Ellipsis

You see it everywhere, but most people don’t know what it’s called or how to use it properly.

Luckily, the ellipsis isn’t nearly as confusing as the comma. It’s relatively easy to learn how to use it correctly and how to refer to it properly.

An ellipsis is a series of three points with spaces between them (. . .)

Definition

An ellipsis – the omission of a word, phrase, line, paragraph, or more from a quoted passage — is indicated by ellipsis points (or dots)… Ellipsis points are three spaced periods ( . . . ), sometimes preceded or followed by other punctuation.

Singular and Plural
The word ellipsis is not plural. In other words, it refers to the three points, together, as a single unit, which is often colloquially referred to as dots or periods. Here is an ellipsis:

( . . . )

The plural of ellipsis is ellipses. This would indicate more than one set of three dots:

( . . . ) ( . . . ) ( . . . )

This punctuation mark may also be called a suspension point, points of ellipsis, or periods of ellipsis. But to keep things simple, let’s just stick with the word ellipsis.

Omissions

The ellipsis is primarily used to indicate an omission. It can be an intentional omission, such as when you are using a quotation but want to skip over a portion of it. 

Example: The name of a minor in a legal case.

Purpose of the Ellipsis

It is inserted into a quotation/speech to indicate the omission of text from an original quotation.

Rules

There are quite a few simple rules for the proper use of ellipses, which are used more often in legal writing than most forms of writing (Yes, I have come across this far too many times). Failure to use the proper form of an ellipsis could misrepresent the work of another person and result in legal liability for the writer. Correct use of ellipses, on the other hand, shows that the writer has carefully attended to detail, and thus increases the reader's confidence in the reliability of the written work. 

Go through these for a better understanding:

1.       When placing an ellipsis in the middle of a quotation to indicate the omission of material, use three points with spaces before and after the ellipsis.

Incorrect: “The First Amendment provides that ‘Congress shall make no law respecting. . .the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances’.”

Correct: “The First Amendment provides that ‘Congress shall make no law respecting . . . the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances’.”

2.       When placing an ellipsis at the end of a quotation to indicate the omission of material, use four points -- a three-point ellipsis and a period. The ellipsis should follow a blank space.

Incorrect: “The First Amendment provides that Congress shall make no law. . . abridging the freedom of speech. . .”

Correct: “The First Amendment provides that Congress shall make no law . . . abridging the freedom of speech . . . .”

3.       When omitting one or more entire paragraphs, indicate the omission by indenting four points and placing them on a separate line. If the quoted material is 50 words or more, use indented margins and do not use any quotation marks.

Incorrect:

“Poverty imposes costs on the non-poor that warrant, on strictly economic grounds and without regard to ethical or political considerations, incurring some costs to reduce it. For example, poverty in the midst of a generally wealthy society is likely to increase the incidence of crime: the forgone income of a legitimate alternative occupation is low for someone who has little earning capacity in legitimate occupations, while the proximity of wealth increases the expected return from crime, or, stated another way, the cost of honesty. . . . An individual who feels endangered or appalled at the poverty around him can contribute to an organisation designed to alleviate that poverty an amount equal to the benefit that he would derive from the reduction of poverty enabled by his contribution (net of administrative costs).”

Correct:

“Poverty imposes costs on the non-poor that warrant, on strictly economic grounds and without regard to ethical or political considerations, incurring some costs to reduce it. For example, poverty

. . . .

An individual who feels endangered or appalled at the poverty around him can contribute to an organisation designed to alleviate that poverty.”

4.       Never leave a point in an ellipsis floating at the beginning or end of a line of text. (However, you may have a period at the end of a fully quoted sentence at the end of a line of text and begin the ellipsis on the next line.)
 

Incorrect: "His refusal to cooperate with the court and name the source .
. . resulted in a contempt citation."

Also Incorrect:

"His refusal to cooperate with the court and name the source . .
. resulted in a contempt citation."

Correct: "His refusal to cooperate with the court and name the source . . .
resulted in a contempt citation."

Also Correct:

"His refusal to cooperate with the court and name the source
. . . resulted in a contempt citation."

Also Correct:

"The period may properly be placed at the end of a sentence.
. . . The ellipsis may then be placed on the following line, indicating the omission of an intervening sentence."

The Semicolon in Modern times

The Semicolon use appears to have been declining in recent years, possibly because fewer and fewer people are confident about the proper role of this punctuation mark. Here are several ways to use the semicolon as an effective tool for enhancing clarity and emphasis in your writing.

1. Use a semicolon as a soft period. By using a semicolon instead of a period between two sentences, you show that those two sentences have a closer relationship to each other than they do to the sentences around them. The semicolon, in a sense, connects the sentences. (If you added a coordinating conjunction and a comma, you would show less of a connection; and with a period you show only the connection of proximity.)

2. Use a semicolon to connect main clauses containing internal punctuation. Think of a comma as a brief pause, a semicolon as a more moderate pause, and a period as a stop, and you can see the logic of the hierarchy.

·         When he faints through desire, she comes to his aid; but when he revives, she scorns him. 

·         Whatever is left in the hands of chance must be subject to vicissitude; and when any establishment is found to be useful, it ought to be the next care to make it permanent.

·         The events we experience are less important than the meaning we give to them; for life is about meaning, not experience.

      

      I hope that this piece was helpful, Grace. Thank you very much for your email. Do hope to hear from you again.

Semicolon

Semicolons help you connect closely related ideas when a style mark stronger than a comma 

is needed. By using semicolons effectively, you can make your 

writing sound more sophisticated.

                                      ____________________________________________________________

The semicolon is a punctuation mark with several uses. While terminal marks like full stops, exclamation marks, and question marks, mark the end of a sentence, the semicolon is normally a sentence internal, making it a secondary boundary mark. Semicolons are intermediate in between terminal marks; their strength is equal to that of the colon. 

Semicolons are followed by a lower case letter, unless that letter is the first letter of a proper noun like the word I or Paris.

Why should one use a semicolon?

The main task of the semicolon is to mark a break that is stronger than a comma but not as final as a full stop. It’s used between two main clauses that balance each other and are too closely linked to be made into separate sentences, as in these two examples:

• The road runs through a beautiful wooded valley; the railway line follows it.
• An art director searched North Africa; I went to the Canary Islands.

You can also use a semicolon as a stronger division in a sentence that already contains commas:

• The study showed the following: 76% of surveyed firms monitor employee Web-surfing activities, with 65% blocking access to unauthorised Internet locations; over one-third of the firms monitor employee computer keystrokes; half reported storing and reviewing employee emails; 57% monitor employee telephone behaviour, including the inappropriate use of voice mail.

Why use a semicolon instead of a full stop?

The semi-colon is used in a sentence when there is a pause which is longer than a comma, but shorter than a full stop. A semi-colon can be used instead of a full stop when the two parts of the sentence are too closely related in meaning to be put into separate sentences.

• We did not go into the theatre before our friends arrived; instead, we waited outside.

Semi-colons can also be used between items on a list, when the items consist of a number of words, or when the use of commas alone would be confusing.

• The committee consisted of Carol Jones, the staff representative; Bill Johnson, the boss; Terry Smith, the local doctor; Murray Todd, the fisherman; and Mary Renshaw, the cook.

A semicolon can also be used before a transition (connecting) word or phrase. The transition words you are probably most familiar with include however, therefore, hence, thus, consequently, nevertheless and meanwhile.

• It was the best of times; however, it was also the worst of times.

Semicolon usage

Link two independent clauses to connect closely related ideas.

• Some people write with a word processor; others write with a pen or pencil.

Link clauses connected by conjunctive adverbs or transitional phrases to connect closely related ideas.

• But however they choose to write, people are allowed to make their own decisions; as a result, many people swear by their writing methods.

Link lists where the items contain commas to avoid confusion between list items.

• There are basically two ways to write: with a pen or pencil, which is inexpensive and easily accessible; or by computer and printer, which is more expensive but quick and neat.

Link lengthy clauses or clauses with commas to avoid confusion between clauses.

• Some people write with a word processor, typewriter, or a computer; but others, for different reasons, choose to write with a pen or pencil.

Avoid using a comma when a semicolon is needed:

• Incorrect: The cow is brown, it is also old.
• Correct: The cow is brown; it is also old.

Cover letters

What is a cover letter?

To be considered for almost any position, you will need to write a letter of application. Such a letter introduces you, explains the purpose of your application, highlights your experiences, and requests an opportunity to meet with the potential employer. We refer to this important piece of material as a Cover Letter.

Precisely because this letter is your introduction to an employer, and because first impressions count, you should take great care to write an impressive and effective letter. Remember that the letter not only tells of your accomplishments but also reveals how effectively you can communicate.

How to format a cover letter

·         Type each letter individually, or use a word processor.

·         Use good quality bond paper.

·         Whenever possible, address each employer by name and title.

·         Each letter should be grammatically correct, properly punctuated, and have perfect spelling. It also should be immaculately clean and free of errors. Proofread carefully!

·         Use conventional business correspondence form. If you are not certain of how to do this, ask for help.

What to include in a cover letter

·         Try to limit your letter to a single page. Be succinct.

·         Assess the employer’s needs versus your skills. Then try to match them, in the letter, in a way that will appeal to the employer’s self-interest.

·         Tailor your letter to each job opportunity. Demonstrate knowledge of the organisation to which you are applying.

·         Write in a style that is mature but clear; avoid long and intricate sentences and paragraphs; avoid jargon.

·         Use action verbs and the active voice; convey confidence, optimism, and enthusiasm coupled with respect and professionalism.

·         Show some personality, but avoid hard-sell, gimmicky, or unorthodox letters.

·         Arrange the points in a logical sequence; organise each paragraph around a main point.

Opening paragraph

·         State why you are writing. Establish a point of contact (Ex. advertisement in a specific place for a specific position).

·         Give a brief idea of who you are (Ex. a recent PhD in History).

·         Highlight a few of the most salient points from your enclosed resume that are important for the position you are seeking.

·         Show how your education and experience suit the requirements of the position.

·         State how you could contribute to the organisation.

Closing paragraph

·         Stress action. Politely request an interview at the employer's convenience.

·         Offer to provide additional information (Ex. a portfolio, a writing sample, a dossier, an audition tape).

·         Thank the reader for his/her consideration and indicate that you are looking forward to hearing from him/her.

Questions to guide your writing

·         Who this letter targeted at?

·         What is my objective?

·         What are the objectives and needs of the person/people reading this?

·         How can I best express my objective in relationship to the employer’s objectives and needs?

·         What specific benefits can I offer to the employer and how can I best express them?

·         What opening sentence and paragraph will grab the attention of my employer in a positive manner?

·         How can I maintain the interest and desire of a potential employer throughout the letter?

·         What closing paragraph will ensure the reader of my capabilities and persuade him/her to contact me?

·         Is the letter my best professional effort?

·         Have I spent sufficient time drafting, revising, and proofreading the letter?

Catch more on www.say-it-with-sam.blogspot.com

Proofreading

Proofreading means examining your text carefully to find and correct typographical errors and mistakes in grammar, style, and spelling. Here are some tips.

Before You Proofread

·         Be sure you've revised the larger aspects of your text. Don't make corrections at the sentence and word level if you still need to work on the focus, organisation, and development of the whole paper, of sections, or of paragraphs.

·         Set your text aside for a while between writing and proofing. Some distance from the text will help you see mistakes more easily.

·         Eliminate unnecessary words before looking for mistakes.

·         Know what to look for. From the comments of your professors or a writing centre instructor on past papers, make a list of mistakes you need to watch for.

When You Proofread

·         Work from a printout, not the computer screen.

·         Read out loud. This is especially helpful for spotting run-on sentences, but you'll also hear other problems that you may not see when reading silently.

·         Use a blank sheet of paper to cover up the lines below the one you're reading. This technique keeps you from skipping ahead of possible mistakes.

·         Use the search function of the computer to find mistakes you're likely to make. Search for "it," for instance, if you confuse "its" and "it's;" for "-ing" if dangling modifiers are a problem; for opening parentheses or quote marks if you tend to leave out the closing ones.

·         If you tend to make many mistakes, check separately for each kind of error, moving from the most to the least important, and following whatever technique works best for you to identify that kind of mistake.
For instance, read through once (backwards, sentence by sentence) to check for fragments; read through again (forward) to be sure subjects and verbs agree, and again (perhaps using a computer search for "this," "it," and "they") to trace pronouns to antecedents.

·         Always BEGIN and END with a computer spell check. But remember that a spell checker won't catch mistakes with homonyms (e.g., "they're," "their," "there") or certain typos (like "he" for "the").

How to write a review of literature

What is a review of literature?

The format of a review of literature may vary from discipline to discipline and from assignment to assignment.

A review may be a self-contained unit -- an end in itself -- or a preface to and rationale for engaging in primary research.  A review is a required part of grant and research proposals and often a chapter in theses and dissertations.

Generally, the purpose of a review is to critically analyse a segment of a published body of knowledge through summary, classification, and comparison of prior research studies, reviews of literature, and theoretical articles.

Writing the introduction

In the introduction, you should:

·         Define or identify the general topic, issue, or area of concern, thus providing an appropriate context for reviewing the literature.

·         Point out overall trends in what has been published about the topic; or conflicts in theory, methodology, evidence, and conclusions; or gaps in research and scholarship; or a single problem or new perspective of immediate interest.

·         Establish the writer's reason (point of view) for reviewing the literature; explain the criteria to be used in analysing and comparing literature and the organisation of the review (sequence); and, when necessary, state why certain literature is or is not included (scope).

Writing the body

In the body, you should:

·         Group research studies and other types of literature (reviews, theoretical articles, case studies, etc.) according to common denominators such as qualitative versus quantitative approaches, conclusions of authors, specific purpose or objective, chronology, etc.

·         Summarise individual studies or articles with as much or as little detail as each merits according to its comparative importance in the literature, remembering that space (length) denotes significance.

·         Provide the reader with strong “umbrella” sentences at beginnings of paragraphs, “signposts” throughout, and brief “so what” summary sentences at intermediate points in the review to aid in understanding comparisons and analyses.

Writing the conclusion

In the conclusion, you should:

·         Summarise major contributions of significant studies and articles to the body of knowledge under review, maintaining the focus established in the introduction.

·         Evaluate the current "state of the art" for the body of knowledge reviewed, pointing out major methodological flaws or gaps in research, inconsistencies in theory and findings, and areas or issues pertinent to future study.

·         Conclude by providing some insight into the relationship between the central topic of the literature review and a larger area of study such as a discipline, a scientific endeavour, or a profession.

Do essays make you nervous? You’re not alone.

We all know about how autocorrect and contextual spelling programs (like Microsoft Word and others) are actually changing English (in some cases, killing off words.) We haven’t mentioned something obvious, but crucial: Technology is turning us into much more careless writers. Do you find errors in emails after you’ve sent them? Do you spot embarrassing mistakes in your essays and memos only after they’re turned in? You are not alone. These errors are all too common in business writing and in students’ papers.

According to psychologists, our brains read in two different ways: the lexical route and phonological route. The lexical route is the fast and easy road where we read things that are familiar. It helps us read rapidly in part by skipping joining words like of, the, and a.  This reading route is the most common, and it’s handy for helping us read quickly and efficiently. However, it also means that we read carelessly, especially text we have just written that is flowing through our lexical route. 

The phonological route, on the other hand, is much slower. When we use this route, we sound out each syllable for its meaning. In experiments,  psychologists  flip letters upside down to activate this slower phonological route. When letter orientation is changed, people use the phonological route and are more likely to find their mistakes. However, without changing text formatting or deliberately altering the text, it is very hard to activate that reading route.

Because we primarily rely on the lexical route, we are literally unable to proofread work that we’ve just written, to find mistakes. The best tactic is to wait a day or two, then look at your work with fresh eyes. However, that is not always possible. A term paper or memo may be due in two hours, and you may not have the time to give your reading brain a break.

What is the solution then?

·         Try to get as much relaxation as possible when not having to concentrate on intense work

·         Get someone to check your work for you

·         Take your mind of your current work by doing something that stimulates your brain e.g. Puzzles, Crosswords, Board Games etc

·         Have a light snack

·         Take a short walk

·         Listen to some light music

Sentence Fragments

I know many of you are fiction writers, aspiring writers, or just shake your heads when you read non-traditional grammar in fiction stories. I thought it might be fun to hear from someone who has to manage the crazy grammar that writers try, and often succeed in, to put through the editing process.

A sentence fragment is something that isn’t a complete sentence. Often, sentence fragments are missing the subject that would be present in a sentence, but they can also be missing the predicate.

Example 1:

“You’re not welcome here, Paul.”

Most places in the world, a statement like that sounded normal. Unfriendly, perhaps, but still common, still acceptable.

If you’re like me, it’s perfectly clear to you what is being said here. Granted, the lines have a certain clipped cadence that may not be everyone’s stylistic cup of tea, but they make sense. 

There’s Always a Catch

The catch here is that apart from the line of dialogue, there’s not a single “real” sentence in that excerpt. And this example is hardly an outlier. Fiction writers bend the rules of grammar on a regular basis. Fragmenting in particular is a useful device, in part because, if wielded properly, it can let an author get across information more economically than would be possible with proper grammar, with no loss in clarity.

Example 2:

Echoing gunfire from above. Pookie looked in that direction and saw something amazing. A man leaping off the cavern’s ledge.  Rising up, then arcing down, his legs bicycling beneath him...

This kind of fragmenting is a regular bone of contention. The action is conveys the descriptions using machine-gunning fragments. On the one hand, this is a perfectly valid stylistic move: it conveys the way a viewpoint character, seeing things through a cloud of adrenaline, takes in the action in a series of disjointed snapshots. And fragmenting helps you write economically, right? So if by doing this you are helping an action scene flow along quickly, it should be a big plus.

But for me, this method can potentially read awkwardly, especially when it’s used often. It feels unpleasantly choppy. And it’s fairly easy to tweak these lines in a way that doesn’t actually cost us much in terms of added words — or, putting it differently, the fragmenting here is not, actually, doing much in terms of efficiency. 

What Is the Right Way to Use Sentence Fragments?

At this point you’ve noticed a problem with all this talk about what works and why: it’s completely subjective. That’s the thing about fragmenting, and all the other grammar-breaking tricks fiction writers often employ. They’re risky. When authors write without the safety net provided by the rules of subject, verb, object, etc., the only real guide for what’s right or wrong is their ear. The results can be ugly. Also, fragmenting can easily turn into stylistic tics —or, even worse, ways to excuse sloppy, lazy prose.

Use Sentence Fragments Sparingly and When the Story Calls for It

Sentence fragments in fiction can be a useful way of conveying pace, tone, and intensity. However, overuse can lead to lazy writing – fragments should be used sparingly, and for a good storytelling purpose.

In this article, I questioned whether sentence fragments could potentially make editors reject your work. So, if you are breaking rules, make sure it’s because it’s necessary and adds something, not just because it’s just easier.

Are slower languages less effective? A few thoughts...

Think of when you’ve listened to someone speak Spanish or Japanese. Does it seem the words flow out very quickly, faster than other languages? Academics would agree with you. For the last decade, linguists have speculated that different languages are spoken at significantly different rates. The challenge has been how to measure the respective speeds.

Recently, the team at the Univer­sity of Lyon in France tried to break down the rate differences between seven languages: British English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Mandarin Chinese, and Spanish. They compared two different components of language: speech speed and density of information. Speech speed is measured by syllables per second, and density of information is measured by how much information is encoded per syllable. What does that mean? Let’s take an example from English. The one-syllable word “calm” is information dense because it expresses a complex state with only one-syllable. However, “easy-going” uses four syllables to express an idea easily conveyed with fewer syllables. By averaging the information density across a language, the linguists determined the density of information per language.

How did the linguists conduct their experiment? First, they looked at how many syllables per second speakers articulated when reading 20 sample texts. They had 60 native speakers of the languages each read the 20 texts in order to gather an accurate average speed for the language overall. Out of the seven languages, Spanish and Japanese turned out to be the fastest, Mandarin the slowest. However, the second variable – density of information – complicated their results. The languages that were spoken more quickly were less dense with information, and the languages that were spoken slowly were correspondingly denser. So, the information rate for all the languages turned out to be relatively similar across the seven languages.

Linguists have speculated that this average information rate correlates to an innate speed at which the human brain comprehends the world. That, of course, is only speculation. There is no concrete evidence to support that yet.

Do you tend to talk quickly or slowly? Do you wish the language you speak would slow down or hurry up?

Do Rhetorical Questions Need a Question Mark?

We are going to discuss two kinds of peculiar questions. Isn’t that going to be fun! "Isn't that going to be fun," is a rhetorical question. We’re also going to learn about its cousin. That’s called a tag question, isn’t it? That last sentence was an example of a tag question.

This all started because of a question from one of my Twitter followers, who wanted to know if the sentence “Isn’t it funny?” is correct, and he’d like to know if he's allowed to use such a construction in formal situations.

Rhetorical Questions

You’ve probably heard rhetorical questions more often than you realise. You start a sentence with a negative word when you mean something positive. So “Wasn’t that movie great?” means that you think the movie was great. It seems counterintuitive, but that’s the way English works. It’s called a rhetorical question, and it can end in either a question mark or an exclamation point, and in dialogue you can sometimes even have a speaker’s rhetorical question end in a period.

Another example of a rhetorical question is “Isn’t she leaving?” That question means you think the woman is leaving, but you want to confirm. Rhetorical questions like this take a negative form. If you make the “Isn’t she leaving?” question positive, it becomes just a regular question: “Is she leaving?” If you ask "Is she leaving?" you don’t know the answer; whereas with the rhetorical question “Isn’t she leaving?” you are assuming she is leaving.

Rhetorical questions have popped up in pop music. Stevie Wonder, for example, wrote a famous song called “Isn’t She Lovely,” whose lyrics begin:

“Isn't she lovely,

Isn't she wonderful,

Isn't she precious,” (2)

Mr Wonder definitely thinks the girl is lovely, wonderful, and precious. No question about that.

These kinds of rhetorical questions seem to be quite conversational. You wouldn’t want to write, “Aren’t I the perfect person for this job?” in a job cover letter, nor would you want to say, “Isn’t it obvious that you should hire me?” in an interview. There are better ways to sound more qualified and more professional. So, Aaron: no, it’s not advisable to use this kind of construction in formal situations.

Tag Questions

The second kind of question we’re talking about today is called a tag question. “Tag questions, a peculiarity of English, are usually spoken rather than written,” states the website English Online. The rhetorical question “Isn’t she leaving?” means about the same thing as “She is leaving, isn’t she?” Students who are learning English often find this kind of construction puzzling because the speaker uses a negative form to mean something positive. As the Interesting Thing of the Day website wisely explains, “The simplest way to make a tag question in English is to repeat the verb, negate it, and then repeat the subject. For example, ‘He is smart’ becomes ‘He is smart, isn’t he?" Note how the word "isn't" is negating the verb "is" from the first part of the sentence: "He IS smart, ISN'T he?"

"If the verb is already negative, you just make it positive. ‘It won’t rain’ becomes ‘It won’t rain, will it?’" So, if we wanted to change Aaron’s rhetorical question “Isn’t it funny?” into a tag question, we would say, “It’s funny, isn’t it?” Both sentences mean “I think it’s funny.”

One clue that tag questions are best left to informal situations is that you often hear them used with contractions, which themselves are a bit informal. It would sound weird to ask "It will not rain, will it?" It sounds much more normal with a contraction: "It won't rain, will it?"

Summary

In summary, rhetorical questions and tag questions are normal parts of everyday speech, but they are informal. It’s therefore best to avoid them in formal situations.

I do hope that this has provided some sort of clarity.

Ways to help your child improve their reading and writing skills?

I want to discuss something really important: The future of our children. The issue of a child’s learning is so blatantly avoided that it could bring one to tears. Being one who would prefer to curb this growing threat to future generations...I’d like for you to take this problem really seriously. Our kids will potentially be around long after we have passed on. So why not build a solid foundation – starting at the beginning.

Research has shown that children whose parents (or any significant adults) read to them are always better students than those who are not read to. Reading to your child exposes him/her to vocabulary, sentence structure, communication skills, and logic. Reading to them shares the joy of reading and storytelling. Reading to them also gives you quality time together, which strengthens your child-parent bond.

1. Encourage your child to read

Provide plenty of reading material that will interest your child - either buy books or take them to the library every few days. If your child is interested in dinosaurs, have books about dinosaurs in the house - both science or non-fiction books and fiction or storybooks, because reading is not just for fun, but also for information. Find out what your child's interests are, and provide books that feed those interests.

2. Help your child

If your child is having trouble reading, first make sure they do not have some sort of correctable problem like poor eyesight. Work with the school to test for learning disabilities like dyslexia, which can cause poor reading skills. Help your child learn vocabulary and spelling so that they can read better – you can either have regular Q&A sessions where you quiz them on vocabulary and spelling words or you can make games like "Word of the Day" where you find fun ways to improve their vocabulary.

3. Set a regular time for schoolwork each day

This will also help with any school subject. Make a special place for them to do their work, someplace where they will not be distracted by a TV, games, cell phones, computer chat rooms, IMs, or anything else. Have at least one hour daily (some children will need longer) during which homework is done – if they say they do not have homework, then they will use the time to read over their material. During this time, you can "assign" reading and writing practice also – have them read a section, then quiz them to be sure they understand what they have read. You can show them how to read for information, how to tell when a term is important in a textbook, and where to look for definitions and more help.

4. Make reading and writing fun

Again, if you use your child's interests, you will have more luck with this. Encourage your child to make up stories and write them down. Don't worry about spelling or grammar at first – just get them to start writing! Read what they have written if they want you to, and talk about their stories over the dinner table, or in the car. The more you encourage them to read and write, the more they will want to – notice I said "encourage" and not nag. The trick is to make it fun for them. 

Go the extra mile

·         Buy a book that your child can read with slight difficulty and once you help them master the words in that book buy the next book up to that one and do the same again and so on.

·         The best way to help a child learn to enjoy reading is to read with them!

·         The best way to help children read better is to have a home where reading is a part of life. Start out reading to the child, and let the child see you reading for enjoyment.

·         Write down the story he tells you then show it to him. Explain to him that he was the one who came up with that story. Then ask him to read the story. 

·         Many popular children's cartoons come in book form. You can also try comic books. You can both take a trip to a local comic book store and let him choose something he likes to read (Make sure it's age appropriate).

·         Throw out your TV. A week without television has been shown to improve reading and attention span.

·         Try getting a tape recorder and have him read a book aloud being taped and then play the tape back to himself while reading the book of his choice.

·         Good old PHONICS help.

·         Keep it simple with a lot of praise for doing well (not "good job") if it's not. Don't be negative but also don't "over praise" for non-performance. Make it fun.

·         Read to him/her every night, preferably at the same time.

·         Stop the story or the book at an interesting part, so that he'll look forward to the next night's story time.

·         Let him choose books on subjects that he is interested in and pick one day out of the week where he gets to read whatever he wants to you!

·         Make a trip to the bookstore fun and exciting...stop at the park first or get a treat afterwards.

·         Let them look at the pages as you read.