Writing Wednesday: What vintage really means

This has nothing to do with the holidays, but I've been seeing this mistake for months now and it's driving me nuts. That's right, the word vintage is being grossly misused and overused.

I see the word tacked onto everything from paper straws to cardigans to jewelry, and it's misleading. While vintage used to describe the year a certain type of wine was bottled, it now refers to anything old-fashioned or antique. Lately, though, the meaning has degenerated even more to just refer to something that looks old-fashioned.

Here's why it bothers me: If I am buying or selling vintage items on Etsy, they have to be at least 20 years old to deserve the name. But now, an online boutique can sell "vintage leg warmers" and no one bats an eye — even though the leg warmers are brand-new and there's absolutely nothing old about them.

I like vintage clothes. REAL vintage clothes. I like that I'm wearing something that has a story (like the polar bear sweater vest above) and rescuing something that would otherwise be relegated to a dumpster or spend years in a thrift store. So if something says vintage in the description, it had better be at least 20 years old or it's deceptive advertising.

You may be wondering what the solution is, since the word is invading shops everywhere. Here's my fix: Use vintage-inspired when you're selling something that just looks old (or is inspired by a 1950s style, for example) so you don't mislead shoppers. I promise you'll have happier customers!

Does this bother you? What words do you see that have changed meaning?

Writing Wednesday: Why you might be writing your holiday cards wrong

My lovely friend Jenny suggested I address proper holiday card punctuation for this week's Writing Wednesday post, and I was happy to oblige. While I've written about this in the past, it's always good to have another reminder.

So. Here's a quick recap on apostrophes: They're used to show omission (as in contractions like can't or don't), clarification (do's as opposed to dos in do's and don'ts) and possession. However, apostrophes are never used to make a word plural, especially names.

If I were sending out holiday cards this year, I would avoid these three errors. By the way, I'm using my last name as an example, but this is in no way a slam on anyone who shares the name! :)

• Happy holidays from the Wilcox's! Remember, apostrophes make something possessive, not plural. This would only be correct if I followed it with something that belongs to us, like our mailbox or our plant or our home — and that would be weird. Instead, I would make Wilcox plural by adding an es (it follows the same rule as fox or box) and write it like this: Happy holidays from the Wilcoxes! If you're unsure about how to make your family name plural, check out Grammar Girl's fabulous article.
• Merry Christmas from the Wilcox Family! While this is better — and I would recommend writing your last name and family if you can't figure out the right way to make your name plural — there's no need to capitalize the word family. Reserve capitalization for proper nouns and the first word in a sentence. It distracts people from your message instead of adding emphasis.
• Come to a holiday party at the Wilcox's home! If I lived alone and often referred to myself by my last name, this might be correct. But since I'm married, I need to make my last name plural and possessive. The correct way to do this is to add an es and then an s' to the end, so that it looks like this: Come to a holiday party at the Wilcoxes' home! I realize that this looks REALLY weird, so I would probably just go the Wilcox home route and avoid all the plurals and possessives, but this would be the correct way to write it.

I hope this was helpful. If you have any questions, even if they're specifics about how to make your name plural/possessive, just leave a comment or send me an email! I'm happy to give you some advice.

Writing Wednesday: Who's vs. whose

Whose mustache is cooler? Hahaha.

I've written about who's and whose before, but I've seen enough mistakes with these words lately that I thought they warranted their own blog post.

Here's the skinny:

• Who's is a contraction of the words who and is (or was, has, etc.). For example, Who's that girl? and Who's got the button? are both correct.
• Whose shows possession. I might say Whose dirty socks are on the couch? or I wonder whose idea John likes best.

If you're tempted to misuse the words, just think about whether you're using it to show possession or designate ownership. If you're not, who's is probably the right choice.

Do you misuse these words? Have you seen them misused lately?

Writing Wednesday: Flair vs. flare

I took this picture of my niece Isabel months ago, but I thought it was perfect for this week's Writing Wednesday post.

Since I buy quite a few of my accessories and clothes online from daily deal sites, I've been seeing a trend lately that really steams my clams (can you name that movie?): the misuse of the words flair and flare.

I think people often confuse the words because flare can be a noun, adjective and a verb. Here are some examples:

• Lindsay's temper flared when she saw her new blanket trampled on the floor.
• Flare jeans flatter very few figures.
• The survivors shot off an emergency flare when they saw a plane overhead.

Flair, on the other hand, is used to describe an aptitude for something or a remarkable style. It can also refer to the metal buttons you pin on your backpack (or vest, if you're living in 1998). Here are some examples of using flair properly:

• You certainly have a flair for the dramatic.
• Wanda dresses with flair and pizzazz.
• Isabel has a flair all her own — especially in a flared princess dress.

Do you see these words misused? How do you remember the difference?

Writing Wednesday: Apostrophe misuse

If you follow me on Instagram, you've already seen this picture, but I thought it was worth sharing again for a quick reminder on apostrophes. I took this picture at a local grocery store the other day, and I wished the sign was written in pencil so I could erase those extra apostrophes forever.

Just follow this mantra: When in doubt, leave it out. Apostrophes should only be used to show possession or omission, never to make a word plural.

Have you seen any glaring punctuation or grammar errors lately? I'd love to hear about them!

Writing Wednesday: Babylit

If you follow me on Instagram, you've already seen the picture I posted of my new "babylit" books. Haven't heard of them? They're classics rewritten in a simpler format and meant for babies and toddlers to look at — and they're absolutely adorable.

While I don't have any children of my own yet, I absolutely love children's books and am always on the lookout for the latest and greatest. I love these ones because they're true to the original story (Pride & Prejudice even features portraits of Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy) but have colorful illustrations and teach kids about opposites, weather, counting, colors and more.

I can hardly wait to have a baby of my own and introduce her to Marianne, Elinor, Mr. Bingley and even Romeo and Juliet. These books are well-made and perfect for parents who want something fresh for their kids to look at.

Do you have any babylit books? What's your favorite children's book?

Writing Wednesday: Modesty

This post has been rolling around in my mind for two years. It began when I read this ridiculous article about a mom who banned Barbies from her house, and it culminated about a week ago with something a girl said at church that really bothered me, which I will explain.

First, allow me to talk a bit about my beliefs. I am a Mormon, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and I know that I am a daughter of God. Because of this knowledge, and the knowledge that I am created in His image, I know that I have a greater purpose. I was given a body when I came to earth, and it is up to me to take good care of it and to use it to fulfill God's plan for me.

I have always been taught to respect my body by dressing modestly. I remember my mom often quoting  this scripture from 1 Corinthians 3:16: Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?

When I got married, I made an even bigger commitment to dressing modestly. Members of the Church who marry in the temple wear sacred garments beneath their clothes that reach just above the knee and extend over the cap of the shoulder, and clothes should cover them at all times. The garments symbolize the covenants that we make to remember God and His son, Jesus Christ.

Because temple marriage is the goal for every member of the Church, naturally there is a big emphasis on modest dress — especially for girls — that begins when they are very young. I think this is a good thing, and I plan to teach my children to respect their bodies and to show respect for others.

Unfortunately, the way that many parents teach their daughters about modesty today is hopelessly flawed. My husband and I teach a Sunday school class of 15- and 16-year-olds, and during our last lesson, a woman in the class suggested that we teach girls modesty "mainly for the young men's benefit."

My blood was boiling. Fortunately, I was able to bite my tongue and not say anything to her. Here are my thoughts about teaching your children about modest dress:

• We should teach girls that modest dress is about respecting yourself, NOT about protecting boys who "can't control themselves." One of my biggest problems with this logic is that it gives guys absolutely no credit. Boys should be taught to respect women and not look at them as objects, but they should also be taught to control their thoughts. They are responsible for their own minds and bodies, regardless of how a woman is dressed. That said, I absolutely think that less is more, and it's not OK for 16-year-old girls to post scantily clad photos of themselves on Instagram and then demand respect. But our counsel to our children should be about respecting themselves and showing honor to God, not about protecting the opposite sex that has no self-control.
• We should teach our children not to judge those who dress immodestly. I will admit that I haven't always been great at this. I used to see a girl walk into the mall in tiny shorts and a cut-off tank top and instantly think unkind thoughts about her. I think that we all judge people, even just a bit, by the clothes they wear. And while what we wear speaks volumes about us, it is not OK to tell someone off or call her a slut or humiliate her because she's not dressed up to our standards. Because I was married in the temple, I have covenanted to dress modestly, but that rule doesn't apply to women and men who haven't made the same promise.
• We should teach our children modesty when they're young, but not too young. I don't plan to put my baby girls in bikinis because it subjects them to unnecessary UV rays. Do I worry about it because it's not "modest dress?" Absolutely not! I agree that you should teach your kids to dress respectfully when they're young (especially with the hyper-sexualization of girls today), but worrying about your toddler's sleeveless dress or judging a mom for putting her daughter in a tank top is overkill. 

What are your thoughts on teaching kids about modest dress? Do you agree or disagree?

Writing Wednesday: Three reasons to use only one space between sentences

The photo has nothing to do with this post. I just took it recently in St. George, Utah, and thought it fit because it reminds me of wide open spaces. Get it?

Ahem. Anyway, today's post is about that pesky habit that all of us seemed to acquire in junior high school: adding two spaces after every sentence. You probably do it unconsciously and recall your English teacher telling you that it was required formatting for your research papers.

Guess what? It's time to break the habit — and here are three reasons why:

1. Adding extra space between sentences is visually distracting. Whenever I see extra spaces in stories I'm editing at work, I immediately stop whatever I'm doing to remove all of them from the entire document. They stick out to me as much as a misspelled word does, and they make your text look scattered and disjointed. Trust me. Switch to one space between sentences, and I promise you'll notice a difference.

2. Extra spaces can throw off sentence wrapping and other design elements. While this doesn't make a big difference in blog posts or documents, it can affect your layout if you're designing an invitation, poster or flyer — even forcing your text onto a second line at times. Keep things simple by just using one space between sentences.

3. Every major style guide requires just one space after a period. The Associated Press Stylebook is my writer's Bible (used mainly by journalists and magazine editors) and one of the main reasons I broke my bad habit years ago, but the Chicago Manual of Style also requires only one space. Even papers that must fit MLA formatting should have only one space between sentences. Why make things harder on yourself by adding two?

You may be wondering why you were taught to add two spaces all those years ago. Turns out it's because modern typewriters used wider fonts than we use today, and it was much easier to see where sentences ended and new ones began with an extra space between.

Do you add two spaces between sentences? Have you broken the habit?

Writing Wednesday: Mom and Dad

Yes, the picture is three years old, but it's the only good picture I have of my mom and me together.

I am battling a really bad cold, so this is going to be a brief post. I see this very frequently and wanted to explain why it's incorrect:

My Mom is my hero and my favorite person in the whole world.

While that phrase may be true, the titles mom and dad should only be capitalized when you're addressing that person directly or writing about them with no qualifiers (like the word my) or pronouns (like his or her).

Correct:

• Did you talk to Mom today? (Asking your sibling, who also calls your mother Mom.)
• Mom taught me to be kind to other people and work hard.
• My dad is a masterful storyteller.
• Joe's dad is a firefighter.

Clear as mud? Do you have trouble knowing when to capitalize these titles?

Side note: My mom just turned 50 on Friday, and she really is one of my heroes. I wish I were half as kind and selfless as she is. She is an incredible person, and I'm blessed to have such a wonderful mother who would absolutely do anything for her kids. Love you, Mom!

Writing Wednesday: Listen up, y'all!

Phew! It's been a long time since I've posted anything for Writing Wednesday, due to vacations and different posts that took its place. This one has been on my mind a lot lately since I've seen it misspelled so frequently, even by my writer friends.

Y'all.

It seems simple, right? Unfortunately, there are far too many people who write it as ya'll. Here's the skinny on why that's not correct:

• Y'all is simply a contraction of the words "you" and "all." 
• Apostrophes are always placed in between words or phrases to show that letters have been omitted. Thus, you write y'all instead of ya'll because you've removed the "ou" from "you.

That's it! Go forth and show your friends from Texas (or even from Idaho, since there are plenty of westerners who use it, too) that you know how to write y'all properly.

Is there a particular Writing Wednesday topic you'd like me to cover? Please share it in the comments!

Writing Wednesday: NoBODY knows apostrophes

Hopefully you are not too offended by bare legs from an underwear ad! I got this flyer in the mail from Victoria's Secret and was appalled that they used an apostrophe to make the word body plural — so appalled, in fact, that I immediately posted a picture to Instagram.

Yes, I am aware that they're playing off the name of their bra. Yes, I know that they're trying to catch your attention by using the word body. But there are so many different ways they could have gone with this ad, none of which required them to write the word bodies (which would have been correct).

Moral of the story: Don't use an apostrophe to make any words plural (with the exception of "do's and don'ts"). It instantly lowers the credibility of your blog — or, in this case, a pricey print ad.

Have you seen any advertising mishaps lately? Do plurals trip you up?

Writing Wednesday: Exclamation points

The exclamation point has gone from an occasionally used punctuation mark designed to show strong emotion (including anger, excitement or happiness) to an overused, overwhelming mess at the end of every sentence.

Don't know when to use an exclamation point properly? Here are a few guidelines:

• Exclamation points should be used with care or they lose their effectiveness. If you write a paragraph and realize that every sentence ends with an exclamation point, go back and change a few of them to periods or combine a few sentences using semicolons. It'll make your writing much more clean, and the exclamation points you do use will have more power.
• Use exclamation points only when you want to convey a strong message. As I mentioned before, exclamation points generally draw attention to strong feelings like excitement, happiness, or anger. They can also be used for imperative statements, but be careful how you use them. The phrase Please do not touch! seems a lot harsher with an exclamation point instead of a period — although if you really want to scare people away from leaving their dirty fingerprints on that art piece, maybe that's the way to go.
• Only use one exclamation point at the end of a sentence. Using five of them doesn't make your sentence any more exciting — it annoys the reader and weakens your writing. An exclamation point, by definition, signals emotion, so adding multiple is the equivalent of writing things like very, very happy. It doesn't add anything to the sentence.

I will admit that I sometimes overuse exclamation points and add them to multiple sentences in the same paragraph, but it is something I'm working on. I'm trying to rediscover the lost art that is the period: simple, stately and succinct.

Do you find yourself using exclamation points too often? Any other tips on stopping yourself?

Writing Wednesday: Peak vs. Peek

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I really wish I had designed this graphic! It perfectly explains in just a glance the difference between peek and peak. Still have questions? Here's a brief description of both:

• Peek: To surreptitiously glance at something (Andrew used to peek at his Christmas presents as a kid.)
• Peak: The top of a mountain or the highest point of something. (Example: John peaked in high school, since he was the star quarterback and student body president.)

Whatever you do, don't write the phrase sneak peak and blast it to all of your Facebook fans (as I've seen at least five times during the past few weeks). Every time I see this, I want to reply "Hidden mountain!" Fortunately, I have enough self-control not to. :)

One final wrench to throw into this mix is the word pique, which means "to excite or to incite emotion." The most common use of this word is in the phrase piqued his interest (not to be confused with peaked his interest, which is the incorrect use of the word).

Do you ever confuse these words? How often do you use the word piqued? I think it's an awesome word, but it's very underused.

Writing Wednesday: Three things to know about commas

My friend Susie reached out to me after last week's post about quotation marks with some questions about commas. And while I wrote about commas a few months ago, it's worth doing a second post about them — especially since another friend, Sophia, emailed me a few days ago with comma questions, too. They can be tricky!

I'm going to keep things brief and just list the three main things you should know about commas:

1. You need a comma when you connect two complete thoughts with a conjunction (and, but, or). Here's an example: Lindsay absolutely loves the color red, but she really likes orange and brown, too. Remember, though, that you must include the conjunction between the two thoughts; otherwise, you're connecting the thoughts with just a comma and creating a comma splice. Incorrect: I love orange, I love brown even more.

2. You need a comma to set off introductory prepositional phrases. The keyword here is introductory. You wouldn't need a comma in the phrase The shop around the corner, but you would need one in this sentence: Around the corner, Andrew waited anxiously for Lindsay to walk by so he could jump out and scare her. Adding a comma signals a pause and also makes your sentence easier to read.

3. You need commas to set off parenthetical information, like someone's title. At my company, I have to do this all the time. I'll give you an example: Lindsay, a communication coordinator, updates CHG's social media sites and blog. Notice that commas go before and after the parenthetical information.

I hope that was helpful! Let me know what other questions you have about commas, including specific examples, and I'll answer them either in the comments or by email.

Writing Wednesday: Don't quote me

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Unfortunately, signs like this one are all too common in America, and it is my solemn duty as a writer to stop this madness. Seriously. Let's start by talking about a few purposes of quotation marks:

• Quotation marks are used to designate dialogue.
• Quotation marks can set off (what else?) quotes or famous sayings.
• Quotation marks show sarcasm or designate words that currently have a different meaning in the sentence. (Dumb example: Lindsay was "reading" her textbook when her mom checked to see if she'd turned the TV off.)

Now, here are a few ways not to use quotation marks:

• Don't use quotation marks to set off a random phrase in the middle of a sentence, like the "on a stick" phrase above. Doing this instantly lowers your credibility, and it also inadvertently changes the meaning of your sentence. My favorite example of this is? I worked in the produce section of a grocery store and the manager would put out a sign that said "Fresh" corn. Putting quotation marks around the word fresh makes it appear that the corn is not actually fresh.
• Don't use quotation marks around common phrases in cards or letters. This point is basically the same as the one above, but I laugh really hard when I get cards that say "Happy birthday" or "Thank you" because the person has no idea that by writing quotes they are wishing me a very insincere birthday — or are not grateful at all for that wedding gift. I also love it when I get emails from people that say I really appreciate your "help." So you're implying that I wasn't actually helping you?
• Don't use quotation marks to set off a single word unless you want the sarcastic meaning that comes with it. Those signs you see at the pool that read Showering is "required" before entering the swimming pool? With the quotation marks tacked on, it turns out that showering is really just optional.

I think quotation mark mistakes are easier to spot visually, which is why I was so excited to find this hilarious blog called Unnecessary Quotes that posts pictures of real-life quotation mark fiascos. Check it out — and let me know your thoughts about quotation marks. Do you struggle with knowing when to use them?

Writing Wednesday: Utilize

I cannot say this enough: Avoid the word utilize like the plague. Every time I see this word in writing or hear someone say it in a meeting, I want to cut the entry out of a hundred dictionaries so it doesn't exist. Like the word verbiage (which I could write a separate post about), utilize is a hoity toity, unnecessary word that could be replaced with a much simpler one.

Unfortunately, utilize is perpetuated by high school students who use the thesaurus like it's Red Bull. Since the word use seems too plain and ordinary, it only makes sense to substitute it with utilize, right? Wrong. The best writers (Hemingway is one of my favorites) know that great writing and speaking is about conveying a story effectively, not about junking your sentences up with clunky, meaningless verbs.

Obviously I feel very strongly about utilize (I actually cross this word out whenever I'm editing things at work), but I'm curious: Do you have words that bother you whenever you hear them?

Writing Wednesday: Lose vs. loose

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While I mentioned this grammar pet peeve briefly in this post, I see this error in the blog world all the time, and I thought it deserved its own post again. If you have a hard time remembering the difference between lose and loose, check out the differences below:

• Lose: Pronounced "looz," this is a verb that means "misplace" or "get rid of." For example, Lindsay will lose her mind if she sees another grammatically incorrect phrase about lost keys.
• Loose: Pronounced "luce," this is an adjective that means "baggy" or "unattached" (or, the more archaic definition, "promiscuous"). For example, Lindsay's shorts are really loose because she can't seem to find clothes that fit properly.

I cringe when people write things like I really need to loose weight. Here's an easy way to check yourself if you frequently add an extra o when you really mean lose:

• Think "Double o, let it go." I just came up with that, but it has two meanings. 1) Don't use loose in just any situation (since you most likely mean lose) and (2) Things that are loose have sometimes been "let go" too long. Eh, eh? Work with me here.
• Sound it out. Honestly, the easiest way to figure out whether you're using lose or loose correctly is to quickly sound it out in your head before you write or type it.

Was that helpful? Do you confuse these words?

Writing Wednesday: Led versus lead

The notorious lead pipe (and my least favorite weapon in Clue).

This may seem like a no-brainer, but I've seen a few people struggle with using lead and led at work lately and thought it might be helpful to post something here in case you're also confused. Check out the definitions below:

• Lead: This is a verb meaning "to guide" and is the present tense of the word. Example: Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
• Lead: A grey metal once used in pencils and household paint. Example: Be careful when stripping the walls of your home; lead-based paint can be toxic.
• Led: The past tense of the word lead. Example: I led a team of 20 writers when I worked at The New York Times.

Seems simple, right? I think people get confused when they read lead (the verb) as lead (the metal) and don't think before using it as the past tense. Always use led, unless you're writing in the present tense or are, in fact, talking about a hazardous metal in paint chips — which is not usually the case.

Do lead and led trip you up? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

P.S. I'm heading on a road trip later this week for my brother's high school graduation, so I'm taking a short break. See you next week!

Writing Wednesday: Reply all

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I'm keeping things brief again today (I'm absolutely exhausted, and the week isn't even half over yet), but I wanted to quickly share my thoughts about the "reply all" function in email.

At our company, there are people who use the reply all button constantly as a way to show support for co-workers — which means that "Congratulations on your new baby!" or "Way to go, Jeff!" emails come flooding in after someone announces good news. And of course there are the people who respond to all on mass texts (particularly annoying when you get a bunch of texts from people you don't know).

I'm sure we've all been annoyed by those people who hit reply all without thinking and tell the whole company that they won't be able to attend an upcoming event — and those people are always going to push reply all and disrupt your day. But here are a few ways you can discourage people from clicking the dreaded button next time:

• Don't include a big group of people on an email or text you don't want shared. This sounds obvious, but it's worth a reminder: Sending sensitive information or personal details to a big group of people is just asking for trouble. One of them is bound to reply all and annoy everyone else in your contact list. For brevity's sake, just send the email to a few people at a time, if you can.
• Use the BCC field to prevent people from replying to all. BCC is my best friend when I'm sending corporate emails out to the entire company or to a certain team or division, because it hides the recipients and makes it impossible for people to respond to everyone who received the email. If it's possible, use this anytime you don't want people to reply all to a message.
• Make it clear in the message that people should reply to you directly. Sometimes all it takes is a reminder in the email that you want people to respond to you personally and not copy everyone else in the email, though they may have been copied as an FYI. If you notice someone who frequently replies all, mention tactfully to them that replying only to you is more efficient and that it doesn't distract other people with extra emails.

Does the reply all button get to you? What suggestions do you have for getting people to leave that function alone, especially at work?

Writing Wednesday: Literally the most annoying word in the world

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Every time I see or hear someone use the word literally incorrectly, I cringe a little inside. If you are using the word literally to describe something that did not or could not, in fact, happen, stop doing it.

Here are some ridiculous examples of using the word literally the wrong way:

• I literally had a heart attack when I saw John coming down the street. (Really? Your heart actually stopped beating and had to be jump-started?)
• I literally died laughing at school today. (So you're back from the dead?)
• That was literally the funniest thing I've ever seen. (And you've lived how long?)

So. Don't use the word literally unless you really mean it; sprinkling it into every casual sentence like salt only weakens the word and irritates people listening to you talk. Of course, mental pictures like the one above that result from misuse of the word literally are always entertaining. :)

Does literally bother you? Have you found yourself overusing it?