newer versions of grammar and spell checkers usually do offer suggestions for modifications.
For writers who's spelling and grammar knowledge leave room for improvement, this tool is an essential. For those whose writing skills are quite good, and whose writing rarely receives suggested changes, the grammar and spell check is more of a back up tool.
Knowing When to Ignore Suggested Changes
Sometimes the grammar and spell check suggestions get in the way. The words, phrases, or sentences that are highlighted as mistakes, are not actually mistakes, but the writer's creative license. When running the check, if the grammar or spell check makes suggestions that run counter to the writer's creative license, it's time to ignore the suggestion. For instance, in a piece of fiction, the grammar check may suggest changes to make a character's speaking parts more grammatically correct. However, if the character wouldn't normally speak that way, then it's time to ignore the grammar check and let the character speak the way they should speak. As another example, if the spell checker highlights a word that appears to be misspelled, the writer could choose to correct it. However, if there is a good reason for spelling the word differently (it's a company logo, it's the way a character pronounces the word, the writer is using the misspelling to coin a new phrase or as part of an explanation of a new concept), then the writer can choose to ignore the suggested change.
Grammar / Spell Check - Not for Australian and British English
Many grammar and spell checkers are programmed from an American English point of view. So they offer suggestions for writers using American English. For Australian and British writers, this must be taken into account. Check and see if there is a way to change the grammar and spell checker from American to British English as the language of choice.
The best advice is: "When in doubt, run the grammar and spell check." Then decide for yourself whether a change in grammar or spelling is necessary or desirable, and make changes accordingly.
Friday, August 3, 2012
Week of Aug. 5, 2012 - Book Review: To Kill a Mockingbird
By Joan Whetzel
The story is told by Scout – aka Jean Louise Finch. It revolves around scout, her brother Jem (Jerome), and her father Atticus Finch, who live in Maycomb, Alabama in the 1930s. It’s a time of segregation and profound prejudice. When Atticus gets assigned a case, defending a black man accused of raping a young white woman, and decides he’s going to give it his best effort because it’s the right thing to do, the town becomes upset and their prejudice kicks in to high gear. The adults call Atticus all kinds of derogatory names, which gets imitated in the school yard by Scout and Jem’s classmates. The situation heats up with threats of physical harm against the accused and fear of reprisals against Atticus and his two children.
Atticus is challenged to explain the ways of the world to his kids, the nature of prejudice, and why people should be kind toward others even when the others have been cruel towards them.
About a third of the way into the book, Atticus tells his son, Jem, that he's supposed to use the air gun he got for Christmas only for shooting tin cans off the fence. Yet he knows Jem won't be able to resist the temptation to shoot birds. If the urge hits him, he can shoot all the blue jays he wants because they are pesky birds, but it's a sin to kill a mockingbird. Mockingbirds don't bother people, they don't build nests in the corn crib, they don't do anything but sing for people.
Later in the story, one of the town’s people tried to harm Jem and Scout, and in the scuffle ended up dead from a knife wound, possibly at the cause of another neighbor who never harmed anyone in his life. The sheriff won’t arrest him though, saying that his report will show that the man fell on his knife. As Scout sums it up, to arrest this particular neighbor would have been the same as killing a mockingbird.
This is a great read because it gives a great historical perspective on prejudice in this country – the prejudice against African Americans, the Hatred of Nazis and Hitler for hating the Jews, the hatred of the mean old lady down the street who picked on the kids (due to an addiction to drugs), the prejudice of the church ladies led by a mission preacher in Africa who was trying to convert the African’s to Christianity and impart his own version of “family values” on them. It can also provoke discussions about the various forms of prejudice and how to counteract it.
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