Chapter written by Sara91Helal
A good storyline is important, but without proper grammar, it's a word salad! Grammar isn't meant as a tool of torture, or an unnecessary ornament. It's basically what makes a text comprehensible. As a writer, good grammar not only reflects how fluent you are, but also how serious and committed.
Don't worry, this isn't a grammar lesson! Here are simple tips and tricks that can greatly change your story.
1. Unify your tenses
Shifting between tenses is one of the commonest errors. It makes your narration too bumpy to surf, which confuses and frustrates your readers. Even if you change POVs, try to pick one tense and stick to it until the end of the story.
2. Adverbs
"The road to hell is paved with adverbs," says Stephen King. "With adverbs, the writer usually tells us he or she is afraid he/she isn't expressing himself/herself clearly, that he or she is not getting the point or the picture across."
It's not a grammatical sin to use adverbs, after all they were created for a reason, but using too many in your descriptions gives the reader an impression that you're unsure about the picture you're portraying.
A) He slammed the door forcefully.
B) He slammed the door.
There's no need to use "forcefully," because the adjective "slam" implies the use of force.
3. Passive voice
"Relying on passive voice can be the pitfall of any well-meaning writer. This unwieldy construction of lifeless verbs and passive subjects is a sure way to take the power right out of your words." ~ Naomi T.
A) Breakfast was eaten. {Passive}
B) I ate breakfast. {Active}
B reflects an action. Remember, stories are all about action.
4. Punctuation
A) Let's cook grandma!
B) Let's cook, grandma!
The comma made all the difference.
"When speaking aloud, you punctuate constantly — with body language. Your listener hears commas, dashes, question marks, exclamation points, quotation marks as you shout, whisper, pause, wave your arms, roll your eyes, wrinkle your brow. In writing, punctuation plays the role of body language. It helps readers hear the way you want to be heard." ~ Russell Baker.
A few punctuation tips:
- Begin sentences and people's names with capital letters.
- Avoid using numbers in text.
- Avoid unnecessary contractions. (eg. U instead of you).
- Avoid too much exclamation marks.
- Space is only after punctuation marks, not before.
- Keep a consistent spelling of your characters' names.
- In dialogue, use separate lines for separate speakers.
For example:
"I love you," he said.
"I love you too."
5. When in doubt, google it!
99.99% of the time you'll find an answer.
What people have had to say
AliciaM21 "I would also add:
- Always put the quotation marks after the comma, period, exclamation point, question mark, etc. Like so: "Hello." Never put the punctuation mark outside like: "Hello".
- If you're using a dialogue tag, use commas, not periods. Unless it's a exclamation/question point.
- Capitalize genders, etc. when using a question mark, exclamation point, or period when you're describing a reaction, action, thought, or emotion in narration after the dialogue: "I'm ready, are you?" He grabbed the suitcase and headed for the door.
- Avoid capitalizing genders when using a question mark or a exclamation point when you're using a dialogue tag: "I'm ready, are you?" he asked.
- Avoid capitalizing "he" and "she" with commas in a dialogue tag: "Hello," she said.
- Capitalize when in narration, you use a dialogue tag like: He shakes his head and says, "Neither of us are ready to go."
- Always use punctuation in dialogue, do NOT do the following: "I'm rose" she said."
Ammelia11 "Grammar, for me, is the main difference between me deciding to continue and me giving up a Wattpad story. If there's really bad grammar and spelling, I won't continue past the first chapter. The list of "commonly misused words" has some of the really common grammar mistakes to help, but grammar and punctuation are really important! Nobody's expecting your work to be amazing, but always remember to run it through a spell check before publishing. If you're the type to not notice grammar and punctuation errors, try and get someone to look it over first."
What about you, fellow readers? How important is grammar to you in a story?