Let Dr. Mike Zizzi teach you to uplift your world via truly *authentic* writing (and speaking! and listening!) We need more of YOUR voice (not AI's).
Welcome back. In the prior post, labeled Stage 2-c, we explored — and in some ways exploded — the idea of any universally proper sentence length. I hope that essay helped you to take an interesting and useful step along our Stage 2 pathway. We now move to the next lesson, Stage 2-d, where we…
We have learned, in Stage 1, that — in English grammar — every complete sentence must include, as its essential component, a main clause (MC), which combines a subject (S) – what we are talking about – and its predicate (P) – what the subject is 1) being, 2) having, or 3) doing. This pair–that-makes–one,…
Read More “Stage 2-a: From “Simple” to “Surprise Me” – Introduction” »
By now, you know all about main clauses (MCs) — also commonly known as independent clauses — and you understand them not just as grammatical factoids, but as a team that, together, constitutes the sentence’s very essense. Something (that you named) either does, has, or is something (according to you). It’s that simple, ha ha….
Read More “Stage 2-b: Across the muck . . . we need *stepping stones*!” »
As you know by now, I cherish authenticity — such that things you say could have been said by you, only. For example, just to show my own authenticity, including my poetic leanings, I might re-arrange those opening eight words like this: “As you, by now, know, I cherish authenticity . . .” (hear the…
Writing Lesson #1: Not “all in one chunk” Okay, Reader-student (that moniker means I’ve got something important to teach you), roll up your mental sleeves and brace yourself for your first step upon the path of transforming – not just improving, but transforming – how you express yourself in writing. I have promised to lead you…
From “rules” to “resources“ All over this website/blog, you will find me interpreting grammar rules and proposing ways to utilize the “rules” as “resources.” And understanding these resources opens up options to help you communicate with free and authentic self-expression. The better you understand the grammar rules, the better you understand your writing resources. With…
Forget the cute cliché: Less, usually, is . . . LESS! Unfortunately, most people (maybe you, at least until now!) want any and all written “explanations,” including grammatical, “brief and to the point.” But that just leaves you only partially understanding things, which can cause more problems than it fixes. Sometimes people “half-understand” a new…
Here’s a grammar lesson to help you to better understand adverbs so that you can use them confidently and correctly. You can see how I put into bold italics the -ly at the end of those two adverbs in the prior sentence. Well, that just gets us started. To learn more about adverbs, including how…
Read More “Adverbs – Do they make you feel bad — or badly?” »
Here I am, at the 1988 annual convention of the International Listening Association, standing with my “pen-pal finally met in the flesh,” Ralph G. Nichols, aka “The Father of Listening.” (Click post title to see pic)
To get the “Stories” section of this site going, allow me to merge the two seemingly contrary topics – speaking and listening – in the following tale, which I present as a first-hand tribute to the legendary scholar known to many (mainly scholars in the “listening” sub-field of communication) as the Father of Listening, Ralph…