The conventions of English are somewhat clunky at times, and because of this, most people do not follow all the rules of English in informal or conversational settings. While improper English may be acceptable in conversation, when writing your book, the use of proper grammar is extremely important.
As an author, you do not always have control over what is appealing to a reader. The tastes of a particular reader may steer them away from the genre and content of your book. However, one aspect that you can control is how appealing your book is once a reader picks it up. While grammar in itself is not what attracts a reader to purchase your book, poor grammar is definitely a deal breaker.
In this article, you will review common mistakes made in writing and learn the grammar rules every author should know.
1. Possessive Pronouns
One of the common problems that writers encounter with pronouns is the misuse of the apostrophe to signify possession. Everyone is taught that you should put an apostrophe and an "s" after a noun showing possession. Possessive pronouns such as mine, yours, his, hers, its, ours, and theirs, however, all have an assumed possession, and therefore, do not require an apostrophe. In fact, the only time apostrophes should be used with pronouns is when the pronoun is made into a contraction. The following is an example of the use of the apostrophe:
Incorrect: The dog must have been happy because it's tail was wagging.
Correct: The dog must have been happy because its tail was wagging.
A simple test to determine whether or not an apostrophe is needed is to undo the contraction. The incorrect sentence above uses the contraction "it is." When you rewrite the sentence, "The dog must have been happy because it is tail was wagging," you will notice that the apostrophe implies a contraction that is not grammatically correct.
It's quite easy to make this error in your writing once you get into a rhythm, and sometimes the insertion of an apostrophe for possession is just an automatic, almost natural impulse. As a result, when you are reading through your manuscript, keep an eye out for this grammatical error.
2. Comma Splices
Comma splices are another common problem that authors encounter regularly. Since commas are perhaps one of the most employed punctuation markers, the rules explaining their various and correct uses can often confuse readers. Remember, two complete thoughts in a sentence should never be combined by a comma alone. Any situation where a semi-colon or period can replace a comma, without the addition or subtraction of text, is a comma splice.
Don't worry — this is an easy problem to fix. You always can insert an appropriate coordinating conjunction such as: for, and, nor, but, or, yet and so. You can also replace the comma with a semi-colon, or substitute it for an end punctuation mark, such as a period, question mark or exclamation point. Of course, each sentence is different, and the solutions you implement for your writing will change from instance to instance.
3. Semi-Colon
For most intensive purposes, a semi-colon functions similar to a period. Where a period separate two sentences, however, a semi-colon is used to combine two sentences with similar ideas. But there are a few things you should know about semi-colons before you start using them in place of periods. Think of a period as a sentences stop sign, but a semi-colon is more of a yield sign. A semi-colon is used when two sentences are connected, but using a period might diminish that connection and hinder the comprehension of the content.
Example: It was impossible to see the lighthouse last night; the fog obscured it.
On their own, both segments of this sentence would make their own complete sentence, but a greater flow and readability is gained linking them with a semi-colon. Remember that a semi-colon does not act as an end punctuation mark, so the above example sentence is only one sentence, not two. Furthermore, when you are unsure about using a semi-colon, err on the side of caution and simply use a period. There is no harm in using a period instead of a semi-colon, but a semi-colon should only be used when the sentences have an undeniable connection to each other.
4. Colon
As you may be aware, there are only a few instances when it is acceptable to use a colon in a sentence. For example, the most common use of the colon is immediately before you begin listing items in a series. When using a colon in this manner, colons come at the end of complete sentences; the colon should never separate the verb from its direct object.
Example: The police officer collected all the evidence: a muddy shirt, a knife and a torn baseball cap.
By learning the correct grammar rules for the use of a colon in your work, you will see that it is a useful literary tool and a simple way to index information for the reader.
5. Single Quotations
Also known as quotes within quotes, single quotations marks are used when a character is quoting someone else while speaking. Any time quotations are used within an already-quoted text, you should only use single quotations to bracket the inner quote.
Example: John said, "Mary was going to the store, and she asked, 'Do you want any milk?' before she left."
Example: Matt said, "Molly was walking to the library, and she was interested to know if you were still 'hiding in the den' before she left."
There are a few rules associated with single quotations, of which all writers should be aware. When quoting a complete sentence within the single quotes, you should capitalize the first word, and you should use end punctuation. If the single quotes are around an incomplete sentence, however, capitalization and punctuation are not necessary.
Writers should also understand the use of the word "that" within a quoted text. When a speaker uses the word "that" before quoting another individual, implying that the speaker is paraphrasing another person, quotation marks should not be used.
Example: John said, "Mary was going to the store, and she said that she was picking up milk for you before she left."
Review the above example for the "that" quotation rule, which is one of the most common errors authors make while writing. Even if the phrase after "that" is a direct quote, the rule states that quotation marks should not be used.
6. Excerpts
Generally speaking, when quoting another text or author in your nonfiction book, there are a few rules to follow when inserting excerpts and citing sources. Text that is borrowed from another source and under three lines in length should be imbedded directly in a paragraph. So too, this text should be properly quoted using normal quotation rules.
However, borrowed text that is more than three lines long needs to be formatted a little differently. First, you should use a colon after introducing the excerpt in the main text body. Then, the excerpt of borrowed text must be spaced apart from the paragraph with a hard return and indented to create a block quotation. Finally, quotation marks should not be inserted around the excerpt as you may otherwise expect. To demonstrate the proper use of a quotation of an excerpt that is longer than three lines in length, here is an excerpt from A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens:
Scrooge never painted out Old Marley's name. There it stood, years afterwards, above the warehouse door: Scrooge and Marley. The firm was known as Scrooge and Marley. Sometimes people new to the business called Scrooge Scrooge, and sometimes Marley, but he answered to both names. It was all the same to him.
The proper indentation of excerpts has changed over time, and as a result, there is no consensus about what the proper style has now become; but indenting an excerpt by a half of an inch is the common standard in the publishing world.
Another rule of which authors should be aware when using excerpts is the symbolic representation of breaks or hard returns. For instance, when quoting poetry or any text in which line breaks are important, the breaks should be registered with a forward slash / symbol.
The following text is an example of the proper use of line breaks within an excerpt from Edgar Alan Poe's The Raven: "Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary, / Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore, / While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping."
Keep in mind that using a symbol to represent line breaks is only valid if the quoted text is shorter than three lines and subsequently imbedded in a paragraph. If the excerpt is more than three lines long, the text should be spaced on the page as the original author had intended, either centered or block quoted, separated from the main body text.
7. Style Agreement Throughout Text
Consistency is key. Make sure that your book follows a uniform style throughout the text to avoid confusing your readers. Some rules in formal English can be bent, some can be broken even, but no matter what, your style choices must subscribe to a set of general rules.
Since technical writing manuals may have competing information, make sure you pick a technical style to apply to your entire book. Moreover, watch your abbreviations, symbols, numbers and excerpt indentations, since these are the main problem areas for most authors. Remember to consult a technical writing manual if you have questions about what style works best for you.
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By learning and following these seven grammar rules, you will be more prepared to write, rework and proof your book. Of course, with all of the thousands of grammar rules and exceptions, and those pesky mistakes that come along with being human, we at Wordclay strongly suggest that you have your work edited before publishing. Whether your manuscript is edited by a colleague, freelancer, friend or one of our Wordclay editors, an outside perspective with help catch those typos and grammar errors that you may have overlooked.
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