ISSN:1544-8312		January 31, 2012
Judy Vorfeld, Publisher		Issue 83

Communication Expressway's

eCommunication Food for Thought

A Gentle Blend of CE & Webgrammar's Food for Thought

Judy's Corner

I'm sending this ezine to subscribers of Communication Expressway and Webgrammar's Food for Thought. But this is the last issue of each. Instead, I'm combining them into one 21st century ezine with real, live links and subjects that you are interested in. Two grammar tips and one business email tip. Slight change in categories. And occasionally someone needs help (see below).

Throughout the issue you will find some acronyms that may look strange. That's just me, having fun with some texting lingo, which is an important part of today's culture. "CTO" is replacing "References," and stands for "Check This Out." You have to figure out the one at the end of the issue by yourself.

I'll keep the ezine under the banner of Communication Expressway, so all subscription requests will go there from all my sites. It's going to take some time to iron out all the wrinkles, and the most important part of the process is your feedback. As always, click "Reply" and let me know what works and what doesn't.

Many problems in working with an HTML letter were solved by reading my long-time friend, Will Bontrager's article, Testing HTML Emails Before Sending to List. His is the "go-to" site if you have technical questions about coding. And a big "thanks" to my host, Tiger Tech for helping me get this on the way.

I invite all my Webgrammar subscribers to join us by going to the subscription page or by sending an email to
commexpy-subscribe@ossweb.com

Before I close Judy's Corner, I want to thank Elsbeth Oggert of ItsAnOffice.com for her beautiful repurposing of my Editing and Writing Services website... done in WordPress.

Grammar Tip #1 Continual vs. Continuous

CONTINUOUS (uninterrupted) "Continuous" refers something happening without interruption. Examples: Living near the freeway means listening to continuous road noise from dawn to dusk...I sat watching the continuous flow of water spilling from the top of Multnomah Falls.

CONTINUAL (happening again and again) "Continual" suggests a close, prolonged recurrence, happening again and again (regularly). Examples: Their neighbor's dog barks continually...The red light blinks continually when the train is nearby.

Grammar Tip #2 How do I Abbreviate Et Al.?

According to Chicago Manual of Style, (5.220), you say et al. with a period following "al." This is the abbreviated form of et alii ("and others"); the others are people, not things. Since al. is an abbreviation, use a period. Tip: (6.20) says et al. stands for et alia (neut.), et alii (masculine), and et aliae (feminine). And no need to italicize et al. in normal prose.

Business Email Tip

Why do people use email for business communication? Because it saves time, physical effort, expense, and helps avoid telephone tag. But isn't it an informal way of communicating? Yes. And some people think informal means sloppy. Not so, says Gregg Reference Manual, "business communications are business communications, no matter how they are sent...."

Even if it's okay to write informally, it's smart to remember grammar, usage, and style. If you're writing for yourself on a personal basis, anything goes. If, however, you're writing for an organization, play by its rules. Be aware that anything you write for your business may some day be used in a legal action. Be careful.

HELP! Overseas English Language Coordinator needs to know how to create podcasts: plus how to teach her local-language speaking English teachers to use podcasting for students who miss class and want to hear the lesson and also want to learn to use podcasting to show oral proficiency. All ideas for novices are welcome! Help bring the 21th century to ESL in the Balkans!

How to find Judy's websites

Office Support Services (Original biz site w/blog & ezine)
Editing & Writing Services (Biz site w/writing tips blog)
Webgrammar for educators, writers, editors, researchers, librarians, etc.
Digifeld (Complimentary redigitized photography by Judy Vorfeld)
Judy Vorfeld's personal website

ARCHIVES FOR ALL EZINE ISSUES beginning with 2012 are now combined into one ezine: eCommunication Food for Thought in the Communication Expressway index:

Current Index and Archive: Communication Expressway

Archive: Webgrammar's Food for Thought

TO SUBSCRIBE (or UNSUBSCRIBE) TO eCOMMUNICATION FOOD FOR THOUGHT go to http://www.ossweb.com/ezine.html

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