Mind your manners!

Remember your parents’ warnings?  You paid attention, didn’t you?

Here’s my advice for today: Mind your fingers! With texting and e-mails  flying in cyberspace,  it’s far  too easy to slip into text-spelling mode when sending important messages.

AND, check your message one last time before you hit Send.  The auto-correct feature may do just the opposite.  It JUST happened to me!!!!!!  For real!  I typed “feature” earlier in this paragraph and it auto-corrected to “feather tire,” which makes absolutely NO sense unless, of course, you’re a bird flying a bi-plane!

Ciao for now–

JS 🙂

http://www.joycesinger.com

Tips for Today!

Today, I edited the work of a brilliant, highly accomplished female executive.  Here’s the tip I shared with her:  The point of your sentence should come last for emphasis.  In  following this advice and reworking her sentences, the revisions resulted in an astounding difference in her writing!

Also, once again I am reminded of the importance of knowing one’s purpose, understanding the audience, and searching for precise words to drive home a message.

JS 🙂

Tune in when you’d rather tune out!

“Oh, no,” some students think as their eyes begin to glaze.  “Not another grammar lesson! My paper didn’t have any errors.  Why should I care?”

Here’s my latest flash– Sit up and pay attention!  When will doing so really matter?  Those standardized tests are closer than you think!

SAT and ACT writers groove on testing students’ knowledge of grammar and usage.  You need to know how to recognize errors and how to correct them, not only for those tricky questions, but in your own work as well.  So, tune in! You will score higher on the writing sections of these exams and also will become a more efficient proofreader–for yourself–and for your classmates during writing workshops.

Soon, you’ll be whipping through those dangling participle and gerund questions like a pro!  The tests won’t fool you; you’ll impress your teachers, and your friends will admire your smarts.   Now, won’t you feel good about yourself?

JS 🙂

www.joycesinger.com

Be Smarter!

The smartest people are not the ones who know all the answers;

THEY ARE THE ONES WHO KNOW WHAT QUESTIONS TO ASK!

Never leave class with your questions unanswered!    

“WHY?” is a good way to start!

JS 🙂                                                                  

A Thought For Today

Like it or not, people judge you by how well you write.

Soooo, whether you’re writing your personal statement, writing a report, making a business proposal, or sending e-mail, someone is paying more attention than you think!

JS 🙂

It’s Now Official!

The new Common Application now insists on 500 words or less for the personal statement!  Once again, my students have “beat the crowd”!

JS 🙂