Six Grammar Reminders for Journalism Majors

Six Grammar Reminders for Journalism Majors Just starting out with a  journalistic writing? Youre probably struggling with the insane amount of grammar and spelling rules. English courses are challenging, but theres nothing like mastering the complex art of journalism. Its a whole new world, and its scary out there. Below are six grammar reminders to help you along the way (also you read an article about major rules in journalistic writing). Write these down and keep track of your progress you can even create a grammar journal, if you want to stay ahead of the game. Most students struggle with these changes. If you’re one of them, youre not alone. Lets get started. 1. Use real quotation marks, rather than foot markers Believe it or not, many computers automatically insert foot markers (the measurements of feet and inches) rather than actual quotation marks. This will drive your professors insane, if you dont make alterations before turning in your piece. Fonts like Times New Roman will generate foot markers instead of quotation marks. Youll notice the difference because foot markers are straight lines, rather than curved quotes. Monitor this closely, and mess with the settings on your computer. Sometimes, its just a matter of changing your font. Other times, youll need to make the change manually. 2. Frame your quotes correctly Many college students dont know how to properly format their quotes. Below are a few examples of the wrong format: â€Å"The dog jumped over the moon,† She said. â€Å"the dog jumped over the moon.† she said. â€Å"The dog jumped over the moon†, she said. Okay, let’s just get a few things straight. First of all, the first letter of a quote is always capitalized. Secondly, unless an exclamation point or a question mark are involved, the comma always goes between the last word in the quote and the ending quotation marks. And, finally, the pronoun (in this case â€Å"she†) is always lowercase (unless, of course, it’s a proper noun like â€Å"Julie†). It should really look like this: â€Å"The dog jumped over the moon,† she said. Because so many novelists and essayists allow their work to be published without proper quotation editing, many young writers are confused about how it should look. Journalistically, the method given above is the proper print method. 3. Avoid long, rambling sentences Notice my sentence in the previous section: â€Å"Because so many novelists and essayists allow their work to be published without proper quotation editing, many young writers are confused about how it should look.† This sentence is far too long for a journalistic article. You’d need to say something more like: â€Å"Many novelists publish their work without proper quotation editing. Because of this, young writers are often confused about how it should look.† One long, rambling sentence should become two or three short, succinct sentences. 4. Theyre, Their, and There Let’s quickly review the uses of these three terms. â€Å"Their† involves possession. For example, you might say: â€Å"Their home was beautiful.† â€Å"They’re† is a contraction, meaning â€Å"they are†. For example, you might say: â€Å"They’re going to the beach.† â€Å"There† involves a place or a sense of being. For example, you might say: â€Å"There is a beautiful home by the beach.† You need to be especially careful when using these words in stories, because your editor will explode after two or three transgressions. 5. Than versus Then Another quick review. â€Å"Than† involves a comparison. For example, you might say: â€Å"She likes soda more than milk.† â€Å"Then† involves a sequence, meaning â€Å"next† or â€Å"therefore†. For example, you might say: â€Å"We’re going to the beach, then to the movies.† 6. Effect versus Affect Our final review is one of my personal favorites. I can’t even begin to tell you how many journalism students confuse these two words. â€Å"Effect† means a consequence. It’s a noun, or a thing. For example, you might say: â€Å"Her anxiety was an effect of her previous relationship.† â€Å"Affect† means that something is being â€Å"had†. Or an effect is being made. For example, you might say: â€Å"Her anxiety is affecting her schoolwork.† Most of the time, â€Å"affect† is used as a present-tense verb, or â€Å"affecting†. Usually, this trick helps students remember the difference between the two. When it comes to journalism, professors are extremely picky about the pieces their students turn in, specifically when it comes to grammar and spelling. Using the wrong word too many times can be the difference between moving up and staying where you are on a newspaper staff. Keep this in mind as you take more advanced courses. The most important thing in journalism is professionalism. You’ll need to remember that. Good luck!

Habits and Traits of Rove Beetles, Family Staphylinidae

Habits and Traits of Rove Beetles, Family Staphylinidae Tiny rove beetles are everywhere, yet most people rarely notice these beneficial insects. Rove beetles, which belong to the family Staphylinidae, inhabit a variety of interesting ecological niches, including ant nests, fungi, decaying plant matter, dung, and carrion. What Do Rove Beetles Look Like? Most rove beetles make their living after sunset when they emerge from hiding to pursue insect prey. You’ll find rove beetles by looking in moist environments crawling with maggots, mites, or other even springtails. Some rove beetles react to perceived threats by tipping their abdomens up, as scorpions do, but this gesture is all bark and no bite. Rove beetles can’t sting, but the larger ones can inflict a nasty bite if mishandled. Adult rove beetles rarely top 25 mm in length, and most measure considerably less (under 7 mm or so long). Their elytra are noticeably shortened, though they can fly quite well thanks to functional hindwings tucked carefully underneath. In most rove beetles, you can see several exposed abdominal segments because of this diminished wing structure. Rove beetles have mouthparts modified for chewing, often with long, sharp mandibles that close sideways across the front of the head. Because many species sport a pair of short projections at the end of the abdomen, people often mistake them for earwigs. Rove beetle larvae have elongated bodies and appear slightly flattened when viewed from the side. They’re usually off-white or beige, with a darker head. Like the adults, the larvae often have a pair of projections alongside the tip of the abdomen. How Are Rove Beetles Classified? Kingdom - AnimaliaPhylum - ArthropodaClass - InsectaOrder - ColeopteraFamily - Staphylinidae What Do Rove Beetles Eat? The large family Staphylinidae includes many rove beetle genera with eating habits as diverse as the group. Most rove beetles are predatory as adults and larvae, feeding on other, smaller arthropods. Within the family, however, you’ll find rove beetles that specialize on a diet of fungal spores, others that eat pollen, and still others that feed on the regurgitated food from ants. The Rove Beetle Life Cycle As all beetles do, rove beetles undergo complete metamorphosis. The mated female deposits a cluster of eggs near a source of food for her offspring. Rove beetle larvae typically inhabit moist environments, such as in soil covered by decaying leaf litter. The larvae feed and molt until they are ready to pupate. Pupation occurs in moist leaf litter or the soil. When the adults emerge, they are very active, especially at night. How Do Rove Beetles Behave? Some rove beetles use chemicals in clever ways to their advantage. Those in the genus Stenus, for example, live around ponds and streams, where they can find their favorite prey, springtails. Should a Stenus rove beetle suffer the unfortunate mishap of slipping into the water, it will release a chemical from its hind end which magically lowers the surface tension behind it, effectively thrusting it forward. Paederus beetles defend themselves by emitting the toxic pederin chemical when threatened. More than one entomology student has borne the blisters and burns from handling Paederus rove beetles. And at least one male rove beetle, Aleochara curtula, applies an anti-aphrodisiac pheromone to his female partner, rendering her undesirable to any future suitors. Where Do Rove Beetles Live? Rove beetles inhabit moist environments throughout the world. Though the family Staphylinidae numbers well over 40,000 species worldwide, we still know relatively little about rove beetles. The classification of rove beetles and related groups is ever-changing, and some entomologists estimate that Staphylinids may eventually number well over 100,000. Sources: Borror and DeLong’s Introduction to the Study of Insects, 7th Edition, by Charles A. Triplehorn and Norman F. JohnsonInsects: Their Natural History and Diversity, by Stephen A. MarshallKaufman Field Guide to Insects of North America, by Eric R. Eaton and Kenn KaufmanRove Beetles, by Carol A. Sutherland, Extension and State Entomologist, New Mexico State University, accessed November 28, 2011