While the grammar of "olde" might have seemed stuffy and pretentious, there
is a way to tap into that school of grammar rules that will greatly benefit
your online writing pursuits today.
It's not enough to know the difference between affect and effect anymore
(although it's a great start). In order to be a credible, valued, popular
online writer with a wide variety of job offers and a formidable sense of
expertise, you need to be perceived as intelligent and credible, which is
tough to do if you've cast the grammar rules to the wind.
Although most fifth grade grammar rules are out-dated in today's writing
environment, you still need to employ great grammar in order to produce good
writing.
It's that simple.
What You Need to Know: Grammar 101 For the Modern Day
Parts of Speech
Do you remember diagraming sentences? Us too. Although we promise we won't
make you do that now, it is important to have working knowledge of what goes
where and how it all comes together to form cohesive thoughts that your
readers love to share.
Nouns
We all remember the old refrain, "a noun is a person, place or thing." All
you need to do to update this oldie but goodie is to remember that a "thing"
can be a jar of ketchup or existential philosophy. It's all the same when it
comes to nouns.
Verbs
Verbs are action words that describe a state of doing or being. Although
most people remember the "doing" part (as in "I am running with Pam"), most
forget the "being" verbs, as in "I am confused by grammar." Since "am" is a
state of being, it qualifies as a verb.
Pronouns
Pronouns step in for nouns when you want to keep it short and sweet. Instead
of "When Ryan Gosling wants to know what his fans think of his 'Hey Girl'
memes, he will ask his fans what they think of his 'Hey Girl' memes" the
sentence, using pronouns, could become "When Ryan Gosling wants to know what
his fans think of his 'Hey Girl' memes, he will ask them about it.
Pronouns are an important tool for people who tend to be wordy in their
online writing, as they can often shorten and clarify sentences.
Prepositions
One of the helpful things Mean Mrs. van Staden did do is teach students that
prepositions can best be remembered by the fact that they illustrate a
relationship between a noun or a pronoun and another piece of the sentence.
In other words, think of a little mouse named Pre. A preposition is anything
that Pre can do or (wait for it) any position she can be in. Therefore, Pre
could be under, over, atop or behind a box. Got it? Good. Try not to end
sentences with prepositions and you're well on your way to being a grammar
king or queen.
Conjunctions
A conjunction serves to connect elements of a sentence. Examples include
for, and, but, or, yet and so. For example, "Lois wanted to purchase a new
house but couldn't locate a relator."
Interjections
Interjections are what you use when you're in the midst of a heated argument
about grammar rules. "Yes!" or "No!" or "Wait!" all qualify as examples. By
definition, an interjection is a stand-alone exclamation that acts as filler
in casual conversation and often serves to convey emotion or feeling.
Determiners
The verdict is still out on determiners — sometimes considered parts of
speech and sometimes not, these little guys serve the important purpose of
introducing nouns. For example, "My mother once told me that only the best
online writers master grammar rules."
Punctuation Rules: 5 Things to Remember for Online Writing
Punctuation is important. Most writers have seen this infamous example:
Grammar
With that in mind, and with a concern for all of the grandmas in the world,
it's important to get your punctuation down pat, especially when your
writing will be spread all across the Web.
1. When to use the Semicolon: Use the semicolon to connect two sentences
that could stand-alone but don't want to. For example, "John was angry; he
knew that the horse had bucked him off on purpose."
2. When to use a Colon: A colon should only be used for two reasons: One is
to introduce a quotation, explanation, example, or series and the other is
after a salutation in a formal letter, as in "Dear Mary:" The third,
somewhat obvious, use is to separate the hour and minute when writing times,
as in "12:15 pm."
3. When to use Periods: Use them at the end of declarative sentences,
complete statements and abbreviations, such as Mrs. and Dec.
4. When to use a Comma: The comma is an oft fought over piece of punctuation
but is properly used to separate ideas or elements in any given sentence.
The comma is a complex punctuation piece and should be used when a sentence
contains an introductory phrase, when a brief pause is meant, when one main
action takes place at the beginning of a sentence and after conjunctions
such as like, or, or but. Additionally, commas can be used to separate lists
of items numbering two or more.
5. When to use Apostrophes: Apostrophes are used to indicate that letters
have been omitted, such as in contractions like "don't," which is a
shortened form of "do not."
5 Rules for Quotation Marks: What Goes Inside, What Goes Outside
Quotation marks, much like commas, are a difficult form of punctuation.
Although most writers know that quotation marks are used to denote quotes or
spoken words, there are other uses for these pesky apostrophes-wannabes that
evade most online writers.
1. When Citing, Use Quotes Around the Titles of Short Works: Quotations are
used to set off the names of short works, like poems, songs, book chapters
(such as The Brothers Karamazov's "Grand Inquisitor") and short stories.
Long works, such as full books, are italicized.
2. Use Quotes (and Start a new Paragraph) Every Time the Speaker Changes in
Dialogue: This rule is designed with the reader in mind as it can be almost
impossible to keep track of who is speaking when this isn't observed.
3. Periods and Commas go Inside Quotes: In the United States, periods and
commas go inside of quotes.
4. Colons and Semicolons go Outside of Quotes: In the interest of clarity,
colons and semicolons go outside of quotation marks. For example: That's the
thing about Taylor Swift's "Bad Blood"; even if you've listened to it a
million times, you always want to hear it again.
5. Question Marks and Exclamation Points Depend Upon Context: Question marks
and Exclamation Points go inside quotes if they are part of the quote itself
but outside if they are part of the sentence as a whole. Clear as mud?
2 Creative Punctuation Rules for Online Writers
Creative punctuation is where your fifth grade English class fails to apply
to online writing. Punctuation and grammar, although established studies,
also allow for some wiggle room and writers often take advantage of this
slack in order to convey meaning and customize their writing. In many cases,
creative punctuation can actually add depth to writing and heighten the
narrative, making for a fuller reader experience and a stronger piece.
1. Ellipsis Points For Hesitation: Ellipsis points (the "…" often used to
convey pause) can be used to convey hesitation in writing and may come in
handy in dialogue or blog pieces.
2. Long Dashes for Abrupt Transitions: Long dashes (also known as em dashes)
may be used to signal abrupt transitions or showing that someone has been
cut off in mid sentence.
What to do With Numbers
Last, but not least, are numbers. Opinions vary widely on this but the
general convention is to spell out any numbers from zero to nine and use
numerals for numbers 10 and higher. Additionally, any number that starts a
sentence should be written out.
The Case for Modern Grammar
Online writers can't afford to be sloppy with grammar and punctuation rules
and these helpful tricks will ensure that, no matter what you're writing,
you're making the grammarians of the world proud. Although many grammar
rules are somewhat fixed, the entire construct of grammar and punctuation
continues to shift to accommodate the modern writer. Nowadays, there is more
play in grammar than there has ever been before and, with loopholes for
things like creative punctuation, it is possible for today's online writer
to take some liberties with grammar and punctuation rules while also staying
true to dear Mrs. van Staden, wherever she may be…
my motto is "Keep it simple" and "don't leave anything for tomorrow that can
be done today."
Regards Gerald Crawford
Stellenbosch South Africa
E-mail: gerald@webcraft.ws
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