·All Ready: Used as an adjective to express complete preparedness.
·Already: An adverb used to express time.
At last I was all ready to go, but everyone had already left.
All right/Alright
·All right: Used as an adjective or adverb; older and more formal spelling, more common in scientific and academic writing: Will you be all right on your own?
·Alright: This is an alternate spelling of all right, less frequently used, but often used in journalistic and business publications, and especially common in fictional dialogue: He does alright in school.
All together/Altogether
·All together: An adverb meaning considered as a whole, summed up: All together, there were 40 people in the bus.
·Altogether: An intensifying adverb meaning wholly, completely, entirely: His comment raises an altogether different problem.
Anyone/Any one
·Anyone: A pronoun meaning any person at all: Anyone who can solve this problem deserves an award.
·Any one: A paired adjective and noun meaning a specific item in a group; usually used with of: Any one of those papers could serve as an example.
Note: There are similar distinctions in meaning for ‘everyone’ and ‘every one.’
Anyway/Any way
·Anyway: An adverb meaning in any case or nonetheless: He objected, but she went anyway.
·Any way: A paired adjective and noun meaning any particular course, direction, or manner: Any way we chose would lead to danger.
Maybe/May be
·Maybe: An adverb meaning perhaps: Maybe, we should wait until the rain stops.
·May be: A form of the verb be: This may be our only chance to win the championship.
Note: Please note that I have left Spelling altogether, because as most of us use Microsoft Word, with its auto-correct feature and ability to show up errors that won't be useful. But keying the right word is very important, and often times transcribers type words like "form" instead of "form", and hence a transcriber or editor must have a keen eye to what he types or edits – I mean, every word, every character.
A homophone is a word that is pronounced the same as another word, but differs in meaning. The words may be spelled the same, such as rose (flower) and rose (past tense of "rise"), or differently, such as carat, caret, and carrot, or to, two, and two.
Here is a table that shows you the different combinations in which homophones occur:
Spelling
Pronunciation
Meaning
Examples
Same
Different
Different
Polish: Tell the Polish cleaners to polish the floor.
Minute: The button was so minute that it was a minute before I found it.
Different
Same
Different
Dear, Deer: Don’t be afraid dear, it’s not a lion but only a deer.
Ate, Eight: Ram ate eight apples in one minute.
Beer, Bear: The bear drank all our beer.
Same
Same
Different
Can: Can you please open the can?
Wind: I hope the wind will be strong enough to wind the windmill.
Fly: The Fly could never fly as it was handicapped.
Different
Different
Same
Ambiance, Ambience.
Aught, Ought.
Gray, Grey.
Assay, Essay.
Same
Different
Same
These are basically disputed words that carry different pronunciation in different language or English for that matter, British and American. Eg; Schedule, Aunt, coupon, envelope, etc.
Here is a short list of words that are more common to come in a transcript and count as an error, if you don’t write it right:
Accept, Except
·Accept = Verb meaning to receive or to agree: He accepted their praise graciously.
·Except = Preposition meaning all but, other than: Everyone went to the game except Alyson.
Affect, Effect
·Affect = Verb meaning to influence: Will lack of sleep affect your game?
·Effect = Noun meaning result or consequence: Will lack of sleep have an effect on your game?
A memory-help for affect and effect is in RAVEN: Remember, Affect is a Verb and Effect is a Noun.
Advise, Advice
·Advise = Verb that means to recommend, suggest, or counsel: I advise you to be cautious.
·Advice = Noun that means an opinion or recommendation about what could or should be done: I’d like to ask for your advice on this matter.
Conscious, Conscience
·Conscious = Adjective meaning awake, perceiving: Despite a head injury, the patient remained conscious.
·Conscience = Noun meaning the sense of obligation to be good: Chris wouldn’t cheat because his conscience wouldn’t let him.
Idea, Ideal
·Idea = Noun meaning a thought, belief, or conception held in the mind, or a general notion or conception formed by generalization: Gary had a brilliant idea – he’d go to the School Library for help with his papers!
·Ideal = Noun meaning something or someone that embodies perfection, or an ultimate object or endeavor: Mickey was the ideal for tutors everywhere.
·Ideal = Adjective meaning embodying an ultimate standard of excellence or perfection, or the best: Jennifer was an ideal student.
Its, It’s
·Its = Possessive adjective ( possessive form of the pronoun ‘it’): the crab had an unusual growth on its shell.
·It’s = contraction for it is or it has: It’s still raining; it’s been raining for three days (Pronouns have apostrophes only when two words are being shortened into one.)
Lead, Led
·Lead = Noun referring to a dense metallic element: The X-ray technician wore a vest lined with lead.
·Led = Past tense and past participle form of the verb to lead, meaning to guide or direct: The evidence led the jury to reach a unanimous decision.
Than, Then
·Than = Used in comparison statements, statements of preference, or to suggest quantities beyond a specified amount;
Eg.: He is richer than me. I would rather dance than eat. Read more than the first paragraph
·Then = Used to denote a time other than now; next in time, space or order; or suggesting a logical conclusion.
Eg.: He was young then. First we must study; then we can play. If you’ve studied hard, then the exam should be no problem.
Their, There, They’re
·Their = Possessive Pronoun: They got their books.
·There = That place: My house is over there.
·They’re = Contraction for ‘They are.’ They’re making dinner.
To, Too, Two
·To = Preposition, or first part of the infinitive form of a verb: They went to the lake to swim.
·Too = very, also: I was too tired to continue. I was hungry, too.
·Two = The number 2: Two students scored below passing on the exam.
Note: One interesting grammatical rule to follow is to never start a sentence with a numerical character. The number should be always spelled out, when a sentence starts with a number.
Wrong:13 is a jinxed number.
Right: Thirteen is a jinxed number.
We’re, Where, Were
·We’re = Contraction for ‘we are’: We’re glad to help.
·Where = Location: Where are you going?
·Were = A past tense form of the verb be: They were walking side by side.
Your, You’re
·Your = Possessive Pronoun: Your shoes are untied.
·You’re = Contraction for ‘you are’: You’re walking around with your shoes untied.
Paragraph: It consists of several sentences that are grouped together. These sentences together discuss one main subject. It usually consists of four parts, and we will try to understand them.
But first and foremost why making sensible Paragraph is important in transcription?
There are basically two reasons for making paragraphs: The first being it looks good, otherwise the whole script would look like block of letters. Secondly, it is easier for the reader to read and understand ideas put in paragraphs. It makes more sense to them. Thus a perfect transcript has paragraphs that put together sentences conveying particular ideas or details.
Eg: Ask yourself what looks more inviting to you to read and understand?
YOUTH
Youth is not a time of life; it is a state of mind. “It is not a matter of rosy cheeks, red lips and supple knees; it is a matter of the will, a quality of the imagination, a vigor of the emotions; it is the freshness of deep springs of life. “Youth means temperamental predominance of courage over timidity, of the appetite for adventure over the love of ease. “This often exists in a man of 60 more than in a boy of 20. Nobody grows older merely by a number of years. We grow older by deserting our ideals. “Years may wrinkle the skin, but to give up enthusiasm wrinkles the soul. “Worry, fear, self-distrust bow the heart and turn the spirit back to dust. “Whether 60 or 16, there is in every human being’s heart the lure of wonder, the unfailing childlike appetite of what’s next, and the joy of the game of living. “In the centre of your heart and my heart there is a wireless station; so long as it receives messages of beauty, hope, courage and power from man and from the Infinite, so long are you young. “When the aerials are down, and your spirit is covered with snows of cynicism and the ice of pessimism, then you are grown old, even at 20; but as long as the aerials are up, to catch waves of optimism, there is hope that you may die young at 80.
Or
YOUTH
Youth is not a time of life; it is a state of mind. “It is not a matter of rosy cheeks, red lips and supple knees; it is a matter of the will, a quality of the imagination, a vigor of the emotions; it is the freshness of deep springs of life.
“Youth means temperamental predominance of courage over timidity, of the appetite for adventure over the love of ease. “This often exists in a man of 60 more than in a boy of 20. Nobody grows older merely by a number of years. We grow older by deserting our ideals.
“Years may wrinkle the skin, but to give up enthusiasm wrinkles the soul. “Worry, fear, self-distrust bow the heart and turn the spirit back to dust.
“Whether 60 or 16, there is in every human being’s heart the lure of wonder, the unfailing childlike appetite of what’s next, and the joy of the game of living.
“In the centre of your heart and my heart there is a wireless station; so long as it receives messages of beauty, hope, courage and power from man and from the Infinite, so long are you young.
“When the aerials are down, and your spirit is covered with snows of cynicism and the ice of pessimism, then you are grown old, even at 20; but as long as the aerials are up, to catch waves of optimism, there is hope that you may die young at 80.
Note: If you have the time please read this short essay title “YOUTH” by Samuel Ullman.
Two notable comments regarding this essay are: “Anyone worth his salt in Japanese business knows and uses this essay.” said one long-time Japanese observer.
“It is our Popeye’s spinach.” said Tatsuro Ishida, who was the deputy chairperson of Fujisankei Communications Group.
As noted above, a paragraph has four basic components:
1)Topic Sentence: One sentence that states the point, idea, or opinion.
2)Supporting Sentences: The Supporting Sentences form the body of the paragraph which supports the Topic Sentence.
3)Concluding Sentence: The Concluding Sentence reinforces the idea or opinion and restates the main idea.
4)Transitional Sentence: The Transitional Sentences prepares the reader for the following paragraph.
Three Basic Principles of Paragraph Structure:
a)Unity: The first and foremost principle of Paragraph Structure. Just as a sentence delivers one single thought; a paragraph should convey one topic or idea, but not more than one idea. The theme of the paragraph is expressed often in the first sentence, i.e., Topic Sentence.
b)Order: The second important principle of Paragraph Structure is Order. This means logical sequencing of thoughts or development of the subject, or the main idea. Events must be described in the order of their occurrence, and all ideas should be connected with the leading idea, and arranged accordingly.
c)Variety: The last but not the least principle of Paragraph Structure is Variety. Basically a paragraph should be interesting to read and not monotonous, the lengths of the paragraphs formed should vary, and not always be of the same sentence structure.
Well, as a Transcriber, you may think, how can we take care of Order and Variety when the speaker is in charge of doing that? Well, at least, if you consider Unity in paragraph making then the transcript would turn out more readable and understandable.
Punctuation is the use of standard marks and signs in writing to separate words into sentences, clauses, and phrases in order to clarify meaning.
A transcriber’s job is not just typing the words in the audio file, but doing so in such a way that it makes sense to the reader who uses it. Here punctuation comes into play.
Read the sentence below, notice any anomaly:
Don’t touch, check with other passengers, inform station staff, or dial 100.
A classic example of bad punctuation telling you to do the exact opposite of what anyone should do in case of unattended package. The use of comma after “Don’t touch” saysthat you shouldn’t touch it or ask passengers whether it belongs to them, and furthermore shouldn’t inform the station staff or dial the emergency services.
See how punctuations are important. A single misplaced comma can change the meaning of the sentence. Hence it is very important for a transcriber to learn punctuations.
The following are the main punctuations that we work with:
01)Full Stop or Period: [ . ]
02)Comma: [ , ]
03) Semicolon: [ ; ]
04) Colon: [ : ]
05) Question Mark: [ ? ]
06) Exclamation Mark: [ ! ]
07)Hyphen: [ - ]
08) Dash: [ -- ]
09)Quotation Commas:[ “” ]
10)Apostrophe: [ ’ ]
01) Full Stop or Period: This represents the greatest pause and separation of one sentence from the other.
There was this guy at a bar, just looking at his drink. He stays like that for half of an hour. Then, this big trouble-making truck driver steps next to him, takes the drink from the guy, and just drinks it all down. The poor man starts crying. The truck driver says, "Come on man, I was just joking. Here, I'll buy you another drink. I just can't stand to see a man cry."
"No, it's not that. This day is the worst of my life. First, I fall asleep, and I go late to my office. My boss, outrageous, fires me. When I leave the building, to my car, I found out it was stolen. The police said that they can do nothing. I get a cab to return home, and when I leave it, I remember I left my wallet and credit cards there. The cab driver just drives away."
"I go home, and when I get there, I find my wife in bed with the gardener. I leave home, and come to this bar. And just when I was thinking about putting an end to my life, you show up and drink my poison."
The Full Stop is also used in abbreviations, i.e., Ph.D., U.S.A., Mr., Mrs., etc.
02) Comma:It represents the shortest pause, and is used in a variety of ways. Let’s see:
a)To separate a series of words:
Don't say you don't have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Louis Pasteur, Michelangelo, Mother Teresa, Leonardo Da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, and Albert Einstein.
b)To mark off a Noun:
At a party, a woman walked up to Calvin Coolidge, 30th President of the United States, and said, "My husband bet me I couldn't get three words out of you."
Coolidge replied, "You lose."
c)To mark off words used in addressing people:
A long time ago in a far away place there was a little Indian boy, one day he wondered who named all the children in the tribe. So he went to his mother and asked, “Mother, who names all the people in the tribe?” And the mother replied, “The Great Chief.”
So the boy went to the Great Chief and asked, “Oh, Great Chief, how do you name everyone in our tribe?” The Chief replied in a mature and wise voice, “You asked a very good question, my Little Warrior, and I shall answer it.”
“When our tribe is blessed with a new baby, I walk out of my teepee and the first thing I see is what I name the new child. If I see wolves dancing, then I name the baby dancing wolves. If I see an eagle flying in the sky, then I name the child soaring eagle. But tell me, why are you so curious, Horse Shit?”
d)To separate short coordinated clauses:
I came, I saw, I conquered.
Ask a question and you're a fool for three minutes, but do not ask a question and you're a fool for the rest of your life.
e)To mark off a direct quotation from the rest of the sentence:
A young lawyer was pleading his first case. A train had killed 24 pings, and the young attorney was trying to impress the jury. He said, “Yes, ladies and gentlemen of the jury, 24 pigs. Imagine, 24 pigs. Twice the number, there are in the jury box.”
03) Semicolon: It represents a pause of greater importance than the comma, and is used in two ways.
a)When a clause of compound sentence contains a comma, semicolon is used to separate them:
A house is built of logs and stone, of piles and post and piers; but a home is built of loving deeds that stands a thousand years.
b)A semicolon is also used to separate a series of loosely related clauses:
An angry person is seldom reasonable; a reasonable person is seldom angry.
Be bold in what you stand for; and careful what you fall for.
04) Colon: It expresses a more complete pause than that denoted by a semicolon. It is used as follows:
a)To introduce a quotation;
Best friends don't ask you: "Is something wrong?" Best friends ask you: "What’s wrong?"
b)It is also used before examples, enumerations, etc.;
We could learn a lot from crayons: some are sharp, some are pretty, some are dull, some have weird names, and all are different colors. But they all have to learn to live in the same box.
c)It is used between sentences grammatically different but closely connected in sense;
Be who you are and say what you feel: those who mind, don't matter; and those who matter, don't mind.
05) Question Mark: This is used after a direct question instead of a Full Stop.
a)To use after a direct question;
You ask, “Why did this happen to me?” when a sorry comes your way, but do you ask the same question for every moment of happiness that knocks your door.
Nothing is as soft as water, yet who can withstand the raging flood?
b)Not used after an indirect question;
A boy, frustrated with all the rules he had to follow, asked his father, when will the time come when will he be old enough to do as he pleases. The father answered immediately, "I don't know. Nobody has lived that long yet."
06) Exclamation Mark: It is used after interjections and after phrases or sentences expressing sudden emotion or wishes;
A newsboy was standing on the corner with a stack of papers, yelling, "Read all about it. Fifty people swindled! Fifty people swindled!" Curious, a man walked over, bought a paper, and checked the front page. Finding nothing, the man said, "There's nothing in here about fifty people being swindled." The newsboy ignored him and went on, calling out, "Read all about it. Fifty-one people swindled!"
Drive carefully! Remember, it's not only a car that can be recalled by its maker.
07) Hyphen: It is a shorter line than a dash and is used to connect the parts of a compound word;
A customer in a bakery was observed carefully examining all the rich-looking pastries displayed on trays in the glass cases. When a clerk approached him and asked, "What would you like?" he answered, "I'd like that chocolate-covered, cream-filled doughnut, that jelly-filled doughnut and that cheese Danish." Then with a sigh he added, "But I'll take that piece of bread."
08) Dash: This is used to indicate an abrupt stop and change of thought or to resume scattered subject;
a)To indicate an abrupt stop or change of thought;
Don't be irreplaceable -- if you can't be replaced, you won't be promoted.
b)To resume scattered subject;
All men can fly, but sadly, only in one direction -- down.
09) Quotation Commas: As the name suggests, it is used to enclose or quote the exact words of a speaker;
Joe was in court charged with parking his car in a restricted area. The judge asked him if he had anything to say in his defense. “They shouldn’t have put up such misleading sign out there,” said Joe. “It said, ‘Fine for Parking Here.’”
Please check this sentence: “It said, ‘Fine for Parking Here.’” If a quotation occurs with a quotation, it is marked by single inverted commas.
10) Apostrophe: This is used in three ways, namely:
a)To show omission of a letter of letters;
Don’t – Do not; Isn’t – is not; I’ve – I have; they’re – they are; et cetera.
b)To show possessive case of Nouns;
It is one's attitude at the beginning of a task which will, more than anything else, determine its outcome.
The liar's punishment is not in the least that he is not believed, but that he cannot believe anyone else.
c) To form plural of letters and figures;
Cross your t’s and dot your i’s.
Don’t add two 1’s to make one 2, place two 1’s besides one another to make 11.
Please Note: There are many other punctuation marks that are used. It’s just that these are the most often used ones. Doesn’t mean that the others are not useful, so do your own research, go to a good grammar site and learn a few more.
There are two ways in which you could report the words of a speaker:
1)You may quote his actual words. This is called Direct Speech.
2)You may report what he said without quoting the exact words. This is called Indirect Speech.
Eg:
A diplomatic husband said to his wife, "How do you expect me to remember your birthday when you never look any older?":-Direct Speech.
A diplomatic husband said to his wife that she shouldn’t expect him to remember her birthday when she never looks any older. :-Indirect Speech.
Here you will notice that in changing the above Direct Speech into Indirect Speech certain changes have to be made. These are:
a)You have to use the conjunction that before the Indirect statement.
b)The pronoun you is changed into she. (The Pronoun is changed in Person.)
c)The verb look is changed to looks. (Present Tense is changed to Past Tense.)
d)The adverb is also changed.
Some words that change when you convert Direct into Indirect Speech.
i.now becomes then
ii.here becomes there
iii.ago becomes before
iv.thus becomes so
v.today becomes that day
vi.tomorrow becomes the next day
vii.yesterday becomes the day before
viii.last night becomes the night before
ix.this becomes that
x.these becomes those
Some funny and thought provoking examples of Direct Speech:
1) A father said to his son, "When Abe Lincoln was your age, he was studying books by the light of the fireplace." The son replied, "When Lincoln was your age, he was President."
2) A father was reading Bible stories to his young son. He read: "The man named Lot was warned to take his wife and flee out of the city but his wife looked back and was turned to salt." His son asked: "What happened to the flea?"
3) One evening an old Cherokee Indian told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people. He said, "My son, the battle is between two wolves inside us all. One is Evil. It is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego. The other is Good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith."
The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather: "Which wolf wins?"
The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed."
