Word Forward

I’ve been in business for three years now. Like a lot of small businesses at genesis, I had a small start-up budget and had to make do with basic, self-created business cards that really didn’t capture the essence of what I’m all about. So I was thrilled last month to win the $300 Business Card competition at the Macarthur Business and Lifestyle expo. My cards arrived today. The team at Tamlyn Creative have done a fantastic job. Not only are the cards as stunning as I’d hoped, the whole experience was professional. Great product, great service.

My last blog post was about things looking right. Here’s another one that often stumps people. I frequently see “Do’s and Don’ts”. In fact a quick Google search would suggest it’s more common than the correct punctuation. And I do understand why people want to do this. That first apostrophe nicely balances the second one doesn’t it? It looks lovely and neat. And “dos” doesn’t look like a word, except perhaps to a computer programmer. Spoken phonetically it certainly sounds nothing like intended. But the rules still apply and the rule in this case is the one relating to plurals because we are talking about more than one ‘do’. The plural rule is very simply to add an ’s’ or an ‘es’ to the end of  a noun. I suspect this is where the confusion arises. ‘Do’ in this instance is a verb, not a noun (as in hair-do) . It’s not possible to dos something. Unfortunately the correct term – “the do and do not/don’t’ – of something implies only one occurance so we are left with this misfit ‘dos’. However, using an apostrophe implies posession or a contraction which is okay for a noun e.g. “I really like the do’s theme” (I like the theme of the do) or “I hear the do’s going to be a great event” (I hear the do is going to be a great event) but not a verb. We don’t say, “We will do is lunch on Saturday”.

If you apply an apostrophe to do, it would stand to reason you also have to apply one to don’t (a contraction of do not) which would therefore become do’s and don’t’s – and that really doesn’t look right. Putting an apostrophe in the do of “dos and don’ts” is something you just don’t do.

A rule of thumb when editing is if it doesn’t look right, it probably isn’t but this isn’t always the case. For plurals, the rule is simply to add an ‘S’. I was at a pool place on the weekend and there was a sign out the front which stated simply “Spas spas spas” (the weather is getting cooler here in Oz). The person who was with me stated that the sign needed a few apostrophes. He was reading it, phonetically, as “Spaz spaz spaz”. I explained that to put an apostrophe in – spa’s - would make it possessive as in “Where is the spa’s power button?” or a contraction as in “The spa’s hot” (the spa is hot) or “The spa’s got six seats” (the spa has got six seats).

It did look a little odd though and that’s probably why we end up with so many “vegetable’s” outside greengrocers.

Like most Virtual Assistants / Freelance Writers (and pretty much anyone self-employed), I work from a home office. As a Work at Home Mum (WAHM) I often hear, “Oh you’re so lucky to be able to do that, must be so much easier not to have to go to an office each day.” People often formulate an image of me working in my pyjamas and while I will confess to wearing my slippers occasionally, I’ve only once completed a (very urgent and very brief) project in my dressing gown before the rest of the household awoke.

Working at home is a great option and suits me and my family well, but it’s not for everybody. I was a born organiser and work well when motivated by a deadline. I enjoy the challenge of working autonomously and the flexibility my work allows. I’m fortunate to be able to have a dedicated room solely for my business and a tech savvy partner who keeps me constantly connected to the outside world in more ways than one. Most importantly, my personality and the systems I have in place allow me to swap hats between mum/wife and business professional at, well, the drop of a hat.

But being self-employed is not without it’s frustrations. For me, the biggest is the (unpaid) time I need to set aside doing the books (I fully understand why so many people outsource this particular aspect!) and co-ordinating projects around family commitments. This sometimes means working long after the rest of the household has gone to bed. Most VAs and self-employed business owners outsource some aspect of their business or family life – whether it’s bookkeeping or ironing or childcare. There’s also the knowledge that the buck stops with me – while much of the work I do is straightforward, I am aware that the rest can have implications for a business client if I get it wrong. I’m always careful not to take on more than I can chew and so the work/life balance really does become a very delicate balance of meeting the needs of family, client and household budget.

Since becoming a parent, I’ve been both a full time employee, and a SAHM (Stay at Home Mum). This solution – WAH – fits my current circumstances beautifully. Would it also work for you? Here are some more points to consider.

‘Like’ is an interesting word. It has many uses - verb, adverb, preposition, conjunction among others. In informal writing, it can be  utilised as an adverb to introduce an example or list of examples. In this instance, the question of whether or not to use a comma after ‘like’ – as one would with’ for example’ – can arise. This page – http://www.myenglishteacher.net/forexample.html - highlights the difference between ’such as’ (or ‘like’) and ‘for example’ or ‘for instance’ and clarifies whether or not to use a comma. Putting a comma after ‘like’ usually relegates it to the position of discourse particle or interjection which is popular with Gen Y. For example, “And I was like, I so did not eat that cake.”

When transcribing recordings of interviews and meeting, I find the word ‘like’, when used frequently as an interjection, interrupts the flow of speech significantly. ‘Like comma’ several times in a sentence is as frustrating to type as it is to listen to. Therefore I have to agree with this directive from the Acadamy of Linguistic Awarness (even if they can’t spell properly):

Try thinking about it in the context of a job interview.

Most people guilty of saying ‘like’ a lot, (and similarly those fond of ‘you know’) aren’t fully aware how often they say it. Receiving a completed transcription littered with like, you know, lots of interjections can be an eye-opener. Next time you’re having a conversation with someone, keep one ear on your side of the dialogue. Do you like what you hear?

Many people are scared of the semicolon and tend to shun it all together. This isn’t necessary. The semicolon has some simple, clear rules demonstrated in words and pictures here:

http://theoatmeal.com/comics/semicolon

When in doubt about how to spell a word, some people just make it up:

The importance of clear communication is the basis of this funny clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GT86iWiH2mI

If you’re on FaceBook, here’s a fan page that understands punctuation really can be a matter of life or death: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GT86iWiH2mI Be sure to check out the fan photos.