What's the big issue with using contractions especially in narratives? Maybe I'm just getting old and this is a fairly recent development in writing & grammar circles, but I've used contractions all my life without incident until I began writing MS reports. All of a sudden, I'm getting dinged on my correct usage of the English Language?! My high school teachers taught the use of contractions. My college professors never corrected my use of contractions. I've written countless proposals, reports, briefings, deliverables, etc. all using the mighty contraction without so much as a peep from layers of editors. Lately, I've been getting dinged left and right for using contractions, but only by certain MSC while others give my reports 10's.

What rock have I been living under all these years...lol!

P.S No words were harmed during the construction of this post. All missing letters were given the evening off with pay....

There is always some editorial wrinkle to deal with. As a general thing in writing narrative I try to stay away from commas and contractions. That way nobody can get bent out of shape.

For a while there was one editorial crew that was upset by two spaces after the period. It was their assertion that only one was needed. That certainly was not how I was taught to type back in school. I have not heard of that issue lately.

Then there are some companies that do not want you to break your narrative into paragraphs because your comments might get lost out of the bottom of the narrative block. Meanwhile other companies want you to use proper paragraph form.

There are companies that want you to write in all capital letters as though you were screaming.

when i start my msp it will be in the ee cummings style with all narrative in lower case.

@Flash wrote:

when i start my msp it will be in the ee cummings style with all narrative in lower case.

fantastic idea

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/26/2015 08:32PM by OceanGirl.

@msimon-2000 wrote:

What's the big issue with using contractions especially in narratives? Maybe I'm just getting old and this is a fairly recent development in writing & grammar circles, but I've used contractions all my life without incident until I began writing MS reports. All of a sudden, I'm getting dinged on my correct usage of the English Language?! My high school teachers taught the use of contractions. My college professors never corrected my use of contractions. I've written countless proposals, reports, briefings, deliverables, etc. all using the mighty contraction without so much as a peep from layers of editors. Lately, I've been getting dinged left and right for using contractions, but only by certain MSC while others give my reports 10's.

What rock have I been living under all these years...lol!

P.S No words were harmed during the construction of this post. All missing letters were given the evening off with pay....

I do sympathize.

I'm not sure if this is a recent development or not, as I'm new to mystery shopping. However, practically as soon as my teachers had taught me how to write contractions, they began to say, "Don't use them in formal writing!" This probably started about 25-26 years ago, and if it makes any difference, I went to private schools and was always in advanced Reading and Literature classes. I think that the basic idea was that the teachers wanted us to know how to use contractions, but also when to avoid them.

Many clients and many MSCs do not want to see contractions. Others don't mind them, and some may even prefer them. Whether or not we get dinged for them varies by editor, to a certain extent.

Additionally, I would suspect that since the English language and even publication rules have become substantially less rigid and formal over the last few decades, the MSCs have probably become MORE accepting of contractions. Some of the punctuation rules used in academic and publication circles have changed since I was a child, as well. I think I might possibly understand why a few of these rules have shifted, but it can still be sort of a hassle. I wouldn't sweat it too much, though. If you consistently write well and the MSCs know it, they'll likely get off your back eventually. However, if you can do so without driving yourself bonkers, it's a good idea to at least gradually get a comfortable understanding of what the MSCs and clients will or won't accept in the narratives.

OceanGirl,

Thanks for your insights. I don't let this stuff bother me, life is way too short for that! I've always tried to be a life-long learner and have always tried to adapt to changes. Like Flash, I was taught two spaces after a period. Then in the 90's, one space became in vogue. Then back to two spaces.

Some days I feel like eggs are good for me and other days I'm told they're bad....lol! That's kinda how writing styles for each MSC feel at times.

One space is actually correct, not two. It's not what's en vogue it's the official rules of typesetting. It has to do with the size of letters. Originally an i took up as much horizontal space as a w. There were large amounts of white space between letters and two spaces made it easier to read. Now that typefaces don't have that problem there should only be one space.

Notice there are two in this posting.
If they ever try to go after my Oxford comma I will shoot them.

I used to be an English teacher. The rules change much more often than you would expect. I still have trouble with one space after a comma (It does not look correct to me). However, that is the appropriate way to do it these days.

I ain't afraid to use a contraction. Y'all han't seen an editor needn't edit one out. You're over reacting.

Contractions are acceptable for informal writing. But one should not use them in formal writing. They're fine in advertising copy but not in a client proposal, for example. That's not a "new" rule; honest! (Trust me. I'm a professional copywriter, and have been taught that rule since the 1960s, including in all of my English and writing classes!). Sometimes MSC report guidelines state not to use contractions. Best to train yourself to not use them in any of your reports, regardless of company. Then you won't get dinged on that!



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 09/26/2015 12:45PM by BirdyC.

@BirdyC wrote:

Contractions are acceptable for informal writing. But one should not use them in formal writing. They're fine in advertising copy but not in a client proposal, for example. That's not a "new" rule; honest! (Trust me. I'm a professional copywriter, and have been taught that rule since the 1960s, including in all of my English and writing classes!). Sometimes MSC report guidelines state not to use contractions. Best to train yourself to not use them in any of your reports, regardless of company. Then you won't get dinged on that!

This is true. However, it is unfortunate that we sometimes still get dinged when using contractions as part of direct quotes from auditees. If the project guidelines specifically request an exact quote, then the rule about contractions should be relaxed, in my opinion.

To be fair, I've had enough experience editing to know that these kinds of things are still sometimes missed even by incredibly talented people. It's like the editing equivalent of a person accidentally missing a turn while driving a route they know very well, or a computer expert having trouble with data entry for a few seconds before realizing that they had accidentally hit Caps Lock. Even some of the oldest publications from extremely respected publishers will have occasional errors. Additionally, the higher-ups and/or the MSC may have specified to the editors that they prefer formal language. It's the client's right to do that, but exact quote does mean exact quote, and there should not be a policy of docking points for following instructions.

I do have sympathy for editors. Their hands are sometimes tied in these situations, and others may simply be new to the MSCs or clients for which they're editing. One could almost do an entire parody of 'Let It Go' based on editorial mistakes and inconsistent style guidelines.

@msimon-2000 wrote:

OceanGirl,

Thanks for your insights. I don't let this stuff bother me, life is way too short for that! I've always tried to be a life-long learner and have always tried to adapt to changes. Like Flash, I was taught two spaces after a period. Then in the 90's, one space became in vogue. Then back to two spaces.

Some days I feel like eggs are good for me and other days I'm told they're bad....lol! That's kinda how writing styles for each MSC feel at times.

You're welcome, and I hope that you get the egg thing settled.

Oh, definitely, when quoting someone, if he or she used contractions, the writer should as well. That's correct, and a shopper shouldn't be marked down. But I can see that if an editor is in a hurry, he or she might miss that. Maybe the thing to do, then, is when quoting someone verbatim and there's a contraction within the quote, use [sic] after it to alert the editor. Not exactly how I'd use [sic], but it calls out that you know it's not acceptable in a report, but that you're using it because you're quoting someone. (Although based on some of the editorial comments I've seen in reports, some editors might not know what the notation means....)

I am currently taking College Composition. Our Professor explained that the MLA style does not allow the use of contractions and my Professor does not allow us to use contractions in our papers.

The Associated Press Style Manual also specifies not to use contractions unless in a direct quote.

Yep, contractions are for informal writing. I learned that way back in elementary school (long, long ago in a decade when innocence still ruled the world). Many standards are relaxed in today's world, though. I was dinged for contractions in some of my first reports. It's pretty much settled in my brain again, though, but my natural inclination is to use them. I've also been a victim of one versus two spaces. Some MSCs want one and some want two. Frankly, I do two as a natural state and let them ding me. I just cannot keep track of which MSCs want what as regards to the spacing issue (unless they stick it in the guidelines as a reminder which few do).

I thank everyone for your insights and experience! I am quickly realizing that I must be one of the students who fell through the proverbial cracks in our system when it came to the proper usage of contractions. It is stunning to find out that all those teachers, professors, and editors I have worked with over the years simply corrected my errors without mentioning my oversight directly to me.

I completed two reports yesterday, both of which were fairly narrative heavy, and I really struggled with avoiding contractions. It got to the point that my writing composition, creativity, and flow were disrupted noticeably as I attempted to compose quality narratives for these clients. This new style change, minor as it is, will take some getting used to on my end. However, contrary to the popular saying, I DO believe you can teach an old dog new tricks...

I am one of those writers who reads my work aloud in my head as I write and I definitely noticed the missing contractions made my writing seem clunky and 'off' just a bit...at least to me.

The funny part about this is I received mostly 10s with a handful of 9s mixed in for all the shops I have done, complete with my liberal usage of the evil contraction, and I was living in ignorant bliss. Recently, I received a 9 on a report with the typical 'Great job, your report was very good, ...blah, blah, blah...Please try to avoid the use of contractions in the future...' If it was not for this one particular editor, whom I appreciated greatly, I would have never known about my error.

Funny thing is that I have always been complimented on my writing proficiency my entire life. It is a jagged little pill to swallow finding out that everyone has been blowing sunshine up your butt all these years....

If I remember correctly, all my papers for my Masters degree were in APA format. Contractions were minimal. Same with reports in my military career.

@msimon-2000 wrote:

I am one of those writers who reads my work aloud in my head as I write and I definitely noticed the missing contractions made my writing seem clunky and 'off' just a bit...at least to me.

I'm thinking it and my fingers just do it for me, which is what you are doing I suspect. I have mostly learned to think without the contractions when doing reports. What will really twist my world around is when a report insists that you not use pronouns and you use a special name for yourself, such as 'The Evaluator' or 'The Assessor'. Those reports always get written in Word the way I am thinking it and then I go back and do an edit/replace for every 'he' 'she' 'we' 'they' and ' I ' to make the changes before a final reading.

@bgriffin wrote:

One space is actually correct, not two. It's not what's en vogue it's the official rules of typesetting.

Actually secretaries were taught to put two spaces after the period in the '60's, 70's and '80's. Katie Gibbs is rolling over in her grave right now. Excuse me while I take off my gloves and put away my hat. (Showing my age.)

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/27/2015 06:02PM by Kr.

@Kr wrote:

@bgriffin wrote:

One space is actually correct, not two. It's not what's en vogue it's the official rules of typesetting.

Actually secretaries were taught to put two spaces after the period in the '60's, 70's and '80's. Katie Gibbs is rolling over in her grave right now. Excuse me while I take off my gloves and put away my hat. (Showing my age.)

I think pretty much everybody who took typing in school before the 1980s was taught to use two spaces. I know I was! But once electronic typesetting and word-processing took hold, and character spacing could be better adjusted, the standard was changed to one space. Many people still use two, but, officially, the "rule" is now one, and I think all major style guides (Chicago, AP, etc.) advise against two.

When I write reports, I don't use contractions unless it's a direct quote. When I chat on this forum, I use them. When I first starting participating on the forum in early 2010 I started right off with my normal use of contractions in informal text. It didn't take long for someone to point out that contractions aren't appropriate in our posts because we are trying to make a professional impression or some such drivel. I thought their pointing out that contractions weren't appropriate was extremely inappropriate. Anyway, I am not impressed by the grammar police no matter how gently they put it or where they put it.

Yeah, man Waddup widdat?!?!?

This is a little off topic but still under grammar and punctuation.
I learn something new all the time. I am a volunteer for Make a Wish, currently I have a wish child, her name is Alexis. Her wish is getting lots of press and we are printing invitations, however, I was always taught that if the last letter is S then you just put an apostrophe after the last letter rather then an extra s for possession. Alexis' wish. However, the family said they want Alexis's wish and pulled up some internet sites that say that both ways are accepted. I sent off this invitation to the printer, the printer changed all the Alexis's back to Alexis' came back and said they made a correction for me. I had to call and tell them that it was both accepted and that the family prefers the original spelling. For the longest time I always thought it was Texas', Alexis' etc. Always learning..

I was taught 2 spaces after a period too, and still follow that rule!

I think the world has just gotten sloppy. It is Alexis' and not Alexis's, just like it's is possessive for it is and its implies ownership (don't know what word to use). Lately, I've seen lots of its when it should be it's and vice versa. We're just lazy now in learning. That's my point of view, anyway.

@Orrymain wrote:

I think the world has just gotten sloppy. It is Alexis' and not Alexis's, just like it's is possessive for it is and its implies ownership (don't know what word to use). Lately, I've seen lots of its when it should be it's and vice versa. We're just lazy now in learning. That's my point of view, anyway.

I HATE it when I see the it's/its confusion. It makes me crazy. I don't understand what's so difficult to understand about "it's" being the contraction for "it is." Do people graduate from school and promptly forget everything they ever learned about grammar?

As to Alexis' vs. Alexis's, Alexis's is correct. There's always been a lot of debate about it, but either is acceptable. I think some style guides make a distinction that one is used when the preceding sound is one thing, and the other when the preceding sound is another. I can't recall the specifics. When I worked for a university in its publication department, our in-house style guide used the s's as our official guideline.

Ultimately, what is correct now is not how it was in the past. Things change and I think it's more from that we give up than anything else. When I was in school, it was definitely Alexis' and woe be the student who wrote Alexis's. :}

English keeps evolving. One tendency is to regularize irregular verbs. Here are some which have changed since I was in school (the old form is still acceptable, but often labeled as archaic). Some of the regularized verbs are more commonly used than others. Dreamed instead of dreamt. Lighted instead of lit. Creeped instead of crept. Dwelled instead of dwelt. Kneeled instead of knelt. Leaned instead of leant. Mowed instead of mown. Pleaded instead of pled. Sawed instead of sawn. Sheared instead of shorn. Showed instead of shown. Smelled instead of smelt. Speeded instead of sped. Spilled instead of spilt. Spoiled instead of spoilt. As I typed these, it was interesting to see which showed up as being misspelled. The spell checker accepted both lighted and lit as well as showed and shown and the smelled and smelt pair, otherwise one of each pair was marked as incorrect. There are others, including this one which might not be allowed to be shown here: shitted instead of shat.

So too the change from two spaces after a period (full stop) to just one. As several people have pointed out, that was due to the arrival of proportional spacing in typography.

I remember it was 6th grade when they started teaching 'new' math and English. My grades for English dropped from low A's and high B's to barely holding a C average. I have continually had problems with my writing skills since then and it's been a solid 40 years.

I have learned to take advice from some excellent editors and my schedulers, to learn the writing style preferred by the companies I evaluate. Keeping that straight is difficult.

As a general rule, I try not to use contractions and avoid commas. Sometimes it can't be done.

My advice is don't sweat it. There is only one shop I refuse to do under any circumstances, because no matter how I write the narrative; I cannot get past the editor. It is a shame because it's only fifty feet from another shop I do twice a month. It is a low pay shop. I would rather get back on my route for a higher paying gig.

@MA Smith wrote:

I remember it was 6th grade when they started teaching 'new' math and English. My grades for English dropped from low A's and high B's to barely holding a C average. I have continually had problems with my writing skills since then and it's been a solid 40 years.

I have learned to take advice from some excellent editors and my schedulers, to learn the writing style preferred by the companies I evaluate. Keeping that straight is difficult.

As a general rule, I try not to use contractions and avoid commas. Sometimes it can't be done.

My advice is don't sweat it. There is only one shop I refuse to do under any circumstances, because no matter how I write the narrative; I cannot get past the editor. It is a shame because it's only fifty feet from another shop I do twice a month. It is a low pay shop. I would rather get back on my route for a higher paying gig.

I'm curious, MA Smith. Why would you try to avoid commas? When commas are needed and left out, clarity is compromised. As a professional editor and proofreader myself (not for MSCs), I've done some jobs lately that have frustrated the hell out of me because there were so many commas missing. I had to keep putting them back in to make the sentences clear. Have you had editors mark you down on commas, or comment on them? It would be interesting to know if some companies' editors dislike them!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/28/2015 10:57PM by BirdyC.

ACL seems to prefer a comma-less existence except when there are quotes involved. When I write for them I definitely will avoid a series such as red, white, and blue. (Now some consider the comma after white unnecessary though my preference is to keep separate *red* *white* *blue* because without the comma it could be read as *red* *white and blue*.)