WRITERS GUIDE / SUPPORT SERVICES

THE WRITERS GUIDE TO GRAMMER

HELPFUL LINKS ON WRITING

• Frequently Asked Questions for Beginning Writers
• Mistakes In Writing by Roger MacBride Allen
• Writer's Block: A Definition by Example by Michael Bracken
• Excuse Me, How Much Did It Cost You? by A.C. Crispin
• "How Do I Learn to Write?" A Bibliography for Writers by Terry McGarry
• The Basics by Melisa Michaels
• Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them by Melisa Michaels
• Copyrights and Meteorites by Chuck Rothman

COURTESY OF : SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTACY ASSOCIATION

http://www.sfwa.org/writing

http://www.bartleby.com/141/

SUBJECTS COVERED WITHIN THIS SITE:

1. INTRODUCTORY
   
2. ELEMENTARY RULES OF USAGE
1. Form the possessive singular of nouns with 's
2. In a series of three or more terms with a single conjunction, use a comma after each term except the last
3. Enclose parenthetic expressions between commas
4. Place a comma before and or but introducing an independent clause
5. Do not join independent clauses by a comma
6. Do not break sentences in two
7. A participial phrase at the beginning of a sentence must refer to the grammatical subject
8. Divide words at line-ends, in accordance with their formation and pronunciation
   
3. ELEMENTARY PRINCIPLES OF COMPOSITION
   1. Make the paragraph the unit of composition: one paragraph to each topic
   2. As a rule, begin each paragraph with a topic sentence; end it in conformity with the beginning
   3. Use the active voice
   4. Put statements in positive form
   5. Omit needless words
   6. Avoid a succession of loose sentences
   7. Express co-ordinate ideas in similar form
   8. Keep related words together
   9. In summaries, keep to one tense
   10. Place the emphatic words of a sentence at the end
       
4. A FEW MATTERS OF FORM
5. WORDS AND EXPRESSIONS COMMONLY MISUSED
6. WORDS COMMONLY MISSPELLED