Writing911.com :: Writing Tips

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June 27, 2006

By Kivi Leroux Miller, President, Writing911.com

Do You Live in Arkansas?

Writing911.com has paying customers in 49 states and we want to make it 50! If you live in Arkansas, we'll refund 10% of the cost of any purchase you make on Writing911.com (tip sheets or online course registrations, including courses at NonprofitAnnualReports.net) between today and July 15, 2006.

E- Courses Start Monday

Two of our four-week online writing courses start Monday. You can register anytime during the first week and not get behind, because each week's materials take less than two hours to complete. You pick up the materials from the online bulletin board and work on them at your leisure.

Making Your Writing Correct — This course reviews some of the most common grammar and punctuation errors, such as using the wrong word (e.g., its versus it’s, that versus which) and subject-verb agreement. It also reviews how to fix misplaced modifiers, run-ons, and incomplete sentences. Fee: $99.

Making Your Writing Clear & Concise — This course focuses on finding and repairing the weak spots in your writing. You’ll learn how to build better sentences and paragraphs and how to get to the point more quickly by cutting deadwood phrases, redundancies, and clichés. It also reviews a handful of writing tricks that will make your writing easier to read. Fee: $99.

Both courses are now being offered monthly, starting the first Monday of the month. You can register up to three months in advance, so if you can’t take a course this month, you can hold your spot now for next month.

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In This Issue:

Starting Sentences: What's OK and What's Not
How-To: Writing Your Elevator Speech
Do You Live in Arkansas?
E-Courses Start Monday
Two Free Newsletters for Nonprofits

xStarting Sentences: What's OK and What's Not

Is it OK to start a sentence with a conjunction (And, Or, But)?

Yes! The so-called "rule" against conjunctions starting sentences is really a grammar myth. But don't overdo it. You don't want your paragraphs to sound like one long stream of consciousness. Use conjunctions at the beginning of sentences sparingly and for maximum effect.

Is it OK to start sentences with numbers?

Yes, but spell the number out rather than using the numeral. Fifteen geese flew overhead. Nearly all style guides say this rule also applies to years at the beginning of sentences, with the notable exception of the Associated Press Stylebook.

1999 was the winery's best year. (AP Style)

Nineteen ninety-nine was the winery's best year. (Chicago, and most other guides)

The Chicago Manual of Style recommends re-writing a sentence like this to avoid spelling out the year if you think it looks cumbersome. The winery's best year was 1999.

Is it OK to start a sentence with There?

Yes, but it's generally a weaker sentence. There is a stand-in for the real subject, which comes later in the sentence. To make your sentence more direct and strong, put the subject before the the verb.

There is a cat sleeping on my car. (Weak)

A cat is sleeping on my car. (Strong)

Sometimes using there at the start of the sentence is the best way to go.

There is no way out!

You could say, "No way out exists" or "We have no way out," but there works just as well, if not better, in cases like this.

Is it OK to start a sentence with So?

I'm sure I'll get nasty-grams on this one, but yes, you can start a sentence with So. So can be a coordinating conjunction and can start sentences just like And and But can. When used at the beginning of a sentence, it's a device that signals a conclusion or summary. The problem is that so can play many roles in sentences, including acting as an adverb, adjective, or noun, which means there are plenty of opportunities to misuse the word.

I'm not the only one who says So is fine at the start of a sentence. See these references:

Guide to Grammar and Writing, Capital Community College Foundation

Gregg Reference Manual tells you how to punctuate a sentence that starts with So.

Your sentences will be stronger if they don't start with So, but that doesn't mean they are grammatically incorrect if they do.

(If you want to tell me why this advice is horrible, don't use your grade-school English teacher as your source. Please quote a respected grammar or style guide.)

xHow-To: Writing Your Elevator Speech

You've got 30 seconds in an elevator to explain to a potential new client, customer, political supporter, donor, or other person of influence why they need to get to know you better. The "elevator speech" has become a cliché, but the concept is still a good one. You should be able to clearly and concisely explain in 30 seconds what it is you do and why that matters to the person you are addressing, whether you are talking to them on an elevator or any other place.

Here are a few tips for writing your elevator message or any other short blurb about your organization. Remember, you only have 3-4 short sentences in total.

Don’t just repeat your mission statement. Mission statements are often “pie in the sky” or full of buzzwords that don’t actually say what you do.

Tell us what you do and who you do it for. Make your conversation immediately relevant by giving an example of what you do and who you do it for.

Share a quantitative result. How many people did you serve last year? What were your sales figures? Whatever it is you measure, throw in a stat about your accomplishments.

Provide some perspective. Put your work in context, in one sentence. Why is what you do so important? What’s the scale of the problem or your solution?

Spell out the opportunity. Tell the person you are speaking with what he or she will get out of a longer conversation with you. Why should they continue to listen?

Write out your elevator speech and then practice saying it out loud to make sure it sounds natural and takes less than a minute to say.