| Susan only submitted her manuscript to three literary | | | | but submit her manuscript to three literary agencies. |
| agencies. | | | | She didn't submit it to publishers. She didn't enter it |
| Susan submitted her manuscript to only three | | | | into writing contests. She didn't have it bound and |
| literary agencies. | | | | engraved. (Don't do that, by the way, if you're |
| | | | planning to send it to anyone.) In fact, if we're being |
| Ever hear of a "misplaced modifier"? Don't worry, I'll | | | | really strict, she didn't do anything else at all. She |
| get into those in another article. Today I'm going to | | | | didn't even get out of bed and brush her teeth this |
| briefly explain one example, a pet peeve of mine and | | | | morning. She "only submitted."Now look at the |
| of copyeditors everywhere: the use and misuse of | | | | second sentence. Aha! Now you get it. Susan |
| the word "only." This is one of those grammatical | | | | submitted to "only three" literary agencies. This |
| rules that most people (including yours truly) don't | | | | construction leaves no room for doubt. And it |
| follow in speech or in informal writing, and therefore | | | | emphasizes more strongly the sentence's significance: |
| needs editing in every single manuscript that comes | | | | that she didn't submit her manuscript to very many |
| across my desk, even those by the most | | | | agencies. This simple rearrangement of words |
| experienced authors. "Too picky," you might say -- | | | | eliminates ambiguity and improves clarity and |
| but remember: book writing isn't speech. Being "picky" | | | | specificity -- so why not go through your manuscript |
| means being a professional.The sentences above, if | | | | right now, do a global search for the word "only," and |
| you spoke them out loud, might have the same | | | | make sure it's used properly?The proper placement |
| meaning to your ear. But a closer look on the page | | | | of the word is not always this clear-cut, and there |
| reveals that their meanings are different. The most | | | | may be instances where moving it makes your |
| important thing to keep in mind when writing -- after, | | | | sentence read awkwardly. As always, use your |
| you know, stuff like spelling words correctly -- is to | | | | judgment and tailor this tip to your own work. But if |
| never to confuse a reader. This doesn't mean never | | | | you ever see that clarity is in doubt, this is an easy |
| intentionally mislead the reader of your mystery | | | | way to eliminate that doubt and make your writing |
| novel or leave ambiguous the ending of your thriller. | | | | that much more professional.Lisa Silverman is a |
| It means that the meaning you are trying to convey | | | | freelance book editor and works in the copyediting |
| is never in question, not in any single sentence. If it is, | | | | department at Farrar, Straus and Giroux, one of New |
| readers become distracted, and you've lost them.The | | | | York's most prestigious literary publishing houses. She |
| first sentence in my example does not convey its | | | | has also worked as a ghostwriter and a literary agent |
| intended meaning. Why? Because "only" is next to | | | | representing both book authors and screenwriters. |
| "submitted," which is not the word it is modifying. As | | | | She founded in order to provide writers with free |
| written, the sentence tells us that Susan did nothing | | | | advice on both writing and the publishing business. |