Feb 13, 2023
What grammar rules have you broken on purpose?
Oh, the hours I spent in high school learning the American rules of grammar. On the surface, it seemed boring, but I found pleasure in the music of how words fit together to form pictures and ideas. That’s how I found my way into poetry, where the rules don’t matter or matter even more, depending upon the form.
Writing fiction forced me to again pay attention to the rules and be selective about which ones I break. The big qualifier is that grammar doesn’t keep up with the spoken language, and it’s a battle between the two.
Sentence Fragments: I use with caution, but sometimes they are a great device to increase tension, and combat run-on sentences. (See below) How many I use varies from story to story. In my current work-in-progress, The Rise of Jake Hennessey, I can only think of two or three times when I’ve deliberately used a sentence fragment for emphasis. (Here’s one of them. “I’m a cop. A good one. I’m trained to see when people are lying. And every time she opens her mouth, she’s lying.”)
Run-On Sentences: I’ve seen books where half a page was one sentence. I’ve written a few with fifty words in my career, but they don’t make it through editing.
Ending a Sentence with a Preposition: Even grammarians have given up on this one for informal writing. The rule doesn’t work for our day-to-day speech, and I pay only minimal attention to it. (“That was Eli’s job.” Harmony held up her hand. “Don’t worry, the tears will wait. I’ve got my business face on.”)
One More-Commas: Commas are rough. Even grammar checkers can’t always decide whether a comma is needed. I fall back on the concept – do I want the reader to pause at a certain spot for emphasis? If yes and the grammar checker is unsure, I’ll add a comma. Heck, I’ve added a comma against the strict recommendation of a grammar checker!
That’s all I’ll confess to. To find out what rules the other authors on this hop break, follow the links below.
Until next time, please stay safe!
Feb 13, 2023
What grammar rules have you broken on purpose?
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