The tiniest things can be so useful when you come to consider the nuts and bolts of writing. The comma is one of them. No, don’t go away: it’s a useful device that’s often used badly — or ignored altogether.

As an editor of books, I am forever sticking commas into other people’s prose, having first of all had to work out what their sentence is trying to say. Many people are slapdash about comma use, and it can go down badly with a commissioning editor who is, say, looking at your approach letter and sample chapter and thinking, “Uh, oh. This one’s going to give us problems. Where’s that equally promising but better-presented proposal that will cost us far less in copy-editing fees?”

There are many useful punctuation and grammar tips in a downloadable book I co-wrote on how you can get yourself published very quickly, You Can Write Books (at www.youcanwritebooks.com), although its main focus is on how to get your work before a publisher. But here I’ll deal with this one useful but sometimes overlooked little squiggle, and a few things that many writers neglect.

First, should be used in a list of items to break them up: pens, pencils, books, and paper. Should you use a comma before and in that list, though? Well, yes if you’re, say, a North American; yes and no if you’re British. This is called the list comma or serial comma (it is often called the Oxford comma, and is still used by Oxford University Press).

Many people say it’s not necessary, because the word and in that sentence is doing the job the commas were doing earlier in the sentence. However, many writers of English throughout the world — notably, as I said, in America — like the serial comma, and insist on it. Most British writers, publishers, and newspapers don’t bother with it, and so would write “writers, publishers and newspapers”; “pens, pencils, books and paper.”

What should you do? Well, you choose a style and stick to it. Be consistent. Better still, you see which style your potential publisher uses, and go with that. That goes for all stylistic considerations. Don’t forget: you’re selling an idea to a publishing house, and anything you can do to impress them will go in your favor.

The comma is also very handy to separate two distinct clauses in a sentence, and this is where many writers ignore it. You’ll see how I used it in the last sentence, after the word sentence. Not only does it give you a pause for breath (a mental breath if you’re not reading aloud, of course), but often it can help the meaning.

Take this: “I passed the ball to Joe and Fred kicked it into the net.” I passed the ball to Joe and Fred? No, I passed it to Joe, and then Fred came along and kicked it into the net. You get the meaning eventually, but why should I as writer give you, the reader, pause? If I’d written, “I passed the ball to Joe, and Fred kicked it into the net,” you wouldn’t even have blinked, because the meaning would have been immediately clear.

Or look at this sentence: “That day I went to the movies …” could mean that on that particular day I went to the movies (“That day, I went to the movies”) or that it was on the day I went to the movies that something else happened (“That day I went to the movies something else happened”).

In the first pair of parentheses above, you’ll see how the comma has been used to convey the first of the two possible meanings. But, if you miss it out, you’re going to have your reader thinking you meant it the other way. If that’s not your intention, make sure you use the comma.

A few final brief points, then, about the comma.

Commas come before quoted speech: “Joe said, ‘Let’s go and see a movie.’”

Commas come after a piece of quoted speech, before you say who’s speaking: “‘Let’s go and see a movie,’ said Joe.”

Commas can be used in the way brackets are used: “My English teacher, Martha Moonbeam, gave me good marks this week.” The commas here are known as bracketing commas, because they do the same work as parentheses (round brackets, like these) but in a “weaker” way.

Another example of bracketing commas would be, “The train, which was late leaving, made up for lost time.” Don’t miss off the second comma; many people do.

Commas separate adjectives in such sentences as, “It was a cold, damp, dreary sort of day.” In this context, they’re doing much the same work as in the list of items above, except that here we have adjectives, not nouns.

In one short article, you have, I hope, got to grips with this bit of occasionally troublesome but very useful punctuation. You may have been familiar with some of the things, anyway, but I hope that, if there were one or two concerns you weren’t too sure about, this article has been of help.

Andrew John is co-author of You Can Write Books, a no-nonsense downloadable book from http://www.youcanwritebooks.com that will get you into print if you follow its advice. He and his co-author, Stephen Blake, have written more than a dozen print titles (details on http://www.youcanwritebooks.com). Both are writers and editors, and You Can Write Books is crammed with advice you can trust.

Although over 90% of the population may have a fear of speaking in public I must emphasize that that “does not” make it normal.

I have heard many public speaking coaches suggest that such a fear is normal. I beg to disagree.

Perhaps what they mean is that it is “common” but that does not in my view equate with “normal”. In fact if you accept that such fears are normal you are actually imprinting yourself with the greatest mental impediment to freeing yourself from it.

You see when you say that it is normal what is being said is that: “That’s just the way you are”.

So how does that make you feel?

Well probably helpless, defective, frustrated, defeated, angry, hopeless, deflated, de-energized, impaired, vulnerable to it, and out of control of your life to name a few.

So you see the well meaning statement “It’s normal” is actually making you feel totally imprisoned by something you never wanted in the first place.

Additionally, the very fact that you “don’t like it” and you “don’t want it” inside you is a clear sign that it “is not normal”!

Another way of saying it’s not normal is to say that “it is not inherently a part of you rather it is an unwelcome intruder that is shutting you and your life down”.

So where does this intruder come from? Well it is associated with the memories of emotional trauma that you have had imprinted in your mind and body since you were born. In other words it is a form of post traumatic stress disorder.

Although many consider such memories a part of their life and therefore a part of them it has been my experience that they are not.

In fact such memories interfere with your ability to know your fully capable and genuine self at every moment. You see all human beings have enormous potential to create what ever they desire including a well done speech.

Some do it better than others because they carry less emotional trauma than others. The fact that only 5 to 10 percent of individuals feel comfortable speaking in front of crowds simply attests to how few people get into adulthood unscathed.

All of this however can now be reversed easily and quickly so that you too can be free to be your fully capable self.

If that means actualizing the wonderful image of expressing yourself in public then so be it.

Over 10 years ago I developed a modality I call the Mind Resonance Process(TM) (MRP) that helps individuals release easily, painlessly, quickly and permanently one’s limiting life trauma.

If you are inspired to go on a journey to being free or to unleashing the genuine public speaker in you then kindly visit the web link below to join my teleclass or to arrange an Introductory Telephone Consultation.

Dr. Nick Arrizza is trained in Chemical Engineering, Business Management & Leadership, Medicine and Psychiatry. He is an Energy Psychiatrist, Healer, Key Note Speaker,Editor of a New Ezine Called “Spirituality And Science” (which is requesting high quality article submissions) Author of “Esteem for the Self: A Manual for Personal Transformation” (available in ebook format on his web site), Stress Management Coach, Peak Performance Coach & Energy Medicine Researcher, Specializes in Life and Executive Performance Coaching, is the Developer of a powerful new tool called the Mind Resonance Process(TM) that helps build physical, emotional, mental and spiritual well being by helping to permanently release negative beliefs, emotions, perceptions and memories. He holds live workshops, international telephone coaching sessions and international teleconference workshops on Physical. Emotional, Mental and Spiritual Well Being.

Web Site: http://www.telecoaching4u.com/PublicSpeaking.htm

In marketing circles, it’s well-known that an ad has about nine seconds to grab a
reader’s attention. Nine seconds. That’s not much time. Unfortunately, it’s
probably the same amount of time your story or article has to draw your reader in.
That’s why an effective lead is a must-have for every piece of writing.

In case you don’t have a journalism background, when I say lead, I mean the
opening paragraph or two. That small bit of text is what has to grab your reader and
keep them readingin just nine seconds. I also want to start with a warning. Not
every type of lead will fit every type of story. Part of being a savvy writer is knowing
when to use a certain technique. I won’t go over all the types of leads hereyou can
learn them in many journalism classes and booksbut I will highlight some general
types of leads and how to use them.

First, many leads use description to draw readers in. If your subject has a scene,
setting or event that’s especially colorful, description might be the technique for
you. You might think descriptive leads only work for fiction, but that’s not the case.
A good description can make a feature story come alive. For example, here’s a lead I
used in a local business profile:

Picture yourself kayaking through the stillness of the Back Bay waters. You’re in
the kayak with a coworker you’ve never talked to before today, and the two of you
are paddling in perfect tandem. A river otter swims up next to your kayak. In the
distance you see a bald eagle circle over the water.

The idea is to create a mood, or feeling, as the reader pictures the scene in his
mind.

Second, many leads start with a quote. This is a great way to jump right into the
action. It brings up questions about who’s speaking, whom they’re speaking to, and
what they’re talking about. For example, a story about a young boy’s adventures
may start with:

“They say Old Man Jenkins still haunts this old graveyard.”

That phrase opens up all kinds of possibilities. A news story, on the other hand,
would begin with a powerful quote from a main news source.

Finally, you can sometimes start stories with a question. Use this technique
sparingly; many writers consider it a lazy way out. In a way, it is. It’s usually the
easiest method, especially in nonfiction. That’s why you need to avoid it! However,
there are times when a question really is the best lead-in to your writing. Also, it’s a
great cop-out when you’re beating your head against a wall because you can’t find
the right lead for your story.

These are only three of many techniques, but they should help you get started, both
in your writing and in stopping your elusive readers in their tracks.

Andrea’s writing background includes features, editorials, reviews, profiles,
poetry and fiction. She has published several freelance pieces over the past several
years, and was the winner of the MOTA short story contest in 2002. She also
received honorable mentions for fiction from Writer’s Journal magazine in
2002 and 2004. She’s currently working on several fiction projects in her spare
time. Visit her blog at http://www.creativewithwriting.blogspot.com.

My acquaintance Steve rings me on the phone to inform me that he’s found some online gambling internet sites that I must have to look into. I have never really been massively into gambling, but I figured o.k., I must give it a go. Therefore I tried out some black jack and poker, but honestly, they simply aren’t my thing. Then I see these online elottery websites and then I realise that through cyberspace I can play lots of other lotteries around the planet. Now to me this seems a heap more enjoyment, then I guess I would give it a go. Initially I tried my luck at euro millions, you know a European lottery. I decided on my elottery numbers and waited and dreamt that I would win it big. I didn’t but when the euro millions numbers came in; I was extremely surprised to realize that I had really come very near to the winning lottery numbers. I tested out a couple of other lotteries, but I felt that I did come so close the first time on the euro lottery, that I honestly had to give it another go. To date, I have not scooped millions of pounds, but, I have won some money, so I continue to play the euro lotto and picking lotto numbers, going for the big win. I am one of those individuals who like to think in the likelihood of hitting the jackpot, because it is tough to reckon getting that sort of money any other way.

As for my acquaintance, he still carries on with his passion of on-line gambling and finds himself at the on-line casino for at least 60 minutes a day. He likewise has won some money, but it has high’s and low’s and the difference is, when you lose at gambling you usually lose a heap but when you lose at the lottery, it doesn’t cost you as near as much. I reckon that the lotto is the only path for me to go foreward and the thought of hitting the jackpot and on top of that, it’s only costing me simply a few dollars “makes it more appealing”.

“If you could eliminate one day from your past so that
you never had to live through it, what day would you
erase?”

“If you could ask a single question of a dead relative,
what would it be and of whom would you ask it?”

—–

These questions come from a little book I’ve been reading
as a way to begin the New Year. If. . . Questions for the Game
of Life by Evelyn McFarlane and James Saywell (Villard, 1995)
My partner and I have been playing it, throwing out questions
and sharing responses.

Some questions are easy and fun: “If you had the chance to
make any one purchase that you passed up in your lifetime, what
would it be?” (Ah, no contest! The set of antique china we found on the Oregon coast some 8 years ago but were too timid to buy.”

Others are a challenge: “If you could choose the very last
thing you will see before death, what would it be?” (That took
some reflection, but, although I’m not a gardener, what I think I’d most want to see is perfect, full-blown rose.)

Still others plunge us into an intimacy we may or may not
have considered: “What is the one thing from your past about
which you feel the most guilty?” (OK, so I’m chicken – I pass!)

It’s a fun game, and a good relationship-builder. And yet I wonder: what happens if I go a step farther, take the initiative of shaping the questions I need to hear.

IF . . . I want to make this year the best one of my life,
what one attitude will I change, starting right now?

IF . . . I truly believe that hope is possible and love is
real, how will I let it show?

IF . . . I want to live so that my values show, what one
thing will I do TODAY?

Your questions may be different from mine, and your answers surely will. But that’s the beauty of the “Game of Life”. There are as many questions as you need. And only YOU can shape the answers – IF . . . you only take your values in hand and dare to begin.

—————————————————————–

© 2005 Maureen Killoran

Maureen Killoran, MA, DMin, is a Life Coach with a passion for helping people connect their strengths with their vision. Maureen offers dynamic individual and group coaching, work team empowerment training, teleclasses, and a free monthly e-zine, “Seeds of Change.” http://www.spiritquestcoaching.com

It’s the right moment in time to buy some markdown West End show tickets. The West-End of London is the epicentre of the entertainment industry! The Theatre area of the City is up there as one of the most cherished tourist holiday-makers of London. As a result, it is no wonder that hundreds of foreign tourists line up for a substantial amount of time at the ticket office without even a slight grimace on their faces to book reduced London show tickets. For individuals who don’t like waiting, the Web or the phone are always at hand to obtain musical tickets.

It’s feasible to purchase London tickets at reduced rates. You can enjoy amazing theatre shows which include “Lion King,” “Mamma Mia,” & other big hits without paying far too much money. As well these theatre shows, the other West End theatre shows on at present are “Chicago,” “Wicked,” “Sound of Music,” “Les Miserables,” and “Phantom of the Opera.”

As a result, if you are on a vacation to the City, then you are gonna have one of the greatest time of your whole life! Don’t fail to remember to s West End in your places to stop at. London is the centre of theatre shows. It boasts of over thirty superlative musical productions showing at any exact point. Moreover this is not every single one. You can also obtain access to ticketing services that are experts in offering you with the greatest seats in the theatre. They are apt in making your theatrical trip a really excellent one. Buy cheap theatre tickets from the Leister Square Box Office.

In addition to ringing the ticketing services, you can reserve London theatre tickets from the Leicester Square Box Office (more universally known as LSBO) situated in Leicester Square, and from the ticket agents. The theatre box offices are more often than not open from 10 in the morning. They close about 30 mins after the start of the evening performance. If you decide on the ticket booth at Leicester Square, you can get money off on shows for the existing day’s performance. The box is open from ten in the morning to 7 in the evening throughout the weekdays and weekend. However, on Sundays, it is usually open from twelve o’clock to 3 in the afternoon. This is the single authorised stand in London. It’s administered by the Society of London Theatre. While you might not obtain theatre tickets for each and every performance, you can unquestionably get theatre tickets for the astonishing hits. Alternatively you can even surf the useful website for extra information.

With spring in the air and winter soon disappearing presently is the time to pack away the sweaters and it take out the recent flip flops! It is furthermore the moment to renovate or rejuvenate even if it be your self or perhaps your condominium. Smelling Scented Candles are an amazing tactic to usher for revived season. It’s sure to be time to put away those pumpkin spice or pine Sweet-smelling Scented Candles & embrace its bouquets of the recent season. Flowery or perhaps fruity essence are also what you yourself might smell at the moment. Besides the current breeze coming through one’s windows the new Aromatic candle aroma will probably drift in the surrounding area of one’s house. They can be found profoundly delightful when meeting people in the more pleasant times. When the bash begins to gets outdoor, providing pool candles to your embellishment is obvious fire tactic to boost extra atmosphere. Floating Scented Candles come in so tons of forms & sizes, still my most popular are the new floral shaped ones. Positioning a few larger pieces within a swimming pool or maybe an lily pond bring back memoirs of cotillions and prime gatherings of days gone by. Votive candles will often sometimes be useful in the place of swimming candles. Make certain to operate the votive candle from of its metal jar so that it might bob properly.

With the warmer season allowing folks to relax outside and reside garden candles care will shift. Of course swimming candles put to good use outdoors is outstanding however what happens As there is a whiff or greater yet what happens as there is an enormous blow? Your candles go out and out and out. It might get particularly troublesome, hence for those windy patio nights candle holders are also ideal. Candle holders turn up in loads of shapes and measurements just such as every one of the other candle. I rejoice in the ones which include a bit of lucent patterns as those give off particular glow. The candle holder are creating a barrier for your 1 keeping them afire and blissful. One comment of advice then again, when getting candles holders for use in the outside, make sure that those are also no cutouts, in another way people are also back to square one with your 1 going out faster than Bday Scented Candles at a 2 year olds Bday bash! Those can act for the indoors or mild after hours yet not if those is whatever breeze. Some other option on these nights is to use electronic h Want to know more about the process when you buy candle supplies? This site has some good information.

Sometimes consumers will need to choose between filing for bankruptcy or allowing their mortgage lender to foreclose on their property. If monthly home loan payments are not received, the financial institution will file for a foreclosure on the home. The single guaranteed way to halt foreclosure proceedings from happening is to pay the mortgage lender as scheduled. Home loans are very similar to auto loans, if you do not make payments you always will lose it. Foreclosure is the very same for all who have not been able to pay his or her mortgage, the lender will start the foreclosure process.

Bankruptcy is a legal act that is filed by a person who is unable to pay their debt as agreed. Once filed, all the civil legal proceedings associated with the home loan are stopped. Legally, a home loan creditor must interrupt all collection activity, foreclosure among them. But, a home loan lender might be permitted to go forward if they appeal for relief from the stay period; and once it is allowed, can continue with the previously mentioned action. Filing for Bankruptcy will not stop foreclosure and you have to repay your loan. Going into bankruptcy simply makes the foreclosure proceedings go forward slowly; it does not solve the underlying issues.

Although bankruptcy does not obstruct a foreclosure permanently, it could give an individual enough time to pay back the overdue amount or at a minimum it can make it little easier to pay back a mortgage lender. Bankruptcy law requires a home loan to suspend foreclosure actions, a debtor will have a short time to raise the funds necessary to pay the creditor. Legal insolvency is a final fall back for all borrowers. This will eventually happen when he is completely unable to satisfy their creditor’s commitments. Under bankruptcy, some unsecured debts will probably be dismissed but the loan on the home will not. The home owner must be ready to repay the mortgage inside the required time as the debt is guaranteed by real assets. Also, Chapter 13 bankruptcy has a pay schedule that is court ordered, and will allow the home owner make payments on her mortgage to get caught up to date on their balance.

Before the home owner can file for bankruptcy, they must meet the conditions. If they do qualify, there will be legal fees to pay. Possibly, it might cost more in legal fees than it does to simply pull the belt tighter and continue making mortgage payments. If you are thinking that declaring bankruptcy may be a benefit to the problem, an attorney should be capable of answering whatever questions. Because insolvency is extremely detailed, house owner should not set about to do it by themselves.

This article is simply standard information. This is not legal advice. We have not made any representation that this article constitutes legal advice. You might be required to meet with an attorney in your particular state with insolvency related questions.

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Many people who had durom implant applied in their hip cup replacement surgical processes are determining that there are difficulties that far surpass the normal expectations for recovery. These people are experiencing a lot of uncalled-for pain for longer periods of time, looking forward to revision surgical operations and enlarged medical costs, and losing revenue by not physically being able to work at their normal jobs. Although Zimmer Holdings, Inc. is claiming that that their hip replacement implant is not conceivably imperfect and not to blame for the faililng hip implants, numerous individuals are filing lawsuits against them and obtaining settlements.

During October, 2008 Zimmer announced that it had reserved $47.5 million to pay for claims filed against them. Many docs have reservations that the zimmer hip implant is not the problem as the company has publicly stated. In Point Of Fact, when Zimmer tendered on-line coaching to surgeons in order to instruct them what was supposedly more precise techniques for executing the implant surgical procedure, approximately half of the MD’s refused to participate. Hence, the whole situation remains to be bothersome for all doctors involved, but none more than the hundreds of people who are looking forward to revision surgical process due to the issues with their implant experiencing failures.

These distressed unfortunate people definitely deserve some aid and restitution which obviously is why product liability attorneys are supporting them by telling them to initiate lawsuits. zimmer durom cup hip implant lawyers has been settling some of these claims, too. All The Same, even if the money they are being offered seems like a lot to them, in numerous cases individuals are settling too fast and with no clause put in place for ongoing issues if pain returns. If they don’t wait to find out what cases are actually going to be worth, people might find themselves incurring alot more expenses out of their own funds when further complications arise.

Anyone who believes they may have a claim against Zimmer may consider looking into it. If you think you could qualify, you should probably call a attorney to be certain. Look for one that operates nationally and centers their attention on litigation against defective medical devices. This law firm has taken out all the risks and has setup a special section to uncover the details and process claims against Zimmer and win substantial settlements for their clients.

If your orthopedic physician updates you with bad news that you will definitely have to undergo a revision surgical procedure to fix your Zimmer Durom hip replacement device, contact an lawyer immediately.