Guest Author - Pamela Blackmon

A recent piece on Good Morning America showed that while Johnny may be able to read, he probably can’t spell very well. According to the story, some of today’s children are so accustomed to the shorthand of cyber- and cellular phone-speak that they think the word “are” is actually spelled “r” or forget that the letter “u” is actually representative of the correctly spelled “you.” One student even recounted how she used cell phone spelling shortcuts in a SAT essay—without even realizing it.

As an ezine editor or newsletter, you already know that getting the mechanics right is crucial to the success of your publication, particularly if clients pay subscription fees. One misspelled word might not turn a reader away, but several coupled with other simple errors might just be enough to shred your credibility and earn you an “unsubscribe” request.

That’s why it’s important to remember the basics of good English along with the rules dictated by the Web about scannable copy, short sentences, etc. What happens when your reader stops scanning and actually prints your publication and reads it? You’ll want your copy to be as flawless as possible. These tips can help:

Maintain good grammar. It’s the foundation of every sentence. The advent of the Web has relaxed many of the formal rules we learned in English but the fact remains that good grammar must still be the foundation of every sentence we write. That doesn’t mean returning to school to get a degree in English but it could necessitate pulling out your old grammar book for a quick refresher.

Perform a thorough spell check. While completing a project for a client recently, I left off the first “r” in server. My routine spell-check didn’t catch it because “sever” is actually a word. So, yes, even though a click of the F7 button is a must to catch egregious errors, you’ll also want to eyeball your copy more than once to catch any wayward mistakes.

Know the proper usage. Do you infer or imply? To infer means to guess or surmise while its often poorly used counterpart, imply, is defined as “to indicate or suggest.” Another pair of words that often trips people up is the use of “amount” and “number.” Use “amount” for things that cannot be counted while the word “amount” describes things that can be counted. Check out Strunk & White’s Elements of Style for more tips.

Use good reference materials. Find yourself using the same word repeatedly? It’s time to reach for a thesaurus such as J.I. Rodale’s The Synonym Finder or Roget’s Thesaurus. The online version found at www.thesaurus.com is also a big help and it has a sister site for definitions located at www.dictionary.com. You’ll also need a good hard copy dictionary—the small paperback ones might do in a pinch—such as Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, 11th edition. Reference tools relevant to your industry are also a must-have.