WRITING TIPS: May 2021

104 Grammar Rules for Writers

Below is our list of grammar rules for writers. We give a quick explanation after each bullet point. But click on each link for further understanding and examples of correct usage.

"A" before consonants and "an" before vowels is not the rule. Rather, the rule is that "a" is placed before consonant-sounding words and "an" before vowel-sounding words.
A lot vs. alot vs. allot. "A lot" is either an adverb or pronoun, "allot" is a verb, and "alot" doesn't exist.
A moral vs. amoral vs. immoral. A "moral" person knows the difference between right and wrong and chooses the right way; an "immoral" person knows the difference and chooses the wrong way; an "amoral" person has no concept or recognition of the rules at all.
Abate vs. bait vs. bate. Abate and bate both basically mean the same thing: to reduce the intensity of and/or deduct something (or even outright end it). Meanwhile, bait is a verb or noun that's used to lure something or someone as if it's prey, whether that's as dinner or a customer.
Adapt vs. adept vs. adopt. Adapt means to make something fit for a new use or purpose; adept refers to a well-trained person; and adopt refers to taking a child as your own or putting something into effect or practicing something (like adopting a resolution or a new singing style).
Advice vs. advise. "Advice" is a noun, and "advise" is a verb.
Affect vs. effect. "Affect" is usually used as a verb, while "effect" is usually a noun.
Allude vs. elude. "Allude" means to suggest or hint at something, while "elude" means to evade or escape.
Alright vs. all right. "All right" is a commonly used phrase for okay, while "alright" doesn't technically exist.
Analogy vs. metaphor vs. simile. A "metaphor" is something, a "simile" is like something, and an "analogy" explains how one thing being like another helps explain them both.
Annual vs. perennial. When it comes to plants, annuals have to be planted each year while perennials do not.
Anybody vs. anyone vs. somebody vs. someone. "Anybody" and "anyone" are interchangeable; also, "somebody" and "someone" are interchangeable. Further, there are times when anyone can be somebody, though other times when not just anybody can be a someone.
Are subjects joined by "and" singular or plural? It depends on if the subjects are independent of each other.
Awhile vs. a while. If you can swap out the word "while" with "period of time," then you're likely dealing with "a while." If not, then you're likely dealing with "awhile."
Bearing vs. baring vs. barring. As present participle verbs, remember that "bearing" means "to bear," "baring" means "to bare," and "barring" means "to bar."
Bi-annual vs. biennial. "Bi-annual" means twice a year; biennial means once every two years.
Bolder vs. boulder. Bolder means "more bold," while boulder refers to a very big rock (or city in Colorado).
Can I use contractions in my writing? While avoiding contractions may be proper, it can also be quite stilted.
Can you start a sentence with "because?" Because there's no grammar rule against it, it's totally acceptable to begin a sentence with "because."
Canceled vs. cancelled. If you play "soccer," then it's "canceled." However, people who play "football" (with a soccer ball) should probably use "cancelled."
Canon vs. cannon. "Canon" is an accepted rule or collection of books, while "cannon" is a big gun formerly used in warfare and currently used to make loud noises at random events.
Capital vs. capitol. Capitol refers to a specific government building; capital can refer to an uppercase letter, net worth, or specific cities.
Collage vs. college. Collage is something pieced together with diverse fragments; college refers to a group of people gathered together for a purpose, whether that's education, religion, or government (as in the electoral college).
Compliment vs. complement vs. supplement. Remember that "complement" with an "e" completes things, "supplement" is something added to, and "compliment" with an "i" is just something nice to say.
Conscience vs. conscious. Conscience is the understanding of moral goodness or wrongness; conscious means you're aware of your surroundings.
Creak vs. creek. "Creak" with an "-eak" (like the word "break") refers to a noise, while "creek" with an "-eek" is a small stream of water.
Dialog vs. dialogue. Dialogue is the best way to refer to conversations between your characters and each other.
Do you underline book titles? Sometimes titles are underlined. Other times, they are italicized or put in quotes. Heck, some folks put them in ALL CAPS. Adhere to individual house styles and stay consistent.
E-mail vs. email. When the AP and Chicago style guides agree, it's time to make it official and drop the hyphen.
Empathy vs. sympathy vs. apathy. "Empathy" means you can understand what another feels; "sympathy" means you can share sadness for another's misfortune; and "apathy" means you don't care one way or the other.
Ensure vs. insure. Some style guides make these words interchangeable, but WD uses "insure" when referring specifically to financial insurance policies and "ensure" to mean "to make certain."
Everyday vs. every day. "Everyday" is an adjective; "every day" is a phrase that means "each day."
Fable vs. parable vs. allegory. Fables and parables are actually both allegories with fables usually featuring animal characters and parables featuring humans.
Fewer vs. less. Use "fewer" to refer to descending counting numbers and "less" to indicate declining degrees of something (often in an abstract way).
Foreword vs. forward. The "word" in "foreword" is a dead giveaway that it's supposed to be the commentary (or words) in the front of a book; every other usage is likely supposed to be "forward."
Further vs. farther. "Farther" describes how "far" in terms of physical distance, while "further" is used in the other cases.
Heroes vs. heros. "Heroes" is the plural of "hero," while "Heros" is a type of fish.
Heroin vs. heroine vs. hero. Some people prefer to make "hero" gender neutral for men and women. Others feel "heroine" is the correct usage. On the other hand, "heroin" is a drug.
Homonym vs. homophone vs. homograph. "Homophones" sound the same, like if you were talking on a phone; meanwhile, "homographs" are spelled the same, like if you used a graphite pencil; and then, "homonyms" are either, both, and/or only both.
Hone vs. home. "Hone" means to make more accurate; "home" means to aim toward a target with greater accuracy.
How many spaces after a period? One space. Just use one space.
How do you handle animal pronouns? Refer to animals as "it" unless the relationship is personal or you happen to know the gender.
I could care less or I couldn't care less? "I couldn't care less" means you don't care; "I could care less" means you do care.
Imminent vs. eminent vs. immanent. "Imminent" means something's about to happen; "eminent" describes a person (or thing) that is famous and/or respected; and "immanent" means inherent, intrinsic, or spread throughout.
Incite vs. insight. Incite means to rile up or put in motion; insight describes the ability to comprehend the inner nature of things, people, and/or situations.
Into vs. in to. "Into" is a preposition that expresses movement toward or into something else. Meanwhile, "in to" is a separate use of the word "in" that happens to be next to the word "to."
Introvert vs. extrovert vs. extravert. An introvert is a reserved person; extrovert is a generally outgoing person; and extravert is just another way of saying extrovert.
Is "none" singular or plural? "None" can be either singular or plural.
Its vs. it's. "It's" is a contraction of "it" and "is," while "its" is an adjective or possessive pronoun (basically whenever it can't be replaced by "it is," it should be "its").
Ketchup vs. catsup. They both describe the same condiment, though "ketchup" is currently the more commonly used term.
Lay vs. lie (vs. laid). It's too complicated for a short blurb, so check out the graphic below this list.
Lead vs. lead vs. led. As a noun, "lead" is a type of metal. As a verb, the past tense of "lead" is "led."
Leaped vs. leapt (vs. lept). "Leaped" and "leapt" are both acceptable past tense versions of "leap," but "lept" is a misspelling of "leapt."
Leave alone vs. let alone. "Leave alone" means to leave a person alone, while "let alone" means to quit bugging a person. However, it's becoming more common for people to use "leave alone" in both instances.
Lets vs. let's. "Let's" is a contraction of the words "let" and "us," and "lets" is the present tense form of the verb "let."
Lose vs. loose vs. loosen. "Lose" means to cease to retain something and/or be unable to find something; "loose" means to set free as a verb or describe something that is not fixed as an adjective; and "loosen" is a verb which means to make less tight.
May vs. might. "May" and "might" mean the same thing, but "may" hints you're more likely to do it, while "might" signals you're less likely to follow through.
Metaphor vs. personification. "Metaphor" is a word or phrase that takes on the meaning of something else ("I am an island"); "personification" is a figure of speech that attributes human behavior to things that are not alive ("the stars winked").
More than vs. over. They're interchangeable.
Myriad vs. myriad of. If you want to say "a great number of," then use "a myriad of." If you want to say "many," then use "myriad," without the extra words.
Nobody vs. no body. The single word nobody refers to a person, while the phrase no body is the lack of an actual body.
OK vs. okay vs. O.K. All versions are okay, but OK is the version most commonly used.
On vs. upon vs. up on. If you can remove the "up" and use only "on," then feel free to use on or upon; if you can't, then use the phrase "up on."
Oxford comma (or serial comma) and why it's so cool. When you list out three or more things (like commas, periods, and question marks), use the serial comma to make your lists clear.
Pair vs. pare vs. pear. Pair refers to two corresponding things; pare means to trim or reduce something; and pear is a fruit.
Passed vs. past. "Passed," which has the verb "pass" in it, can only be used as a verb; meanwhile, "past" is used in all non-verb instances.
Peak vs. peek vs. pique. "Peek" means to take a look; "peak" is related to the highest point (like a mountain peak); and "pique" is a French word meaning "to stimulate" (as in a new grammar rule piqued my interest).
People vs. persons. While most people prefer to use "people" in all situations, "persons" can be used when referring to a smaller group of people (like fewer than 10).
Poetic justice vs. poetic license. Poetic justice is when a good or bad deed is rewarded or punished; poetic license is embellishing a story or playing with language.
Precedent vs. president. Precedent indicates something that has happened before; president signifies the top leader in a government or organization.
Principal vs. principle. Principal is an influential person; principle relates to a law or moral code someone might have.
Pronoun problems: "He/she," "he or she," or just "he." Honestly, it's a question of style over grammar, since all versions, including the consistent use of "she," are appropriate.
Prophecy vs. prophesy. "Prophecy" is a noun that means a prediction, while "prophesy" is the verb that means to make a prediction.
Question mark placement in dialogue. Question marks should always appear at the end of questions (even within sentences) and within quotation marks.
Raise vs. rise. Both mean the same thing, but a subject "raises" an object while something that "rises" does it on its own.
Real vs. reel. Real means something is genuine, factual, practical, permanent, or essential; meanwhile, a reel holds something (like thread, fishing line, or film) that winds around it.
Reign vs. rein. "Reign" is a period of time dominated by a ruling power or verb that means one possesses power over someone or something; "rein" is a leather strap used to control a horse (or reindeer).
Remove that from your writing. Seriously, the word "that" is usually not necessary.
Right vs. rite vs. wright vs. write. Rite refers to the words and actions of a ceremony or ritual; wright is a skilled worker; write means forming characters on a surface; and right can refer to directions, morals, politics, and more.
Role vs. roll. While the word "roll" can have several meanings, "role" can only mean a part played or a function performed.
Same vs. similar. Both words are similar, but they're not the same.
Sedation vs. sedition. Sedation describes the process of inducing a relaxed state with the use of sedatives; sedition means the incitement of resistance to or insurrection against lawful authority.
Semantics vs. syntax vs. pragmatics. "Syntax" is the study of sentence structure and grammar rules; "semantics" is the study of meaning for those sentences; and "pragmatics" is the study of meaning within context.
Semicolon use. Go for it; they're fun.
Shook vs. shaked vs. shaken. Shook is active, shaken is passive, and shaked doesn't exist.
Sight vs. site vs. cite. "Sight" involves your vision; "site" is a location; and "cite" is an act that involves praise, compelling someone to appear before a body, or calling attention to someone or something as proof (as in a report or discussion).
Simile vs. metaphor. I know we discussed these above (see analogy), but this is a reminder that simile is like something whereas metaphor takes on the identity of something.
Since vs. because. Both can be used interchangeably, but the use of "since" can get ambiguous if it's not used in reference to time.
Slight of hand vs. sleight of hand. "Sleight of hand" refers to manual dexterity, and "slight of hand" refers to small hands.
Snuck vs. sneaked. Traditionally, "sneaked" is the proper word to use, but "snuck" is sneaking into everyday use. As a result, this may be an actively evolving change in language. Grammarians, prepare yourselves!
Starting a sentence with "but." Some folks will tell you it's improper to start a sentence with a conjunction. But it's fun and grammatically OK to do it.
Stationary vs. stationery. Stationary refers to someone or something that is fixed in place or that's in a fixed condition; stationery is the paper someone may use to write letters.
Steal vs. steel vs. still. Steel is a metal, steal means to take something, and still means to be quiet and/or motionless.
Subjunctive vs. indicative mood (or "if I was" vs. "if I were"). Use indicative mood to express fact (such as "I was editor of Writer's Market) and subjunctive mood to express a hypothetical wish (such as "If I were the CEO of Fill-in-the-Blank Inc., I would do things my way.").
Synonym vs. antonym vs. homonym. Synonym refers to words or phrases with a same or similar meaning; antonym is a word with an opposite meaning; and homonym is when a word that's spelled and pronounced the same has more than one meaning.
Tell vs. tale vs. tail vs. telltale. Think of "yell" as a loud way to "tell" somebody something, while "tail" indicates the bottom and "tale" is a story. Finally, "telltale" is just a fun word to say that indicates something, whether that's with words or some visual cue.
Toward vs. towards. Both are a preposition that means in the direction of, but "toward" is preferred in North America with "towards" preferred everywhere else.
Waist vs. waste. Waist refers to the area of the body between the ribs and hips, while waste refers to unwanted or unusable materials or other things with little to no purpose.
What is the plural form of email? "Email" is what you use in a general sense (like "I get a lot of email"); "emails" is what you use when using numbers (like "I received 17 emails"); and "email messages" works in both situations (so it's the safe option when in doubt).
When do I spell out numbers? There are exceptions to the rule, but a sound rule of thumb is to spell out numbers under 10 (zero through nine) and use numeric form when more than (or over) 10.
When do you capitalize president? The word president (or any title) is only capitalized when it directly precedes a person's name or is used in place of a specific person's name
Where vs. were vs. wear vs. we're. "Where" defines a location or position; "were" is a past version of "be;" "wear" is a verb and noun most commonly related to clothing; and "we're" is a contraction of "we" and "are."
Which vs. that. Brian Klems said it best: "If the sentence doesn't need the clause that the word in question is connecting, use which. If it does, use that."
Who vs. whom. If you can replace the word with "he" or "she," then use "who." If you can replace the word with "him" or "her," then use "whom."

14 Common Writing Mistakes Writers Make (and How to Fix Them)

Waiting for inspiration to strike. We believe inspiration exists; we just don't believe in waiting around for it to strike before trying to write.
Writing oversimplified characters. Sure, the characters in your fictional story aren't real, but they should feel real to your reader.
Talking about the work-in-progress. It's natural to be excited about what you're writing, but talking about your WIP too much can lead to writer's block.
Relying on perfect conditions to write. Let's face it; the conditions will never be perfect for most people, will they?
Worrying about what happens when you make it big. Don't get caught up fretting about being a famous and wealthy author before you're actually there.
Providing a lack of conflict. We love our characters and want the best for them, but no conflict means no story means bored (or a lack of) readers.
Trying to write for everyone. In the real world, you can't please everyone (you just can't), and the same holds true for readers.
Allowing self-doubt to guide you. This is one of the worst (and most common) mistakes, because self-doubt comes from within, not without.
Neglecting research. Writers don't need to know everything about everything, but they should know a little about what they write.
Not knowing when to shelve a project. Writing is not an "all or nothing" activity; it's OK to put a manuscript to the side while working on other projects.
Refraining to revise writing. Regardless of genre, the writing you read from successful writers is rarely the first draft; it almost always goes through revision.
Revising while writing. That said, many writers who get too focused on revision while writing their first draft are susceptible to never finishing that first draft.
Not using your spare 15 minutes. It can often feel like "real life" doesn't want people to be able to write. So writers have to learn how to use their "spare time" accordingly.
Omitting sensory details. Leaving out sensory details in writing is one of the best ways to make writing feel empty for readers.

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