Goofy Grammar That I Never Knew

i.e.  vs.  e.g.

I admit it. I had no idea there was a discernible difference between i.e. and e.g. I for one am guilty of having used them interchangeably.  But now, thanks to Mignon Fogarty, the Grammar Girl, I know when to use which one!

I.e. and e.g. are both abbreviations for Latin terms. I.e. stand for id est and means "that is." E.g. stands for exempli gratia, which means roughly "for example."  But, since most of us don't speak Latin, there is an easier way to know the difference.

     i.e. starts with i = in other words
     e.g. starts with e = example

Assure vs. Ensure vs. Insure

Assure, ensure and insure have the same underlying meaning, but they each have a slightly different use.

Assure is the only one of the three words that means "to reassure someone or promise."

Ensure chiefly means "to make certain or to guarantee."

Insure can be interchangeable with ensure  in some cases, but it's easier to keep the words straight by reserving insure for references to insurance.

Backward vs. Backwards

When backward and backwards are used to describe verbs, both are correct and interchangeable.

According to Fogarty, "The s is more common in Britain than in the United States, so you should consider what the convention is in your country and use backwards in Britain and backward in the United States."

The main exception to this is: Never use the s when you use backward as an adjective.

Farther vs. Further

Farther = to talk about physical distance (farther has the word far in it, so it's easy to remember)

Further = to talk about metaphorical or figurative distance.

The Grammar Girl says that sometimes the distinction between physical and metaphorical distance isn't always clear. In which case, she asserts, it's okay to use farther and further interchangeably.

Okay, here's a question: with the ways that grammar rules tend to change and morph (does anyone actually spend time re-writing a sentence to avoid using a preposition at the end?) which rules do you consider hard and fast and which ones are ignorable?

For more down and dirty tips about grammar and punctuation and the like, check out Grammar Girl's Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing by Mignon Fogarty.

Steampunk by the Rules

Sharing my current research obsession, and celebrating the last day of Tor's Steampunk Week.

Steampunk is a vast and varied genre (see my post from Wednesday) with limitless possibilities for themes, settings, and characters. According to Beth Daniels, author of Writing Steampunk, there are, however, a few rules. Even within these rules, there's some wiggle-room. 

Rule #1
As most steampunk stories are remakes, updates, reconfigurings inspired by the first science fiction stories ever written, they need to be, in essence, Victorian.  No matter the setting, dimension, era, etc., the feel is one with the Victorian world.

Rule #2
The story involves steam-driving machines, clockwork mechanics doing things that similar devices were incapable of actually doing in the time period.

Rule #3
The storyline uses elements of magic or that appears to be magic.

Rule #4
Because steampunk is alternative history, if set on Earth of involving the citizens of Earth, historical figures can appear or be mentioned.

Rule #5
Paranormal creatures and the fae can become featured performers in your piece.

Rule #6
Science is very much a part of the Victorian era, and thus beings created by science are welcomed in steampunk tales--including robots, cyborgs, people with mechanical limbs, creatures built from spare biological parts, etc.

Rule #7
Mystery, suspense, danger and frequently a ticking clock feature can be part of a steampunk story. Not only was the science fiction genre created in the closing years of the 19th century, the era also gave birth to the mystery novel and and detective story.

Rule #8
Time travel--the trick is to make the process believable and steampunkishly creative for your audience.

Rule #9
Beings created via magic are another trope used in steampunk, including golems, zombies, etc.

Rule #10
Practitioners of magic--though these don't necessarily need to be wizards or witches, they can be humans with a fount or stolen conjuring book, or any other magic-wielder.

THE MOST IMPORTANT RULE--
THE STORY MUST REFLECT THE WORLD OF EARLY SCIENCE FICTION  IN SOME WAY AND MUST INCLUDE A BEING EITHER MECHANICALLY, BIOLOGICALLY OR MAGICALLY CONSTRUCTED OR WITH A PARANORMAL FAE OR SPIRIT NATURE OR A PERSON TURNED INTO A MONSTER VIA A MYSTERIOUS DISEASE.

Gettin' My Goggles On

Steampunk. It's a term I'd heard before, but never really understood. I mean, goggles and dirigibles?  What the heck?  Then I saw a contest/call for submissions with the great people at Pill Hill Press and someting clicked for me. Pill Hill Press has been good to me and every time I tried something new, something I didn't think I could do, I've succeeded.  So I thought, why not?

Well, with that in mind, a great deal of research ensued. I had to figure out what, exactly, steampunk was and what kinds of stories are included and if the vague idea I had brewing in my head was going to even fit in the genre.

Then, as if directed by fate, I found out that this week is Steampunk Week at Tor books!

So I decided to share a bit of what I've learned about steampunk.

First, what is steampunk?  Steampunk is a sub-genre of speculative fiction, basically a "what if" genre in which geniuses are able to produce mechanical wonders such as robots and floating battle ships that run on steam power and sometimes clockwork. The genre is modled after CyberPunk and usually has some kind of anti-establishment theme, and is often set in the Victorian era or the Old West.

There are several sub-sub-genres of steampunk.

1. BoilerPunk--The blue-collar answer to aristocratic steampunk, incorporating the experiences and hardships of the workers actually shoveling coal to bring steam to the upper-classes.

2. ClockPunk--Clockwork technologies replace and supercede traditional steam power.

3. Dieselpunk--A heresy in which diesel fuel and nuclear power replaces steam power in alternate histories that often have a political component.

4. Gaslight Romances--A mainly British term for alternative histories that romanticize the Victorian era.

5. MannersPunk--Fiction that may or may not be deemed steampunk, in which elaborate social hierarchies provide the friction, conflict and action of the narrative usually in the context of endless forms--dances, parties, etc.--in manners.

6. Raygun Gothic--Although not strictly a sub-genre, this type of retro-futurism based is in part on art deco and streamlined modern styles has been used for a variety of science fiction settings, usually in movies.

7. StitchPunk--Fiction influence by the arts and crafts element of steampunk, with a prime example being teh animated movie 9 in which a cute Frankenstein dall-creature stitched together from bits of burlap sack tries to save the world. In a wider context, stitchpunk emphasizes the role of weavers, tinkers and darners in steampunk.

8. CyberPunk--Dark techno-fiction set in a near future.

Here are some highly regarded steampunk novels that have been recommended to me.

Boneshaker by Cherie Priest

Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld

The Immorality Engine by George Mann

Morlock Night by K.W. Jeter

The Difference Engine by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling

If you're a fan of the genre, which are your favorite books or movies?