A Writer's Guide - Chapter 1: Grammar Is Your Friend
Chapter one: Grammar is your friend.
This chapter will cover some of the basics, broken down into sections. Search for the bold numbers to jump to each section if there's something you want to read about.
1-1 - Capitalization
1-2 - Punctuation
1-3 - Character speech
1-4 - Paragraphs
1-5 - Tenses
1-6 - Point of View
1-7 - Abbreviation
1-8 - Numbers
1-9 - Me, Myself, and I
There's no section on sentence structure. This is a topic with so many rules and conditions that it would be difficult to write them all down without completely plagiarizing someone else. Instead, I'll point you to this handy website; it's easy to read and understand.
http://www.towson.edu/ows/sentencestruct.htm
----------
1-1 - Capitalization
Capital, or upper case, letters should be used to show a proper noun, usually a person, place, or thing, or to show the start of a new sentence.
The beginning word in every sentence must have a capital letter.
Names are always capitalized (except in the case of subs/slaves in some BDSM lifestyles, but we won't go there).
Copyrighted product names need to be capitalized, but not the product itself.
Usually, titles have capitalization, whether or not they're abbreviated.
The exception to this is when the title is used as a noun, without a name following.
Some words are capitalized depending on how they're used.
Don't use words (or entire sentences) all in capital letters. Your capslock should be off at all times, and you should never have your finger on the shift key for more than one letter, except for acronyms or words originally meant to be completely capitalized. If you need to show emphasis, use bold or italics. When a character is shouting, don't do the entire speech all in capitals. Find another way to do it, either by showing their tone, or adding a few extra words to show their mood. It'll flow better, be easier to read, and up your word count all at the same time!
Bad
Good
----------
1-2 - Punctuation
Punctuation serves several uses, and it makes a story much easier to read.
Periods
Periods go at the end of a sentence, or to show abbreviation.
Exclamation Points
Exclamation points show excitement, or to show a louder than usual tone. Only one is needed! And please, please keep the number of exclaiming sentences down to a minimum - the reader's mental voice will see it as shouting.
Question Marks
Question marks show... well... questions. Ninety-nine percent of the time, question marks will be used in character's speech, or during a mental speech in first-person stories. Like exclamation points, keep it down to one!
Apostrophes
Apostrophes have multiple purposes, and their own set of rules. Most often, they're used for contractions, or to show possession. With single possession, the apostrophe comes between the noun and the S.
If it's a multiple possessive, the apostrophe comes after the S.
However, not all words that end with S have apostrophes. Don't make the mistake of putting them with plural forms!
Commas
Commas are your friends.
Okay, which of those two sentences were easier to read? The first one, right? Commas are used to break up sentences with brief pauses that are shorter than the pause between sentences, but longer than the pause between words in a sentences. Consider it as the point where you take a breath while reading. If you're unsure whether you need a comma or not, read your sentence aloud. If it sounds like it needs a short pause somewhere, add a comma! Otherwise, it tends to be read in a monotonous way - think of the first text-to-speech programs that would recite text with no inflection.
Ellipses
An ellipse is three periods strung together (...). It's commonly used to show when a speech or thought trails off, rather than having a definitive end.
Dashes
Dashes have multiple purposes, but should be kept to a minimum. They're placed when a speech or thought is suddenly cut off or interrupted, and can be added when the speech or thought continues.
"But dad, I want-"
"We don't always get what we want."
"-a new bike cause Billy says-"
"I don't care what Billy says."
"-this new one is better than my old one!"
"And I said no."
----------
1-3 - Character speech
Showing speech is a whole new set of rules. It can be a bit complicated, so hopefully you won't get confused.
Capitalization
Like regular text, speech should start with an upper case letter.
Punctuation
This is where it gets tricky. If speech comes before the speaker, and it's neither an exclamation or a question (meaning, it should have a period), then the sentence ends in a comma.
But if the spoken text comes after the speaker, it still gets a period. Note they're both capitalized!
Sometimes, there's a pause to denote the speaker or tone of voice.If this pause breaks up a single sentence, then the first half ends in a comma, and a comma comes after the speaker. The second half of the sentence is not capitalized.
However, if the second half is a separate sentence, then the first half still gets a comma, but there needs to be a period after the speaker. This time, the second half should be capitalized.
To show quotes within speech, use apostrophes, instead of doubling up on the quotation marks.
One thing to remember is that punctuation should always be inside the quotation marks used to show speech.
----------
1-4 - Paragraphs
Can't have a story without paragraphs. For some people, it can be difficult to get them just right. Too long, and the reader gets lost; breaks between paragraphs show a change in scene, situation, thought, et cetera. However, too short can be just as bad; it breaks up the flow of a story. A good rule of thumb is to watch the number of sentences. Usually three to seven is a good number, though it's not carved in stone. Some sentences might be fairly long, while others are short.
Always remember: When changing focus from one character to another, start a new paragraph. Don't put two characters' speech in the same one. The same goes for actions; if character A speaks, put character B's reactions and voice in a separate paragraph.
"Where are we going?" Tyler asked his friend.
Carl sighed. "I don't know."
Tyler shrugged and started the car, then pulled out of the driveway.
Something else to avoid: When writing a paragraph, start each sentence with a different word. Avoid repetition as much as possible.
She stepped into the store and sighed. After a quick look around, she moved to a rack of sweaters. It didn't take long to find one she liked. A nearby clerk pointed out the location of the changing rooms for her. The sweater was comfortable, but a little too snug.
----------
1-5 - Tenses
Keep in mind the tense of a story; don't go back and forth between them. If it starts in past tense, keep it there!
Past tense - It has already happened.
Present tense - It is happening now.
Future tense - It will happen eventually.
----------
1-6 - Point of View
The point of view is how the story is told.
First-person - Told from the author's PoV.
Second person Narrated - Narrated with the reader as the main character. Second person PoV is uncommon, and can be difficult to pull off correctly. It makes assumptions about the reader, such as their gender.
Third person - Told from an outside point of view. There are two different forms of third person:
limited, which focuses on one specific character
and subjective, which focuses on many characters equally.
Stick with one point of view throughout the story - don't switch back and forth from first to third, for example. Also, unless you're writing in second-person, don't 'speak' directly to the reader - avoid the word 'you'! Replace it with a third-person word, such as one or somebody, or finding a way to rephrase it slightly.
BAD
GOOD
Another thing to avoid in third-person is referring to the narrator or the author in any way, with phrases like 'I mean,' 'if I might say so,' and so on. This should only be done in first-person, where the character is telling the story.
----------
1-7 - Abbreviation
In a casual sense (say, talking in emails or in IMs), abbreviations are time-savers. In stories, though, they're best avoided.
Titles
Using a title in a proper noun, abbreviation is fine.
Using the title alone means it does not get abbreviated.
In a story, you should never, ever use abbreviations for measurements! Words like pounds (lbs), feet (ft), or years (yrs) should always be spelled out completely.
----------
1-8 - Numbers
Unless a number requires three words or more, spell it out instead of using the numerical characters.
The exception is for years; those always are numerical. Don't shorten 2000+ with Y2K during narration.
Again, there is always a way to rephrase it to make it smoother. Instead of
use
----------
1-9 - Me, Myself, and I
One of the rules that tends to confuse many writers is when to use '__ and I' versus '__ and me'. The general rule is: Take out the other person, leaving either 'me' or 'I' in the sentence.
Correct:
Incorrect:
This chapter will cover some of the basics, broken down into sections. Search for the bold numbers to jump to each section if there's something you want to read about.
1-1 - Capitalization
1-2 - Punctuation
1-3 - Character speech
1-4 - Paragraphs
1-5 - Tenses
1-6 - Point of View
1-7 - Abbreviation
1-8 - Numbers
1-9 - Me, Myself, and I
There's no section on sentence structure. This is a topic with so many rules and conditions that it would be difficult to write them all down without completely plagiarizing someone else. Instead, I'll point you to this handy website; it's easy to read and understand.
http://www.towson.edu/ows/sentencestruct.htm
----------
1-1 - Capitalization
Capital, or upper case, letters should be used to show a proper noun, usually a person, place, or thing, or to show the start of a new sentence.
The beginning word in every sentence must have a capital letter.
- The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog.
Names are always capitalized (except in the case of subs/slaves in some BDSM lifestyles, but we won't go there).
- John's bike
- Sue's dog
- the capital of Florida
Copyrighted product names need to be capitalized, but not the product itself.
- Sparkleshine toothpaste
- Meowster cat treats
Usually, titles have capitalization, whether or not they're abbreviated.
- Doctor Bob
- Ms. Jones
The exception to this is when the title is used as a noun, without a name following.
- Thank you, Mr. Smith.
- Thank you, mister.
Some words are capitalized depending on how they're used.
- I love Mom.
- I love my mom.
Don't use words (or entire sentences) all in capital letters. Your capslock should be off at all times, and you should never have your finger on the shift key for more than one letter, except for acronyms or words originally meant to be completely capitalized. If you need to show emphasis, use bold or italics. When a character is shouting, don't do the entire speech all in capitals. Find another way to do it, either by showing their tone, or adding a few extra words to show their mood. It'll flow better, be easier to read, and up your word count all at the same time!
Bad
- "I DON'T WANT TO GO TO BED!" the boy said.
Good
- "I don't want to go to bed!" the boy shouted, his voice shrill enough to hurt his mother's ears.
----------
1-2 - Punctuation
Punctuation serves several uses, and it makes a story much easier to read.
Periods
Periods go at the end of a sentence, or to show abbreviation.
- This is a sentence.
- Mrs. Johnson lives down the street.
Exclamation Points
Exclamation points show excitement, or to show a louder than usual tone. Only one is needed! And please, please keep the number of exclaiming sentences down to a minimum - the reader's mental voice will see it as shouting.
- "Oh my goodness!" she exclaimed.
- When they entered the room, the door shut behind them!
Question Marks
Question marks show... well... questions. Ninety-nine percent of the time, question marks will be used in character's speech, or during a mental speech in first-person stories. Like exclamation points, keep it down to one!
- "Why not?" he wondered.
Apostrophes
Apostrophes have multiple purposes, and their own set of rules. Most often, they're used for contractions, or to show possession. With single possession, the apostrophe comes between the noun and the S.
- It's a nice day outside.
- Joe's car is out of gas.
If it's a multiple possessive, the apostrophe comes after the S.
- The dogs' tails were wagging.
However, not all words that end with S have apostrophes. Don't make the mistake of putting them with plural forms!
- That shape's a square.
- Those shapes are square.
Commas
Commas are your friends.
- Some writers will get everything else just right, and yet misuse, neglect, or abuse their poor little commas.
- I've seen way too many stories plagued by an abundance of run-on sentences because of this and so I'm adding this section in with the hope other authors will see it and learn how to use their commas.
Okay, which of those two sentences were easier to read? The first one, right? Commas are used to break up sentences with brief pauses that are shorter than the pause between sentences, but longer than the pause between words in a sentences. Consider it as the point where you take a breath while reading. If you're unsure whether you need a comma or not, read your sentence aloud. If it sounds like it needs a short pause somewhere, add a comma! Otherwise, it tends to be read in a monotonous way - think of the first text-to-speech programs that would recite text with no inflection.
Ellipses
An ellipse is three periods strung together (...). It's commonly used to show when a speech or thought trails off, rather than having a definitive end.
- "I wonder who that was..." Sherry mused.
Dashes
Dashes have multiple purposes, but should be kept to a minimum. They're placed when a speech or thought is suddenly cut off or interrupted, and can be added when the speech or thought continues.
"But dad, I want-"
"We don't always get what we want."
"-a new bike cause Billy says-"
"I don't care what Billy says."
"-this new one is better than my old one!"
"And I said no."
----------
1-3 - Character speech
Showing speech is a whole new set of rules. It can be a bit complicated, so hopefully you won't get confused.
Capitalization
Like regular text, speech should start with an upper case letter.
- "Let's go swimming," Ralph said.
- Amy said, "We should go to the park."
Punctuation
This is where it gets tricky. If speech comes before the speaker, and it's neither an exclamation or a question (meaning, it should have a period), then the sentence ends in a comma.
- "My tummy hurts," Billy complained.
But if the spoken text comes after the speaker, it still gets a period. Note they're both capitalized!
- Billy complained, "My tummy hurts."
Sometimes, there's a pause to denote the speaker or tone of voice.If this pause breaks up a single sentence, then the first half ends in a comma, and a comma comes after the speaker. The second half of the sentence is not capitalized.
- "I ate too much ice cream," Billy whined, "and now my tummy hurts."
However, if the second half is a separate sentence, then the first half still gets a comma, but there needs to be a period after the speaker. This time, the second half should be capitalized.
- "I ate too much ice cream," Billy whined. "Now my tummy hurts."
To show quotes within speech, use apostrophes, instead of doubling up on the quotation marks.
- "I don't think this 'explore the woods at night' thing is such a good idea," John muttered.
One thing to remember is that punctuation should always be inside the quotation marks used to show speech.
- "When character speech is broken into multiple paragraphs, the first paragraph will have quotation marks at the beginning. but not at the end, to show that the speech is meant to continue.
- "The second paragraph will have quotation marks at the beginning as well, to remind the reader that it's speech, but will also have them at the end, to show that the speech has finished."
----------
1-4 - Paragraphs
Can't have a story without paragraphs. For some people, it can be difficult to get them just right. Too long, and the reader gets lost; breaks between paragraphs show a change in scene, situation, thought, et cetera. However, too short can be just as bad; it breaks up the flow of a story. A good rule of thumb is to watch the number of sentences. Usually three to seven is a good number, though it's not carved in stone. Some sentences might be fairly long, while others are short.
Always remember: When changing focus from one character to another, start a new paragraph. Don't put two characters' speech in the same one. The same goes for actions; if character A speaks, put character B's reactions and voice in a separate paragraph.
"Where are we going?" Tyler asked his friend.
Carl sighed. "I don't know."
Tyler shrugged and started the car, then pulled out of the driveway.
Something else to avoid: When writing a paragraph, start each sentence with a different word. Avoid repetition as much as possible.
She stepped into the store and sighed. After a quick look around, she moved to a rack of sweaters. It didn't take long to find one she liked. A nearby clerk pointed out the location of the changing rooms for her. The sweater was comfortable, but a little too snug.
----------
1-5 - Tenses
Keep in mind the tense of a story; don't go back and forth between them. If it starts in past tense, keep it there!
Past tense - It has already happened.
- They have gone home.
Present tense - It is happening now.
- They are going home.
Future tense - It will happen eventually.
- They will go home.
----------
1-6 - Point of View
The point of view is how the story is told.
First-person - Told from the author's PoV.
- I walked down the street.
- We walked down the street.
Second person Narrated - Narrated with the reader as the main character. Second person PoV is uncommon, and can be difficult to pull off correctly. It makes assumptions about the reader, such as their gender.
- You walked down the street.
Third person - Told from an outside point of view. There are two different forms of third person:
limited, which focuses on one specific character
- He watched them walk down the street.
and subjective, which focuses on many characters equally.
- She walked down the street, and glanced at him. He watched her curiously.
Stick with one point of view throughout the story - don't switch back and forth from first to third, for example. Also, unless you're writing in second-person, don't 'speak' directly to the reader - avoid the word 'you'! Replace it with a third-person word, such as one or somebody, or finding a way to rephrase it slightly.
BAD
- He was handsome, like a man you'd only see in a magazine.
GOOD
- He was handsome, like a man one would only see in a magazine.
- He was handsome, like a man who would only be found in a magazine.
Another thing to avoid in third-person is referring to the narrator or the author in any way, with phrases like 'I mean,' 'if I might say so,' and so on. This should only be done in first-person, where the character is telling the story.
----------
1-7 - Abbreviation
In a casual sense (say, talking in emails or in IMs), abbreviations are time-savers. In stories, though, they're best avoided.
Titles
Using a title in a proper noun, abbreviation is fine.
- Dr. George entered the operating room.
- "May I take your coat, Ms. Aimes?" the butler asked.
Using the title alone means it does not get abbreviated.
- The doctor entered the operating room.
- "May I take your coat, miss?" the butler asked.
In a story, you should never, ever use abbreviations for measurements! Words like pounds (lbs), feet (ft), or years (yrs) should always be spelled out completely.
----------
1-8 - Numbers
Unless a number requires three words or more, spell it out instead of using the numerical characters.
- One, a dozen, twenty-nine, a thousand, 104
The exception is for years; those always are numerical. Don't shorten 2000+ with Y2K during narration.
- 1776, 2008, 1999
Again, there is always a way to rephrase it to make it smoother. Instead of
- He bought 12 donuts.
use
- He bought a dozen donuts.
----------
1-9 - Me, Myself, and I
One of the rules that tends to confuse many writers is when to use '__ and I' versus '__ and me'. The general rule is: Take out the other person, leaving either 'me' or 'I' in the sentence.
Correct:
- John and I went to the store.
- I went to the store.
- Mom sent John and me to the store.
- Mom sent me to the store.
- I drove John and myself to the store.
- I drove myself to the store.
- I took a picture of myself and John.
- I took a picture of myself.
Incorrect:
- Me and John went to the store.
- Me went to the store.
- Mom sent John and I to the store.
- Mom sent I to the store.
- Mom gave John and myself money to buy milk.
- Mom gave myself money to buy milk.
- Myself and John had our pictures taken.
- Myself had my picture taken.