#grammatic

[reverieblue98]

Repetitive Sentences

If your writing is getting choppy, crowded, or messy, you might be repeating some phrases. Here are some quick alternatives to commonly used sentences! Just replace the brackets with your character’s name/pronoun.

(She) looked at (him) 

Add a second verb to rearrange the sentence. 

Sighing, she looked at him.

Looking at him, she smiled. 

This way, you can better tell your reader the way the action is being carried out. The first makes her seem upset with him, whereas the second makes her seem happy with him, so there’s a lot of room for description!

Make it less obvious.

Watching as he put his coat on, she asked where he was going.

She glanced at the letter in his hands.

His bright smile caught her attention.

By doing this, you can sneakily show the reader that she is looking at him without saying it. You can also very smoothly tell the reader what she is looking at specifically, and how she is looking at it. 

Then, (they) did this

Start with the verb.

Walking over to the bar, they ordered a drink.

Hoping it would work, they pulled the lever. 

Smiling, they waved back.

Here, instead of describing the sequence of events (They walked to the bar. Then, they ordered a drink), I’m focusing on immersing the reader by combining and rearranging the sentences. (Walking over to the bar, they ordered a drink.) Reporting is choppy and will bore your reader, so try to create complex sentences by combining and rearranging the structure.

Change the preposition.

After eating, they had a nap.

Soon, they decided to take a bath.

Before the clock chirped, they left work. 

Remember that there’s a whole list of prepositions to choose from! You might need to change your sentence a bit, but they’ll add a lot of variety.

(He) said

Use an action tag.

“What are you doing?” she frowned. 

“I don’t know,” he shrugged.

When you put an action after what a character says, it not only clarifies the situation but brings it to life. It shows the reader your written “movie” of sorts.

Describe how they are talking.

“Watch out!” they yelled.

“Shh!” she whispered.

This also helps with clarity, and helps immerse your reader. Be sure not to use complicated or unnecessary tags, like “catechize” or “beseech”, because they might confuse your reader and make them less interested because they don’t understand what’s happening. Of course, this changes depending on your genre and audience, but keep that in mind!

Rearrange the sentence.

She groaned, “Will you cut it out?”

“Great,” he smiled. “We’ll be right over.”

This just helps to stop you from reporting what’s happening. By splitting what’s being said or moving the location of the tag, your writing sounds more poetic!

Anyway, thanks for reading the post! Sometimes, the smallest things like moving a verb can drastically change the way your sentence sounds. So, play around with it! I promise if you try some of these out, your writing will look a lot different. Thanks for reading, and as always, happy writing! 

-RB 

[mysmall-studies]

Swedish grammar: En & Ett

In Swedish, you use En or Ett in front of a noun like you use a or an in front of a noun in English. Though, the rules are different when it comes to En and Ett. 

“Swedish nouns are of one of two genders, non-neuter and neuter shown by the form of the indefinite and definite article”

Non-neuter nouns take the indefinite article en and definite article (end article) -(e)n.

Example: En bil = A car, En kvinna = A woman, En ost = A cheese

This is the indefinite article, which is used when you’re pointing out that there is one of a specific thing. NOTE that En isn’t bound to A, it’s just a coincidence that the examples are like this.

Example: Bilen = The car, Kvinnan = The woman, Osten = The cheese

This is the definite article, which is used when you’re stating who/what is something, like ‘The cheese is good’ = ‘Osten är god’

If the noun ends in a consonant, you add -en to the ending If the noun ends in a vowel, you only add the -n to the ending

Neuter nouns take the indefinite article Ett and definite article -(e)t.

Example: Ett päron = A pear, Ett hus = A house, Ett äpple = An apple

This is the indefinite article, which is used when you’re pointing out that there is one of a specific thing. NOTE you cannot connect En and Ett to A and An directly, since the rules of usage differ between Swedish and English.

Example: Päronet = The pear, Huset = The house, Äpplet = The apple

This is the definite article, which is used when you’re stating who/what is something, like ‘Äpplet är gott’ = ‘The apple is good’

If the noun ends in a consonant, you add -et to the ending If the noun ends in a vowel, you only add the -n to the ending

The adjective that describes the noun also gets affected by these rules, as you may see in the example above. If the noun if a neuter noun, the adjective also bends according to the rules but with different endings:

Take away the last consonant in the word, in this case ‘god’ (= good), the d gets replaced. Now, add the ending -tt to replace the consonant and it becomes ‘gott’ (= good). 

Usually, adjectives are written in a form that suits non-neuter nouns when you learn vocabulary. This means that you have to change the ending only when you’re using the adjectives with neuter nouns.

[reverieblue98]

Dialogue Help!

If you’re a new author, you might want to read this post! Dialogue is quickly becoming the most important part of modern novels, rivaling descriptive narration. If you aim to write for teens or young readers, you’ll need to know how to write dialogue well!

Alright, let’s review proper grammar first. Remember, if you intend to add a tag (he said, she frowned), you need to end your dialogue line with a comma. Also, you do not capitalize the pronoun in the tag! Only proper nouns are capitalized. 

✔ “Look over there,” she said.

❌“Look over there.” She said.

If you don’t want to include a tag, end the dialogue line with proper punctuation. 

✔ “Everything’s good.”

❌ “Everything’s good,”

Okay, on to how to write dialogue between two characters! If your conversation is longer, you can leave out tags. It makes it less chunky, and more appealing. Here’s an example:

“I told you not to do that,” she sighed. 

“Well, it’s not my fault!” he frowned. 

“Who’s is it, then?” she rolled her eyes.

“Not mine, that’s for sure,” he grumbled.

Even though I have variety in my tags, and everything is grammatically correct, it just looks and sounds unnatural. Let’s try this instead: 

“I told you not to do that,” she sighed.

“Well, it’s not my fault!” he frowned.

“Who’s is it, then?” 

“Not mine, that’s for sure.” 

By only including the first two tags, I establish the characters talking but also make it less crowded and unnatural. You can still tell who is talking, but it’s a little easier on the eyes. You don’t have to do this if you really want to express how your character is speaking, but I suggest this format for long conversations like arguments or explanations. 

Now let’s look at three or more characters talking. This is harder, because most of the time you can’t leave out the tag, as the reader might be left confused. Example:

“What are you having?” Mia asked Rachel.

“Hm, I’m not sure. Jacob said that I should try a milkshake,” Rachel responded.

“Yeah, it’s really good! Especially if you ask for whipped cream,” Jacob smiled.

“That sounds great,” Mia agreed. 

It’s a little bland, but it’s hard to create tags that clarify who is talking in this format. How about changing the sentences a bit?

“What are you having, Rachel?” Mia looked at the menu.

“Hm, I’m not sure. Jacob said that I should try a milkshake,” she responded.

“Yeah, it’s really good! Especially if you ask for whipped cream, too,” he smiled.

“That sounds great,” Mia responded.

By clarifying who Mia is addressing in the first line, the reader will assume that person responding to Mia’s question is Rachel. In that case, I don’t have to say Rachel’s name directly. The same goes for Jacob. Once I’ve established Jacob is the only boy in the group, I don’t have to write his name every time. 

Another way to clarify who is talking is to use action tags! Action tags are things a character does during or after talking, and it’s useful for indirectly telling the reader who is talking. For example:

“Hey,” Kali tossed them a water bottle. “That wasn’t half bad.” 

“Thanks,” Aiden smiled. 

“So, you’ll come to practice tomorrow, right?” Amanda punched them playfully. “We could use someone like you to help us out.”

“Yeah, I guess I could,” they said nonchalantly, pretending it wasn’t a big deal. 

“Great!” Kali winked. “See you tomorrow.”

If you noticed, not all of my tags are action tags. I used a healthy variety to keep it interesting, and also show the reader how these characters are interacting. Action tags play a key role when describing what kind of person your character is, little habits they have, what emotion they’re feeling, etc.

The key to good dialogue is learning where that sweet middle is, between clear and descriptive writing. It’s difficult, but practice is how you’ll get better! Anyway, if you have any questions I can answer or some advice for me, let me know! thanks for reading, and happy writing. 

-RB

[reverieblue98]

How to Find GOOD Synonyms!

Have you ever opened up a thesaurus, looked up a word, then randomly picked a synonym you though fit best? I'm here to tell you that doesn't really work. Here's what does!

I'll get straight to the point: The problem with randomly picking a word in a thesaurus is that all english words have a connotation.

A connotation (in terms of vocabulary) is the underlying feeling of the word. For example, when you think of the word "discipline", you might think of it more cold/negatively than if I said "self-control". Technically, they both mean the same thing, and both will come up if you search synonyms for each other. However, they have different underlying meanings that will change the tone and meaning of your writing.

Now that you know that words have different connotations, you should look up your synonym's definition and decide whether or not it matches what you're trying to say. It might not explicitly say what that word's connotation is, so here are some ways to spot it yourself.

Analyze an example sentence with the word in it. Determine the situation and context to read between the lines.

Read some synonyms of the word. By reading the definitions of the synonyms for say, glimpse, (peek, eye, glance) I can infer that glimpse is not just to look at something, but to look at it briefly.

Read some antonyms of the word. Remember that antonyms are opposites, so if the antonyms of the word sigh are somewhat positive, (delight, gasp, etc.) I can assume that sigh has a somewhat negative, or maybe sarcastic connotation.

knowing and understanding the connotation of words is difficult, but using synonyms with a deeper level of understanding opens a whole new world of atmospheric description. I hope this helped you out! Happy writing.

-RB

[reverieblue98]

5 Min Grammar Lesson: Conjunctions

Conjunctions are the key to turning simple sentences into complex ones! They help make your writing clear and descriptive at the same time, so make sure you know how to use them!

Conjunctions are words that join simple sentences to make them more complex and mature. They help clarify your writing and allow for well-placed descriptions! There are two types of conjunctions, and they both have separate rules.

Coordinating Conjunctions 

These joining words require a comma before them. I like to use the acronym FANBOYS to help me remember which conjunctions fall under this category.

F - for, A - and, N - nor,  B - but, O - or,  Y - yet, S - so. 

✔She was done, so she left early.

❌She was done so she left early. 

These need commas before them, or else they are not correct! I know “and” may seem a little funny, but it traditionally has a comma before it, especially when listing things. Remember that a comma is a breath, so if you read your work and find yourself without any place to breathe in a sentence, you probably need to add one! 

Subordinate Conjunctions 

These ones are a little more tricky, as there are some grey areas. Almost all subordinate conjunctions do not need a comma before or after them (depending on the placement), but will need two full sentences to connect. In this example, I’m connecting two simple sentences: “he worked out”, and “he was tired”. 

✔Because he worked out, he was tired. 

✔He was tired because he worked out. 

❌Because he worked out.  

❌Because he was tired.

In the first example, the order is conjunction, simple sentence, comma, simple sentence. This conjunction sort of acts as a dependent clause in that it has two complete sentences after it, separated by a comma. 

In the second sentence, the order is simple sentence, conjunction, simple sentence. This more directly connects the two sentences, and does not need a comma. Note that I needed to rearrange the format for it to make sense. 

The last two are wrong because they are sentence fragments. It would be fine if they were a reply to someone's question, but on it’s own as a statement it’s not complete. Conjunctions are used to connect to sentences, but in those examples there is nothing to connect. 

In summary, do not use a conjunction unless you mean to connect two complete sentences together, and separate the two simple sentences with a comma if you place the conjunction at the beginning. 

Anyways, I hope that helped you out! Conjunctions can be a little tricky, but they are super important if you want to improve your writing. Like I said, there are some grey areas. If you’re ever unsure, look it up! Google is your friend. Happy writing!

-RB

[reverieblue98]

Which POV??

If you can’t decide on a POV or are just plain curious, here are common themes, advantages and disadvantages of different point of views!

First Person

First person is when a character narrates the scene with “I”. It’s commonly used for middle age/young adult books, maybe of a lower reading level. However, it’s also perfect for characters with witty inner dialogue, keen observation skills, or characters who don’t say a lot verbally. It’s relatively easy to write, but you could run into some problems with foreshadowing, description, or world building. First person might also limit your choice of words. It should look as if your character is the one writing it, not you, so watch what words you’re using!

Second Person

A less commonly used POV, but an interesting one! Second person is when a narrator (typically the reader) uses “You”. This is commonly found in “choose your own adventure” books or other novels that allow the reader to shape the main character to fit them. This doesn’t belong to one age group or genre, but you see it a lot in “y/n” fanfiction. It’s actually not that hard to use, because it’s pretty similar to first person. Just imagine you’re a dungeon master or something!

Third Person

Probably the most common POV in literature. Third person is when a narrator, (typically separate from the other characters) narrates the scene using “they, she, he” etc. It also doesn’t belong to any one genre, but you can expect it in classical literature or more advanced novels. It amazing because you can foreshadow and describe to your heart’s delight, without worrying about keeping character’s personalities consistent. I suppose the only true downfall is that it’s common, so if you want a challenge think outside the box! 

Don’t get stuck on the little things! If you don’t like the POV you’re writing in, or if it doesn’t feel right, switch it! It might be a little tedious to change every verb, but hopefully this post helped you make a decision and avoid all that. Also, who misses those “choose your own adventure” books? I loved them as a kid. Anyway, happy writing! 

-RB

[reverieblue98]

5 Min Grammar Lesson - Double Negatives

Double negatives are a big no-no in advanced writing! Here’s a short post explaining why, and how to avoid them. 

Before I tell you why you shouldn’t use double negatives, let me remind you of what they are:

I don’t want no cake! 

You can see that in the sentence, I have two negative words: “Don’t” and “No”. 

The main reason you can’t do this sort of thing is because it confuses the reader. Technically, I don’t want no cake means that you do want cake. People who are well versed in the written language will notice this, and assume you mean that you do indeed want cake. Others, who may not be as well aware could think that you don’t want cake. Readers will misinterpret your sentence, which is not what you want. To make sure that you are clear in what is happening, just avoid double negative sentences all together!

Essentially, when you have two negatives in a sentence they cancel each other out. When you’re speaking, double negatives might make more sense, but they are very confusing and render a sentence useless when written. For example, We don’t need pie, and we need no pie mean the same thing. But when you add them together, they cancel each other out. 

If you’re having trouble spotting a double negative, try this: rewrite the sentence with each of the negatives given. If each one is grammatically correct and still mean the same as one another, you have a double negative. Here are some examples:

I hardly never drink milk. 

I hardly drink milk. ✔

I never drink milk. ✔

She wasn’t going to not go.

She wasn’t going to go. ✔

She was not going to go. ✔

There! Now hopefully, you won’t ever have to deal with the complex confusingness that are double negatives! And remember, don’t never be not happy while writing. 😉

-RB

[reverieblue98]

5 Min Grammar Lesson: Subject-Verb Agreement

Figuring out the right verb to use in a sentence will be difficult if you don’t know the basic rules. Give me five minutes, and I’ll teach them to you!

Okay, let’s start with an explanation and a few examples. Subject-verb agreement is what we call matching verbs to their proper nouns. Here are some examples of subject-verb agreement in simple sentences (The verbs are in bold):

Jake is watching tv.

Emily and Micah are doing their homework.

Alex is walking home. 

Seems pretty understandable, right? When there is more than one subject, I have to make the verbs plural. When there is one subject, I make is singular. Let’s look at some more complicated ones that you might find yourself stuck on. 

The girls who play basketball are strong.

Each one is going to come. 

Notice in the first one, I have an adjective at the end of the sentence, and my two verbs are seperated. However, there are more than two subjects, which means I still have to use the plural verbs. 

In the second one, I used a tricky noun! Although each one implies there are multiple, I use the singular verb. Why? I have no idea. Nouns like each one, neither, everybody and more are rule breakers. They will always use the singular verb! In the same light, words like all and some will always use the plural verbs. If you think the noun you have is a rule breaker, look it up! Google is a writer’s best friend. 

Alright, recap! The rules for subject-verb agreement are:

Plural nouns get plural verbs (are)

Singular nouns get singular verbs (is)

Rule breaker words might need to be looked up!

There! Hopefully now you’ll spend less time wondering if you used the right verb, and more time writing! Remember that the english language is full of tricky little rule breakers, so if you’re unsure, just look it up. Thanks for reading, and happy writing!

-RB