Grammar Tip

December 1, 2020

Parentheses and Brackets

From Grammarly

Parentheses are punctuation marks that are used to set off information within a text or paragraph. Outside the realm of emoticons, parentheses always come in pairs. They can enclose a single word, a phrase, or even an entire sentence. Typically, the words inside the parentheses provide extra information about something else in the sentence.

Curators from the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) have announced a new dinosaur exhibit. While walking down the street (paying more attention to her phone than to her feet), Catherine tripped over the curb and sprained her ankle.

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Brackets, sometimes called square brackets, are most often used to show that words have been added to a direct quotation. Sometimes, when quoting a person or document, adding a word or two is necessary to provide enough context for the quote to make sense. For example, the original sentence you want to quote might read “We went and had a great time.” Out of context, this sentence doesn’t mean much. But you can add bracketed information to make the context clear.

“We went [to the new dinosaur exhibit] and had a great time.”

It’s extremely important to use brackets when you change a direct quote—forgetting to add them results in a misquote. See more:www.grammarly.com/blog/parentheses-and-brackets/

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https://www.grammarly.com/blog/parentheses-and-brackets/

The Curious Case of the Dangling Modifier

October 3, 2020

Have you ever been told your modifier is dangling? It’s not an insult or medical condition — dangling modifiers are one of those grammar hurdles that can muddle your intended meaning. A modifier describes, clarifies, or gives detail about a concept. However, if there’s a clause in your sentence with an unclear subject, it’s probably because of a dangling modifier.

Spotting dangling modifiers

Modifiers can usually be identified by location — they apply to the noun nearest them. But when the writer or speaker leaves out the noun they intend to modify, the results can be confusing.

INCORRECT: Having finished dinner, the TV was turned on in the living room.

Who finished dinner? The TV? In this sentence structure, “having finished dinner” is the dangling modifier and we don’t know what it is referring to.

CORRECT: “Having finished dinner, the family turned on the TV in the living room.”
In the corrected example, “having finished dinner” is no longer dangling. It refers to the closest noun, the subject of the following clause. It is modifying “the family” and what they are doing.

Correcting dangling modifiers

You can correct a dangling modifier by turning the modifying phrase into a complete subordinate clause. That means the modifying phrase must contain a subject and a verb.

INCORRECT: Having overslept again, the bus left without him.

Who overslept? The bus? “Having overslept” is a dangling modifier here. Let’s clean it up.

CORRECT: Sam overslept again, so the bus left without him.

The dangling modifier is corrected by adding a subject (Sam) to the verb (overslept). You could also use a pronoun (he) and the modifier would still be correct.

Another way to correct a dangling modifier is to move around the location of the words. You typically want the modifier to be next to the word it modifies.

INCORRECT: After a long journey, the comfortable bed was perfect for a nap. See More . . .

https://www.wordgenius.com/the-curious-case-of-the-dangling-modifier/Xr0yWBPAJQAG8w-V?utm_source=blog&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1157867825

Love/Hate Grammar Rules

June 16, 2020

63 Grammar Rules for Writers

Robert Lee Brewer

If you’re anything like me, you have a love-hate relationship with grammar. On one hand, grammar rules are necessary for greater understanding and more effective communication. On the other hand, there are just so many rules (and so many exceptions to the rules). It can be overwhelming.

But fear not! We are here to share a plethora of grammar rules for writers that we’ve tackled over the years. If you have a question, we may have the answer. And if we don’t, be sure to share your question in the comments below.

So let’s dig into these grammar rules together.

Below is our list of grammar rules for writers. We give a quick explanation after each bullet point. But click on each link for further understanding and examples of correct usage.

“A” before consonants and “an” before vowels is not the rule. Rather, the rule is that “a” is placed before consonant-sounding words and “an” before vowel-sounding words.
A lot vs. alot vs. allot. “A lot” is either an adverb or pronoun, “allot” is a verb, and “alot” doesn’t exist.
Affect vs. effect. “Affect” is usually used as a verb, while “effect” is usually a noun.
Allude vs. elude. “Allude” means to suggest or hint at something, while “elude” means to evade or escape.
Alright vs. all right. “All right” is a commonly used phrase for okay, while “alright” doesn’t technically exist.
Analogy vs. metaphor vs. simile. A “metaphor” is something, a “simile” is like something, and an “analogy” explains how one thing being like another helps explain them both.
Are subjects joined by “and” singular or plural? It depends on if the subjects are independent of each other.
Awhile vs. a while. If you can swap out the word “while” with “period of time,” then you’re likely dealing with “a while.” If not, then you’re likely dealing with “awhile.”
Bi-annual vs. biennial. “Bi-annual” means twice a year; biennial means once every two years.
Can I use contractions in my writing? While avoiding contractions may be proper, it can also be quite stilted.
See More . . .