Writer’s Hint No. 1: Grammar

This is the first installment of my Writer’s Hint series where I will try to help authors with their writing and provide quick and easy tips to help them get over writer’s block and spice up their writing. I have no intention to claim that I am an expert on these subjects, but I will write from my own observations of writing pieces. Also, please note that most of these installments will be purely opinions on writing/ style/ characterization, etc. I do not intend to influence your writing, or to condemn your style. I do not claim that these methods are fool proof. They will work in some instances, and not in others. But please, use these to your advantage.

I will start with the most dreaded and most awful aspect for most authors: Grammar. These will be simple rules that will help you proof read any work.

Okay, we all know that while writing, we tend not to focus on the grammar aspect, because we are so busy getting our thoughts on paper. However, we also know that poorly punctuated and spelled stories with huge amounts of ill-used grammar are a big turn-off to readers.

Let’s begin, shall we?

1) There / Their / They’re: There refers to a place. Their is the possessive form of they. They’re is a common contraction used for “they are.”

2) Its / It’s: It's is the contraction for “it is,” while Its is the possessive form of “it.” (my bad on the earlier draft. Thanks so much to the two who pointed it out.)

3) Among / Between: Between always refers to two things, whereas Among refers to more than two.

4) Farther / Further: Farther is for distance, while further is used for time or quantity. For example, you run farther than someone, but you read further into a topic.

5) Have vs. of: Please remember that “of” is a preposition and that have is used as a verb. Not “I should of gone”, “but I should have gone”.

6) Of which vs. which: “Of which” is usually unnecessary and just “which” would work better in its place. The exception to this rule is when you are contrasting few from many. For example, “I have seven marbles, three of which are green.”

7) A lot: The phrase “a lot” is made of two words. The incorrect form is “alot.” In my opinion, this phrase should be avoided at all costs because it only reflects an elementary style of writing.

8) Anyway: “Anyways” is not a word. The correct usage is “anyway.”

General note: Please use a word processor. It doesn’t catch all the mistakes in a piece, but it does catch many of them. Especially for spelling. Misspelled words do not provide a good impression on the author.

Hope this helped you. If you think of another rule that is important, you can leave me a comment, and I will add it to the list and give you credit for your contribution. Please check this entry often for new updates.

~Ice_Chanter