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What is Dative Case?

What is Dative Case?

English makes use of four “cases” – Nominative, Genitive, Accusative, and Dative. The term “case” applies to nouns and pronouns. The case of a noun or pronoun is determined by what the word does in the sentence. A noun or pronoun is in the “Nominative Case” when it is the subject of a sentence, or when it completes a being verb. A noun or pronoun is in the “Genitive Case” when it shows…

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What is Dative Case?

What is Dative Case?

English makes use of four “cases” – Nominative, Genitive, Accusative, and Dative. The term “case” applies to nouns and pronouns. The case of a noun or pronoun is determined by what the word does in the sentence. A noun or pronoun is in the “Nominative Case” when it is the subject of a sentence, or when it completes a being verb. A noun or pronoun is in the “Genitive Case” when it shows…

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Attributes - He said, she said

Attributes – He said, she said

Attribution is the convention in composition of identifying a speaker or writer when you include direct quotes (which should be enclosed in quotation marks) or paraphrases. An entire system of usage — a choreography, if you will — has developed around how to arrange quotations and paraphrases and their attributions. Here are the dance steps: “The basic setup is to reproduce a single sentence,…

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Attribution - He said, she said

Attribution – He said, she said

Attribution is the convention in composition of identifying a speaker or writer when you include direct quotes (which should be enclosed in quotation marks) or paraphrases. An entire system of usage — a choreography, if you will — has developed around how to arrange quotations and paraphrases and their attributions. Here are the dance steps: “The basic setup is to reproduce a single sentence,…

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Fatigue

From: WebMD, David Spero, RN Fatigue is more than feeling tired after a long day.  It’s an ongoing feeling of exhaustion that often does not go away even after a nap.  Fatigue is one of the most common and most disabling symptoms of MS.  I can testify to the disabling part.  I’ve had weeks when I could barely get out of bed. Others agree. One user of our Facebook page commented, “I have just…

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Answers to Questions About Non-Bookstore Marketing

Answers to Questions About Non-Bookstore Marketing

“Because of high costs, I need to price my book at $19.95, but my competitor’s book is $14.95. How can I compete with that?” George Lascar   The price of your book is a feature; the value of your book is a benefit. Customers attach value to books in proportion to the extent they believe it will help them solve their problems. If your book is more expensive than competitors’ books, your…

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The Squinting Modifier

What Is a Squinting Modifier? When an adverb or phrase is placed in a sentence so that it can be interpreted as modifying either the words before or after it, then it’s called a “squinting modifier.” Take a look at this example: Running long distances quickly builds my endurance. It’s a little hard to tell what this sentence means. Is the person running long distances quickly? Or quickly…

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Naming a Character

The most unforgettable fictional characters begin as a glimmer in the author’s mind. Only in writing the novel does the character go on to acquire the dimensions that will make him or her live in the imagination of the reader years after the book has been read. Sherlock Holmes, Captain Ahab, Huckleberry Finn, Jo March, Dorothea Brooke linger in our memories as if they were real people we have…

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Naming a Character

The most unforgettable fictional characters begin as a glimmer in the author’s mind. Only in writing the novel does the character go on to acquire the dimensions that will make him or her live in the imagination of the reader years after the book has been read. Sherlock Holmes, Captain Ahab, Huckleberry Finn, Jo March, Dorothea Brooke linger in our memories as if they were real people we have…

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What's New in MS Research

What’s New in MS Research

The Multiple Sclerosis Association of America (MSAA) is pleased to present its latest edition of “What’s New in MS Research.” This series of online articles is published periodically and features important information on topics ranging from highlights of major international MS conferences and updates on trials with experimental disease-modifying therapies, to new findings on the development of…

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MS Slide Show

Interesting Slide-show from WebMD – https://www.webmd.com/multiple-sclerosis/ss/slideshow-multiple-sclerosis-overview?ecd=wnl_spr_070621_remail&ctr=wnl-spr-070621-remail_lead_cta&mb=q80%2F%40kIeuyYKtyaYzOxdbc6RVoMqf%400VkpmvpK5yEEQ%3D

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5 Ways to Minimize Prepositional Phrases

5 Ways to Minimize Prepositional Phrases

A prepositional phrase is a series of words beginning with a preposition and providing additional information in a sentence that pertains to position (hence the word preposition) or relationship; the phrase “with a preposition” is itself a prepositional phrase. Though such phrases are not inherently undesirable, they are often easily avoidable contributors to compositional clutter. This post…

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5 Ways to Minimize Prepositional Phrases

5 Ways to Minimize Prepositional Phrases

A prepositional phrase is a series of words beginning with a preposition and providing additional information in a sentence that pertains to position (hence the word preposition) or relationship; the phrase “with a preposition” is itself a prepositional phrase. Though such phrases are not inherently undesirable, they are often easily avoidable contributors to compositional clutter. This post…

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Does Having MS Mean You Identify As Disabled?

Does Having MS Mean You Identify As Disabled?

By Tamara K Sellman In early April, I attended a virtual writers’ conference, immediately drawn to a group of workshops that prioritized the voices, ideas, and practices of writers with some sort of disability. For instance, I attended a poetry panel discussing disfluent writers. The panelists focused on the challenges of writers with speech disabilities (dystonia, stuttering, dysarthria)…

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You Know It’s Creative Writing When...

You Know It’s Creative Writing When…

Five fundamental elements are the clearest way to distinguish between well-written non-creative writing and creative writing. You can write about the same subject matter in a different way, but creative writers will use poetic license and storytelling tools to bring a story to life. 1. It’s told from a specific point of view Point of view humanizes a narrative by offering personal insights and…

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You Know It’s Creative Writing When...

You Know It’s Creative Writing When…

Five fundamental elements are the clearest way to distinguish between well-written non-creative writing and creative writing. You can write about the same subject matter in a different way, but creative writers will use poetic license and storytelling tools to bring a story to life. 1. It’s told from a specific point of view Point of view humanizes a narrative by offering personal insights and…

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Stay Trim and Tidy

Stay Trim and Tidy

Short, efficient sentences are easier to read. To get really concise, try the Hemingway Editor, an online editor or a Desktop package ($19.99) that will make your prose as linguistically efficient as the renowned author’s. A few pro tips for trimming down the word count: “That” is a word that you do not need. Take out the second “that” in the previous sentence, and it still makes perfect…