Catalog / Grammar and Style Essentials Cheatsheet
Grammar and Style Essentials Cheatsheet
A concise cheat sheet covering fundamental grammar rules, stylistic guidelines, and common writing errors to enhance clarity and precision in written communication.
Basic Grammar Rules
Subject-Verb Agreement
Singular subjects take singular verbs. |
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Plural subjects take plural verbs. |
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Subjects joined by |
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Subjects joined by |
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Collective nouns (e.g., team, family) can be singular or plural depending on whether they act as a unit or as individuals. |
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Pronoun Agreement
Pronouns must agree in number and gender with their antecedents (the nouns they refer to). |
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Use plural pronouns with plural antecedents. |
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Avoid ambiguous pronoun references. Ensure each pronoun clearly refers to a specific noun. |
Incorrect: |
Use gender-neutral pronouns (they/them/their) when the gender of the antecedent is unknown or non-binary. |
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Correct Tense Usage
Present Simple: Habitual actions, facts. |
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Past Simple: Completed actions in the past. |
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Future Simple: Actions that will happen in the future. |
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Use consistent tense throughout a sentence and paragraph unless there is a clear reason to change. |
Incorrect: |
Punctuation Essentials
Commas
Use commas to separate items in a list. |
Use commas before coordinating conjunctions (and, but, or, nor, for, so, yet) that join independent clauses. |
Use commas after introductory phrases or clauses. |
Use commas to set off nonessential (nonrestrictive) phrases and clauses. |
Use commas to separate coordinate adjectives (adjectives that independently modify the same noun). |
Semicolons
Use semicolons to join two closely related independent clauses. |
Use semicolons to separate items in a list when the items themselves contain commas. |
Apostrophes
Use apostrophes to indicate possession. |
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Use apostrophes to indicate contractions (omitted letters). |
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Do not use apostrophes for possessive pronouns (his, hers, its, ours, yours, theirs). |
Incorrect: |
Style Guidelines
Clarity and Conciseness
Avoid jargon and overly complex language. Use plain language whenever possible. |
Eliminate unnecessary words and phrases. Be direct and to the point. |
Use active voice instead of passive voice whenever appropriate. Active voice is usually more direct and easier to understand. |
Write short, clear sentences. Break up long sentences into smaller, more manageable units. |
Word Choice
Choose words that are precise and accurate. Avoid vague or ambiguous language. |
Vague: |
Be mindful of connotation (the emotional associations of a word) as well as denotation (the literal meaning). |
Consider the difference between ‘thrifty’ and ‘stingy’. |
Use strong verbs and nouns. Avoid using weak verbs like ‘to be’ and vague nouns like ‘thing’. |
Weak: |
Sentence Structure
Vary your sentence structure to make your writing more engaging. Mix short and long sentences. |
Use parallel structure when listing items or ideas. Ensure that items in a list have the same grammatical form. |
Place modifiers close to the words they modify to avoid ambiguity. |
Common Writing Errors
Misplaced Modifiers
A misplaced modifier is a word, phrase, or clause that is incorrectly separated from the word it modifies. |
Dangling Modifiers
A dangling modifier does not clearly modify any word in the sentence. Often, the subject is missing. |
Faulty Parallelism
Ensure items in a list or series have the same grammatical structure. |
Comma Splices
A comma splice occurs when two independent clauses are joined by only a comma. Use a semicolon, coordinating conjunction, or separate the clauses into two sentences. |
Run-on Sentences
A run-on sentence combines two or more independent clauses without proper punctuation or conjunctions. Break it into separate sentences, or use appropriate punctuation. |