grammar – Page 2 – Words & Deeds

August 30, 2015

I’d Like to Have a Word with Word about Grammar

I wish Word would stop trying to correct my grammar. If I only wrote simple sentences with a minimum use of phrases (only prepositions and infinitives, perhaps), then, it might be right more often (maybe – I’m not sure). As it is, it’s incorrect at least 99% of the time because it doesn’t understand complex clauses, phrases, or punctuation. Of...

Grammar & Editing Comments: 0

August 18, 2015

Did You Know That Grammar Can Be Sexy?

Here are some more errors you want to avoid: Diply’s 16 Grammar Sins That Drive an English Major Crazy. My personal favorite as far as wit is number 16, a post from ItReallyHurtsWhenIP, who obviously likes puns and grammar.

Grammar & Editing/Humor & Wordplay/Literary Devices & Writing Techniques Comment: 1

August 16, 2015

You Mean Real People Don’t Talk the Way I Learned to from Books?

As writers, we always want our dialogue to sound real. We don’t want it to be stiff or awkward (unless the character is) because we want our characters to sound like people, not robots. The problem with writing the way people talk is that people don’t talk in sentences, and they don’t use correct grammar (if you use correct grammar...

Characterization, Plot, & Setting/Literary Devices & Writing Techniques Comments: 2

August 1, 2015

The Battle of the Apostrophe

I think most people agree on the basics of using an apostrophe: 1. for possession and 2. to show letters were left out (see a summary of apostrophe rules below). Should I Use an Apostrophe with Dates? The controversy seems to raise its grumpy head when it comes to dates. Some people were taught that using apostrophes (1870’s) is correct,...

Grammar & Editing Comments: 0

July 25, 2015

Danger! Danger! Homophone Misuse!

A fabulous way to turn off educated readers (and editors) is consistently using the wrong homophone. It’s a simple misunderstanding that could cost big time. Homophones are words that sound alike but have different meaning. They may be spelled the same or have different spellings. To get started, we are going to focus on two homophone problems that are all...

General Thoughts & Updates/Grammar & Editing Comments: 0

July 18, 2015

Top 5 Grammar Rules Not to Break

Last week, I wrote about how you can break a few grammar rules for books and the internet (See How Good Does My Grammar Need to Be?). In the past week, however, I have seen a lot of writers who take the informal style a little too far. Here are my top five grammar rules you shouldn’t break for understandable...

Grammar & Editing/Literary Devices & Writing Techniques Comments: 6

July 11, 2015

How Good Does My Grammar Need to Be?

The answer to this question is complicated. When it comes to blog articles, I write pretty casually. I use “I” and “you” all the time. My paragraphs are full of contractions and fragments. From a grammar perspective, I’m definitely breaking a lot of rules. What level of grammar is appropriate depends on what you’re writing and for whom. If you’re...

Grammar & Editing/Literary Devices & Writing Techniques Comments: 0

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Tag: grammar