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Understanding CP Style

1/29/2013

What you should know about CP Style...

1. Quotations
a. “It’s period/ quote and not quote/ period. “
Look in newspapers and you will always see."

b. Capitalize the first word in a quotation when it forms a complete thought.
Example:
"No matter what you say," he said. ""I will go."

2. Punctuation
a. Understand how to use commas, semi colons, colons and especially apostrophes. Review singular and plurals and possessives.

3. Titles
a. Do not use Mr./Ms. in first or subsequent reference.

4. Spell proper names as they are
a. Bar Harbour, Maine, not Bar Harbour
b. Lincoln Center, New York City, not Lincoln Centre
c. U.S. Secretary of Labor, not Labour
d. Don’t mix Canadian and U.S. spelling in one sentence: one wouldn't say U.S. Defence Secretary met with Canadian Minister of Defense…in this instance, CP style would predominate
e. Also spell common names per the individual’s preference—yes, it ’s k.d. lang and ee cummings and Kim Campbell, not Kimberly

5. Avoid caps where possible
a. Capitalize all proper names, trade names, government departments and agencies, names of associations, clubs, religions, languages, nations, races, places and addresses.
b. For example: white and black are colours, not races; Caucasian and African-Canadian are correct. (This may not be politically correct).
c. Medical references enjoy persistent capitals: Fallopian tube, Achilles tendon
d. Be careful with newspaper names: it ’s the New York Times, the Toronto Star, no initial capitalization
e. Former titles are generally not capitalized: the late governor general Roméo Leblanc, not former Gov. Gen etc.

6. Numbers and figures
a. Check figures very carefully. One decimal point can be disastrous
b. Percentages can throw off copy and be misleading—increases from one number to another may be prefer red. “Sales increased from $100 to $150, or 50 per cent. (Percent is two words).

7. Sports
a. Familiar league names are abbreviated in first reference. NHL or CFL, not National Hockey League (NHL)
b. City names are singular while team names are plural. The Toronto Maple Leafs play in Air Canada Centre, while Toronto “plays” in Air Canada, etc.
c. The series is singular: The Stanley Cup final, not finals

8. Front Loading
a. “The Minister of External Affairs said today in a news conference that he was adding six new consular officials in Iraq” is ghastly.
Correct way is: "Six new consular officials will be added in Iraq, the Minister of External Affairs said today."
b. Bring the news out first.

9. Time
a. Try to make it fall naturally – as it would in speech
b. In the above example, imagine this:
i. The Minister today said
ii. The Minister said today

10. That and Which
a. That is used when the clause is “essential to the noun it defines.” “The movie that played at Square One.”
b. Which clauses give a reason or add a new element and are over used. If it can be set off by a comma, it probably requires “which.”The Hangover, which just opened at the Yorkdale Cinema…

11. Who and Whom
a. Whom is becoming archaic in spoken language and is t rending that way in written speech;when it can’t be avoided, use it correctly
b. Separate sentence to check which is which
i. Who can be replaced by he, she and they
ii. Whom favour s him, her and them
iii. Who is a subject;Whom is an object (to whom)

12. Abbreviations
a. When in doubt, spell it out. Notable acronyms are permissible—GST but not provinces: it ’s B.C., not BC
c. In first reference, use U.S., not U.S.A or USA

13. Everyday words
a. About, not approximately
b. Met, not held a meeting
c. Instructor or teacher , not resource person

14. Canadian Spelling – is also fading away but not entirelya. Programme, tyre and gynaecologist are out but manoeuvre and cheque are in
b. “our”words ar e in: labour, favour and honour etc. Believe it or not , until 1998 “labor”was CP style but the population –and schools – taught ‘our.’
c. Double “ll” is also CP style: counsellor, travelled
d. It’s now criticize and rationalize—one exception is analyse

15. Over vs. More than
a. They are equivalent

16. Commas
a. Not after the final “and” in a series

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Learn to Write Better

1/29/2013

2 Comments

Anyone can learn to write better—by following these tips.

Executive Summary
Get rid of these three words in your copy:

Your writing will be tremendously improved. Read to see why.

Writing flaws are based on mistakes that individuals make repeatedly. Becoming a
better writer includes eliminating these most common mistakes.

Writing Tips: The Big Five

Eliminate “of” by using apostrophes in possessive clause
“With the assistance of the manager of the home” becomes “With the home manager ’s assistance.” Tip: review the “of” in your copy and change them: ‘The Pride of Canada” becomes “Canada’s Pride.
"Is" can almost always be eliminated
Look at your own sentences and find all the ways you use it. "John is the best person for the job and he will begin his new assignment tomorrow" can be changed to "John, the best person for the job, will begin his new assignment tomorrow."
By: Avoid the passive voice
This is one of the most common mistakes made in writing. Tip: every time you come across the
word ‘by,’ it’s the passive voice. Even the appallingly literal spell check can recognize this. The ball was thrown by John. No: John threw the ball. Rigourously eliminate the word by from your copy.
It's and its
“Its” is the possessive. “It’s” is a contraction. Avoid this mistake.
It and they
Organizations, corporations and institutions take “it” in second references. People and descriptions of groups are they. The Golden Key Center launched "its" fall session – not GKC launched "their" courses. However, “the students of Golden Key Center started their courses.

Click through for some more good tips!

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The Structure of an Article

1/29/2013

20 Comments

With any piece of writing, it is always wise to have a template to guide you. Here is a suggested article template to help you when it comes to structuring your article.

The Title

The title should be catchy, something that will catch the reader’s attention.
It should give the reader a good idea of what the article is about. If a title doesn’t describe the article well, some readers who would have liked it might not read it. It can help to try to figure out what the main idea of your article is, and then try to describe that.
Try to keep the title short.

Don’t use any punctuation in the title.

First sentence and first paragraph

The first sentence should also be catchy. Now that you have someone reading your article you want them to continue to read.
In the first paragraph you should describe what you are writing about, so that the reader knows where the article is going. For example, if you are reviewing an event, tell your reader where it was, who put it on, what it is, when it is, and why you are writing about it. If you are writing about a product, tell your reader where to get it, who makes it, what it is, when it comes out, and why you are writing about it.
Remember, your reader might have never heard about what you are writing about before. Make sure that you give enough details that readers don’t feel confused or in the dark.

Second paragraph

The second paragraph is a good place to start including some quotes. This will make your article more interesting.
Remember, in order to quote someone in your article you should have both their first and last name, so make sure that you ask them what their name is and make sure you have the right spelling.
When you are quoting someone you don’t always have to say what you asked them (question, answer, question, answer, etc.). Instead, you can build the quotes you gathered into your paragraph. For example, you could say, “While kids at the movie were just thinking about having fun, parents were happy to find good value for their money. John Smith, a parent of two, said, ‘This event was a great way to keep my kids busy without paying a fortune’.”

Next paragraphs

The next few paragraphs should add more details about your topic. For example:

Tell some stories about your experience. If you are reviewing a new product, try to tell the reader about your experience using the product. If you are reviewing an event, try to tell the reader something unique that happened.
Use some more quotes. For example, if you are writing about a product, you could interview other customers, employees at a store that sells the product or someone from the company that makes the product.
Try to think about what your reader will be curious about, and then answer the questions you think they would want to ask. For example, if you are writing an article reviewing a craft sale some topics might include: What kind of crafts did you see? Was it busy? Were there a lot of other kids there, or were most of the customers adults? What did other customers have to say about their experience? Did you buy anything, and why or why not? What was most enjoyable about the sale? Was there anything that you would change? What did you find out from people selling their crafts? (For example, how long have they been making their crafts? How long do they take to make? Why did they start making these crafts?) If you brainstorm, you will be able to come up with all sorts of ideas like these!

Conclusion paragraph

In the last paragraph you should sum up what the rest of the article said. To do this, try to think about what the main points are in the article. What do you want the reader to remember?
The goal of the last sentence is will make the reader remember what they have read, so try to think up something catchy.

20 Comments

Interview Techniques

1/29/2013

2 Comments

Good journalism is dependent on a total stranger’s cooperation and participation. Below are some techniques that you might find helpful.

1. Find a good location: avoid to interview at a busy location where you are easily to be interrupted.

2. Prepare Your Goals Ahead: know what you are going to ask and why you are going to ask them. Get an idea of the article you are going to write before going to the interview. Do enough research about the event/ person.

3. Write down your questions: Write down all your questions beforehand and divide them into categories, this will help you to visualize the article better.

4. Work on your flow: Have lists of questions prepared, but let the interview flow naturally instead of trying to "stick to the list." You need to make your interviewee comfortable and ask what you need to know.

5. Think about the medium: you react differently to different mediums (video, audio or print.) If it is for video, let your interview subject speak more and a longer block. Do not interrupt frequently. Smile and nod to acknowledge the topics. For print, you can break down the questions so it is easier for you to record and write, you can acknowledge the topic by replying “yeah”, “uh-huh” etc.

6. Be a little annoying: Don’t be afraid to relentlessly revisit a question or topic that you feel hasn't been properly addressed by the interviewee. Sometimes people need time to warm up to you or a topic, or will respond better if your question is worded differently. Keep trying.

7. Endure awkward silences: It is usually a journalist’s instinct is to keep chattering and asking questions to keep people feeling comfortable, but sometimes, especially when you’re dealing with sensitive subjects, you need to shut up and wait.

8. Ask for what you need: Sometimes you need to be straight forward to ask for what you want. If you missed to write down a quote, just ask them to repeat them. If you want your interviewee to describe a certain scene, just say “I really need you to walk me through the location when this happened.”

9. Don’t forget to ask for your interviewee’s full name, title, and age.

10. Last but not least, another one of the most important tips to remember when interviewing somebody is to ask interesting questions!

Try to not ask “yes” or “no” questions. Try to ask open questions (Who, What, Where, When, Why) that make the person you are interviewing to speak more. The more they speak the more information you will have to write

Example, if you ask an audience at the horse show, “do you like horses?” The answer is likely to be “yes.” Instead, if you ask “Why do you like horses?” You would get a more interesting answer.

General Questions to Ask at an Event

Event Organizer:

Who’s /Which company is the organizer of this event?

Can you tell me a little history about the organizing company or the event?

What makes this event different?

What are some of the excitements/difficulties organizing this event?

Audience:

How did you like the event?

Where are you from?

What was the most interesting thing about the event?

Which part do you think the event could improve?

Have you attended this event before?

What’s different about this year?

Performers:

How did you get involved with this event?

What do you enjoy the most about the event?

What are some of the challenges performing / preparing for the show?

2 Comments

10 Tips for Writing an Article

1/29/2013

6 Comments

1. Before you start writing, brainstorm ideas of what you want to include in your article. Write an outline with these points included, so that when you start writing your draft you will have an idea of what you want to say and in what order.

2. When you are thinking about what to include in the article, try to imagine what the reader will want to know about your topic. For example, if you are writing an article about a new iPod, your reader might be asking themselves questions like: “What makes this iPod different from the last one?”; “What kind of features does it have?”; “Where can I get it and how much is it?”; “Is it worth the money?”; and “When does it come out?”.

3. Try to come up with a strong first sentence. This will be the sentence that convinces the reader that they want to read the rest of the article, so try to catch their attention.

4. Make sure that your paragraphs are not too long, so that the reader does not lose interest.

5. If you can interview someone about your topic, that’s great. Including quotations from different people will make your article more interesting.

6. Include real examples of what you are trying to say. If you like something, why did you like it? Can you tell a story that helps to explain why you feel that way? What makes your experience unique?

7. For articles about community events or new trends, make sure to tell the readers when and where they can enjoy the experience or product – for example, if you are writing about a play you should include when and where it is taking place, or if you are writing about fashion you should include a store where that look can be found.

8. At the end of the article make sure to write one or two concluding sentences. In this conclusion you can summarize what your main points were. A good conclusion is one that will make the reader remember what they just read.

9. Think of a title. Sometimes it can be easier to think of the title last, because you now know exactly what your article is trying to get across. The title should be catchy, to the point, and let the reader know what the article is about.

10. Once you are finished the draft of your article, try reading it out loud to yourself. This will help you catch mistakes, and make sure that the article flows well.

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Understanding CP Style

Learn to Write Better

The Structure of an Article

Interview Techniques

10 Tips for Writing an Article

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