Questions tagged [grammar]
Questions about the rules of grammar, and how to properly apply them to writing. Note that questions asking to improve or check grammar of a specific piece are off-topic.
14 questions from the last 365 days
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How is multi-sentence dialogue in prose punctuated when dialogue tags do not end the sentence?
Dialogue tags conventionally will be punctuated in a way that follows the structure of the dialogue itself:
"This is a sentence," Alice said. "This is another sentence."
But what ...
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How to use colons for speech marks
I am trying to use colons for dialogue in a creative work. The purpose is to make a distinction between imagined dialogue and actual (fictional!) spoken dialogue, e.g:
An elderly lady opened the door....
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When can "we" be used in a research paper?
I know the whole thing about not using first person pronouns because that makes it more personal and less objective, save for the research being an experiment conducted by the author(s). But could you ...
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Should a semicolon be used to attach an adverb like "always" to another sentence fragment?
I'll keep it quick and to the point.
I'm aware semi-colons are used to join two related independent clauses but would it apply in this instance?
"After all this time; always."
For context, ...
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Is it better to use the definite or the indefinite article?
I've recently been thinking about the best way to apply definite and indefinite articles to certain noun phrases, specifically those that contain prepositions. See the following two examples, in which ...
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Using tenses in a fictional journal
I'm writing a fictional story through the journal of a main character. It's in 1st POV and each chapter/entry recalls the events of the day. He's writing the story day-by-day as it's happening, rather ...
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Why do people say putting a "." (full stop) inside "" quote marks is grammatically correct/right?
The question I'm asking is why people put a "." (full stop) inside "" quote marks, why is this grammatically correct/right for English?
From my computer coding knowledge, I think ...
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What's the literary term for saying you "see fireworks" when there are no fireworks?
So, like the question says, basically. Say a character kisses someone and the writing says "she saw fireworks exploding behind her closed eyes", what is that? Because it seems like it comes ...
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Using unusual grammatical wording to refer to people
All that will die tomorrow
Is whom I loved and will still love
So I was wondering if this is a common thing in poetry. You refer to people as "all that", and then use whom, which creates a ...
user36239
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Question on noun/adjective grammar for poolside and mountainside
Quick question for people's thoughts:
I want to write a sentence:
Enjoy an audiobook whether you're poolside or mountainside.
My question is...
Would you write this sentence as the above, or as:
Enjoy ...
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How do you convey that an action is subconscious when writing in first person?
My protagonist had a traumatic experience that means she keeps her distance from men. Sometimes, if she genuinely feels in danger, all her actions will be calculated and thought-through. However, most ...
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Why do artists make grammar mistakes in their songs?
I would be deeply grateful if you answer my question. I'm currently writing my thesis about standard and non-standard English grammar and the main problem of my work is why artists make grammar "...
Magda Šudák
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Should I use do or did?
I work for a publication, and a subtitle for one of the articles goes thus: "What do Jesus, John, Jude, Mark, Matthew, Peter, and Paul have in common?" It is referring to people in the Bible,...
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Nonbinary character who is gender fluid, changing pronouns smoothly?
I have a character that's nonbinary. I'm more looking into a good mechanical way to change the pronouns for the character every time they change their presentation.
The (fictional) language they speak ...
