Leadership in Media Blog
Grammar
"Grammar is important because it is the language that makes it possible for us to talk about language."
-National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE)
Helpful Online Sites To Improve Grammar
12/17/20
Let’s face it -- learning grammar is not the most entertaining part of English class. It can be monotonous (some might say boring) to be taught the same lessons over and over until you know them by heart. Even in high school, there are many students who don’t remember the rules of grammar that they were taught as kids. Thankfully, the internet supplies many helpful websites to consult for a grammar memory reboot.
Grammarly - While Grammarly is not technically a website that offers practice activities, it’s an excellent resource for checking grammar in essays or any other kind of writing. According to support.grammarly.com, “Grammarly's writing app makes sure everything you type is not only correct, but also clear and easy to read. Grammarly's algorithms flag potential issues in the text and make context-specific suggestions to help with grammar, spelling and usage, wordiness, style, punctuation, and even plagiarism.” This is one of the more popular sites relating to grammar, especially for high school students. For teens who are afraid that they accidentally plagiarized or uncertain of how to write their bibliography using MLA format, Grammarly comes very much in handy.
Quill - “Quill is a web-based tool that provides personalized, interactive writing and grammar activities. Quill features over 150 activities for students in grades 3-12” states esurge.com. When looking for a website that offers informative and interesting grammar activities, look no further than Quill. This site will be very helpful for students who need to brush up on their grammar skills by providing access to activities that can allow them to improve their writing skills. According to quill.org, “Quill provides free writing and grammar activities for elementary, middle, and high school students. 3.7 million students have written 529 million sentences on Quill.”
Membean - It had to be mentioned. While it’s true that Membean has an infamous reputation as a boring and time-consuming homework assignment for students in every English course, it can also be very useful for learning more about vocabulary. So, why does learning more words help with grammar? “Grammar and vocabulary go hand-in-hand. To truly know a word is to know both its definition and its grammar. And to truly know grammar is to understand how grammar rules look when they are applied to the use of words” magoosh.com states. While Membean can be painfully boring when doing long practice sessions over numerous days, when done in moderation, it can be a very useful tool for students looking to improve their knowledge of English-related topics such as vocabulary and, by extension, grammar.
Grammar Tips To Make You Sound Smarter
12/3/20
Have you ever been in an English class and had to write an essay which you wanted to impress your teacher? Or perhaps you are asked by a friend to take a look at their assignment and check for grammar mistakes. If you have been in situations like this, you may find yourself not knowing exactly what to write or how to improve ones writing, causing you to question your knowledge about grammar rules and English as a subject. Fear not, because by using these grammar tips, you can easily improve your writing skills and make yourself sound far more intelligent.
Read, read, read. It may not sound like reading a book can help you with your writing, but numerous studies have shown that reading directly relates to learning more about writing and grammar. Author and writing teacher, Roz Morris, says, “Reading exposes us to other styles, other voices, other forms, and other genres of writing. Importantly, it exposes us to writing that’s better than our own and helps us to improve. Reading—the good and the bad—inspires you.” Still not convinced? Perhaps you could heed Stephen King’s words: “Can I be blunt on this subject? If you don’t have time to read, you don’t have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that.”
Know your homophones. I know, you must be wondering what on earth a homophone is. Well, you know those words that sound like two or more different words but are spelled differently, like “you’re/your, their/there/they’re, etc? Those are homophones. Knowing the difference between these words can mean the difference between writing an intelligent and coherent sentence and being that stereotypical kid that mixes up simple grammar rules. Don’t be that guy. Please don’t be that guy.
Read your writing OUT LOUD. Was it necessary to capitalize ‘out loud’? Probably not. Still, it emphasises the importance of reading your writing out loud when checking for simple misstakes like misspelled words, agreement issues, too many adjectives or an astounding lack of commas. No matter what misstakes you make, by reading out loud, you are far more likely to catch and fix them to make your paper sound more professional and clear. According to dailyarmy.com, “Rather than reading it in your head, try reading it aloud. This way, you can determine whether you need to add any more commas to break up the sentences, whether it makes sense, and whether it flows as a piece of writing. You might feel a little silly, but it’s so worth it!” One embarrassing grammar mistake can potentially take focus away from the rest of your writing, which would be a real shame.
Learn how to use commas. I cannot possibly stress enough the importance of learning how to use commas and, just as importantly, when not to. For example, when creating a list of three or more things, try using the Oxford comma to make your writing look and sound even better. It enhances the argument, makes the sentence more coherent, and just looks much more professional. If you don’t know what the Oxford comma is, check the last sentence. Theladders.com states, “As a very broad rule of thumb, commas are used to indicate pauses in a sentence. They should not be used in place of a period. For example, ‘We went to the baseball field, it was fun’ is incorrect. But ‘We went to the baseball field, and it was fun’ is correct.”
Structuring Your Writing
11/12/20
Even if someone is a good, great, or even fantastic writer, they can still face difficulties writing an article or an essay without learning how to structure their writing. Grammarly.com says, “It’s fine to rattle off a stream of consciousness when you’re writing in your journal, but if you actually want to communicate with others you’ll need to bring some order to those rambling thoughts.” In other words, by making an incoherent list of information about a topic and putting it all down on paper in no particular order, the purpose can easily get lost and lead to a good amount of confusion. The ideas may be excellent and insightful, but they can get lost in the mess of unstructured writing. However, there is a way to solve that problem.
Albert Einstein once said, “If you can’t explain it to a six-year-old, you don’t understand it yourself.” The first step to structuring your writing would be to be sure that you understand it yourself. After all, you cannot very well write an article on nuclear physics if you know nothing about nuclear physics. So, do some research, then research even more. Make sure you know exactly what you’re talking about and have sources to back up your claims. Then, you’re ready to start writing.
A lot of times, good writers feel overwhelmed by the amount of information they want to include in their essay, so they try to write it all down as quickly as possible before they forget it. This leads to a sloppy, incoherent essay most of the time, with information that is only half-explained. Before writing an important essay or article, it may be wise to create an outline first in order to write down all of your thoughts that you want to include in your writing. That way, when the time comes to put it all together, you can thoroughly explain each point without leaving anything out. “A key aspect of structuring your work effectively involves focusing your ideas before you begin. By outlining in note form what you want to cover, you may be more able to link areas and similar thoughts together and then organise a basic structure for the assignment” according to learnhigher.ac.uk.
Another important step in structuring your writing would be answering potential questions that the readers may have. Try to consider what questions you asked yourself before researching your topic. Then, write them down and explain them as you write. That way, the readers will know the answers without doing research of their own. Plus, being able to answer questions that you had in the beginning of your research proves how much you learned about your topic over the course of the assignment.
The more structured your writing is, the easier it will be to actually write. Oftentimes, writers get frustrated with writing because they just don’t know where to begin. By using these helpful tips, writers can both improve their writing skills and create an organized essay while saving time and frustration.
Double Negatives: Don’t Never Not Dislike Them ‘Till You Try Them.
10/29/20
Double negatives are very common in writing, used when two negative words or constructions are used within a single clause. The use, and overuse, of double negatives tend to be confusing, causing misunderstandings in writing. “Double negatives are standard in many other languages and they were also a normal part of English usage until some time after the 16th century” according to lexico.com. “They’re still widely used in English dialects where they don’t seem to cause any confusion as to the intended meaning. Nevertheless, they aren’t considered acceptable in current standard English and you should avoid them in all but very informal situations.” Since double negatives cancel each other out and thus make the sentence a positive, so the use of double negatives is technically grammatically incorrect.
Still, double negatives can be used to add emphasis to a point. By using two negatives back-to-back, your point becomes even more impactful to the reader. Dictionary.com states, “occasionally, a double negative can be used in a subtle and indirect way to express a positive idea. A litotes is “a figure of speech that uses understatement to emphasize a point by stating a negative to further affirm a positive,” and they often incorporate double negatives for this effect.”
Here’s an example:
We didn't see nothing. [ = We saw nothing.]
She never danced with nobody. [ = She didn't dance with anybody.]
With these examples, it’s easy to see how a misunderstanding could occur with the overuse of double negatives. Be very careful when using them, and perhaps think twice before choosing to try out this risky grammar technique (which, according to grammar rules, shouldn’t be used anyways). Still, there are always exceptions like fictional writing. Still, for informative essays or serious writing, perhaps it would be wise to stick with the old reliable single negative.
Prepositions, Please
9/24/20
We all know about nouns, adjectives and verbs, possibly from our teachers in primary school, more likely from listening to SchoolHouse Rock on repeat as kids. But as teenagers and young adults, it’s time to graduate to a new level of grammar. Let’s talk about prepositions. This complex-sounding word is in fact quite simple. Grammarly.com says, “prepositions indicate relationships between other words in a sentence. Many prepositions tell you where something is or when something happened. Most prepositions have several definitions, so the meaning changes quite a bit in different contexts. Ending a sentence with a preposition is not a grammatical error.” These sentences show the simplified main points that are important to know about prepositions.
So, what makes prepositions important? According to Britishcouncil.org, “while prepositions are limited in number, they are important because they act as vital markers to the structure of a sentence; they mark special relationships between persons, objects, and locations.” Prepositions, including as, for, but, until and from, can end up being crucial in the forming of grammatically correct sentences. Though these words may not appear to be exceedingly important in grammar structures, they are crucial in indicating where or when something is in relation to something else. This might sound confusing, so I’ll explain further. When writing a scene in a novel about danger approaching, “it’s good to have these special words to tell us where those monsters are. Are they behind us or in front of us? Will they be arriving in three seconds or at midnight?” Grammarly.com says.
Prepositions can be extremely helpful at times; however, there is a possibility to make a sentence sound unprofessional by using them. Ending a sentence with a preposition is not grammatically incorrect, so you can certainly say, “what did you do it for?” This sentence is technically correct, but it does sound less formal. For example, “He walked down the street at a brisk pace, with his waistcoat buttoned against the cold and a jaunty top hat perched atop.”
In this case, the preposition would be “atop.” But, atop of what? It ends the sentence too abruptly without finishing the thought. Here’s the correct version:
“He walked down the street at a brisk pace, with his waistcoat buttoned against the cold and a jaunty top hat perched atop his stately head.”
See how much better this sounds? It brings the sentence to a conclusive end, not leaving the reader unsatisfied with the wording, while also providing a bit more detail.
It’s true, you can go the rest of your life without knowing the definition of the word “preposition.” However, we do use prepositions in our writing very often. Grammar techniques like this often go unappreciated, though they can make or break an essay. Might as well look them up every once in a while.
Active VS. Passive Verbs - Brawl of a Lifetime
9/10/20
When it comes to passive verbs, the newspaper staff at AFHS goes to war. Scouring the articles for even a trace of an "is" or "was" hiding within the sentences, we find and neutralize the target. Why? Because we must protect the Patriot Press newspaper from falling apart and descending into chaos, of course.
In all seriousness, learning the difference between active and passing verbs remains important; especially when writing articles. Grammarly.com says, "active voice means that a sentence has a subject that acts upon its verb. Passive voice means that a subject is a recipient of a verb's action." In other, more human words, if you can imagine someone doing the verb being described, it can be classified as an active verb. Let's look at some examples.
"Sally acted especially peculiar during class"
In this case, Sally can be seen acting a certain way. The reader can imagine her actions and how she may act peculiarly.
"Sally was strange today"
This may be accurate; however, it doesn't specify how she acted or what she did to be considered strange. This sentence does not create an image in the reader's mind. You cannot see someone wasing strangely.
According to library.royalroads.ca, "when using the active voice, the subject of the sentence does the verb to the object. E.g., I wrote the paper (subject=I, verb=wrote, object=paper). When using the passive voice, the subject of the sentence is acted upon. ... (subject=paper, verb=was written, object=me).
Here's another example:
"John is taken to school by his friends"
Taken how? Did they walk with him? Drive? How will the reader know more about John's current situation from this?
"John's friends swung by and drove him to school"
Much better example. Now we know exactly how John got to school, creating a far more descriptive sentence.
Knowing the difference between active and passive verbs can make your writing far more descriptive and interesting to read. Always strive for active verbs, even if they take a little longer to think of.
The Horrors of The Run On Sentence
3/5/20
While having a very short or very long sentence in an article or essay may not seem like such a major deal, this minor grammar error can end up completely changing how an article reads, thus calling into question the validity of the argument or subject in the article itself. A run-on sentence occurs when two or more independent clauses (also known as complete sentences) end up connected improperly.
Example: I love to write papers I would write one every day if I had the time.
There are two complete sentences in the above example:
Sentence 1: I love to write papers.
Sentence 2: I would write one every day if I had the time.
By combining these sentences into one, without proper punctuation to combine them, the new sentence becomes confusing and grammatically incorrect. If this occurs enough times, the purpose of the article itself may be lost. Run ons can be easily fixed with simple punctuation rules. For example, I love to write papers. I would write one every day if I had the time. This separates the two thoughts and makes the sentences less confusing. One may also use a semicolon to separate the sentences. Ex: I love to write papers; I would write one every day if I had the time.
WARNING: Semicolons can easily be misused. Consider other punctuation options before resorting to semicolons.
Last, there exists another way of fixing this sentence for more experienced writers: a subordinating conjunction. Turn one of the independent clauses into a dependent clause. A subordinating conjunction (such as because, unless, and although) connects two clauses to create a complex sentence. This option works to cement the relationship between the two parts of the sentence and may improve the flow of the clauses. Example: Because I love to write papers, I would write one every day if I had the time.
The Common Comma Origin Story
2/20/20
Commas are a natural resting point in a sentence, and they evolved out of a need for orators to pause and draw breath. They first began appearing as marks on a page in ancient Rome and Greece, with a single “beat” representing a short stop in a lengthy speech. The common comma often goes unappreciated, and therefore can be misused or not used at all. For example, the oxford comma is used very rarely by many student writers. The Oxford (or serial) comma is the final comma in a list of things. Use of the Oxford comma is stylistic, meaning that some style guides demand its use while others don’t. AP Style—the style guide that newspaper reporters adhere to—does not require the use of the Oxford comma. Using commas in the appropriate way can drastically change the meaning of a sentence, avoiding confusion and making sentences far easier to understand.
There are generally four types of commas: the listing comma, the joining comma, the gapping comma and bracketing commas. Since each of these commas have specific rules to follow, it can at times be confusing when trying to write a sentence with appropriate grammar. Instead of merely memorizing each rule, although those that want to pursue writing as a hobby or career path may want to, students should try reading sentences out loud with and without certain commas to see what sounds most correct. This method can sincerely improve a paper, essay, book, or any other type of writing. By continuing to practice the use of commas, writers can greatly improve their punctuation, sentence structure, and writing styles.
The Importance of Punctuation
2/6/20
Many have heard the hilarious saying, "punctuation saves lives." This is often coupled with a picture of two sentences with the exact same words with completely different meanings. How can the exact same sentences have different meanings? Punctuation. Using correct punctuation in your writing helps the reader to clearly understand the message that is being conveyed. Punctuation adds emphasis and makes the writing far more easy to understand, if used in the right way. Although punctuation can sincerely improve writing, if used in the wrong way, it can also make writing far more confusing or just incorrect.
Whether one is writing an informative essay or a story book, punctuation never becomes unnecessary or irrelevant. Even in texting or emails, one must use commas and periods properly. For example, commas, one of the most commonly used punctuation marks, can often be used incorrectly. Here are two examples of how they can be used mistakenly:
"One should never, argue with a deconstructionist."
"It is important to remember to, feed the mice."
Commas put emphasis on certain words in a sentence. These sentences are read incorrectly because of the placement of the comma. demonstrating the importance of correct grammar and punctuation. When writing a sentence that you are unsure about, try reading it aloud to be sure that it makes sense.