I cannot tell you how many articles I have read where the writer was simply unaware of basic, elementary school grammar rules. I have also lost count of how many bad articles I have had to fix; mostly due to confusion over a bunch of words that are spelled differently but sound exactly the same.
So, in interest of getting this writing tips section underway, as well as protecting my own sanity to a slight degree, I am going to review Junior High English.
There, Their, They’re
These three words sound alike but their usage is completely different. I remember this being drilled into my head repeatedly yet I see them mixed up all the time:
There — This usage is for direction. If I asked where something was, you would say “Over there”
Their — This usage is for group possession. His car, her car, their cars…
They’re — This is the contraction version; They’re = They are. They are going to the movies = They’re going to the movies.
Your, You’re
Of any misused synonym, this is the one that gets me the most. Part of the reason for my OCD tendencies going crazy at the misuse is that it is SO commonly misused. In fact, it has been abused to the point where misuse has become acceptable in many types of writing. To clarify though, the PROPER usage is:
Your — Similar to their, it is used in a possessive manner. “Your car is a POS.” for instance.
You’re — Again, a contraction and the source of all that is wrong in the world at the moment You’re = You are. You are going to buy me dinner, right? = You’re (not your!!!) going to buy me dinner, right?
Whole and Hole
Thankfully, this one is not often mixed up and when it is, it gravitates towards whole and not hole. The hilarity of wrong usage, however, makes this mixup a bit more fun than the others.
Whole – The entire of something. “I can’t believe I ate that whole cake!”
Hole — A physically missing portion of something. “I can’t believe there is a hole in that cake”
Its, It’s
This is one that always gets confused as well. Why? I think because we are taught this really early on in our writing and then its dropped. The fact that it actually breaks a rule of grammar in the process doesn’t help either. To review:
It’s — Its is the contraction of It is. It is important to remember = It’s important to remember
Its — It’s is the possessive version of it. Yes, I know that possessives are supposed to have apostrophes in them. That is why its so confusing! The dog ate his food = the dog at its food.
To, Too, Two
I see confusion about To and Too all too often. Thankfully two gets left out of the confusion for the most part.
Two — The number 2, written out. Two is more than one.
Too — Describing more an excess. That guy’s article had too many errors.
To — used as either a preposition or as an infinitive prior to a verb. In other words, if you are describing an excess, use too, if you are writing out a number, use two. Otherwise use the word to and you will be safe.
So you want to be a writer. That sounds all well and good but be prepared to deal with some business issues once you start if you have not thought about it before hand. When researching business start up procedures you will invariably note that a business plan is cited as an important aspect. In my opinion it should be the first thing you do when starting a business, any business. However, many freelance writers never bother writing a business plan for themselves for a variety of reasons. Allow me to tell you, though, that having a business plan as a freelance writer is very important. It will keep you organized and will prevent some issues that may arise by forcing you to think about them before they become problematic. If you have not written a business plan yet, start now.
Why Freelance Writers Don’t Write Business Plans
Let’s assume for a moment that you are a stay at home parent who is taking the odd writing assignment here and there. The thought here is that you are not really in business so why create a plan? How about the part time student who supplements their income by writing? No need for a business plan here. Full time writers who have a handful of clients and are content with the status quo will not need a business plan. How about the serious blogger who makes no money at all? If you have no desire to expand, to take on investors, to borrow money or to hire employees you will not need a business plan.
Is this correct? Absolutely not! No matter how big or how small the operation it is imperative to have a business plan.
Why do you Need a Business Plan?
Regardless of the size of your business, you need a business plan for one simple reason: to stay organized. You may think you are organized enough with what you already have but until you have a solid map of how you will operate you will not maximize your efficiency. A business plan makes you think about where you are, where you want to go and how you will get there. A business plan allows you to make projections and put down on paper your goals and ideas so you can systematically tackle each aspect of your company and it will run smoothly. It is a living, breathing document that not only can change over time but should. Even if you only work part time, bring in very little income (or none at all) and are happy with that and have no plans of expansion a business plan will keep you focused and organized.
A business plan is a necessity for any type of business as a valuable internal document. It forces you to consider important business issues that you will want to have answered before they become a problem. However, if you do have hopes of getting credit extended or bringing in an investor you will get nowhere without a documented business plan.
What is in a Business Plan?
A business plan is comprised of several sections: Executive Summary, Market Analysis, Company Description, Organization & Management, Marketing & Sales Management, Service or Product Line, Funding Request, Financials and Appendix. Within each section there are details that should be addressed. I will not rehash here what is readily available on the Internet, though. So, go get the information and start writing. Not only is it a good business practice but good practice for business writing. If you want to try your hand at any type of business writing, having a clear understanding of a business plan is a good idea.
How do you put a Business Plan Together?
I highly recommend using the Small Business Administration (SBA) to help put together your business plan. They have sample plans available for review and templates you can use to put together your business plan. If you are really serious about your business and have spare cash available you can also hire a consultant to help you with it but it really is not, in my opinion, a necessary expenditure. You know what you want for your business and you have the tools available to research everything you need to compile a plan.
I understand how easy it can be to start working and forget about the business plan. You may very well be trucking along thinking everything is fine without one, too. But, I can not stress enough how important having one is. There will come a time when you reach a critical juncture in your business that you do not know how to handle and you will have to scramble to resolve it. However, if you have a business plan you will already have a means of solving the issue because you already thought of the problem and constructed a solution.
If you have not yet written a business plan it is not too late to start one now.
When it comes to grammar I would not consider myself a strict grammar Nazi, though I am sure there are those who would disagree. If you have glaringly poor grammar, I cringe but the odd mistake or typo here and there does not bother me too much. But, admittedly, I do have my pet peeves that make me crazy whenever I see them. Incorrect use of its/it’s, there/they’re/their, you’re/your, not using adverbs properly and net speak in formal correspondence are among them. However, there is one thing that makes me positively insane. Ask anyone who knows me, this grammar issue is a big one for me and one that is mired in its own controversy. That is the use of “who” versus “that” in a sentence.
For example:
“Andrew is a person that plays bass guitar.” No, no, no, no! The correct version of that sentence should read, “Andrew is a person who plays bass guitar.”
The simple version of this rule is such: people are “who’s” and objects are “that’s”.
But, to give “that” and those WHO use “that” incorrectly at least some semblance of a fair shake, I will admit to some controversy and disagreement in its usage. There are those who believe use of “that” is as acceptable as “who” in the above example. Chaucer is one of those who used “that” as a relative pronoun. Purposely using “that” as opposed to “who” can denote a lack of respect or feeling the person in question is less than human.
Then, there is the obligatory grey area. This occurs when talking about a living being that is not human. So, would your favorite pet that you consider like a child be a “who” or a “that”? It can go either way, really. My personal rule for this is whether or not it has a name. I have fish. They die. A lot. I would say, “I have fish that die.” They are decoration and I have never once bothered to name one of them. I would hazard a guess that although I do not live on a farm if I had chickens or livestock I raised for food I would treat them similarly. I would not name them and would refer to them as “that’s” when referring to them at all. “I have chickens that roam around the yard.”
My dog on the other hand has a name so while not human I do typically refer to him as a “who”. “My dog is the kind who likes to jump in the water and go swimming.” Perhaps if I had Wilbur the pig, he’d be a “who” too but then I doubt Wilbur would wind up as the Easter ham either.
Granted, there may be a logical argument for the use of “that” over “who” in some cases. But here is where I disagree. I can not possibly believe the people who use “that” are doing so on purpose and can logically argue their reasons for doing so if pressed. Nope. They do it because they simply do not know better. What is alarming to me is how prevalent this use is. I hear it on the news, on television and see it in print everywhere. It really does make me crazy.
So STOP!
It’s a simple rule, really. People = “who”. Objects = “that”. If you stick to that rule we will all get along just fine.
Kthnksbye
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