CONTENTS FEATURE: Snip and replace phrasal verbs to reduce clutter GRAMMAR COACH: Fielding your questions FINDER'S FEE: Recommend a friend—and earn up to $500 FEATURE: Snip and replace phrasal verbs to reduce clutter      Grand Ole Opry comic entertainer Minnie Pearl devised a simple but instantly recognizable characteristic that uniquely identified her. She wore a hat with the price tag still dangling from it, deliberately making herself look like a bumpkin.      Many people inadvertently do likewise in their writing, littering their sentences with dangling bits of words that they should have severed before displaying their statements publicly. Try to find and rectify the 24 dangling "tags" in the next paragraph.      Don had put off working on the marketing analysis data tables, and he failed to finish up the report by today's deadline. He slept in and woke up late this morning, and then to beg off sitting in the marketing meeting he called up his office and said his car had broken down on the way in to work. But his boss wouldn't stand for lethargy and didn't fall for his excuse. She was really burned up, and called off the meeting. To play up his story about the car, Don asked a friend to drop him off at work. When Don's boss began to chew him out he ended up admitting that he had slipped up. A co-worker who showed up in Don's office pitched in and helped him out by setting up the data tables, and they wrapped up the report and turned it in by the end of the day.      That is one exceptionally cluttered paragraph. The contrived story about Don is tortuous because it is laden with inelegant phrasal verbs. A phrasal verb is composed of a verb and another particle — an adverb (such as "up") or preposition (such as "for"). "Figure out," "dress up," "stand for" and "cut down on" are examples of phrasal verbs.      Phrasal verbs differ from combinations of conventional verbs and prepositions. In a subject-preposition combination, the preposition is tied to the noun or pronoun that is the object of the verb. The phrase "drive to," for example, consists of a verb (drive) plus a preposition (to) that directs action to the object of the verb - as in "drive to the store." Contrast that with the composition of the question "what are you driving at?" In the phrasal verb "driving at," the preposition "at" no longer serves a prepositional function; it is a particle that forms an integral part of the verb. An equivalent expression — "what are you suggesting?" — contains no preposition, which demonstrates that "driving at" is a phrasal verb rather than a verb-proposition pair.      Phrasal verbs are common in speech and personal correspondence, but they're often inadvisable in formal writing because they are colloquial and they tangle sentences unnecessarily.      Although phrasal verbs sometimes offer the best pathway to express an idea, they often can be replaced by proper conventional verbs. The phrasal verb "figure out" is a cumbersome way of saying "determine" or "resolve." You can replace "dress up" with "decorate"; "give in" with "concede"; and "cut down on" with "reduce."      Phrasal verbs also are inadvisable because they can be ambiguous. If a car or machinery breaks down, it stops functioning; if you break down costs, you analyze or categorize them; a person who breaks down is in emotional distress. If you bring up a subject, you're mentioning it; but if you bring up a child, you're raising him or her.      Those little particles — up, down, through, on, off, for — are not incidental; they radically change meaning of phrasal verbs. The phrasal verb run across, for example, differs substantially in meaning from the verb run or the verb-preposition combination run to (as in "run to the store"). If you call on someone, you're making a request; if you call off a meeting you're canceling it; and if you're called up, you report for military duty. You can show up (arrive) at work or show up (surpass) your co-worker. Plans can fall through or fall flat (collapse) or fall short (languish); people can fall on hard times (suffer financially), fall into line (comply), fall behind (lag), fall out with someone (argue), fall for someone (become infatuated) or fall for a scheme (become victimized).      That cluttered 153-word paragraph about Don's procrastination can be trimmed to 126 words by replacing phrasal verbs with their single-word equivalents.      You, too, can make your writing more lean, crisp and dignified by avoiding phrasal verbs. You can identify phrasal verbs by the adverb or preposition particles attached to them. If they're not serving prepositional or adverbial functions, they're phrasal verb particles. This list of examples with common phrasal verb constructions and their single-word replacements can help. the dog is acting up the dog is misbehaving he backed out of the offer he rescinded the offer more troublesome than she had bargained for ...than she had imagined she carried out her duties she performed (or fulfilled) her duties you catch on quickly you learn quickly she did away with the restrictions she abolished the restrictions the boy coughed up the evidence the boy relinquished the evidence she figured out the problem she solved the problem he filled out the application he completed the application they get by they improvise she got her ideas across effectively she conveyed her ideas effectively he got around the regulations he circumvented the regulations the tortoise got away the tortoise escaped they got rid of the cabinet they discarded the cabinet he got through the job he completed the job they ironed out their differences they resolved their differences she couldn't make out his signature she couldn't discern his signature they owned up to the omission they acknowledged the omission pick out a sweater choose a sweater he put forward a proposal he introduced a proposal she didn't put up with his antics she didn't tolerate his antics he ran up against a problem he encountered a problem she set up the files she organized the files stick up for yourself defend yourself she tore up the contract she shredded the contract he turned down the proposal he rejected the proposal they wrapped up their discussion they concluded their discussion      In many cases, the particles in phrasal verbs are superfluous or redundant. They can simply be deleted without changing meaning. The adverb "out" in the concocted phrase "swap out" (as in "swap out the light fixtures") is needless. Simply say "swap the light fixtures" or "replace the light fixture." Change "she cleaned up her room" to "she cleaned her room." Replace "Bob also helped out" with "Bob also helped." Change "he filled up the tank" to "he filled the tank." Replace "he closed down the office" with "he closed the office." Why say "hurry up" when you can simply say "hurry"?      Now you know how to spruce up - make that improve — our example paragraph:      Don had delayed formulating the marketing analysis data tables, and he failed to complete the report by today's deadline. He overslept and awakened late this morning, and then to avoid sitting in the marketing meeting he called his office and said his car had stalled on the way to work. But his boss wouldn't tolerate lethargy and didn't believe his excuse. She was really angered, and postponed the meeting. To underscore his story about the car, Don asked a friend to drive him to work. When Don's boss began to reprimand him, he ultimately admitted that he had blundered. A co-worker who visited Don's office voluntarily helped him create the data tables, and they finished the report and submitted it by the end of the day.      And don't forget to snip the price tags from your holiday gifts. GRAMMAR COACH: Fielding your questions 1. Jennifer wrote:      "To say that something had good lighting, should I say 'well lit' or 'well lighted'?" The grammar coach replies:      Both "lit" and "lighted" are past-tense and past-participle forms of the verb "light." The statements "the room is well lighted" and "the room is well lit" are each grammatically correct. You have the green light to use the two forms interchangeably in all senses. 2. Deanna D. wrote:      "What about the possessive plural form of 'Davis'? I am having 'The Davis's(?) First Christmas' engraved on an ornament. I would hate to have a misspelled engraving on an object that will be seen every year on the Christmas tree!" The grammar coach replies:      Some aspects of the possessive forms of proper names ending in "s" are subject to debate. The Chicago Manual of Style and the Associated Press (AP) Stylebook offer differing recommendations on some points.      They're in agreement, however, about formation of plurals for names ending in 's'. Simply add "es" to form plurals of common nouns as well as proper names ending in "ch," "s," "sh," "ss," "x" and "z." Examples: "the Martinezes" and "the Davises".      The plural form is appropriate in your case because you are talking about a family composed of two or more people. (One of you is a "Davis" but you and your husband together are "Davises.")      Both manuals also agree that the plural possessive case for names ending in 's' is formed by adding only an apostrophe to the plural form. The Chicago manual shows these examples: "The Rosses' and the Williamses' lands" and "the Joneses' reputation". Correspondingly, proper form would be "the Davises' first Christmas."      Are you perplexed by some aspect of grammar or word usage? Don't be shy! Ask the "grammar coach" at EditPros and we'll try to help—at no charge, just for the sport of it. FINDER'S FEE: Recommend a friend—and earn a finder's fee of up to $500      Do you know of a friend or colleague whose office can benefit from EditPros' services? If you do, EditPros may reward you with a "finder's fee" of up to $500.      EditPros LLC, established in 1993, performs writing, editing, proofreading and publication management services for newsletters, brochures, Web sites, annual reports, research studies, business proposals, and other informational and marketing materials. Our office is in Davis, Calif., between Sacramento and San Francisco; however, our clients include educational institutions, private corporations, health-care organizations, trade associations, scientific research institutions, Web site developers and government agencies from throughout the United States. We have worked with some of them for more than 10 years.      If you recommend our services to a friend or business colleague, and that introduction leads to an assignment for EditPros, we will award you a "finder's fee" equaling 10 percent of the amount we earn on the first assignment for the new client, up to a maximum finder's fee of $500. Naturally, the finder's fee is applicable only to client organizations for which we have not worked previously.      This offer will remain in effect until further notice. 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