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Abstract

rnalists don’t waste characters. That means journalists never put a comma before the “and” at the end of a series of items. That means you write “parsley, sage and rosemary” — not “parsley, sage, and rosemary”. I’ve noticed most people have stopped using the so-called Oxford comma.I didn’t notice, however, the silliness of the comma before “too” or “though” and similar additions at the end of a sentence. It serves no purpose, and most grammarians insist it should no longer be used.WRONG: I want to write well, too. You make a good point, though.RIGHT: I want to write well too. You make a good point though.<h1 id="bec0">2. It’s almost always “ensure,” not “assure”.</h1>This one is probably just my own little quirk, but I don’t like the word “ensure.” I think “assure” sounds somehow more, uh, assuring. In any case, the two words have different meanings and can’t be used interchangeably.Ensure means to make certain. Assure means to make confident. While I seem to prefer to use the word “assure” most of the time, it’s only correct when you mean that you are telling someone positively or certainly and dispelling all doubts.WRONG: Sign up for my list to assure that you get all the emails.RIGHT: Sign up for my list to ensure that you get all the emails. I assure you that the information is completely correct.<h1 id="7e93">3. Companies are singular, not plural, in America.</h1>I knew that, but either because I watch a lot of British television shows (this rule is different in Britain) or because I’m from Texas where you talk about the neighborhood hardware store as if you were talking about the people there and not the company as

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a whole, I somehow started messing this up.When you mention a company, you use the pronouns “it” and “its” on second reference, not “they”.WRONG: American Airlines is in trouble, and they know it.RIGHT: American Airlines is in trouble, and it knows it.(And that still sounds weird to me, but you can rewrite the sentence in several ways to make it sound better if you can’t tolerate this construction.)<h1 id="4e12">4. Using “that” isn’t such a bad thing.</h1>As I said, I was trained as a journalist by professors who insisted on eliminating as many unnecessary words as possible. The word “that” was one that they specifically mentioned as often being useless when introducing a phrase or clause. Sentences just sound better if you eliminate thats at every opportunity.There’s only one problem with this idea: It isn’t correct.The Associated Press Stylebook — the bible for journalistic writing — lists out rules for when “that” is required. And then it says something astonishing to me: If in doubt, use it anyway. It never hurts to use it, the book says.WRONG: The procedure improves circulation so the skin regains its normal color.RIGHT: The procedure improves circulation so that the skin regains its normal color.I hope these tips are useful to you as you pursue making money as a writer. In my humblest of opinions, it’s the best full-time home working opportunity available.Being a professional writer isn’t about being perfect. It’s about getting a little better with every sentence you write — even if you’re writing those sentences for content mills like Textbroker.</article></body>

4 Important Grammar Lessons I Learned (Or Maybe Relearned) From Textbroker’s Editors

Good grammar is never a bad thing

I’m a professionally trained journalist and writer with a communication degree from the University of Texas at Arlington, so I know how to write. I really do. But preferences change through the years, and quite honestly, we sometimes get rusty and forget a few rules.

I’ve also made thousands of dollars through the years writing for Textbroker, a low-paying content mill with an ugly website. For a while, it was a good source of income for me — until I decided to move up to bigger, better things that would offer me a bit more fulfillment. Now, I use Textbroker as a tool for some extra cash when I need or want it.

Textbroker’s editors are much maligned because of their inconsistent rulings and arbitrary decisions, and based on my experience, those criticisms are completely justified. Still, you can learn from imperfect teachers.

I learned — or maybe really relearned — some important grammar lessons from Textbroker editors that have helped improve my writing. You might be making the same mistakes I was. Here are 4 grammar lessons that Textbroker’s inconsistent editors managed to teach me:

1. That comma before “too” and “though” at the end of a sentence is so outdated.

I was taught to write as a journalist. And since newspaper columns are narrow, journalists don’t waste characters. That means journalists never put a comma before the “and” at the end of a series of items. That means you write “parsley, sage and rosemary” — not “parsley, sage, and rosemary”. I’ve noticed most people have stopped using the so-called Oxford comma.

I didn’t notice, however, the silliness of the comma before “too” or “though” and similar additions at the end of a sentence. It serves no purpose, and most grammarians insist it should no longer be used.

WRONG: I want to write well, too. You make a good point, though.

RIGHT: I want to write well too. You make a good point though.

2. It’s almost always “ensure,” not “assure”.

This one is probably just my own little quirk, but I don’t like the word “ensure.” I think “assure” sounds somehow more, uh, assuring. In any case, the two words have different meanings and can’t be used interchangeably.

Ensure means to make certain. Assure means to make confident. While I seem to prefer to use the word “assure” most of the time, it’s only correct when you mean that you are telling someone positively or certainly and dispelling all doubts.

WRONG: Sign up for my list to assure that you get all the emails.

RIGHT: Sign up for my list to ensure that you get all the emails. I assure you that the information is completely correct.

3. Companies are singular, not plural, in America.

I knew that, but either because I watch a lot of British television shows (this rule is different in Britain) or because I’m from Texas where you talk about the neighborhood hardware store as if you were talking about the people there and not the company as a whole, I somehow started messing this up.

When you mention a company, you use the pronouns “it” and “its” on second reference, not “they”.

WRONG: American Airlines is in trouble, and they know it.

RIGHT: American Airlines is in trouble, and it knows it.

(And that still sounds weird to me, but you can rewrite the sentence in several ways to make it sound better if you can’t tolerate this construction.)

4. Using “that” isn’t such a bad thing.

As I said, I was trained as a journalist by professors who insisted on eliminating as many unnecessary words as possible. The word “that” was one that they specifically mentioned as often being useless when introducing a phrase or clause. Sentences just sound better if you eliminate thats at every opportunity.

There’s only one problem with this idea: It isn’t correct.

The Associated Press Stylebook — the bible for journalistic writing — lists out rules for when “that” is required. And then it says something astonishing to me: If in doubt, use it anyway. It never hurts to use it, the book says.

WRONG: The procedure improves circulation so the skin regains its normal color.

RIGHT: The procedure improves circulation so that the skin regains its normal color.

I hope these tips are useful to you as you pursue making money as a writer. In my humblest of opinions, it’s the best full-time home working opportunity available.

Being a professional writer isn’t about being perfect. It’s about getting a little better with every sentence you write — even if you’re writing those sentences for content mills like Textbroker.