Elements of Craft Grammar Tips The greatest novel in the history of the universe will never reach publication if the author does not have a decent command of the English language. If your grammar needs a brush up, consider taking a grammar course at your local college, or at least invest in a good grammar text and study it. Most of the manuscripts I see have decent grammar. However, there are still some common mistakes that I see too often. Maintain tense. Changing from past tense to present tense within a scene is (almost) never acceptable. Check spelling. With all the spell check features available, there is no excuse for misspelling words. Don't always trust spell check. Many spell check editors remove hyphens between compound adjectives that precede a noun, such as "well-known writer." Punctuation goes inside quotation marks. "Learning the correct grammar," Sandy said, "can be interesting." Use double quotation marks for dialogue. When it is necessary to make a quote within dialogue, use single quotation marks. "Sandy said, 'Watch using single quotes.'" I also see certain words misused with some frequency. These include: Lay/Lie. Definitely the most common error I run into. And no wonder. In present tense, lay means to cause to lie down or to place. It requires an object. Example: "He laid his hat next to his gloves," where laid (past tense of "lay") is the verb and his hat is the object. Lie means to be or to place oneself in a reclining position. Example: "He lies on the bed pretending to sleep." There is no object, nothing that further explains what or who lies, because the verb lie modifies the subject of the sentence (in this case, he). But it is past tense that trips up 80% of the writers I've worked with. The past tense of lay is laid. No sweat. BUT -- the past tense of lie is lay. Ugh! (Any wonder we get confused?) Examples:  Present tense: She lays the book on the table.  Past tense: She laid the book on the table.  Present tense: She lies on the sofa and enjoys the breeze.  Past tense: She lay on the sofa and enjoyed the breeze. Alright/All right. Alright is no longer considered an acceptable word. All right is the only correct spelling. Then/Than. Then means a time or accordingly. Than is a comparison. Affect/Effect. Affect is usually a verb meaning "to influence." Effect is a noun, meaning "result." Drinking does not affect his personality. If fact, it seems to have no effect at all. Conscience/Conscious. Conscience is a noun meaning having a sense of right and wrong. Conscious is an adjective meaning to be aware of. Have/ Of. Use have, not of, after helping verbs such as could, would, should, may and might. I should have (not of) known that. I think this confusion occurs because of the pronunciation of the contracted have: 've. So, our example sentence could have been written: I should've known that. If your grammar exceeds the seventh grade level, you make take literary license and "adjust" the grammar as you see fit as long as it serves an artistic purpose. Such as using sentence fragments like this one for emphasis. However, if it doesn't serve a purpose, use correct grammar so your reader (and publisher!) will realize that you do understand the proper way of doing it. I will continue to add to this page as needed. There are many websites devoted to grammar and/or spelling, so don't hesitate to scan the Net for help if you need it. I've also added an entire tip sheet devoted to commas, as this is certainly a problem area for just about everyone. Want more great tips and techniques? Our Inspiration for Writers Tips and Techniques Workbook is now available for immediate download. Expanded tips, more topics, reproducible worksheets, exercises to practice what you learn and much more--check it out!   Why have we chosen the yellow rose as the symbol for Inspiration for Writers? The yellow rose symbolizes joy, friendship, and the promise of a new beginning. Some sources cite the meaning of the yellow rose as "I Care." We believe that writing should bring joy. We believe the editing relationship must be friendly and should develop into a partnership and a friendship. We believe that through editing, your work takes on the promise of a new beginning-perhaps even a new career. And we take more than just pride in our work. We care that our editing makes your work the best it possibly can be. Check out what we can do for you. (c) copyright 2001 by Sandy Tritt. All rights reserved, except for those listed here. 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