WHEN GRAMMAR RULES GET TENSE

Dear People of the World,

I don’t mean to sound promiscuous, but please use me whenever you want and use me thoroughly.

Whether you’re an English teacher, a student or an Internet user who likes to frequently correct people’s Facebook posts, I am vital in all your lives.

Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy silently laughing at the irony of 9gag trolls who write “Your an idiot” but there’s nothing attractive about hideous grammar. So as a favour to you and your poor overworked English teachers (aka spellcheck), here are some quick tips, which go a long way in improving your writing.

1. Colon vs. Semicolon

Colons are used to make lists,

To do: Facebook stalk, urban dictionary #onfleek, start my English essay or to separate one idea from the one which follows.

We all knew who would win Origin this year: Queensland Semicolons are used to connect two independent clauses (complete sentences), which are related.

Game of Thrones was my favourite show during the past 5 years; in fact it is my favourite TV show of all time.

2. Since vs. Because

“Since” refers to time whereas “Because” refers to causation.

E.g. Since I quit eating cronuts, I’ve lost 5 kilos Because I quit eating cronuts, I no longer wake up hating myself.

3. Who vs. That

A grey area but conventionally, when you’re describing a person use “who” and when describing an object use “that.”

Taylor Swift is an amazing singer who has sold more than 40 million albums to date.

I love the house that became known for its exquisite beauty.

4. Affect vs. Effect

Affect is a verb, as in: “Your ability to communicate clearly will affect your writing.”

Effect is most often a noun, as in: “The effect of poor grammar is a weakly written essay.”

5. Remove the dangling participle.

A dangling participle occurs when you order a sentence in a confusing way

For example, “After rotting in the basement for weeks, my sister brought up some apples.” This means your sister is a zombie who delivers fruit.

Try instead: “My sister brought up some apples that had been rotting in the basement for weeks.”

So there we have it. I’ve got a preposition, I mean proposition for you. Read intensely and write every day of your life. You’ll thank me for it later.

Yours sincerely,

Grammar

 

By Waan Kumpoon

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Austin Tang
Sefton High School, ATAR of 97.85

“One unique aspect of C2C was their greater focus on developing the values and attitudes of their students. I was able to develop personally through my experience at C2C as a student, as well as a person.”

Vivienne Zhu
North Sydney Girls High School, ATAR of 98.6

“The highly personalised classes at C2C were what helped me through the school year. The homework, classwork and quizzes were particularly helpful in preparing for my assessments and allowed me to consistently improve.”

Chelsea Wu
Danebank High School, ATAR of 99.15

“C2C teachers are truly passionate in what they do. This goes beyond subject knowledge, to techniques on dealing with stress and pressure. A key difference that sets C2C tutors apart is their willingness to help at a personalised level.”