writing

Do I Use an “A”, or Do I Use “An”? And Does It Really Matter?

Angela9 Comments

Yes, it really does matter. Especially to whomever is reading your writing.

Store Image Pictures 002

One of the most common errors I see when reading online comments, stories, blog posts, etc. is the incorrect use of “a” and “an”.

A very simple rule can help you remember which one to use when. If the word following it starts with a consonant, you use “a”. If it starts with a vowel, you use “an”. Simple enough, right? Except for if the word starts with a consonant that is silent, so the word sounds like it starts with a vowel.

Are you still with me? Good. It will all look clear in a minute. 

Such as, “I will be over in an hour.” Or, “I would like an honest answer.”

This also makes sense: “Can I have a pencil?”

Saying “Can I have an pencil?” is painful to read. And yes, I have read this very sentence.

In a book.

That was published.

An editor can be your best friend 🙂 (Did you see what I just did there?)

But then there is also the issue of initials and numbers. In that situation, you will choose “a” or “an”, depending on the way it is sounded out.

“An FDA employee arrived.” The sound of “ef” is why you would use “an”.

“A United States tour.” The sound of “yoo” is why you would choose “a.”

“He gave me a $50.00 bill.” It is the same rule here. You want to choose based on how it sounds, not necessarily how it is spelled.

The more you see these being used incorrectly, the easier it is to tell when you are using it correctly.

What are some issues you have with the very difficult English language and writing rules? Is there something you would like me to address here? Let me know and I will get a post put up covering your questions and concerns!

Until next time…happy writing, and happy reading!

Punctuation Overload? Or: Maybe Not? Okay; Slightly.

Angela7 Comments

Have you read a story with more punctuation in it than actual words? I myself am guilty of abusing the very basic comma. You have likely noticed me doing this in my posts. Every. Single. One. I like using periods to emphasize how I am feeling as well.

You see what I did there, right? Oh; I did it again, just now.

Okay. Sorry. I am really done now.

But as I have watched, and continue to watch, my 4 daughters go through school, it is beyond obvious that the emphasis on basic grammar and language structure is nowhere near what I stressed about. They do not even have to read the books that my 3 siblings and I had to read. I am positive none of my girls have any idea what “The Scarlet Letter” is.

So I am about to unleash some random Proper-English-Etiquette-If-You-Care-To-Use-It posts.

I am pretty sure we are all going to have fun with this one 🙂

The Demeter Code – Russell Brooks

Angela1 Comment

This was my first read of a Russell Brooks novel, and I have already started on the second of 4 of his books that I purchased.

The demeter Code

The Demeter Code is a fast-paced book, with lots of action and details. You definitely need to devote all of your attention to the story while you are reading it, as there are numerous characters involved, and the action moves from one set of people to another. I do not mention this because I found it to be a problem, I simply mention it because you probably do not want to read this with the television being on next to you, kids running in and out (welcome to my home!), or anything else that could likely divert your attention from the storyline.

Do you have concerns about the quality of the food you eat, the chemicals added to it, or the various GMO’s used virtually everywhere? If you do, this story is one you will want to read.

Do you like lots of action, plus detailed weapons and scientific information? Then this story is for you as well.

Do you have an interest in travel, and other countries? What about politics and government? If so, this story will capture and keep your interest as well.

I try to not give away any spoilers, or too much about a storyline in any of my reviews. The same holds true for this review. I will say that it is focused on Dr. Nita Parris, Ridley Fox, and a host of other secondary characters that round out the storyline and plot nicely. There seems to be a ticking time bomb that will bring devastation to the world like nothing ever seen before. It is up to Dr. Parris and Ridley to figure out who is involved, and put a stop to the plan before it is too late; too late for everyone.

You can find this story as well as Russell’s other novels on Amazon.

Zombie Sheriff – Geoff Lynch

AngelaLeave a comment

As my Accounting for Managers class officially starts tomorrow, I am going to try to get my hands on as many short stories as I can. I do have a mystery novel I am about halfway through, but it will likely be this weekend before I can attempt to get it finished.

Zombie Sheriff Cover Image

Sheriff Ed Pool is a zombie living in Idaho. One of three zombies (two surviving) that were protected and given rights as any other normal, living citizen. Okay, the first one wasn’t protected all that well; he was burned to death (his second death) before he could even make it to his home after being granted freedom and rights. Matthew Schultz is the other surviving zombie, and is a police officer working for Sheriff Pool.

Dr. Dorn is being charged with murder, as he cut the heart out of a Doctor who fired him hours before, and threw it against the operating room wall. He confessed to Sheriff Pool, but forgot to ask for immunity from the death penalty before doing so. Trying to bribe Sheriff Pool that he could help him become more human, Dr. Dorn is doing whatever he can to stay alive.

The Sheriff’s second deputy is also a zombie, although no one knows this until they try to execute her on kidnapping charges, rip her head off in the process, and she fails to die.

All-in-all, the kind folks in this small town seem to be tired on dealing with this small population of 3 zombies. The 3 zombies do not live happily ever after here.

I did like this short story, it was a quick, fun read, but there seemed to not be a driving theme to the story, and the conclusion, as a whole. I guess I just could not find a point in writing this story at all, without there being a strong beginning (it had that), a great conflict (it kind of had that), and a resolution (it did not really have that).

There were numerous spelling errors in this story; and they appeared to increase the closer I came to the end of the story. I will definitely look up some of Mr. Lynch’s other stories, as I do feel he has a real talent. I think I am just used to having surprise-I-never-saw-that-coming type of endings with short stories.

Friday Fun Facts!

Angela1 Comment

James Patterson…since I brought him up this week, I figured this would be a great Friday Fun Facts, since I love his writing, and really had no idea exactly how many books he has written.

Image

The number of books he has written? I could not find a definite answer, or even a fairly recent answer. He has numerous series, including “The Women’s Murder Club”, Alex Cross, Maximum Ride, Private, Daniel X, and Witch and Wizard. He has very recently started writing a series of books aimed at middle-school aged children, and my kids love these books.

Image

He has also had 10 of his stories made into either movies, made-for-television movies, or television series.

Mr. Patterson has won numerous awards for his writing, and dominated the New York Times Bestsellers list more often than not, including setting a record for 76 hardcover fiction bestselling books by a single author.

Image

He also often writes with other authors, including Maxine Paetro, Mark Sullivan, and Michael Ledwidge.

Like him or not (and I am so glad I do) this is a writer that I doubt will be retiring his ink pen, or typewriter, or laptop, or anything else he uses to write his stories.

Image

Do you have a favorite series by James Patterson?

 

 

Leo Tolstoy – Eleven Stories Review

Angela3 Comments

1) Three Questions– I loved this story, for being the first thing I ever read by Tolstoy. The moral of the story here is that the current moment is the only moment you have any control over. The person you are with is the most important person at that moment, and the most important thing you can do is make that person happy, because you do not know if you will ever be with that person again, or have the chance to make them happy.

2) How Much Land Does a Man Need? – I got a chuckle out of this one. As one man works to con others out of their money, we learn that the only land a man truly needs is however much space they are going to take up when they are dead and buried. You can’t get much more true than that!

3) The Candle– Under the service of a harsh taskmaster, a group of men plot to murder their master, because it cannot be evil to God to remove such a person from the Earth, right? By being true to God, and their beliefs, one man was able to overcome the master by doing exactly what the master asked him to do. By his own goodness, he defeated the master.

4) God Sees the Truth, But Waits– A tale of mystery, the wrongly accused, and redemption. The strength of one man to forgive another who wronged him in the worst manner.

5) The Coffee House of Surat– Many men, of many nationalities, in a coffeehouse debating, and arguing, about whose religion was correct. A wise comment from a wise man puts the debate to rest.

6) The Grain as Big as a Hen’s Egg-A very short story, but very clever. The moral of the story here is that things were better, and bigger, when man was satisfied to do his own work, without taking from others, or expecting from others. As man came to depend on others to do their work for them, things got smaller, and worse.

7) Little Girls Wiser Than Men– 2 little girls have a disagreement that draws in the parents, and many other adults, to continue the argument. The little girls resolve it, move on, and go back to playing a game. The adults continue to argue over the situation, not even realizing the little girls have stopped arguing and moved on.

8) Esarhaddon, King of Assyria– A 2 paged story, showing a man at war how the evil he does to others, he is also doing to himself. Life is sacred, whether it be the life of man or beast.

9) Where Love Is, God Is– A man who loses another of many children born to him, and after losing his wife, gives up on religion, and stops attending church. He is told that he feels despair because he is living for his own happiness, and not for God. He has a dream and is told Christ will come to visit the next day. He does visit, but not like you might expect.

10) Too Dear-This story is too funny, and a must read! However it must be done, find this short story and read it. A man sentenced to execution gets one over on a whole country, and comes out ahead in the end.

11) A Spark Neglected– A good, old-fashioned neighborly fight. One that also gets out of hand, gets the whole town involved for a while, sees a terrible situation, and when one is smart enough to admit guilt, all seems to go right again in their world.

 

I will definitely be getting his bigger works. Have you ever ran across any of these 11 short stories?

The Lutheran Ladies Circle: Plucking One String – Kris Knorr

AngelaLeave a comment

Being as I am a long-standing-volunteering-attending member of a Lutheran Church, this book took on a special interest for me. Do the people in the story relate at all to the people I encounter at church? I have to say, there were a few characters whom I could easily rename to someone who attends my church. I’m not saying this is a bad thing, I am just saying I now definitely have an image in my head of what Lorena, Ellie, and Vera look like. When I now read their name in the text, I am picturing a specific woman of the congregation.

 Image

I do have to be honest right from the get-go, this story has one thing that I absolutely cannot stand. Say it with me people. “Too many characters”. This is my pet peeve; having so many characters (and usually storylines to match) that you cannot keep them straight, let alone determine if they are relevant to the story or not. With that being said, I am about halfway through the story, and am starting to get the correct pattern worked out to whom belongs with who, whose children are being talked about when no reference to their parents are mentioned, etc. As the author stated in her forward that she has herself encountered some of these types of people at church, I am guessing that it was easy for her to write because she knew all along in her mind that Ellie was Mrs. Y, and Vera was Mrs. Z, etc. She did not need to fill in the blanks on who these characters were, because she could see them already in her mind’s eye.

 

So enough of that. It is a good story, and I will read more in the series (I am guessing there is a series as this book says it is #1). I am getting comfortable with the who’s-who, and am feeling a connection to these characters enough that I already want to know how their stories continue on past this book. I am trying to be better about the spoilers, so I will just say that their Pastor died unexpectedly, to be replaced by someone younger, someone looking to change some things. Vera is the widow of said previous pastor, and feels she is slowly getting pushed out of her “always involved in everything even though it is not my job” situations.

 

We also get a birds-eye view of bickering amongst the women at their weekly-monthly meetings, and this has be wondering exactly how much bickering is going on at my church meetings. Expecting to be finished with this sooner rather than I will let you know if there is anything off the wall that happens at the end that I never even saw coming, otherwise I am moving along to the next story.