Good Grammar Forward
Creative writing may be the heart and soul of this site, but every now and then we have to sing the praises of good grammar.
Hopefully, we can do that without being overbearing sticklers about it.
Good Grammar is Great!
We honored National Grammar Day earlier this month. Now, let’s take a little tour thorough some of the grammar-related articles that have been featured here at Writing Forward. The earliest grammar post dates back to September, 2007, just a few weeks after this site was launched, and it talks about using apostrophe -s.
Punctuation Love
I admit to having a penchant for punctuation. In fact, I’m smitten for the serial comma and I know the difference between dashes and hyphens. I can even show you how to use a semicolon.
However, for creative writing (and fiction writing in particular), quotation marks are essential for writing dialog in its proper format.
Doy you have a favorite punctuation mark?
Homophones and Word Pairs
Like many lovers of language, I get a big kick out of studying words. That’s why there are entire sections on this site devoted to homophones and word pairs.
I’m particularly fond of which witch (which you have to admit has a nice ring to it) and affect vs. effect, two words that often confuse and are confused.
Homophones, homonyms, and homographs are lots of fun but so are other types of word pairs and word groups. It’s nice to know whether you should use farther or further when talking about distance. It’s also nice when you set something down and you don’t have to ask, “Did I lay or lie it there?”
The Mashup
We’ve also looked at parts of speech, which are essential for basic sentence structuring. Split infinitives are optional and not quite as essential, but proper capitalization is pretty important unless you’re a rogue poet.
A Few Good Grammar Resources
If you need more grammar tips on a regular basis, I recommend the following resources:
Punctuality Rules has an entire section dedicated to grammar and punctuation with well-written posts that offer simple explanations of grammatical complexities. Plus, lots of other content related to writing, which we all love.
Grammar Girl is a blog and a podcast, so you can either read or listen (I recommend listening). Each post/episode is just a few minutes long, very entertaining, and Grammar Girl’s expertise cannot be denied. This girl knows her business!
Daily Writing Tips is updated every single day, has a team of writers, and brings you tons of nitty gritty information about good grammar, language, punctuation, etymology, and more. Subscribe, because they are an indispensable resource for writers.
A Way with Words is actually a one-hour radio program that is syndicated over the airwaves, but also is available as a podcast. The website has a synopsis of each episode and you can listen directly from the site using the audio feature, or you can hop into iTunes and subscribe there. This is a super engaging show, and you can even call in with questions about words, language, and grammar.
Do you have any good grammar resources that you’d to share or do you have any ideas for grammar topics that you’d like to see covered in future posts here at Writing Forward? Share your thoughts, knowledge, and suggestions in the comments.
Great tips. Just the other day I was using “which” and “that,” and was glad I read your post about it.
Remember, if you screw up the grammar… it better be on purpose!
WereBears last blog post..Meet the Persian
I agree that grammar screw-ups should be on purpose
“Which” and “that” are among the trickiest to remember!
Because good grammar is important! Thanks for the shout-out, Melissa. It’s important that we carry the Good Grammar high for everyone to see!
–Debs last blog post..Irony
Thanks Deb! Let’s keep promoting good grammar!
Hi Melissa: The best writers are the ones that truly understand the rules of grammar. And once you know the rules really well, you know when they can be broken. I remember memorizing “Jabberwocky” by Lewis Carroll in the 5th grade. I don’t think there was a single word in there that wasn’t made up
Marelisas last blog post..The Elasticity of Time (Part 4)
I love the word “Jabberwocky!” There’s actually a hip-hop dance crew that goes by that name, and they’re fantastic. Made up words are the best
Haha, cool. I am going to go back and read those posts from before I started visiting this blog. Would you write about “number of” vs. “amount of” and “fewer” vs. “less” sometime?
Kelvin Kaos last blog post..Visually Stunning Taiwanese Puppet Video
I did a post on “fewer vs. less” a long, long time ago: http://www.writingforward.com/grammar/word-pairs-groups/fewer-less. I’m not sure what you mean about the “number of” vs. “amount of,” since those phrases can both be used correctly. I would say, to be on the safe side, use “number of” with items that can be counted (e.g. apples) and use “amount of” with items that cannot be counted (e.g. space).
I have flagged this to read later when my distraction factor is slightly lower. I miss hanging out here but my plate keeps getting filled while I keep trying to hide it.
Debs last blog post..Cultivating Life
No worries Deb. I’ve been busy too and haven’t had a chance to make as many rounds as I like. Good to hear from you though!
Good grammar is cornerstone of writing.
Yeah, I went there.
Matthew Drydens last blog post..My Friend Needs Your Help
You went there? I hope you make it back! Grammar is definitely important to writing, though I think for creative writing, voice is probably even more important.