Punctuation saves lives

By Kaitlyn Gutzke, Editor of Mining 

When writing an article, advertorial or any piece of writing associated with your company or product, it is absolutely vital to ensure you are using the correct spelling, grammar and punctuation, and use sentences that flow and are easy to read.

All too often people overlook the importance of having a good, literate piece of writing and the power it can have on possible clients or customers. The ability to put words together to create an easily read and understood advertisement not only gives a sense of credibility to a company, it also makes your product and your business more attractive to potential clients.

Below are some tips on how to use writing skills as a great marketing tool, whether it is for an advertisement, catalogue or even on social media!

PUNCTUATION

We’ve heard the age-old joke before – poor punctuation is dangerous, and is the difference between eating Grandma or having a snack with Nan:

WITHOUT PUNCTUATION: Let’s eat Grandma!

WITH PUNCTUATION: Let’s eat, Grandma!

WITHOUT PUNCTUATION: I like cooking my family and my cat.

WITH PUNCTUATION: I like cooking, my family, and my cat.

SENTENCES

Long sentences are really really ineffective because they can confuse the reader and sometimes completely miss the point that you are trying to get across to your valued clients or customers especially if a super long sentence doesn’t have any commas or full stops or no punctuation at all so make sure you keep your sentences short sharp and strong and that the message gets across.

Was that sentence easy to follow? Some people tend to write how they speak, which can cause them to create super long, and often confusing, sentences.

Try to keep a sentence within 25 words – any more and it becomes too long. A good rule of thumb: If your sentence has more than two commas, it is probably too long.

Another way to avoid a lengthy sentence is to read it aloud. Often reading a piece of text out loud can bring your attention to grammatical and spelling errors – and if you are out of breath once you have finished, it is a good idea to chop a few insignificant words, or split a sentence in two.

SPELLCHECK

A spelling error will jump off the page, computer screen or billboard at anyone reading it – and it can be seen as a marketing disaster. Grammar Nazis in your area will be the first to point it out, and in today’s culture, any embarrassing mishaps can end up eternalised on social media!

The easiest way to avoid this is to proofread, proofread and proofread again. If you can, get a second and third set of eyes on your writing, and if in doubt, use a dictionary or rephrase a sentence to avoid using a tricky word.

With today’s technology, computers often autocorrect spelling mistakes – which in most cases is a huge timesaver. However, most computers use an American spellcheck, so even though the computer may show there are no spelling errors, there still may be some corrections to make.

Which brings us to the next topic…

AMERICAN WORDS

American English and Australian English have quite a few differences, and these can often confuse even the best writers.

Most words ending in -our in Australian English often end in -or in American English. Another common difference is the Australian English -re versus the American English -er.

Here is a list of commonly mistaken American words vs Australian words:

Color – Colour

Flavor – Flavour

Behavior – Behaviour

Honor – Honour

Labor – Labour

Organize – Organise

Prioritize – Prioritise

Center – Centre

Meter – Metre

Liter – Litre

Tire – Tyre

Catalog – Catalogue

Analog – Analogue

MORE QUICK TIPS

Their is possesive

They’re is a contraction of ‘they are’

There refers to a place

Your is possesive.

You’re is a contraction of ‘you are’

Most of the time effect is a noun and affect is a verb

Lose is the opposite of win

Loose is not tight

Hyphenating – When two or more words come before a noun they modify and act as a single idea. For example, face-to-face, self-respect, on-site, three-year-old, sister-in-law, etc.

Symbols – Don’t get in the habit of using SMS language (b4, C U @ 6, pencils & paper, etc).

Instead of ‘@’, write ‘at’.

Instead of ‘&’, write ‘and’.

Instead of ‘+’, write ‘plus’ or ‘and’.

Capitals – There Is Absolutely No Need To Capitalise Every Single Word. If there is a word that needs a bit more emphasis, use the italics, bold or underline tool.

Numbers – Write the numbers 1-9 and then use figures upwards from 10. For example, eight, nine, 10, 11, etc.