Grammar
November 12, 2009
- Has anyone, in the course of their manuscript, made a concerted effort to reduce the use of the word "and" by a half (or more). To do so is stating to look better to me.
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November 6, 2009
- I posted this some time ago. Today, I received an email of thanks because it helped someone. I thought it might be worth setting out again for any writer who might be spelling impaired or grammatically challenged. Plus, for dyslexic writers of all ages there is hope. You can improve your writing skills. Here are some of my tried and true writing tricks for challenged writers. - Start A List - ...
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November 5, 2009
- Please, I’m not perfect. I don’t claim to be a fiction editor. I have worked editing nonfiction, but NF is a completely different animal. I have a scientist’s eye. I zoom in on patterns, and look for things falling outside the norm. I created this list because these are issues I address everyday in comment boxes on writing websites. I hope it helps. The examples are pulled from my ...
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October 19, 2009
September 18, 2009
- Since when has it become commonplace to combine a conversation into one paragraph? That two (or more) people speaking are not identified by individual paragraphs for their words? Have grammar rules changed, and I missed it?The book I am reading right now has whole conversations going on separated by quotation marks to delineate the individual speakers...not different paragraphs, but just one ...
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August 28, 2009
- Copy editing somewhat-green writers is starting to affect me. On several occasions lately I have found myself mentally editing the sentences of someone talking on TV or radio. Not a good sign.That may be why I found this sentence in today's New York Times so striking. Then again, maybe the sentence is striking. It's from a review of Big Fan starring Patton Oswalt (whose standup comedy I love, ...
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August 21, 2009
- Summer is almost over because the boys return to school next week. I am torn between feeling a huge sense of relief that is strangely mixed with a certain sense of nostalgia. The end of Summer always does this to me though. Somehow saying goodbye to this season feels like a letting go of freedom, a trek into the unknown, a time to pull up your socks and get down to the grind once more. I ...
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August 12, 2009
- First, let me start off by saying that this isn't aimed at anyone who has actually previewed, read, looked at or actually reviewed the first in my book series, Celtic Evil. This is more toward all those who put down the writers who don't or in some cases, can't follow normal tradition after writing a book.See, I learned while in school and afterwards there are several stages to writing a book. ...
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August 11, 2009
- Here are a few grammar questions from a sample ACT college admissions test I found online.2. As a result of his method for early music education, Shinichi Suzuki (has been known as one) of the world's great violin teachers.A. has been known as oneB. had been known as oneC. is seen as oneD. is being seen as oneE. has been one16. Each night when night came (and the temperature fell,) my parents lit ...
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August 4, 2009
- Below are some quotations about writing, grammar, and quotations: Quotations are a columnist's bullpen. Stealing someone else's words frequently spares the embarrassment of eating your own. — Peter Anderson A bad review is like baking a cake with all the best ingredients and having someone sit on it.. — Danielle Steel There's no greater bliss in life than when the plumber eventually ...
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