Editing Tips for Writers of English in Israel

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Editing Tips for Writers of English in Israel

• Ricka S. Rak

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Whats Happening to Our English?

• Sometimes we
• Cant find the right word
• Switch languages mid-sentence
• Misuse English words that sound like Hebrew but
  have different meanings
• Misuse verb tenses
• Accept invented words as standard

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Language Attrition

• Language loss occurs when speakers
• Are less exposed to their native language
• Use their native language less frequently
• Lose awareness of norms in their native language

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Workarounds for Language Loss and Attrition

• Read, read, read!
• Consult a style guide regularly
• Apple Publications Style Guide
  http//developer.apple.com/techpubs/macos8/pdf/app
  le_styleguide00.pdf
• Microsoft Manual of Style for Technical
  Publications
• Read Me First!, Sun Technical Publications
• Grammar, Punctuation, and Capitalization A
  Handbook for Technical Writers and Editors, by M.
  McCaskill, NASA http//stipo.larc.nasa.gov/sp7084
  /index.html

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Keeping Your Writing Up to Speed

• If you work for an organization, create a style
  guide for all the writers to use.
• If youre a freelancer, create a style sheet for
  each client.
• To find out how to develop a style guide, see
  http//www.raycomm.com/techwhirl/magazine/writing/
  styleguide.html

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Example of a Style Sheet
Spelling and punctuation US Press release
style Headline Title capitalization for title
and subtitle Place date (example) ALAMEDA,
Calif., July 31, 2000 APIs ASSIA Applied
Social Sciences Index and Abstracts a CSA
database AstraZeneca healthcare
company EBSCOhost e-mail epixtech company name
they use lower case Herbert Van de Sompel
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Keeping Your Writing Up to Speed

• Edit your own writingeven if you work with an
  editor.

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Fetch It Users Guide Edit Yourself

• Use enable correctly Enable someone to do
  something. The software enables you to generate
  daily reports.
• Add a noun after the following With this tool,
  you can perform the following tasks
• Use parallel structure in bullets choose
  fragment or sentence style always start in the
  same way (such as with a gerund).

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Wording

• Make each bulleted item a natural continuation of
  the introductory sentence
• Before beginning the evaluation,
• Define the types of environments in which your
  device is expected to perform
• Assemble a group of native speakers
• Compile a list of the words to be recorded

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Active or Passive?

• Use active voice address the reader directly.
• Before The audio files contain digits that were
  recorded in an 8-kHz, 16-bit, mono audio format.
  Each file has about one second of background
  noise before the utterance.
• After Record the digits in an 8-kHz, 16-bit,
  mono audio format. Start each file with about one
  second of background noise before the utterance.

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Colon, Comma, or Semicolon?

• Punctuate with care.
• Before The Trainers can easily create courses
  with Fetch It components assignments tests and
  drills, and generate reports that display each
  dog's progress.
• After Trainers can easily create courses with
  Fetch It componentsassignments, tests, and
  drillsand generate reports that display each
  dog's progress.
• Note the em dash (not hyphen)!

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Such As

• Dont put a colonor any other punctuation
  markafter such as.
• Before These options enable you to perform
  actions unrelated to courses, such as sending
  e-mails recording dogs behavior managing
  immunizations and exiting the system.
• After These options enable you to perform
  actions unrelated to courses, such as sending
  e-mail messages, recording dogs behavior,
  managing immunizations, and exiting the system.

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Articles

• Dont put an article before the name of software.
• Before The administration tools of the Fetch It
  Pro enable you to
• After The administration tools of Fetch It Pro
  enable you to
• Better The administration tools of the Fetch It
  Pro system enable you to
• Best The Fetch It Pro administration tools
  enable you to

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Misplaced Modifiers

• Put a modifier next to the noun it describes.
• Before As a trainer, Fetch It provides you with
  a wide variety of tools.
• After Fetch It provides you, the trainer, with a
  wide variety of tools.

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Misplaced Modifiers

• Rewrite to avoid a misplaced modifier.
• Before After pressing , the OSP version
  will be displayed. After After you press
  , the OSP version is displayed.
• Before Click Delete. After confirming, the
  course will be deleted.After ___________________
  _________

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Comma Trouble

• Avoid joining two main clauses with only a comma.
• Before Pull off the frame, the clips snap
  off.After Pull off the frame. The clips snap
  off.
• Before The name is limited to three letters,
  therefore, you need to select the Exactly 3
  option.After The name is limited to three
  letters therefore, you need to select the
  Exactly 3 option.

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Commas Revisited, or, That or Which?

• Does the clause define or restrict the noun it
  modifies? If so, use that. If not, use a comma
  and which.
• The button that enables you to add a new course
  is located above the list.
• Above the list is the Add Course button, which
  enables you to add a new course.

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Whichfor Extra Info

• For information that is not essential, use a
  comma and which.
• The XYZ Operating System runs on a wide range of
  off-the-shelf servers, which are placed between
  the switches and various heterogeneous RAIDs.
• Food for thought What about the capitals?

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An Eye on Content

• Distinguish between conceptual material and
  procedural material.
• Streamline where possible.
• Avoid redundancy.
• Put yourself in your readers place.

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References

• J. Brown, L1 attrition among native-speakers of
  English resident abroad a sociolinguistic
  case-study from Foggia, Italy, masters thesis,
  Applied Linguistics Research Group, Univ.of
  Surrey, Guildford, Surrey, UK, http//www.surrey.a
  c.uk/ELI/Janis_brown.pdf (2001).
• D. Kaufman, Attrition of Hebrew in the United
  States sociolinguistic perspectives, Language,
  Identity, and Immigration, E. Olshtain and G.
  Horenczyk, eds., Jerusalem, The Hebrew Univ.
  Magnes Press, 2000, pp. 173-196.
• E. Olshtain and M. Barzilay, Lexical retrieval
  difficulties in adult language attrition, First
  Language Attrition, H.W. Seliger and R. M. Vago,
  eds., Cambridge Univ. Press, Cambridge, 1991, pp.
  139-150.
• C. Silva-Corvalán, Spanish language attrition in
  a contact situation with English, First Language
  Attrition, H.W. Seliger and R. M. Vago, eds.,
  Cambridge Univ. Press, Cambridge, 1991, pp.
  151-171.
• R.M. Vago, Paradigmatic regularity in first
  language attrition, First Language Attrition,
  H.W. Seliger and R. M. Vago, eds., Cambridge
  Univ. Press, Cambridge, 1991, pp. 241-251.

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Editing Tips for Writers of English in Israel

• Ricka S. Rak
• rickarak_at_zahav.net.il
• [phone]
• (067) 22-9993