Questions about the rules of grammar, and how to properly apply them to writing. Note that questions asking to improve or check grammar of a specific piece are off-topic.
Questions tagged [grammar]
239 questions
13
votes
4 answers
Should items separated by commas be alphabetical?
When writing a list of items, should they be alphabetical?
The late Jurassic periods are Tithonian, Kimmeridgian, and
Oxfordian.
better?
The late Jurassic periods are Kimmeridgian, Oxfordian, and
Tithonian.
Honk
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9
votes
4 answers
I am trying to find an online, free to use and algorithm-based grammar checker, that can reliably point out mistakes. Any suggestions?
I tried using Quillbot and Grammarly, but they sometimes give inappropriate edits, or not enough information to justify edits so I am often left confused. Any suggestion would be helpful.
P.S: If such a question already exists on this forum, please…
harsh garg
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6
votes
3 answers
Should I capitalise the first letter of a title that an unnamed character has?
I'm writing from a third person viewpoint. I have a character who does not have a name. He is simply known as "The Sentinel". In fact, that is the only introduction he gives for himself. So when I'm writing a scene where he interacts with other…
user96551
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5
votes
3 answers
Specific use of apostrophe at the beginning of a sentence
This is a highly specific scenario for which I haven't been able to find a concrete answer.
When you write the contraction 'Tis (It is), should the apostrophe be an opening or closing apostrophe?
A lot of typefaces have a mirroring design for…
Dudenheim
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3
votes
3 answers
When the pronoun "I" occurs outside of quotes, is it always a narrator's voice?
When the pronoun "I" occurs outside of quotes, is it always a narrator's voice? If there are exceptions, I would be grateful for examples.
OldRoboCoder
3
votes
4 answers
Dialogue Writing and Word Repetition
I'm an amateur writer. I'm having problems with dialogue writing specifically with punctuation and capitalization. Also, I need some advice on how to avoid word repetition. Please help this new guy out.
Kelvin Rajkumar
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3
votes
5 answers
Do many people even care about "good" grammar in novels?
I realise people like me are probably many, i.e., amateurs who want to write a book and then get frustrated by having to learn all this very intricate grammar just to please the odd poindexter who may read their book. Especially these days with…
Grammarfrustrations
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3
votes
1 answer
Do you capitalize the "T" in "the" in a Title or Place's Name?
When writing a title or a name of a place in a novel, do you capitalize the "T" in "the"?
For example the name of an establishment, which of these would be correct:
They went to The Cloak and Dagger Inn?
OR
They went to the Cloak and Dagger Inn?
Osiris93
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2
votes
1 answer
Is this an extraneous preposition?
Is it correct to include the "on?"
Gap years are best for students to decide (on) their majors.
Jonathan Abbado
- 21
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2
votes
4 answers
Usage of semi-colon
Which one is correct? Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think the context matters. I've heard that "if the sentence cant stand on its own, the semi-colon isn't needed", but I frankly can't tell if this adage applies here.
I want to emphasize…
jtb
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2
votes
2 answers
What is the verb in Mark Twain’s sentence?
In Mark Twain’s The Innocents Abroad he ends chapter 31 with the following two sentences:
This saddens me. I will to bed.
I have never seen this grammatical form. What is the intransitive verb in “I will to bed” which supports “to”?
Vogon Poet
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2
votes
2 answers
Dropping repeated verbs/prepositions/adjectives for different subjects
I wonder if it's alright for us to drop words like verbs, prepositions or adjectives for different subjects in the same sentence if repeated.
Consider this sentence:
"My son was born in 1975 and my daughter was born in 1982."
Would it be better or…
TomAa
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2
votes
2 answers
Is it acceptable to start a sentence with the word "But"
I have read some sources say you never start a sentence with a conjunction, other sources say it is acceptable. and in some cases better. So can you start a sentence with the word "But" and if so, when is it acceptable?
Osiris93
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2
votes
2 answers
Do you capitalize common nouns (e.g. beach party) if they're part of an event name?
If I am writing an event invite for a [Company Name] Christmas Beach Party, should the Beach Party be capitalized?
Lauren
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1
vote
2 answers
Whether to use settle "in" or "on"
I've been writing some flavor text for my next board game release, which is about settling a colony in/on different planets, and I am not sure if I'm using those two prepositions correctly, if I have to use always the same or if it depends on the…
