How to Make Sure Your Blog Uses Correct Grammar
Vary your sentences., Use apostrophes correctly., Affect or effect?, Capitalize proper nouns., I or me?, Proofread.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Vary your sentences.
Don't always use short sentences or complex sentences; using a variety of sentence structures will make your posts more interesting to read. -
Step 2: Use apostrophes correctly.
Apostrophes are used for contraction and possession.
An example of apostrophes used in contraction is what's (what is).
An example of apostrophes used to indicate possession of something is, Hannah's book was a birthday gift. (i.e.
Hannah owns--or possesses--the book.) One important caveat: do not use an apostrophe to indicate possession with the pronoun "it." For example, the sentence, Hannah thought it's cover art was amazing. is wrong.
It's is a contraction of it and is.
Since, in the example, the cover art belonged to "it," the sentence, when grammatically correct, would be Hannah thought its cover art was amazing. , This is a common mistake.
Remember, an effect is the result of something, while to be affected by something is an event,item, etc., on you.
A side effect affects you. , Never use a proper noun without its first letter capitalized (e.g.
Rolling Stone magazine, not rolling stone magazine). , When writing a sentence that mentions more than one person, it can get confusing whether to use I or me.
In situations like this, omit the other person and read the sentence in the singular voice.
For example, Amy and I were scared. is correct because if Amy were removed from the sentence and read it in the singular voice, I was scared sounds more correct than 'Me was scared. , Reread it at least once, keeping a vigilant eye for typos and other errors. -
Step 3: Affect or effect?
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Step 4: Capitalize proper nouns.
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Step 5: I or me?
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Step 6: Proofread.
Detailed Guide
Don't always use short sentences or complex sentences; using a variety of sentence structures will make your posts more interesting to read.
Apostrophes are used for contraction and possession.
An example of apostrophes used in contraction is what's (what is).
An example of apostrophes used to indicate possession of something is, Hannah's book was a birthday gift. (i.e.
Hannah owns--or possesses--the book.) One important caveat: do not use an apostrophe to indicate possession with the pronoun "it." For example, the sentence, Hannah thought it's cover art was amazing. is wrong.
It's is a contraction of it and is.
Since, in the example, the cover art belonged to "it," the sentence, when grammatically correct, would be Hannah thought its cover art was amazing. , This is a common mistake.
Remember, an effect is the result of something, while to be affected by something is an event,item, etc., on you.
A side effect affects you. , Never use a proper noun without its first letter capitalized (e.g.
Rolling Stone magazine, not rolling stone magazine). , When writing a sentence that mentions more than one person, it can get confusing whether to use I or me.
In situations like this, omit the other person and read the sentence in the singular voice.
For example, Amy and I were scared. is correct because if Amy were removed from the sentence and read it in the singular voice, I was scared sounds more correct than 'Me was scared. , Reread it at least once, keeping a vigilant eye for typos and other errors.
About the Author
Douglas Palmer
A passionate writer with expertise in crafts topics. Loves sharing practical knowledge.
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