Fumbler
Rules of Grammar
Based
on William Safire, "On Language,"
New
York Times Magazine, Nov. 4, 1979, p. 16.
1.
Remember to never
split an infinitive.
2. Passive
constructions
are often used, but that does not make them acceptable. .
3. Avoid
run-on sentences
they are hard to read even when short.
4. Do not use
no
double negatives.
5. Use the
semicolon
properly, always use it where it is appropriate; and never where it is
not.
6. Reserve
the apostrophe
for it's proper use and omit it when its not needed.
7. Do not put
statements
in the negative form when they can be written positively.
8. A subject
have
to agree with their verb and possessives.
9. No
sentence fragments!
10. Proofread
carefully
to discover if any words left out.
11. If you
reread
your work, you will often find that on rereading that a great deal of
needless
repetition can be avoided by careful review and editing.
12. A writer
must
not shift your point of view.
13. Eschew
dialect,
irregardless of how often you see it in print.
14. And never
start
a sentence with a conjunction.
15. Do not
overuse
exclamation points!!!
16. Place
pronouns
as close as possible, especially in long sentences, as of ten or more
words,
to their antecedents.
17. Hyphenate
between
syllables and avoid un-necessary hyphens.
18. Write all
adverbial
forms correct.
19. Don't use
contractions
in formal writing.
20. Writing
carefully,
dangling participles can be avoided.
21. It is
incumbent
on us to avoid archaic constructions.
22. If any
word is
improper at the end of a sentence, a linking verb is.
23. Steer
clear of
incorrect forms of verbs that have snuck into the language.
24. Take the
bull
by the horns and avoid the can of worms that results from mixed
metaphors.
25. Avoid
trendy locutions
that sound flaky.
26. Never,
ever use
repetitive redundancies.
27. Spelling
and grammer
do count.
28. An author
should
be careful to use singular pronouns with singular nouns in their
writing.
29. If I've
told you
once, I've told you a thousand times, resist the hyperbole.
30. Also,
always avoid
awkward or affected alliteration.
31. Do not
string
too many prepositional phrases together except to demonstrate a
point about
the structure of sentences for students of English.
32. Always
pick on
the correct idiom.
33. Avoid
overuse
of "quotation" marks.
34. It should
be noted
that it is unnecessary to call special attention to any statement.
35. The adverb
always
follows the verb.
36.
Underlining is not
a good way to indicate emphasis.
37. Spell
checkers
do not always choose the write word.
38.
Prepositions at
the end of sentences do not work out.
39. A careful
writer
can avoid gender traps without introducing awkward usages into her or
his
prose.
40. Last but
not least,
avoid cliches like the plague; seek viable alternatives.
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