Today is Grammar day, the
day every writing blog waits for to tell you how to improve your grammar, and
there are about 1,200,000 fighting you’re your attention—yes YOU!
You have opened this because you want to
improve your grammar and I bet it is to do with work. Okay, there will be
students and a few writers, but I’m going to focus to the office working
masses.
I will give you 10 secrets to improve
communication with your boss, your boss’s boss, and the annoying guy or girl
who is your “peer”.
But first, we are not talking about grammar we are going to
focus on a syntax because 99% of the time when people say Grammar they mean
syntax—writing stuff.
Even the brilliant Grammar Girl admits on
her blog she deals with syntax but "grammar" sounds sexier.
In the office, we don’t care about perfect
grammar just good grammar. What do we care if you end a sentence with a
preposition? BTW, I just heard a good story on the House of Cards about that.
Two
girls meet for the first day in the room they will share in dorm at
university. One girl is from mid-state New York and one girl is from down south.
The New York girl and her mom are hanging curtains in the room when the
southern girl walks in.
“Hi, where y’all from?” the
Southern bell asks.
“We are from a place where we
know you should not end a sentence with a preposition,” says the girl form New
York.
The southern girl smiles and
says, “Oh beg my pardon, where y’all from …BITCH?”
10 ways to fix it for those who care more
about the syntax than the content:
1. S.V.O.
Basic good old solid sentence foundation;
S.V.O.—Subject, Verb, and Object.
Sam kicked the Ball.
Subject = Sam
Verb = kicked
Object = ball
2. The
difference between an “Independent Clause” and a “Dependent Clause”
An Independent Clause can stand alone as a
sentence, beginning with a capital and ending with a terminal punctuation such
as a period.
A dependent clause cannot stand alone and must be attached to an
independent clause.
Which are Independent Clauses?
- he often went swimming
- although Sam wanted to play football
- the young woman liked to watch him swim
- because the water was hot
- the pool was closed on Sunday
3. Introductory
phrases like The Time or The Place
If you have a sentence with a time or
place, state them first, add a comma, and then start the sentence.
<INTRODUCTION> <COMMA> <SENTENCE>
- In November, it will snow more in Dallas
than Vancouver.
- Watching TV, it’s impossible to feel you
are not fulfilling your life potential.
4. Use
the Serial Comma
When three or more elements are listed in a
series and a comma is inserted before the “and” it is known as a serial comma.
Red, white, and blue.
To omit it is faulty. Consider the
following:
Yesterday,
David, Jane, Peter and Paul all packed and left to go their respective homes.
Did Peter and Paul leave together to the
same home? Sounds like they did.
5. Using
ME or I in a sentence
When to use ME or I in a sentence (with
other people in the sentence too) is an easy one to remember and a great one to
get correct.
You
have got to support David and I.
This sentence might sound right but it is wrong.
Remove “David and” and we get “You have to support I.”
You
have to support David and me.
You
have to support me.
David
and me went on to win gold.
Me
went on to win gold.
David
and I when on to win gold.
I
went on to win gold.
6. Using
i.e. and e.g. correctly
i.e. means in other words, it is a full
list. I like playing sport, i.e., football and cricket. I do not like any other
sport.
e.g. means for example, it is not a finite
list. I like playing sport, e.g., football and cricket. I like at least one
other sport.
Do not forget the comma before and after
e.g. and i.e.
7. Erroneous
Semicolon
Do not separate groups of words that are
not grammatically equivalent.
To
have researchers find the next fund formula; to have a money manager own and
sell that fund; these are the things we need to put in place.
The first semi colon is correct as it
separates parallel phrases. The second one is incorrect as the third sentence
is a summational independent clause.
8. Comparative
vs. Superlative
Be careful when comparing to things, say
reports, performance reviews, or blogs. Ensure you use comparative words not
superlative words.
Better, nicer, more, worse: these are
comparative words to use when comparing two things.
Best, nicest, most, worst: these are
superlative words for when comparing three or more things.
I
read the two blogs and I think Writing is Simple is the best. The sentence might sound right but alas it is not.
I
read the two blogs and I think Writing is Simple is the better. Correct.
I
read all the Grammar Day blogs and I think Writing is Simple is the best. Correct.
9. BTW: How
to spot a preposition
A preposition is anything that a squirrel
can do to a tree. Run around it. Run from it. Run to it…into, over, outside,
underneath, etc.
10. Read My Blog
Most weeks, I write A quick 5 point novel
guide to using…READ THEM!
Finally, share this blog today, on GRAMMAR
DAY!
