Oakdale Editing
  • Home
  • About
  • Services
  • Contact
  • Blog
  • Resources
  • Portfolio

Oakdale
Blog

Ah, Aw, Awe…Argh!

9/27/2020

1 Comment

 
Picture

​Onomatopoeia is a fancy grammar term for words that sound like what they represent. One class of onomatopoeia contains words like meow and bang.

Then, there are others that function as sound interjections and may or may not be found in the dictionary: ah/aah/aw or mmm/hmm/hmph.

​These sound words give writers a particularly hard time, especially in the case of ah, aw, and the like because they all represent essentially the same sound. However, each one carries a slightly different inflection that changes the meaning.
​

Read More
1 Comment

“Scare” Quotes

9/20/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture

We’re always looking for ways to bridge the gap between the way we speak and the way we write. Speech contains nearly unlimited options for intonation, pacing, and emphasis that we just can’t get from standard writing options.

So, we get creative.

Sometimes, those creative experiments work, and sometimes they don’t. You might use italics or bolding or even CAPS (often referred to as SHOUTY CAPS). We’ll save formatting options for another day, though.

Writers often use punctuation to create emphasis, specifically quotation marks. And for every writer who uses them effectively, there are what seem like dozens who do not. They end up using what is referred to as scare quotes.

​So, where do they go wrong, and how do you avoid their mistakes?
​

Read More
0 Comments

Yay, Yea, Yeah

9/13/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture

In this world of social media and texting, these three words have started to meld into one. But though they all essentially mean yes, they’re each distinct words with distinct pronunciations and nuances of meaning.

​And while we can get away with carelessness in social media, which is essentially visible speech, in the moment and unedited, we need to be more intentional with our writing.

The goal is, after all, to communicate clearly with readers.
​

Read More
0 Comments

Semicolons: They're Not as Scary as You Think

9/6/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture

There are some pieces of punctuation that most of us have mastered. For example, it would be difficult to make it out of grade school without knowing how to use a period or a question mark.

However, our education tends to have a few more holes when it comes to something like semicolons. Many writers avoid using them altogether for one of two reasons: the writer finds them too formal and stuffy for their work, or they don’t feel confident in how to use semicolons correctly.

​The first is just not true, and the second is easily fixed.
​

Read More
0 Comments
    Picture

    Author

    Rebecca has a passion for helping you fill the world with great literature and making sure said literature doesn't get passed over for the lack of a little editing.

    Archives

    July 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020

    Categories

    All
    Admin
    Book Pick
    Business
    Editing
    Language
    Lifestyle
    Publishing
    Punctuation
    Quick Thoughts
    Reading
    Technology
    Writing

    RSS Feed

    Contact Me

Services

Services
Blog
Resources

Company

Home
About

Support

Contact

Picture

Member

© COPYRIGHT 2015. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
  • Home
  • About
  • Services
  • Contact
  • Blog
  • Resources
  • Portfolio