Writing Tip

Other common mistakesconfusing alter (to change) and altar (a religious object where sacrifices are offered)
spelling medieval as midevil

Writing Tip

Another common misusage is the use of amoral to mean immoral. Amoral means without moral aspect. What color to paint your house is an amoral decision. Immoral means wicked or evil. I suspect it comes from an odd notion that judgement is a bad idea so instead of calling someone or some act immoral we use amoral. Rule of thumb, do not use the word amoral. It should be clear to your reader that it is amoral decision.

Writing Tip


Be careful of the use of quotation marks. They should be used to indicate a direct quote or a common word used in an unusual manner e.e Tony Blair is "president" of Britain. It should not be used to disprove something or to sneer at something or someone. If you do not believe a statement to be true, it is your duty to disprove. George Bush is "president" of the U.S. is an example of incorrect usage. If you have qualms about the electoral college over popular vote, you need to articulate those doubts.

WRITING TIP

A very important of reading critically history is to pay attention to concrete examples and footnoting. History is the study of the concrete. Each general statement should be backed with very concrete examples. The absence of concrete examples is a sign of sloppy or non-existent research. For example the statement that Smallpox killed many Native Americans is true enough but the author must still provide places and dates. The sentence that smallpox killed many Native Americans should be followed with a concrete example such as the outbreak in Mexico City during Cortez's war against the Aztecs. The absence of footnotes is also a bad sign. An author who does not tell you where the information comes from is probably telling tales. Almost as bad as no footnotes and much more common are inept footnotes. To give the author's name and year of publication might be all the rage but it is unacceptable. The reader should not be required to go through the entire book looking for the information. The writer must provide page numbers as part of the footnote. In the final analysis, traditional bottom of the page footnotes are the surest form of referencing.