StillStunned
Scruffy word herder
- Joined
- Jun 4, 2023
- Posts
- 7,960
Loads of writers here say they struggle with their language usage, grammar, or comma use. Some deny it. But I've seen plenty of stories here on Lit that would have benefitted from a few useful pointers. At the same time, many of us decry the use of AI tools to help writers with these basic elements of writing. So how about we actually help those who are struggling? Let's put together a thread of useful pointers - not the stuff you learned in school, but the practical things that writers should know.
My credentials: I have an MA in English Language and Literature, and (having double-checked) more than 25 years' experience as a language professional, working as an editor and proofreader at the highest level (right up to the EU). I'm not saying I'm perfect, or even that I remember the precise grammatical rules anymore, but I can definitely give some useful tips to anyone who cares to use them.
First up: commas
I won't go into the issue of Oxford commas, or "you should never use a comma if you can avoid it". That's a rule from school, and really has little to do with the practicalities of online writing. The fact is that here, for today's readership, you need to present your information in small useful bites.
That said, there are a couple of things that are sloppy and even downright bad English.
The first is not to separate your subject from your verb. Even if your subject is something like "the woman whose brother went to school with me back when I was in my twenties", you don't end that little snippet with a comma *if you're following it immediately with your verb*. So, "The woman whose brother went to school with me back when I was in my twenties turned to look at me." No comma between "twenties" and "turned". This is a simple trick that will make your writing look much more professional straight away.
This is different if you want to insert a relative clause - a piece of information that qualifies your subject. "The woman whose brother went to school with me back when I was in my twenties, who turned to look at me when I entered, was as beautiful as I remembered." This extra information could also have been put in brackets (or parentheses, for our US brethren). If you can leave it out and still have a complete sentence, include a comma at the beginning and at the end. Don't write, "The woman whose brother went to school with me back when I was in my twenties, who turned to look at me when I entered was as beautiful as I remembered." (See how I omitted the second comma?)
Simple tricks, easy to bear in mind as you do your review. Don't put a comma between your subject and your verb, unless there are two commas and you could replace them with brackets/parentheses.
Here's another: rein/reign/rain
You rein in something, like emotions, or a friend. Imagine you're pulling on the reins of a horse, trying to slow it down.
You reign supreme over something. Your let your behaviour be reigned by your feelings. This is from what a ruler does, Latin: regnum (from which we get "rex" and "regina" for king and queen).
You rain hell down on someone. Your tears rain down. It's a general downpour that covers everything.
This thread is intended to be helpful. I'm not sneering at anyone. I genuinely think all of us here possess a better understanding of the craft of writing than any AI generator could ever hope to provide. If we're going to say that people shouldn't use AI tools to improve their writing, the very least we can do is help those writers so they don't feel they need to depend on them.
Feel free to add your own tips and suggestions. Just try to keep it friendly and helpful, please!
My credentials: I have an MA in English Language and Literature, and (having double-checked) more than 25 years' experience as a language professional, working as an editor and proofreader at the highest level (right up to the EU). I'm not saying I'm perfect, or even that I remember the precise grammatical rules anymore, but I can definitely give some useful tips to anyone who cares to use them.
First up: commas
I won't go into the issue of Oxford commas, or "you should never use a comma if you can avoid it". That's a rule from school, and really has little to do with the practicalities of online writing. The fact is that here, for today's readership, you need to present your information in small useful bites.
That said, there are a couple of things that are sloppy and even downright bad English.
The first is not to separate your subject from your verb. Even if your subject is something like "the woman whose brother went to school with me back when I was in my twenties", you don't end that little snippet with a comma *if you're following it immediately with your verb*. So, "The woman whose brother went to school with me back when I was in my twenties turned to look at me." No comma between "twenties" and "turned". This is a simple trick that will make your writing look much more professional straight away.
This is different if you want to insert a relative clause - a piece of information that qualifies your subject. "The woman whose brother went to school with me back when I was in my twenties, who turned to look at me when I entered, was as beautiful as I remembered." This extra information could also have been put in brackets (or parentheses, for our US brethren). If you can leave it out and still have a complete sentence, include a comma at the beginning and at the end. Don't write, "The woman whose brother went to school with me back when I was in my twenties, who turned to look at me when I entered was as beautiful as I remembered." (See how I omitted the second comma?)
Simple tricks, easy to bear in mind as you do your review. Don't put a comma between your subject and your verb, unless there are two commas and you could replace them with brackets/parentheses.
Here's another: rein/reign/rain
You rein in something, like emotions, or a friend. Imagine you're pulling on the reins of a horse, trying to slow it down.
You reign supreme over something. Your let your behaviour be reigned by your feelings. This is from what a ruler does, Latin: regnum (from which we get "rex" and "regina" for king and queen).
You rain hell down on someone. Your tears rain down. It's a general downpour that covers everything.
This thread is intended to be helpful. I'm not sneering at anyone. I genuinely think all of us here possess a better understanding of the craft of writing than any AI generator could ever hope to provide. If we're going to say that people shouldn't use AI tools to improve their writing, the very least we can do is help those writers so they don't feel they need to depend on them.
Feel free to add your own tips and suggestions. Just try to keep it friendly and helpful, please!
