Grammar, grammar, grammar. Love it or hate it, it's a fact of every writer's life. Get it right and the story seems to flow almost effortlessly. Get it wrong, and the reader can be jarred out of the story.
In this series of posts I'll look at the fundamentals of grammar and will also try to explode some of the myths around it. I'll also try and do this in a practical way, with lots of examples, rather than a treatise on theory.
I thought I'd start with a look at the common comma, how it should be used and some examples of common errors. There is a myth that a comma should be used to indicate a 'breath' or 'pause' but the truth is there is no need to signpost this. Try reading a passage and applying this 'rule' and you'll find it makes a sentence sound artificial and clunky. Let the reader decide where the pauses and breath spaces are. Use the comma to provide clarity and direct the flow of the sentence.
Probably the most common error I see is the comma splice, where two independent clauses are joined together with just a comma:
Example:
(Clause 1) Laurence asked for the post.
(Clause 2) I wrote it.
Not the greatest work of literature, but it'll serve to illustrate the point. The comma splice occurs when both clauses are joined to make a more complex sentence without using a conjunction:
(Incorrect) Laurence asked for the post, I wrote it.
(Correct) Laurence asked for the post, and I wrote it.
However, if both clauses are dependent (They have the same subject but different actions) then they don't need a comma, just a conjunction:
Example:
(Incorrect) Jimmy toasted the bread, and buttered it.
(Correct) Jimmy toasted the bread and buttered it.
Many people will have heard of the Oxford comma. Whilst there are arguments both for and against its use, I would argue that not to use it in fiction can cause confusion. It relates to the last comma in a list:
Example:
(Incorrect) When writing, I need my pen, an idea and a notepad.
(Correct) When writing, I need my pen, an idea, and a notepad.
In the first sentence, my pen IS an idea and a notepad all rolled into one. The second sentence is a list of three things I need when I write.
Another example for you, culled from the pages of The Times newspaper, has the following sentence:
"…highlights of his tour included encounters with Nelson Mandela, an 800-year-old demigod and a dildo collector."
Really? Perhaps that pesky comma should have been used…
Often confused with the Oxford comma is the casualty comma. This is used when you use a sub-clause to give extra information (and the sentence will stand, meaning unchanged, without the sub-clause). Depending on the sentence structure and the position of the nonessential clause, this will necessitate either one or two commas:
(Incorrect) When I finished reading I closed the book.
(Correct) When I finished reading, I closed the book.
Just one comma in this sentence, as the key clause relates to closing the book. Discovering that I have finished reading is merely extra information, thus the two clauses are separated by a comma.
(Incorrect) In all writing, fiction or non-fiction good grammar is essential.
(Correct)In all writing, fiction or non-fiction, good grammar is essential.
In this second example, the key information is that good grammar is essential. The clause referring to fiction or non-fiction is not essential, and removing it wouldn't change the meaning of the sentence. Because of its place in the sentence, this needs two commas.
There are three other main comma types I'd like to mention: the conversation (or dialogue) comma, the calling comma, and the conditional comma.
First, the conversation comma. This is used to allow dialogue attribution tags to be used without breaking any rules.
Example:
(Incorrect) "You'll be fine." He said.
(Correct) "You'll be fine," he said.
Of course, you may have dialogue that ends in a question mark, or an exclamation mark, or an ellipsis. You wouldn't use a comma here.
(Most of the time, you'd not need a dialogue tag with these but that's a whole other post. Suffice to say that the line of dialogue, "John!" indicates that it was probably uttered with a loud voice. If you write the line as, "John!" he shouted, then mostly you would be guilty of overwriting.)
The calling comma is often missed. It's used after an exclamatory word or phrase, or when a name has been used as a direct address.
Example:
(Incorrect) Laurence Books Go Social is a great site.
(Correct) Laurence, Books Go Social is a great site.
A conditional comma is used when a statement is preceded by a conditional clause
Example:
(Incorrect) If you want to write better books learn the rules of grammar.
(Correct) If you want to write better books, learn the rules of grammar.
Note that, if the conditional clause follows the statement, a comma is usually unnecessary.
Example:
(Incorrect) Learn the rules of grammar, if you want to write better books.
(Correct) Learn the rules of grammar if you want to write better books.
That last sentence really is key. It's perfectly permissible to break grammatical rules, but only do so if you know what rule you're breaking and why. Otherwise, it's nothing more than sloppy writing, and nothing is guaranteed to turn readers off more. Poor grammar makes for hard reading, and hard reading equals fewer readers.
Thanks to Laurence P O'Bryan of Booksgosocial.com for suggesting this series of posts. If you have a particular topic you'd like to know more on, feel free to let me know via one of the methods below and I'll do my best to cover it in a future post.
About me:
I've been writing as long as I can remember (I recall writing a 'book' and illustrating it when I was either four or five) and have always loved languages. I've had a varied career, working as an aircraft engineer, in the Prison Service, and the NHS. All these jobs hold one thing in common – a large part of them involved language and teaching, be it English to Saudi Arabian Nationals in the Middle East, improving literacy in the Prison population, or writing user documentation and training plans.
You can find out more about me - and my books - by visiting my website, or you can contact me through the usual social media channels:
@neilthecyclist
facebook.com/neilsauthorpage/
linkedin.com/in/neil-mcgowan-cert-ed-tap-cert-a3297721/s
In this series of posts I'll look at the fundamentals of grammar and will also try to explode some of the myths around it. I'll also try and do this in a practical way, with lots of examples, rather than a treatise on theory.
I thought I'd start with a look at the common comma, how it should be used and some examples of common errors. There is a myth that a comma should be used to indicate a 'breath' or 'pause' but the truth is there is no need to signpost this. Try reading a passage and applying this 'rule' and you'll find it makes a sentence sound artificial and clunky. Let the reader decide where the pauses and breath spaces are. Use the comma to provide clarity and direct the flow of the sentence.
Probably the most common error I see is the comma splice, where two independent clauses are joined together with just a comma:
Example:
(Clause 1) Laurence asked for the post.
(Clause 2) I wrote it.
Not the greatest work of literature, but it'll serve to illustrate the point. The comma splice occurs when both clauses are joined to make a more complex sentence without using a conjunction:
(Incorrect) Laurence asked for the post, I wrote it.
(Correct) Laurence asked for the post, and I wrote it.
However, if both clauses are dependent (They have the same subject but different actions) then they don't need a comma, just a conjunction:
Example:
(Incorrect) Jimmy toasted the bread, and buttered it.
(Correct) Jimmy toasted the bread and buttered it.
Many people will have heard of the Oxford comma. Whilst there are arguments both for and against its use, I would argue that not to use it in fiction can cause confusion. It relates to the last comma in a list:
Example:
(Incorrect) When writing, I need my pen, an idea and a notepad.
(Correct) When writing, I need my pen, an idea, and a notepad.
In the first sentence, my pen IS an idea and a notepad all rolled into one. The second sentence is a list of three things I need when I write.
Another example for you, culled from the pages of The Times newspaper, has the following sentence:
"…highlights of his tour included encounters with Nelson Mandela, an 800-year-old demigod and a dildo collector."
Really? Perhaps that pesky comma should have been used…
Often confused with the Oxford comma is the casualty comma. This is used when you use a sub-clause to give extra information (and the sentence will stand, meaning unchanged, without the sub-clause). Depending on the sentence structure and the position of the nonessential clause, this will necessitate either one or two commas:
(Incorrect) When I finished reading I closed the book.
(Correct) When I finished reading, I closed the book.
Just one comma in this sentence, as the key clause relates to closing the book. Discovering that I have finished reading is merely extra information, thus the two clauses are separated by a comma.
(Incorrect) In all writing, fiction or non-fiction good grammar is essential.
(Correct)In all writing, fiction or non-fiction, good grammar is essential.
In this second example, the key information is that good grammar is essential. The clause referring to fiction or non-fiction is not essential, and removing it wouldn't change the meaning of the sentence. Because of its place in the sentence, this needs two commas.
There are three other main comma types I'd like to mention: the conversation (or dialogue) comma, the calling comma, and the conditional comma.
First, the conversation comma. This is used to allow dialogue attribution tags to be used without breaking any rules.
Example:
(Incorrect) "You'll be fine." He said.
(Correct) "You'll be fine," he said.
Of course, you may have dialogue that ends in a question mark, or an exclamation mark, or an ellipsis. You wouldn't use a comma here.
(Most of the time, you'd not need a dialogue tag with these but that's a whole other post. Suffice to say that the line of dialogue, "John!" indicates that it was probably uttered with a loud voice. If you write the line as, "John!" he shouted, then mostly you would be guilty of overwriting.)
The calling comma is often missed. It's used after an exclamatory word or phrase, or when a name has been used as a direct address.
Example:
(Incorrect) Laurence Books Go Social is a great site.
(Correct) Laurence, Books Go Social is a great site.
A conditional comma is used when a statement is preceded by a conditional clause
Example:
(Incorrect) If you want to write better books learn the rules of grammar.
(Correct) If you want to write better books, learn the rules of grammar.
Note that, if the conditional clause follows the statement, a comma is usually unnecessary.
Example:
(Incorrect) Learn the rules of grammar, if you want to write better books.
(Correct) Learn the rules of grammar if you want to write better books.
That last sentence really is key. It's perfectly permissible to break grammatical rules, but only do so if you know what rule you're breaking and why. Otherwise, it's nothing more than sloppy writing, and nothing is guaranteed to turn readers off more. Poor grammar makes for hard reading, and hard reading equals fewer readers.
Thanks to Laurence P O'Bryan of Booksgosocial.com for suggesting this series of posts. If you have a particular topic you'd like to know more on, feel free to let me know via one of the methods below and I'll do my best to cover it in a future post.
About me:
I've been writing as long as I can remember (I recall writing a 'book' and illustrating it when I was either four or five) and have always loved languages. I've had a varied career, working as an aircraft engineer, in the Prison Service, and the NHS. All these jobs hold one thing in common – a large part of them involved language and teaching, be it English to Saudi Arabian Nationals in the Middle East, improving literacy in the Prison population, or writing user documentation and training plans.
You can find out more about me - and my books - by visiting my website, or you can contact me through the usual social media channels:
@neilthecyclist
facebook.com/neilsauthorpage/
linkedin.com/in/neil-mcgowan-cert-ed-tap-cert-a3297721/s