#WordlessWednesday Playtime
#TipTuesday Commas 101
Ah, the lovely comma. Commas can be used in a variety of settings, but today we’re going to talk about conjoining two thoughts. We have sentences made of clauses. Clauses can be independent, forming a complete sentence, or dependent, needing more information to stand on its own. When we have two independent clauses, we can join them using a comma and a conjunction — forming a compound sentence. For example:
“We went out for pizza, and we had a great time.”
Both clauses could stand alone as separate sentences, but we’re trying to get across the point that the great time was had while going out for pizza. Here’s another:
“After work, we went out for pizza.”
The clause “after work” is an example of a dependent clause (among other things, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves yet). We’re telling the reader when we went out for pizza, but we’re not expressing a complete statement about it.
Then we have compound predicates — sentences with one subject and more than one verb. Many writers make the mistake of using a comma before every conjunction, but this is grammatically unsound. For example:
“We went out for pizza, and had a great time.”
See what I did there? I deleted the second subject, so now the second clause isn’t a complete sentence. Both “went” and “had” are attached to the first “we.” Corrected, the sentence should look like this:
“We went out for pizza and had a great time.”
Feel free to practice on your own. Create sentences, and play around with the structure. You’ll have your commas down in no time!
#MotivationMonday Nurture Check-Up
It’s been about a month since I reviewed how my word nurture has been shaping my 2015. Let’s review…
How has it been supporting you? What could you do to bring more of your word into your life? Do you need extra supporting words? What does your heart need?
The word nurture has been supporting me as I consider what would nurture me before making decisions. So far I’ve had a few more slip-ups than I’d prefer, but I also realize that beginnings are always a little difficult. Babies learning how to move don’t start running right from the start — they have to sit up, roll over, scoot, crawl, stand, and take baby steps before they get that far. Instead of treating this as a failure, I’m treating it is a natural process. It will take practice to get all the right choices to come naturally.
I have found nourish to be a supporting word, as the two mean almost the same thing. Rest and relax help me remember that sometimes I just need to take the time to stop what I’m doing, listen to my body, and remember that I’ve been emptying my reserves for two years. I need to replenish myself. My heart needs me to take care of myself and my loved ones. It needs me to love and feel loved. It needs happiness and peace. It needs me to feel motivated.
#TipTuesday Introduction
Welcome to Tip Tuesday! As a writer and English tutor, I’d like to share some tips to help you with your own writing. When I’m not participating in or hosting a prompt series, I’ll be sharing a tip each Tuesday. Here’s today’s tip: always reread your work. The quickest way to correct your work is by reviewing it. I have found errors in papers and articles over the years that could have been caught by the writer even before submitting it for review.
#MotivationMonday
With Cultivate 2015 behind me, I’ve got a blank canvas ahead of me. For the last two years I’ve been depleting my energy and motivation, and it’s time to get those precious things back. I’m ready to embark on a 91-day declutter challenge (let’s see how that works with my moving schedule), and I’m about two weeks away from starting a Lenten fast. In 2013, I didn’t do anything because I was already being tested and stretched. Last year, I made an attempt to reset my digestive tract, but I crumbled on day 1 due to the stress of my life at the time. This year I’m mentally prepared to quit processed foods for at least the duration, eat plants like it’s my job, and try to rebuild my strength and energy the old fashioned way — eating healthy. Caffeine has been a crutch for far too long, and I’m feeling the negative side effects after completely abusing coffee. So, I’m looking forward to treating my body with a lot more respect and hoping it will reward me in kind.
Stop by tomorrow to see what else I’ve been motivated to begin…
