According to the lyrics of one awful Hannah Montana song, and many other sources, "everybody makes mistakes." Ah, the irony, considering the fact that she's a role model for many young kids, and how Miley Cyrus has turned to the dark side . . . Well, that's another story. I can rant about Miley Cyrus another time, hopefully. I do rather enjoy ranting, I must say. All right, back to grammar.
I personally have pretty good grammar, generally, although I don't nit-pick quite so much. I occasionally misuse hyphens and add too many commas, but I mostly stay on track. However, in manuscripts and query letters, you have to be super careful. Bad grammar in the manuscript might turn agents off, and you don't want your manuscript to be turned down because of grammar. That much, I know. If you're just not very good at spelling and grammar, and are sending out a manuscript, I'd suggest these simple tips.
-Make sure you're not mixing up homophones, or commonly-misspelled words
-Spell-check doesn't catch everything; I'd read it again to make sure that you're using the words that you want to use, not the ones autocorrect wants
-Have a friend or aquaintance who's good with grammar look over it to proofread it, because grammar can be kind of a big thing, like with agents
Even though the big things matter most in the long run, sometimes the little things are pretty important too. I hope this grammar post helps, at least a little bit, and -as usual- if you have any thoughts, let me know!
I personally have pretty good grammar, generally, although I don't nit-pick quite so much. I occasionally misuse hyphens and add too many commas, but I mostly stay on track. However, in manuscripts and query letters, you have to be super careful. Bad grammar in the manuscript might turn agents off, and you don't want your manuscript to be turned down because of grammar. That much, I know. If you're just not very good at spelling and grammar, and are sending out a manuscript, I'd suggest these simple tips.
-Make sure you're not mixing up homophones, or commonly-misspelled words
-Spell-check doesn't catch everything; I'd read it again to make sure that you're using the words that you want to use, not the ones autocorrect wants
-Have a friend or aquaintance who's good with grammar look over it to proofread it, because grammar can be kind of a big thing, like with agents
Even though the big things matter most in the long run, sometimes the little things are pretty important too. I hope this grammar post helps, at least a little bit, and -as usual- if you have any thoughts, let me know!
Grammar is really important. You should check out "Grammar Girl: Quick And Dirty Tips For Better Writing". It's really helpful!
ReplyDeleteTanks for stopping by! I'v been busy with homework and sports as of late, but when I have time, I'll be sure to check it out. Thanks again!
ReplyDelete*I've. My computer's acting up once again . . .
ReplyDelete