English grammar is chock full of rules and more often than not many of us tend to get overly enthusiastic with descriptions. When this occurs, grammar check programs will not always pick these out and what remains is English grammar redundancy.

Chances are you won’t have to read far into a newspaper story or magazine article to discover grammar check is not foolproof. Recent examples I discovered in mainstream media include: "adequate enough," "coupled together with," and "an army soldier."

Sometimes explanatory constructions are required in certain contexts. One can make reference to a Mafia soldier; but if the context is the news story about a war, the reader understands the meaning of "solider" without adding on "army."

Besides sounding silly, proper English grammar is lacking because the meaning is replicated and it weakens the expressiveness of the language. Conducting a manual grammar check to ensure the use of proper English grammar is essential.

Other common redundant combinations that have appeared in mainstream news recently include:

• Progress forward
• Forest of trees
• Evacuated out
• Speeding too fast
• Charred black
• Cold refrigerator
• Socialize together
• Two twin towers
  

The main purpose of copy editing is to ensure text is ready  for publishing.  Too many people become reliant on their word processor’s  spelling and grammar check  feature and use only this as a means of conducting a final check.  For an educated copy editor, there are other factors that are crucial to ensure that text reads well.

Consistency throughout a document is essential to credibility. There may be no spelling mistakes and the grammar check looks great, but information or details that are not consistent where they should be will make that document look unprofessional.

Print or online publications, as well as website owners that care about quality ensure that all their content has been thoroughly edited.

Copy editors check that factual information is presented professionally and any incorrect fact, they will correct. Other items that copy editors look for include:

• Concise and eloquent text.
• Grammatical errors.
• Confusing information.
• Inconsistent internal facts.
• "COPS" – Capitalization, omissions, punctuality and spelling.
  

Copy editors are the gateway to the final product. Hiring a copy editor is truly an investment in your business.

Copywriters often make simple errors that spell unprofessionalism. There are times when professional copywriters will slightly bend grammar rules in order to effectively communicate a message. Some copywriters routinely end sentences with prepositions, dangle a modifier or abuse the ellipsis when an EM dash is the right choice.

These may seem trivial to many people; correct choices of words will influence someone’s opinion of your credibility when viewing content on your website. Some of today’s most common errors are the same as they were decades ago.

There – They’re – Their
'There' is commonly used in a variety of ways: Let's go there; There is always hope; etc.
'Their' is a plural possessive pronoun: It's their house; Sometimes their opinions differ to ours; etc.
'They’re' is a contraction for 'they are': They’re going to the movies later; They're going the wrong way; etc.

Your – You're
'Your' is a possessive pronoun: This is your car; Your house needs cleaning; etc.
'You’re' is a contraction for 'you are': You're making a mess; When you're finished; etc.

 Its – It’s

'Its' is a possessive pronoun: The tree lost its leaves; The car regained its shine; etc.  
'It’s' is a contraction for it is or it has: It's a sunny day; When it's finished; etc.

Affect – Effect
'Affect' is a verb: Your ability to write well will affect your image; The weather affects our moods; etc.
'Effect' is a noun: The effect of global warming is unknown; The effect of poor nutrition is upsetting; etc.

If you are seeking copywriting services, be sure the writer is well-educated in the English language and possesses a sound knowledge of proper grammar rules.
 

There is a very important reason to take time when proofreading your work – your reputation. No matter what profession you are in, you will be judged and possibly condemned if the work you produce is riddled with errors.

A proofreader, whether it be yourself, a colleague or sourced out, is an important element in producing the final product. There is a well-known fact that states it is much easier to notice writing errors in work other than your own. This is why proofreading services are popular even for students wanting to ensure their essays are well-written.

When proofreading, take nothing for granted because unconscious mistakes are easy to make. Most errors in written work are made unconsciously. Research indicates there are two sources of unconscious errors:

• Inaccurate information from your kinesthetic memory. If you have always misspelled a word, you will unconsciously misspell it again.
• A split-second of inattention.
  

Proofreading Tips:

• Always doubt what you are reading to help catch the errors.
• Read slowly, and word-for-word what is on the paper (or monitor); and be sure to read it out loud. Catching errors is much easier when you read your work out loud.  Silent reading does not promote positive results.
• Proofread more than once. There are professional proofreaders who ritually read work five times and even on the fifth time, may still catch an error.
• Never trust word processing spelling and grammar checks 100%! This is essential. Spelling and grammar may come clean buy simple typos will not get caught! This is a great tool but by no means can it do the job of a real person! 
• Last but not least, print out what you want to have proofed. More often than not, getting away from the monitor and reading your work on paper, in another room is an amazing tool that helps to effectively proofread!

The Internet is a vast warehouse of information and article writing is a tremendous way to share not only information about your business, but topics related to your business. When seeking article writing services it is essential to ask if all sources will be cited in the article that you’re paying for. After all, when sources are not cited, it diminishes credibility.

Many article writing services do not provide the sources they used and this can put you in a precarious position when trying to justify what is written. Just because article writing is targeted for a cyber-audience doesn’t mean they deserve information that is not credible.

Website owners today tend to be aggressive in getting fresh content posted on a regular basis so that they fare well in search engine searches. What these websites fail to recognize is that continuous posting of articles defeats the intended purpose when information provided is not sourced. The SEO strategy may be working, but keeping the viewer at the website fails.

For example: "The mortality rate of patients in methadone programs is 1.7 per 1000 patients and most of these deaths occur within the first two weeks of their program."  If a source is not provided at the end of the article or it is re-written to include the source, then this is not reliable information and it holds no weight.  Ideally this should read: "According to the Addiction Centre Toronto, the mortality rate of patients in methadone programs is 1.7 per 1000 patients and most of these deaths occur within the first two weeks of their program."

Article writing services need to provide you with sources otherwise your website will not keep your audience.

In addition, article writing usually contains someone else's information. Citing sources is a form of professional courtesy and responsibility. After all, one must give credit when credit is due. Another factor to consider as well is plagiarism.

When hiring an article writing service you want to ensure that what is written strengthens your credibility.

Editing written work is crucial for any individual or business wanting to look professional. Whether you’re writing a cover letter for your resume, posting content on your web site, or submitting a manuscript to a publisher, you don’t get a second chance to make that first impression. You may have well-crafted content but all your hard work can come to a crashing halt when professional editing services have not been hired.

How can you convince visitors to your web site that you have credibility when content has not been thoroughly checked? Even good writers have a professional editor look over their work when they want to make a solid impression on their target audience. It’s not all about spelling and grammar. A content editor or website editor will check for inconsistent statements, poorly written sentences, ambiguities and weak words. Professional editors also check for consistent formatting.

Word processing software is often used to check for spelling and grammar, but it is a good rule to never place 100% trust in these programs. A word can be typed that is a legitimate word but has no place in the sentence, and spell checkers won’t pick that up.

Professional editing is hard to find. A qualified editor is a person who not only has the education behind them, but has worked as an editor. Ask questions and be sure the person you hire actually has the background to provide professional editing services. Remember, your writing speaks to your level of professionalism and it ultimately can make or break your desired goal.

Aankara Content Writing Services is pleased to announce the expansion of writing services offered. Due to popularity, professional ghostwriting is now available. It isn’t easy to find a ghostwriter who reflects exactly what you want to say and we at Aankara have not only the research and writing skills required that make a ghostwriter successful, but we have the interpersonal skills that are crucial to reflect your tone and style.

Ghostwriting is an artistic craft and just as the artist needs to feel a connection to his or her canvas; you need to feel a connection with your ghostwriter. Writing a book takes time and during this process, there needs to be open communication and trust with your ghostwriter.

Affordable ghostwriting services include but are not limited to: web content, book prefaces, book content and entire books. Prices are not posted on our website as each job is unique, therefore pricing will vary.

Why put off that writing project any longer? Send us a request and we’ll give you a call to discuss how to bring your ideas to fruition!

Strunk and White’s The Elements of Style gets a lot of publicity in articles about writing and deservedly so. This (almost) 100 year old desk-reference book has earned the reputation as being a writer’s best friend.

In 1918, Cornell English Professor William Strunk, wrote The Elements of Style. Strunk’s purpose in writing this reference book was for students to have quick access to the most important elements of English language usage, form, and style. Almost 100 years later, this reference book continues to heavily influence writers.

After Strunk passed away in 1946, essayist E.B. White was approached to augment and edit the guide to appeal to a wider audience. When White passed away in 1985, The Elements of Style was in its third edition.

The current edition has been, according to E.B. White’s stepson Roger Angell, "modestly updated" to include references to word processors and to acknowledge feminist concerns about pronoun usage.

The Elements of Style has grown from Strunk’s original 43 pages to 105, but is still a compact, pocket handbook for the writer on-the-go to common questions.

The guide is arranged in five sections:

• Elementary Rules of Usage
• Elementary Principles of Composition
• A Few Matters of Form
• Words and Expressions Commonly Misused
• An Approach to Style
  

The first four sections are easy to glance through, and the index quickly leads you to the point of grammar you want and there is a 60 word glossary that defines basic terms. The fifth section, "An Approach to Style," provides a useful reminder that there is more to producing distinctive prose than just getting the grammar correct.

The Elements of Style has earned its long popularity as a concise guide to correct English usage. It can provide a writer with the "elements," but "style" arises from the personality of the writer.

Copywriting is an essential element of successful online marketing. The art of copywriting involves strategic writing that promotes a person, product, business, idea or opinion with the prime goal of having the reader take some form of action.

Whether you are looking to sell a product or service or to build traffic by getting other websites to link to yours, you need to use compelling words to grab and connect to your target audience.

In his book, The Copy Workshop Workbook, Bruce Bendinger eloquently writes, "Copywriting is a job. A skilled craft. Verbal carpentry. Words on paper. Scripts to time. And one more thing. Salesmanship." This is an exquisite way to define the art of shaping words.

The term salesmanship does not always refer to the sale of a product when it comes to copywriting. The end goal is that you want the reader to take a specific action and the action may be clicking on a link, subscribing to your newsletter, sharing your page to Facebook, StumbleUpon, Twitter or other social media. Any of those actions results in achieving your goals.

Successful copywriting follows a time-proven formula, AIDA. This is an acronym that means Attention, Interest, Desire and Action. Direct mail copywriters have been following this formula for years, however, the copy writer must still have a creative flare that draws on the power of persuasion.

Attention: grab the reader’s attention through words and graphics – create emotion.

Interest: Obviously the reader is at your website for a reason – there is some interest in your product or service – secure that interest.

Desire: Carefully crafted words will increase the reader’s desire to stay on your website. Transforming facts into enticing words into an exciting language that heightens the reader’s interest is important.

Action: The reader needs enough motivational cause to take the desired action. At this stage of copywriting, the reader has all the information needed and the interest has peaked - this is the "bringing it home" moment.

Your website is your avenue to financial success and professionally-crafted "AIDA" copywriting is essential in “bringing it home.”

For more information visit our copywriting page.

Perseverance is a life-long learning skill. Every day new challenges and struggles intersect with our life and it's perseverance that gets us through those intersections so we can continue down the highway.

The best things in life usually come to those who persevere. Rewards are in abundance when we work hard and earn a promotion, further our education, and the rewards especially come to those who are determined to get through a personal tragedy or illness. Those good things are delivered on the plate of perseverance.

Published writers understand this plight. Succeeding at becoming a part or full time writer takes many years to achieve. Rejection is part of a writer’s job description. Too many talented writers give up their goals too soon because they allow those rejections to negate their faith.

Perseverance is commitment, hard work, patience, endurance and having fortitude.It's about bearing difficulties with great stress management techniques and having a touch of obsessive compulsive disorder.

Perseverance Hall of Fame:

• Beethoven was deaf.
• Ray Charles is blind.
• Thomas Edison had learning disabilities.
• Terry Fox was a runner who was an amputee living with cancer.
• James Earl Jones was a stutterer.
• Helen Keller was deaf and blind.
• Stephen Hawking, world-famous physicist has Lou Gehrig's disease.
• Albert Einstein had learning disabilities.
• Vincent Van Gogh was mentally ill.
• Franklin D. Roosevelt was paralyzed from polio.
• Martin Luther King Jr. led the civil rights movement.
  

Perseverance Quotes:

“I may not be there yet, but I'm closer than I was yesterday.” Unknown Author.

“Don't be afraid to give your best to what seemingly are small jobs. Every time you conquer one it makes you that much stronger. If you do the little jobs well, the big ones will tend to take care of themselves.” Dale Carnegie.

“When you come to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on.” Franklin D. Roosevelt.

“It's not that I'm smart, it’s just that I stay with problems longer.” Albert Einstein.

“Saints are sinners who kept on going.” Robert Louis Stevenson.

“Don't be discouraged. It's often the last key in the bunch that opens the lock.” Author Unknown.

“Keep on going, and the chances are that you will stumble on something, perhaps when you are least expecting it. I never heard of anyone ever stumbling on something sitting down.” Charles F. Kettering.

How to Persevere:

1. Identify your goals. As a writer, setting goals as simple as learn a new word every day is knowledge in the bank.
2. Plot your journey. Educate yourself on all the various ways to work toward achieving your goals.
3. Pack for your journey. What do you need on your journey to attaining your writing goals? Be sure to pack emotional ammunition as well as the material items you'll need to succeed.
4. Take the first step. Examine the markets, research publications, prepare your query letters and write! Failure is truly guaranteed if this first step is not taken.If you fall down, pick yourself up and keep going. After all, if you trip and fall in your home, you get up and you keep going.
5. If you fall down many times over, you may want to re-look at the map you created to get to your goals. Asking for directions is not a sign of weakness; it can help to get you to your destination much faster.