11 RULES OF WRITING, GRAMMAR AND PUNCTUATION

RULE 1: USE A COMMA FOLLOWED BY A CONJUNCTION AND/OR SEMICOLON WHEN COMBINING TWO CLAUSES.  Examples:  Incorrect: The delivery boy knew he carried strange cargo, but still ventured off unafraid.  Correct: The delivery boy knew he carried strange cargo, but he still ventured off unafraid.  Incorrect: Because the witness was unavailable the judge allowed the introduction of the testimony pursuant to an exception to the hearsay rule.  Correct: Because the witness was unavailable, the judge allowed the introduction of the testimony pursuant to an exception to the hearsay rule.

RULE 2: USE COMMAS TO ENCLOSE NONRESTRICTIVE CLAUSES OR PHRASES, WHICH HAVE NO IMPORTANCE TO THE MEANING OF THE SENTENCE.  Examples:  Incorrect: The bus driver with her ears tuned to the roar decided to take the grumbling bus on a detour across the football field.  Correct: The bus driver, her ears tuned to the roar, decided to take the grumbling bus on a detour across the football field.  Incorrect: King and Lucille, his customized black Gibson have electrified audiences all over the world.  Correct: King and Lucille, his customized black Gibson, have electrified audiences all over the world.

RULE 3: ENCLOSE PARENTHETIC INFORMATION BETWEEN COMMAS.  Use commas to separate pieces of information that are not essential to a sentence meaning.  Examples:  Incorrect: The audience which was at first indifferent became more and more interested.  Correct: The audience, which was at first indifferent, became more and more interested.  If the non-essential information is preceded by a conjunction, no additional comma is needed after the conjunction:  He saw us coming, and unaware that we had learned of his treachery, greeted us with a smile.

RULE 4: USE A COMMA TO SEPARATE AN INTRODUCTORY CLAUSE FROM A DEPENDENT INTRODUCTORY CLAUSE.  Examples:  Incorrect: Although the situation is perilous there is still one chance of escape.  Correct: Although the situation is perilous, there is still one chance of escape.  Also use a comma before independent clauses beginning with and or but:  The situation is perilous, but there is still one chance of escape.

RULE 5: TO INDICATE POSSESSION, END A SINGULAR NOUN WITH AN APOSTROPHE FOLLOWED BY AN “S”.  If there is no apostrophe, the noun’s form would seem plural.  Examples:  Incorrect: The shoes laces were tattered and torn.  Correct: The shoe’s laces were tattered and torn.

RULE 6: USE PROPER PUNCTUATION TO INTEGRATE A QUOTATION INTO A SENTENCE.  If the quotation is an independent clause, add the quotation after a colon. If it ends with “saying”, “thinks” or another verb indicating, use a comma.  Examples:  Incorrect: As he fell, he thought: “No not again!”  Correct: As he fell, he thought, “No not again!”  Incorrect: The notice carried very harsh tones, “You MUST cease and desist.”  Correct: The notice carried very harsh tones: “You MUST cease and desist.”

RULE 7: USE THE CORRECT VERB TENSE.  Use a general tense that is consistent with the subject of your sentence.  Examples:  Incorrect: I went shopping on Black Friday and seen a long line at my favorite store.  Correct: I went shopping on Black Friday and saw a long line at my favorite store.

RULE 8: PROPERLY REFER TO THE CORRECT SUBJECT WHEN USING A PRONOUN, PARTICULAR PHRASE, OR AN APPOSITIVE.  Examples:  Incorrect: Decorated in mistletoe, the couple stayed warm by the fireplace.  Correct: The couple stayed warm by the fireplace that was decorated in mistletoe.  Incorrect: Vibrant and festive, my friends decorated their Christmas tree.  Correct: My friends decorated their Christmas tree so that it looked vibrant and festive.

RULE 9: USE PARALLEL CONSTRUCTION TO MAKE A STRONG POINT AND CREATE A SMOOTH FLOW.  Parallel Construction: A sentence construction where equal parts are expressed using similar grammatical forms. Each part of speech in each idea has a counterpart in the next idea. There is no limit when it comes to making your written thought come across clearer.  Examples:  Incorrect: The French, the Italian, Spanish and Portuguese.  Correct: The French, the Italian, the Spanish and the Portuguese.  Incorrect: I was glad to be departing for Australia but I was nervous when I left my apartment.  Correct: I was glad to be departing for Australia but nervous to be leaving my apartment.

RULE 10: USE THE ACTIVE VOICE UNLESS YOU SPECIFICALLY NEED TO USE THE PASSIVE VOICE.  Active voice: A sentence style in which the subject performs the action. Usually preferable to passive voice unless the passive is specifically called for.  Passive voice: A sentence style in which the action is performed ON the subject. Usually inferior to the active voice.  Subject: The thing in the sentence that is being discussed (usually a noun or a noun phrase)

RULE 10: USE THE ACTIVE VOICE UNLESS YOU SPECIFICALLY NEED TO USE THE PASSIVE VOICE. (CONT.)  Examples:  Incorrect: My first visit to Boston will always be remembered by me.  Correct: I shall always remember my first visit to Boston.  Incorrect: A survey of this region was taken in  Correct: This region was surveyed in *What may seem to sound more poetic just makes the writing seem choppy and unclear. This rule provides a more direct and “ to the point ” idea, giving more opportunity to express more. Given the broad essay topics and limited number of pages often assigned in a college setting, applying this rule can be extremely helpful.

RULE 11: OMIT UNNECESSARY WORDS  Avoid using redundant or excess modifiers that clutter your writing.  Don’t use phrases when one word will do.  Examples:  Incorrect: At this point in time it is already to late to gather a sufficient number of samples.  Correct: Now it is to late to gather enough samples.

RULE 11: OMIT UNNECESSARY WORDS (CONT.) Instead of…Try…  A number of  A sufficient number of  At this point in time  Is able to  On a monthly basis  On the grounds that  In order to  Several, a few, many  Enough  Now  Can  Monthly  Because  To

SOURCES  Bartleby.com - Great Books Online. 27 Nov  Emory University. Emory Writing Center. 27 Nov  IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law, Illinois Institute of Technology. 29 Nov  Junketstudies - Study Guides and Resources. 29 Nov  Plain Language.gov - Improving Communication from the Federal Government to the Public. 28 Nov. 2011