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Better English 101
Tips For Communicating Better
Vol. I, No. 14 ISSN 1939-5795
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In this issue
-- QUICK REVIEW, COMMON MISTAKES
-- INTRODUCTIONS YOU CAN USE
-- BEHIND THE SCENES

Here it is the eve of my anniversary and I'm working on yet another newsletter issue.

Do you mind if I make it short and sweet (no pun intended)?

Why don't we start with some of the unique statements of love handed out over the ages? You may be able to borrow some--with your own little twist of course.

"The only way to speak the truth is to speak lovingly."-- Henry David Thoreau
"A loving heart is the truest wisdom."--Charles Dickens
"Whoever loves much, does much."--Thomas A Kempis
"To love is the great Amulet that makes this world a garden."--Robert Louis Stevenson
"He is not a lover who does not love forever."-- Euripides
"At the touch of love every one becomes a poet."--Plato


QUICK REVIEW, COMMON MISTAKES
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At a fast-paced three-day conference on Internet marketing in Anaheim last week, the presenters were both polished and informative.

But of course yours truly was taking notes on the good and the bad of the presentations. One habit stood out often: several (all men) stuck their hands in their pockets now and then. There's something about those darn pockets that attract our hands; maybe the warmth?

And I counted a few mistakes that I have covered before. But they occur so frequently, I thought I'd remind you of them again.

  1. "Proven" is not the past participle; it's "proved."
  2. A person is one individual and can't be referred to as "their."
  3. "To do so" is awkward.
  4. "Myself" can not be a subject.
  5. Very unique? "Unique" can't be modified.
  6. "In regards to" is awkward and stiff.
  7. Equally awkward is "as to."


INTRODUCTIONS YOU CAN USE
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Every speaker knows that she must spend almost as much time on the introduction and closing as she does on the presention itself. You won't see much creativity of approach by our presidential candidates. But before audiences all over the world, the rest of us must forget about the buzz words and hype. We have to get our listeners warmed up and ready for the message.

Here are some phrases to consider after you have just been introduced.

  • After that eloquent introduction, I can hardly wait to hear what I'm going to say.
  • Thank you for that gradious introduction. You read it exactly as I wrote it.
  • As the cow said to the farmer on a cold winter day, "Thanks for the warm hand."
  • As Elizabeth Taylor said to each husband, "I won't keep you long."
  • Before I begin my speech, I have something I would like to say.


BEHIND THE SCENES
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Where did it start--this cliche, this overly used, trite term?

Heck, a few decades ago, I thought it was the perfect phrase as I described in a book proposal how I would get behind the scenes of a major banking institution.

Now every newscaster is promising such delectable revelations. They use this hackneyed phrase to refer to activities that the public can't see.

It originates in seventeenth century French theater, where most of the violence and killings took place. The audience didn't see the man being shot; they heard the gunfire beind the...curtain. It's been used figuratively since, becoming a cliche in the middle of the eighteenth century. And it still is.


Best wishes,
Barry Beckham


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