This post was first published here on April 8, 2010. In my newsletter, I told subscribers that if they had a grammar question, they could ask me or post the question here on The Blood-Red Pencil. Kathy Lee Scott , who’s both a dancer and a writer, emailed to ask this: Is it "and then," or could it be just "then"? One person insisted I make all my "then's" into "and then's." To my ear, it doesn't sound correct. Plus it adds an unnecessary conjunction, in my opinion. Hi Kathy, Thanks for this very timely question. I say ‘timely’ because I’ve recently heard several people ask this same question. The long-standing rule is you must put an ‘and’ with ‘then’ if you use ‘then’ as a conjunctive joining two independent clauses. You can zip over to Capital Community College Foundation ’s well-know grammar pages where you’ll find grammar guidance as well as a link to “Conjunction Junction” (Scholastic Rock, 1972). The hard truth is ‘the...

Never begin a sentence with a coordinating conjunction. Never end a sentence with a preposition. Never write a book based on current trends. Never continue to work on a story that isn’t working. Never ignore the fundamental basics of good story writing: grammar, spelling, punctuation, character and plot development, compelling content, good flow, realistic dialogue, etc. Never try to emulate someone else’s style. Never use clichés. Never start a story with dialogue, weather, excessive narrative or description, a dream, a ringing alarm or cell phone, a prologue, backstory, an information dump, lots of telling and no showing, and the prohibitions go on and on. Yikes! I’ve already opted to mop the kitchen floor on my hands and knees instead of write—and I have a bad knee. Wait! Exceptions exist to every rule, right? Make that almost every rule. (Don’t try defying gravity unless you have a parachute.) Back to books. Starting a sentence with a coordinating conjunctio...

By Catherine DePino (reviewed by Linda Lane) The preface of this book opens with these words: “No matter what your circumstances, Excuse Me, Your Participle’s Dangling! will give you the bare essentials of grammar that you’ll need to write like a pro. This book also offers a simple yet foolproof method of writing under pressure, the key to success in any college program or workplace.” While this sounds like a practical approach for many folks, how does it work for novelists, who rarely fit into the “academic” category and whose grammatical needs can sometimes be extensive and complex? Chapter one appropriately addresses verbs. Why appropriately? Verbs empower sentences. Verb choice can determine whether a sentence lies on the page, soon to be forgotten, or rises up to compel a reader to digest its content and continue reading for more gems. This chapter focuses on verb types, weak and strong verbs, active and passive voice, and irregular verbs, covering the “bare essentials...

I have several word pet peeves. One is “snuck”, which I have written about previously. Another is 9 a.m. in the morning. (Think about it! As opposed to 9 a.m. in the evening?) My word of the month is “Utilize”. Utilize is one of those fluffed up, pretentious, supposedly intellectual “dollar” words that people use when they want to sound smart. Many times we see it in PR copy: If you utilize this product, you will be better/stronger/smarter/richer etc. But I often see it in plain old prose: He utilized the rake to clean up the yard . Aw, come on. There is a perfectly acceptable, three-letter word you can “use” instead. That’s it—USE. He used the rake to clean the yard . If you use this product you will___. Simple. Utilitarian. Easy. And do NOT use the even fluffier, more pretentious verb form: “utilization.” Ugh. Here are the definitions of the two words: Use : take, hold, or deploy (something) as a means of accomplishing or achieving something; employ— Oxford English Dictionary ...

Susie decided she’d had enough of his insubordination. It was time to let him go. “John,” she said, “You have been insubordinate one time too many. You’re fired.” Many beginning writers feel they must set up the dialogue by explaining first what the character is going to say, or to emphasize a point by repeating it in dialogue, but it is not needed. Unnecessary repetition weakens sentences and adds extraneous words to your manuscript. Say it once, cut to the chase. Another example of saying the same thing in different words: Many unskilled workers without training in a particular job are unemployed and do not have any work. (“Unskilled” and “without training” mean the same thing, as do “unemployed” and “do not have work.”) Better : Many unskilled workers are unemployed. Be aware of repetitive phrases: • Circle around  • Continue on  • Final completion  • Frank and honest exchange • The future to come • Repeat again • Return again • Revert back • Square i...

Allowing Joe to reach for me, he cradled me in his arms . Is there something wrong with this sentence? The phrase “allowing Joe to reach for me” modifies the noun that follows: he. So what this sentence says is that he (Joe) was allowing himself to cradle “me”. The fix: I allowed Joe to reach for me and he cradled me in his arms . OR: Reaching for me, Joe cradled me in his arms . The arrangement of words in a sentence is an important clue to their relationships. Modifiers will be confusing if the reader can’t connect them to the words they modify. A modifier is a phrase that describes something. They can result in sometimes unintentional humor, such as this example in the book Sin and Syntax : “FOR SALE: Mahogany table by a lady with Chippendale legs” (The lady has Chippendale legs?) Or Groucho Marx’s: “One morning I shot an elephant in my pajamas. How he got into my pajamas I’ll never know” (He did intentionally misplace the phrase “in my pajamas” to make the joke.) In this ...

In these days of e-mails, texts, mind-boggling abbreviations, and thoughts that bounce all over the place, we have seen huge changes in our language, especially in its written form. In fact, I can’t even decipher some of the texts I receive from my grandchildren. How does this affect us as writers? New abbreviations and fragmented sentences are all the rage and fast becoming the present norm. Are we jumping headfirst into the confusion, or are we torchbearers in times of change? Some years ago, I researched expressions common during the flapper era—the 1920s—for a poem I was writing. Today, a reader would likely have little idea what those terms mean. How many of the following can you define (and these are just a few)? • Bee’s knees (they don’t buzz) • Big cheese (not to be confused with a Big Mac) • Bluenose (not a precursor to frostbite) • Carry a torch (nothing to do with the Olympics) • Cat’s pajamas (not necessarily nightwear) • Cheaters (you’ll be surprised when you se...

To hyphenate or not to hyphenate; that is the question. Is the glass half full or half-full? The answer is not simple. There are so many exceptions it can drive you a little batty. The grammar books advise us to use the hyphen to form some compound words expressing a combination of ideas, such as cross-reference . It is also used in SOME compound adjectives (note the use of the word “some”). This means when you use two words as a single modifier before a noun, those two words are hyphenated. For example, Meryl Streep is a well-known actor. The words “well and “known” combine to form one modifier for “actor.” BUT: Meryl Streep is well known. The two words are no longer describing another word and come after the noun. Sometimes words can mean different things depending on the hyphenation. When you hyphenate the words, you are applying them as a single unit to the noun. For example: A hot-water bottle is a bottle for holding hot water. BUT: A hot water bottle is a water bottle th...

Don't Stumble over the Humble Apostrophe This month's post is about something very basic—but when we're busy writing, sometimes even the basics become stumbling blocks. We were driving onto the highway the other day, and our local BBQ joint (note, in our town there are only 3 choices for food: the Irish pub, the BBQ joint, or the sandwich shop) had just put out a new sign: "Breakfast Burrito's Served All Day." I cringe at how common that mistake is. I know I'm guilty of the occasional typo because my fingers don't always listen to my brain, but I do know the rule. Mr. Holtby in high school English drilled it in. Deep. And although I hope most people here know the rules, too, I figured it might be worth a reminder, in case anyone wants to sell burritos all day. An Apostrophe Has Two Uses 1. It shows possession. Something belongs to someone or something.    The man's hat. The dog's leash. My biggest trouble-spot with this is dealing w...

Isn’t it frustrating, when you’re writing, to figure out how to emphasize a word or a phrase? When you were starting out, did you (like I did) put words in ALL CAPS or in bold or underlined, or maybe all of the above? Oh yes, and let’s not forget the exclamation point!!!! The more, the better, right? No. All of these methods are red flags that point to an inexperienced writer. I’ve had editors tell me no more than four exclamation points in the entire manuscript. When you submit a manuscript, agents and publishers do not want to see all caps, bold, or excessive exclamation points. Here is some sage advice from pros: “Cut out all these exclamation points. An exclamation point is like laughing at your own joke.”  ~  F. Scott Fitzgerald “Five exclamation marks, the sure sign of an insane mind.” ~ Terry Pratchett “We only live once, but once is enough if we do it right. Live your life with class, dignity, and style so that an exclamation, rather than a question mark ...

A dash is an indication of interruption formed by typing two hyphens on your keyboard. Whether it is a long “em-dash”—or a shorter “en-dash” – is determined by whether you leave a space between the words and the hyphens. If you are using Microsoft Word, the computer should automatically change the hyphens into the dash. A hint: if you put a dash at the end of a sentence followed by quote marks, the computer does not change the hyphens into the dash, so you can “trick” it by typing a letter after the hyphens and hitting the space bar. Then you backspace and delete that extra letter. Some writers these days try to use dashes to indicate pauses, instead of using the ellipsis (three dots…) There are two major reasons to use a dash. 1. Dashes should be used when someone’s dialogue is interrupted, such as: “I told you I was going to—” John waved his hand to stop me. “You always say that, but you never do it.” (The ellipsis would be used if the speaker was trailing off: “I always ...

The comma is the most common punctuation mark inside sentences. Although they seem to be thrown by the wayside more and more these days, a simple comma can change the meaning of a sentence entirely as in: The July 2nd Thursday meeting will be held … Is it on July 2 or the second Thursday? Commas are used to separate complete sentences connected by a coordinating conjunction: and, but, for, because . The bat is a nocturnal animal, and it sleeps during the day . I thought I could stay up all night, but I fell asleep about 4 a.m. The comma should not follow the and or but (such as T he bat is a nocturnal animal and, it sleeps during the day .) The only time I let that one slide is occasionally in dialogue if the speaker is pausing for effect: “He is a completely self-centered man, and, he is a jerk.” However, there are better ways to show this. Use a comma to set off most introductory phrases. A simple definition of a Phrase: A word group that lacks either a subject or a predicate or b...

I have to admit I’m a little bit addicted to the semi-colon. Ever since I learned how to use it properly it's seemed the perfect punctuation; it's stronger than a comma but not the full stop of a period. I even use semi-colons when I’m texting; I just can’t help myself. When one begins using semi-colons one seems to write more formally; it’s like donning a ball gown or tuxedo that makes one stand a little straighter and enunciate more clearly. Someone once said that the colon is an obnoxious punctuation mark; it orders the reader to infer exactly this from what follows: what the colon precedes is the only possible explanation. The semi-colon, on the other hand, is more polite; it merely indicates that what follows relates to that which precedes. (See what I mean about writing more formally?) The guidelines for semi-colon use are fairly simple. In a list, a semi-colon can be used instead of a comma, especially where the use of a comma might be confusing. In a sentence a se...

I assume anyone taking time to read this blog has some sort of vested interest in language. We write, teach, or edit. For that reason, I also assume we each probably have our personal grammatical pet peeves. You know what I mean, those words or phrases that, when used incorrectly, run chills up your spine. We get our peeves from different places. Some of our peeves we inherit. My mother was always annoyed when anyone used the word ‘podium’ when they meant ‘lectern.’ She always said, “One stands on a podium, one stands behind a lectern.” So, of course, I don’t care that Merriam Webster and Random House dictionaries both say the words are interchangeable. In memory of my mother, I still roll my eyes me when people use ‘podium’ for anything other than the raised stage on which a speaker stands. Some of our linguistic pet peeves were instilled in us by teachers. ‘Can vs. may’ is traditionally a favorite of first and second grade teachers and often sticks with kids into adulthood. And som...

Sometimes we’re so focused on the big picture—our plot and characters—that we miss obvious clues that more editing is required. My July 16th, 2009 post, Look for the Silly Stuff: Exclamation Points , discussed the overuse of that popular punctuation mark. Here are a few other things you need to consider. 1. Bad grammar and lousy punctuation . If you don’t know the basic rules of grammar and punctuation, you need to take a class, buy a good book and study it, or choose one of many excellent online resources to hone your writing skills. I like Mignon Fogarty’s Grammar Girl’s Quick and Dirty Tips™ for Better Writing and her website by the same name. Guide to Grammar and Writing is a website sponsored by the Capital Community College Foundation. I’ve found it to be very useful. 2. When Microsoft Word underlines a word in red , it means the software thinks you have misspelled the word. The error might be a typo. The word might really be misspelled. Or you may have used a correct wor...