February 2010 Newsletter from Shelly Rosenberg

Editing, Proofreading & Resume Services
February 2010 – Newsletter
from the desk of
Shelly Rosenberg
www.shellyrosenberg.com

Mid-Winter Greetings

It is cold here in middle Tennessee. We had a snowfall that caused schools to close, roads to get icy and people to build snowmen and snowforts. But, spring is just a few months away.

In this issue of my newsletter I will be sharing the following information that should be of interest to you.


• Use vs. Utilize
• Simple vs. Complex Writing
• Dissertation and Thesis Writing


Use vs. Utilize

Do these two words mean the same thing?
No. Though we often see them used interchangeably, they have different meanings. Many people write the word utilize thinking it is elegant and more sophisticated than the word use.

Definitions
Use – the act or practice of employing something
Utilize – to make do with something not normally used for the purpose

When should you use each of these words? Here are some examples of the correct application of use and utilize.

• Utilizing a tree branch, I fished my hat, which had blown into the lake, out of the water.
• He used a screwdriver to tighten the screws on the cabinet door.



Simple vs. Complex Writing

The above discussion makes me think of how people often write using long or complex words in an attempt to sound more impressive and knowledgeable. But, this usually backfires and gives the opposite impression to the reader. Many people feel compelled to us these long words and frequently use them incorrectly adding to the problem. But, using simple language is the most effective way to write.

I read a very interesting study called Consequences of Erudite Vernacular Utilizing Irrespective of Necessity: Problems with Using Long Words Needlessly by Daniel Oppenheimer, 2006.

In this study, participants were given essays to evaluate; these essays were written by students seeking admission to graduate school. The participants were asked to rate the intelligence of the authors of the essays. The essays were revised into three versions; in the most complex version every noun, verb and adjective was replaced with the longest thesaurus entry for that word. In the moderately complex version every third applicable word was modified. The third essay was the original one with simple (shorter) words.

The participants rated the authors of the simply written essays as the most intelligent, the authors of the moderately complex essays as less intelligent and the authors of the most complex essays as the least intelligent.

My advice is to use simple language in clear concise sentences.

The details of this study can be found at http://www.google.com/search?q=Consequences+of+Erudite+Vernacular+utilized+&rls=com.microsoft:en-us:IE-SearchBox&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&sourceid=ie7&rlz=1I7GGIT_en




Dissertation and Thesis Writing

Recently a client was distraught while working on her dissertation. She kept getting bogged down with worries about what she needed to include in each section, in what order she should insert ideas, how to create effective transitions, what examples to include, etc. All these concerns were running through her mind preventing her from just writing the substance of the dissertation.

I then came up with a technique that helped her to concentrate on her dissertation text and complete the writing without being bombarded with concerns, questions and problems. I suggested that she keep a piece of paper, or a Word document, available titled Questions and Concerns. I asked her to write down each of her questions and concerns on the Questions and Concerns document as they arose in her mind. I explained that she could then stop thinking about that concern because she would be able to address it after finishing the writing of the paper. Having written these concerns down, she was able to get them out of her head knowing that she would not forget them because they were recorded.

I suggested that after she finished the paper she should go through each question and concern one at a time and address it then. And, that if there were any that she could not address, we could work on them together.

When she sent the dissertation to me to edit, she said she had used this technique. She listed all her questions and concerns and when she finished writing the dissertation, she addressed each question and concern one at a time. She was able to address them completely and felt comfortable with the results and the technique.

I hope that this technique can help some of you who are experiencing writers’ block as you write your book or paper. Try it and let me know the results. Good luck!


Topics for upcoming newsletters

• Some less obvious tips for the job seeker
• Use of blogs and other social media sites
• Topics that you suggest I include… - send them to me.



Shelly Rosenberg

“My goal is to enhance your text in a way that makes it clear and error free so that it is ready to be read by your professor, your readership, your clients, your future employer, your current employer, your agent or your publisher.”