Everyone remembers sitting through tedious grammar courses in school, and not many people necessarily get a kick out of conjugating verbs and conducting spell checks. The truth is this though: you simply cannot hope to become a successful writer if you do not have a good grasp on the language in which you are writing. Produced by FreelanceWriting.com
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Paying your dues does not have to involve going on a creative sabbatical or suffering for your craft. You should, however, spend some time paying homage to the fundamentals of writing such as basic grammar and other fundamentals. Don't fall into the trap of thinking that you know everything there is to know about writing, because arrogance does not translate well on paper.
Yep, it's important. Everyone remembers sitting through tedious grammar courses in school, and not many people necessarily get a kick out of conjugating verbs and conducting spell checks. The truth is this though: you simply cannot hope to become a successful writer if you do not have a good grasp on the language in which you are writing. You may be making common mistakes which make editors cringe, and you are completely unaware. Can you find the mistakes in these sentences?
If a stranger walks into the bar, it's their own mistake.
This sentence mixes a singular term (a stranger) with a plural one (their). Unless the writer wants to specify the gender of the stranger (it's his or her mistake) then the sentence may need to be rewritten to flow a little more smoothly: It's a big mistake for a stranger to walk into the bar.
I just don't know. Really. I don't.
Fragment sentences like the middle one shown here (Really) can detract from writing and make it look choppy. Not only is it grammatically incorrect, but it can make the piece harder to read.
"Its time to go!" he shouted.
In this instance, a missing apostrophe makes the sentence incorrect. The proper sentence should read like this: "It's time to go!" he shouted. Basic grammar issues like this can occasionally happen to any writer, but if you have real problems with keeping your grammar straight then you will inevitably have real problems with getting writing jobs.
But what she really likes is the color brown.
The writing community is torn on whether or not to allow sentences to start with the words but or and. We were all taught in school that sentences should not start with these words, but it is becoming more acceptable to do it. For now, at the beginning of your writing career, it is best to stay away from doing anything contrary to what you were taught when you studied fundamental grammar in school. Save the tricky and rebellious writing for when you get more established and find an editor who does not cringe when they see a sentence started with but or and.
