Grammar-O Wednesdayswith Ocieanna
Happy Wednesday, grammarians! Last week we started a new feature here on Seriously Write called Grammar-O. Each week I (Ocieanna) will post a few sentences with grammar, punctuation, spelling, or other writing misdemeanors. Your job is to find the infraction and set it right. If you possess the courage, you’re welcome to post your corrections in the comments, or you may simply keep your grammar to yourself. Then next week, I’ll post the answers.
Remember, the point is to hunt out the blatantly illegal, not matters of preference or opinion.
Here are the corrected ones from last week.
(There was a technical difficulty with #1. See below.)
Last week’s sentences:
1) I’m a writer. I love to write. I wish I could spend every day writing! Then what would my family do without me?
Correct: I had double-spaced after the punctuation, but when this one was uploaded onto the blog, the problem corrected itself. So if you didn’t find anything wrong with this sentence, you were right. But take the warning! No double spaces after periods, exclamation points, or question marks. Trust me!
2) Fiction is my favorite (I like other genres, too. I just like fiction best).
Correct: Fiction is my favorite. (I like other genres, too. I just like fiction best.)
3) Three Taylor’s and two Megan’s sat in my writing class.
Correct: Three Taylors and two Megans sat in my writing class.
4) The first Taylor smiled when I brought out the book “Elements of Style.” I knew it’d be a good class.
Correct: The first Taylor smiled when I brought out the book Elements of Style. I knew it’d be a good class.
5) The guy in the front row peaked my interest when he opened a grammar book with a baby on the front cover.
Correct: They guy in the front row piqued my interest when he opened a grammar book with a baby on the front cover.
Well, how’d you do? Do you think you fixed all the sentences?
This week’s batch:
1) When I think of Fall I don’t imagine multi-colored leaves.
2) Carving pumpkins, bundling the kids in sweaters, to make apple cider—these don’t hop to mind either.
3) For me living in the Seattle area fall means rain.
4) Falls the beginning of a dark, cloudy, dreary, cold, drizzly, and long months till spring.
5) But I’ll admit, a writer often works more diligently on their manuscript when the gloomy cold keeps them inside.
Good luck and have fun!
*Disclaimer: I’m by no means perfect at this. I’ll be using The Chicago Manual of Style and Webster’s Dictionary as my sources. The sentences to correct are fictitious.
