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Catalog / Grammar and Style Guide

Grammar and Style Guide

A comprehensive guide to essential grammar rules and stylistic conventions, designed to improve clarity and precision in writing.

Basic Grammar Rules

Subject-Verb Agreement

Singular subjects take singular verbs; plural subjects take plural verbs.

Examples:

  • Incorrect: The dog run.
  • Correct: The dog runs.
  • Incorrect: The dogs runs.
  • Correct: The dogs run.

When a sentence has a compound subject joined by ‘and’, use a plural verb unless the subjects together form a single unit.

Examples:

  • Correct: Jack and Jill went up the hill.
  • Correct: Mac and cheese is my favorite dish.

If the subject is separated from the verb by words like ‘along with’, ‘as well as’, ignore these phrases.

Examples:

  • Correct: The politician, along with his aides, is expected shortly.
  • Incorrect: The politician, along with his aides, are expected shortly.

Pronoun Agreement

Pronouns must agree in number and gender with their antecedents.

Examples:

  • Incorrect: Each student should bring their book.
  • Correct: Each student should bring his or her book.
  • Correct: All students should bring their books.

Use singular pronouns with singular indefinite pronouns (e.g., everyone, someone, nobody).

Examples:

  • Correct: Everyone should do his or her best.
  • Incorrect: Everyone should do their best.

Correct Tense Usage

Maintain consistent tense throughout a sentence or paragraph unless a shift in time is intended.

Examples:

  • Incorrect: I went to the store, and I will buy milk.
  • Correct: I went to the store, and I bought milk.
  • Correct: I am going to the store, and I will buy milk.

Use the correct tense for the intended meaning (past, present, future, perfect tenses).

Examples:

  • Correct: I had finished my work before he arrived.
  • Correct: I will have finished my work by tomorrow.

Punctuation Essentials

Commas

Use commas to separate items in a list.

Example:

  • I need to buy milk, bread, and eggs.

Use commas to separate independent clauses when they are joined by a coordinating conjunction (and, but, or, nor, for, so, yet).

Example:

  • I wanted to go to the park, but it started to rain.

Use commas after introductory phrases or clauses.

Example:

  • After the movie, we went for ice cream.

Use commas to set off nonessential information.

Example:

  • My brother, who is a doctor, lives in New York.

Semicolons

Use semicolons to join two closely related independent clauses.

Example:

  • The sky is clear; the stars are twinkling.

Use semicolons to separate items in a list when the items themselves contain commas.

Example:

  • I visited Paris, France; Rome, Italy; and London, England.

Apostrophes

Use apostrophes to indicate possession.

Example:

  • The dog’s bone.

Use apostrophes to indicate contractions.

Example:

  • It is = It’s
  • Cannot = Can’t

Stylistic Considerations

Clarity and Conciseness

Avoid unnecessary words and phrases. Be direct and to the point.

Example:

  • Wordy: Due to the fact that it was raining, the game was canceled.
  • Concise: Because it was raining, the game was canceled.

Use active voice whenever possible. It makes your writing more direct and engaging.

Example:

  • Passive: The ball was caught by the player.
  • Active: The player caught the ball.

Word Choice

Choose words that are precise and appropriate for your audience.

Example:

  • Instead of ‘big’, use ‘enormous’, ‘large’, or ‘substantial’, depending on the context.

Avoid jargon and overly technical terms unless your audience is familiar with them.

Example:

  • Instead of ‘utilize’, use ‘use’.

Sentence Variety

Vary the length and structure of your sentences to keep your writing interesting.

Example:

  • Mix short, punchy sentences with longer, more complex ones.

Use different sentence beginnings to avoid monotony.

Example:

  • Instead of always starting with the subject, try starting with an adverb or prepositional phrase.

Common Grammatical Errors

Misplaced Modifiers

Modifiers should be placed as close as possible to the words they modify.

Incorrect: I saw a dog running down the street with a limp.
Correct: Running down the street, I saw a dog with a limp.

Dangling Modifiers

A dangling modifier does not have a clear word to modify in the sentence.

Incorrect: Having finished the game, the dinner was delicious.
Correct: Having finished the game, we enjoyed a delicious dinner.

Faulty Parallelism

Items in a list or series should have the same grammatical structure.

Incorrect: I like to swim, hiking, and to bike.
Correct: I like to swim, hike, and bike. (or) I like swimming, hiking, and biking.
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