HOT OFF THE PRESS! We love to share our information with writers, and we’re happy to pass some of our INSIDER’S SECRETS along to you. Feel free to print these posts to use as a reference. Pass the links along to your writer friends. It’s packed with great information this month. DEADLINE-DATED lists of anthologies, theme issues, and contests are included at no charge!

In this issue:

* * WAS VERSUS WERE will explain the subjunctive mood.

* * Compound word errors are extremely common. How to and how NOT to handle compound words is covered in TIPS FOR RECOGNIZING AND SPELLING COMPOUND WORDS.

* * Enjoy our tongue-in-cheek piece entitled WHAT WRITER'S RELIEF CAN DO FOR YOU.

* * We’re giving away a FREE REPORT that outlines industry-standard Manuscript FORMAT Guidelines when you order our E-book entitled REJOICE IN REJECTION. 

* * You won’t find a better list anywhere (AND IT’S FREE!) of upcoming ANTHOLOGIES, SPECIAL-THEMED JOURNALS, and CONTESTS.

↓ Scroll Down to Read These Exciting and Useful Articles!! ↓ 

With all the types of verbs at your creative disposal (Formulaic Subjunctive, Present Subjunctive, Past Subjunctive, Pluperfect Subjunctive, and more), finding the right subjunctive mood can be tricky. In fact, was and were are often confused. Writer’s Relief has zeroed in on a great way to get you in a subjunctive frame of mind.  

Verbs can be expressed in one of three moods:

Indicative Verbs: She picks up litter.

Imperative Verbs: Pick up that litter.

Subjunctive Verbs: If only she were to pick up the litter.

Most of us cringe when we hear "If only I was president of this country…" In the strictest sense, it should be "If only I were president," using the subjunctive—a mood used to express condition, hypothesis, possibility, speculation, and feelings, rather than actual fact. But often in dialogue, the subjunctive sounds too formal. (Imagine a teenage character saying, "Dude, I wish I were a superhero—that would be awesome!")

You’re more likely to see "It is imperative that he is present for the meeting" rather than "It is imperative that he be present for the meeting." The latter uses the subjunctive mood correctly, but it does sound a bit stiff for some writers’ taste. The subjunctive mood has been called "pretentious," and some claim that it’s dying out in modern literature. Perish the thought! (There’s that subjunctive again!)

If you’re feeling confused, don’t worry. You’re not alone. The declining use of the subjunctive in the English language makes it confusing and difficult to use correctly, but it does have its place, especially in formal written expression.

Some examples of the various forms:

Formulaic Subjunctive Verbs (common expressions)

if it please the court

truth be told

God save the queen

try as you might

be that as it may

Present Subjunctive Verbs

The boss requests that they stop the drilling immediately.

We insist he be appointed at once.

Past Subjunctive Verbs

The boss requested that they stop the drilling immediately.

I wish she weren’t leaving tomorrow.

Pluperfect Subjunctive Verbs

If you hadn’t told me, I would have said the wrong thing.

Future Subjunctive Verbs

If he were to die tomorrow, the inheritance would be mine.

Come tomorrow, that group will be miles away.

More Verb Examples:

The judge recommends that he be put to death.

I wouldn’t do that if I were you.

He recommended that each waitress report her tips.

May the Lord bless you.

I demand that he be taken away at once.

If I should go, will you take care of my cat?

It is important that we donate blood.

He acted as if he were guilty.

I move that the bill be put to a vote.

If you still aren’t quite sure of whether you’ve struck the right tone with your verbs, our proofreaders are here to help! Submit your work to our Review Board or call us today!

Knowing how to recognize and spell compound words can sometimes be tricky. Hyphen or no hyphen? One word or two? Here are some tips to help you correctly form compound nouns and adjectives:

Definition: A compound word is formed when two or more words join to form a new word that has its own meaning. Although compound words are often written as single words (such as teapot), sometimes they are not. That’s why it is important to understand that there are three types of compound words: closed compounds, hyphenated compounds, and open compounds. Let’s take a look at each of them:

Closed Compounds definition: compounds written as single words (newspaper, goldfish, highway)

Hyphenated Compounds definition: compounds that are hyphenated (mother-in-law, second-rate, court-martial)

Open Compounds definition: compounds written as separate words (end zone, high school, health care)

Sometimes knowing when to write compounds as single words, hyphenated words, or separate words is difficult. That’s because some compound words change their type based on their function in a particular sentence.

For example, when used as a noun, backup is written as one word: The police officer called for backup. However, when the same compound word is used as a verb, it is written as two words (back up): Did you back up your computer files? When used as an adjective, backup is one word: What is your backup plan for tomorrow evening?

Thus, the first tip for understanding how to write a compound word is knowing the word’s function in the sentence. Let’s take a look at a few more examples of this:

1. handout: As Jill was walking down the street, a man gave her a handout advertising a free concert in the park. (Here, handout is a noun.)

2. hand out: John handed out the flyers. (Here, handed out is a verb.)

3. upside down: The cake landed upside down. (Here, upside down is an adverb telling how the cake landed.)

4. upside-down: The upside-down poster announced a free concert in the park. (Here, upside-down is an adjective describing poster.)

When in doubt about the spelling of a compound word, you should first consult a dictionary, such as Merriam-Webster, which will list the appropriate spellings based on the word’s function in the sentence.

You will find, too, that many compound words are always spelled one way, regardless of their function. For example, according to Merriam-Webster, high school is written as two words regardless of whether it is used as a noun—Peggy has just started high school—or an adjective—Peggy is a high school student.

The confusion occurs when the compound word is not found in the dictionary. (Also see Commonly Confused Words and More Misused (and Mistreated) Words.) Then, writers need to rely on their judgment to ensure that their intended meaning is preserved.

Here are some tips to help you deal with compound words that are not in the dictionary:

1. Hyphenate the compound word if its meaning will be ambiguous without the hyphen.

Example: Dr. Lawrence, a small-town practitioner, was the first official to arrive on the scene. (Here, the hyphen is necessary; without it, readers may think that the practitioner was a small man, rather than a practitioner who works in a small town.)

2. Never hyphenate compound words that are created with -ly adverbs.

Example: Tammy and Bob bought the recently renovated house on Main Street.

3. Hyphenate the elements of a compound adjective that occurs before a noun.

Example: They attended a black-tie affair.

Note: The following kinds of compound adjectives almost always need to be hyphenated:

Noun + adjective (tax-exempt), Noun + participle (government-owned), Adjective + participle (friendly-looking), Adjective + noun + ed (high-priced)

The Bottom Line: Compound Word Rules Made Easy
Remember these points when working with compound words, and you should have no trouble with their spelling:

1. There are three types of compound words: closed compounds, hyphenated compounds, and open compounds.

2. If you are in doubt about the spelling of a compound word, you should check a dictionary before you apply any other guidelines.

3. Hyphenate if ambiguity will result without the hyphen.

4. Never hyphenate -ly adverbs.

NOTE: If compound words are still confounding you, Writer’s Relief can help. Since 1994, writers have been using our proofreading and formatting services to make sure their submissions are clean and professional—and grammatically correct!—giving their work its best shot at publication.

At Writer’s Relief, our staff is expert in the business of writing. We’re here to organize, encourage, and facilitate the submission process for creative writers who don’t have time to tackle the business side of their craft.

Unfortunately, there are a few areas in which we are fairly useless:

We can’t fix your parking tickets, leaky faucets, or that pesky termite problem.

We can’t house-train your new puppy (or your toddler).

We can’t smooth wrinkles, halt hair loss, or lower cholesterol.

We can’t refinance your mortgage, negotiate a raise, or solve the social security crisis.

We can’t change your world view, your mind, or your gender.

We can’t locate lost pets, old friends, or wandering muses.

We can’t make you more popular among your peers or cure the heartbreak of psoriasis.

We can’t school you in the art of flower arranging, give you a position of power, or tone your abs.

And we can’t even hook you up with your true love…or the hottie who lives down the street.

What Writer’s Relief CAN do:

Writer’s Relief can save you valuable time and effort researching markets and guidelines and keeping track of submissions. You can focus your time and energy on writing, while we relieve you of the burden of promoting your work via submissions. Here’s how it works.

You send us unpublished samples of your work, which we review for quality. We accept and submit work only from writers we believe have the ability to be published. Our Review Board takes from one day to one month to contact you. We do not charge a reading fee.

For more information visit our Writer’s Relief Review Board Submission Guidelines.

After we’ve completed our review, we’ll quote you flat fees for our various services.

We’ll help you get your act together. We proofread your work with a keen eye for detail. Then, we target those publishers and agents most appropriate and make certain your writing is professionally prepared. We will also help with query and cover letters, and we constantly update guidelines for literary journals and literary agents to make sure your work gets to the right person. Our database contains the most up-to-date information on creative writing outlets available anywhere.

We keep accurate records of all costs related to your work and provide an itemized list with your billing. This service is invaluable at tax season. And most exciting, we create a personal database for each client that details the status of each submission and all titles, acceptance information, etc. and is available to you online 24 hours a day.

So, if you’re looking for a little help getting your submission strategies in order, give us a shout. But if you’re looking for a little help with your mother-in-law or your wayward garden, you might be better off perusing the Yellow Pages.

REMEMBER TO CHECK OUT OUR LIST OF WRITING CONTESTS and ANTHOLOGIES! You won’t find a better list anywhere (AND IT’S FREE!) of upcoming anthologies, special-themed journals, and writing contests.