Daily scribbles on writing and living. How to get rid of cobwebs in my brain. CLOSED. |
It is dark outside, the bats just left circling the building. It is the end of yet another lovely summer’s day. Not much happened today, I’ve got my writing covered, and my plans made so it’s less hectic then a few weeks ago. Things are settling down on WdC for me. Next week I will be active for two months on WdC and summer camp is about to start. I am participating in "I Write in August-September-October" [ASR] and am in the third day of "Give It 100!" writing my daily blog. A nice surprise today: I got another merit badge for reviewing. I always love it when someone is gifting me with one. It does feel special every time. The day after tomorrow is my birthday. I am not celebrating, had a guest stay over last weekend and am going to the movies with my brother this coming weekend. He is buying me a thesaurus so that’s wonderful. I am going to need that to improve my vocabulary. I have to expand my knowledge of English idiom, grammar and spelling too in order to keep up with this site. Fortunately, there is more to writing then solely correct use of language. Writing is an act of faith, not a trick of grammar. E. B. White Still, I found 11 key grammar rules. 1. Use active voice - Mary walked the dog 2. Link ideas with a conjunction - for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so 3. Use a comma to connect two ideas as one - Mary fed her dog, and I drank tea. 4. Use a serial comma in a list- Pete has dogs, birds, and a lizard 5. Use the semicolon to join two ideas- Mary's dog is hyperactive; it won't stop barking or sit still. 6. Use the simple present tense for habitual action - Mary likes dogs 7. Use the present progressing tense for current action - I am drinking Lapsang Souchong tea. 8. Add ‘ed’ to verbs for the past tense - Mary played fetch with her hyperactive dog. 9. Use present perfect tense for the unfinished past - Mary has walked her hyperactive poodle 100 times this week. 10. Use present perfect progressive tense for unfinished action and past - I have been drinking tea all day. 11. Use past perfect tense for the first of two past actions - I had not yet eaten breakfast when Mary walked her dog. Hopefully I am able to use them correctly. It’s been a long time since high school. |