Commas matter. That tiny period-with-a-tail can change the meaning of your entire sentence, and your use of it quickly demonstrates just how well you know the English language.
Today, I have just a few comma tips for you. This is nowhere near an exhaustive guide, but if you learn these 8 comma rules, you’ll give a better impression with your written word everywhere you go.
Revision is more than just correcting the comma splices and subject-verb agreement. Some bad writing is just awkward and unclear.
As I’ve worked to develop a working writing style, it’s taken me a lot of awkward sentences, phrases, and words, but after editing (and many writing lectures from Joe), I’ve developed a few tips to avoid the bad writing. Here are six tips that helped make my writing better (hopefully they help you, too!).
Let’s understand what we mean when we’re talking about “voice” in a passive sentence versus an active voice sentence. In this case, grammatical voice refers to the verb form used in relationship with the subject and receiver of the action.
(This should not be confused with author voice which is more about the personality and style of a writer throughout their work. That’s something entirely different.)
If you’re still confused, let’s look at some examples that will help you see the difference, and then look at how to use each type of sentence to its best effect. Ready?
A few weeks ago, our group of friends was planning a potluck. One of the girls said she was planning on making vegetarian chili, cornbread, or baking cookies. I cringed internally because the flow of the sentence was wrong and hurt me on the inside. The issue: mismatched parallelism.
Here’s a secret: I’ve never been explicitly taught not to split infinitives (or to not split infinitives?). Surprise!
If that statement’s a shocking pronouncement, or if it makes no sense at all, never fear. Let’s take a step back and look at the long, illustrious history of split infinitives.
You worked hard. You stayed up late, got up early, pushed through writer’s block, and finally, at long last, finished writing your book.
But after you write your book, what comes next?
