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How do the rules grammar affect your writing?

  1. Hi,

    The more I write the more I learn and recently it has been brought to my attention that I should pay closer attention to proper sentence structure and punctuation;where am using commas instead of periods, semi-colons or dashes to separate two complete thoughts.

    I would like to be lazy and say, well English is not my first language, but I love to write and want to rectify this! I realise that rules are there to broken, guess I am really good at that now...

    It would really be helpful to know how you deal with your grammar, do you use any tools or are you just really good at remembering the rules of grammar? Maybe you can assist me :)



    The blog I need help with is

  2. I think that I am quite good at grammar and use of appropriate punctuation, but I do re-read my posts and notice errors! There seems to be a general decrease in the level of literacy. People don't think it's important, yet it is a barrier to effective communication.

    When I point out mistakes (in a light hearted way), people seem to think I'm being picky.

    My biggest bugbears are the incorrect use of your/you're and there/their/they're, plus the American habit of using anyways instead of anyway.

    As you are paying close attention, your English will probably be better than native speakers!

  3. By the way, it should be: 'How do the rules OF grammar affect your writing?' ;-)

  4. I like you already :) glad you noticed that missing word it was a way of emphasizing my point!

    I appreciate your encouragement a lot, somehow I thought the rules of grammar will never apply in my writing...who was I kidding? Like you say, I will continue paying closer attention to my writing, and hopefully improve my grammar.

  5. One of the best ways I identify any grammar or punctuation mistakes in my work is to read it aloud, it really helps to stop all those little, basic errors.

  6. Wow, thanks for the tip Joe I have heard about it before, but never really tried it. Will start doing it and see how it goes...

  7. wordwatchtowers

    You should drop in at Wordwatch Towers. Free parking. You'll find loads of stuff about grammar, writing and punctuation, and you can ask questions about anything English language-related that's puzzling you.

    And this is how the rules of grammar can affect your writing:

    "A woman without her man is nothing."

    With the correct punctuation all becomes clear:

    "A woman: without her, man is nothing."

  8. theinsanityaquarium

    @wordwatchtowers: I love it!

    It's the whole 'eats, shoots and leaves' issue.

  9. Those commas and colons sure do make a big difference, thanks Wordwatch I have just visited your site I see you give really good advice!

  10. You write better than most people who have English as their first language haha :)

  11. *blush* thanks for your kind words Ardpete...

  12. I expected to hear more Comments about my Grammar, as it is only just okay... However, I've only heard something from a few that were friendly enough... Except for one yesterday, that basically hammered me... Needless to say, his reply was not posted, as I don't believe in "hammering" anyone... for anything... ever

    But for the most part the people that have said something primarily mention my over use of "...", which is just a creative thing for me, I could drop them if I wanted... And in some cases, I use them much less now. The second thing that is brought up to me is my "Over Capitalization of Words... Which, by the way, is completely on purpose, I could stop this if I wanted to as well... Once again, it's just a creative thing. Other than in Poetry, which I have actually been Complimented to about it, I would not likely use it in any of my other work should I decide to Self Publish, or look to have it published.

    Other than that, the main factor is, just about everything I Post is a First Draft... Done with my initial Blogging intentions in mind which were, to get in the habit of Writing regularly... So to a degree, my Blogs are almost more like a Journal, than "The Printed Page"... Or finished product by any means. Truth be known, I have other people Edit my Work when needed, which is what I'm currently having done to a hand full of my Poems.

    I'm primarily concentrated on Raw Content right now in regards to my Blogs... As time goes by, there is a chance that I will begin to Edit Pieces prior to Posting them, but I will need an actual Editor to assist me with that, or else my Posting will drop by some 80% I would imagine


  13. If you know grammar, it will come naturally. And, eventually, you'll be allowed to bend the rules a bit. Don't try too hard, though; it will seem forced and overly-professional, and nobody likes that.

    The most important thing: learn grammar. Use it. And take it easy.

  14. DarkJade you are very right, there are some basic rules of grammar that we overlook. However, someone like an editor or an English teacher ;) quickly picks up on them. I am reading informative posts at Wordwatch and other places to polish up... everyday is a learning experience.

    Dingledodie,am definitely taking it steps ;)

  15. wordwatchtowers

    @theinsanityaquarium - thank you, and yes, we're talking pandas.

    @veehcirra - thank you!

  16. kennethmarkhoover

    I'm a professional writer so I do tend to follow grammatical rules. But I am not wedded to that for another person's blog. It's your blog. I believe a person should write and format it anyway they want to reflect the kind of person they are. :)

  17. Kenneth you see the thing is that I didn't even know that I was making grammar mistakes. Now that it was brought to my attention. I feel like am wearing new glasses. I am learning the rules. This way I will be aware when am actually breaking them. Like you ;)

  18. Veehcirra - Good for you for wanting to understand grammar better, especially since English isn't your first language!

    As others have suggested, re-reading what you've written will help a lot in picking up grammar mistakes. Take advantage of the built-in grammar/spell check in WordPress, but if you want something more robust try writing your posts in Word and then copying them over to WordPress. Also, if you don't know how to use a certain punctuation mark correctly, then just don't use it (like ellipses or semi-colons, which are incorrectly used all the time). Keep your sentences simple and don't get too fancy with punctuation until you get more comfortable with the rules. The most important thing is to make your writing clear and easy to read.

    Grammar Girl has a lot of quick tips for writing that are usually easy to understand, but there are a lot of resources on the Internet you can turn to when you're stuck. Good luck!

  19. I stick to it when it's convenient for me. lol..

    Sometimes, when your thoughts are going at 100mph, its hard to pay attention to spelling and grammar, I do edit etc, but i'm not the greatest. But I am getting better! lol

    Content is more important then form and all the rest!

  20. Its easier when english is your first language, but sometimes you still miss little things.. Spell check definately helps.

  21. invisiblemikey

    I find it useful to compose posts in Word, because the program alerts me to incorrect grammar and misspelled words. I can easily make revisions before copying and pasting into WordPress.

    The more difficult task is to be brief, and choose words that convey what I mean with the tone I intend.

  22. kennethmarkhoover

    I'm a professional writer so grammar is pretty important to me. But I can see how it would not be necessary to follow such strict guidelines in some instances.

    Overall, though, I believe it is a pretty good idea to have a firm grasp on the rules of grammar before anyone decides to go out and break them. Again, this is probably just a holdover from my life as a writer, haha. :)

  23. There are rules?

    Never. I'm not "writing" a Blog.... I'm chatting with people who visit me at length about things, giving them a glimpse of the essential "me".... and so I just type it to be that way. Probably ticks off "auto translators" but so be it....

  24. josephvincent37

    I like to think I'm attentive about my grammar, though whenever I reread a post I've made I notice errors. The one error that I make that really annoys me is putting commas where they are not necessary or welcomed. I just try to be as attentive as I can and correct any errors I come across.

  25. Hi guys,

    Hope the holidays are treating you right ;)

    Thanks so much for the tips, especially on writing on Word first. Spell checkers definitely help a lot. I am now soaking in all the grammar rules as much as I can ;) I didn't realise there are so many helpful blogs on grammar out there.

    I just came across a grammatical error that has the power to ruin a marriage/relationship...

    A man texted his wife, "I am coming home late tonight. I having a great time,it's wonderful. I wish you were her."

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