Grammar, Clarity and AP Style

The Writing Process

• Research!

• Know who will receive your communication and how to best reach them.

• This means knowing your:– Message– Public– Medium

Tips on Writing Well

How?– Keep most sentences short.– BUT, vary sentence length. – Avoid too many clauses.– Cut out unnecessary words. – Use more periods and fewer words.– Avoid overwriting.– Cut out personal commentary. – Avoid long words if possible.

Tips on Writing Well

• Write clearly.• Make what you write interesting.• Simplify the complex.• Write for a 6th grade reader• Reading skills vary• When in doubt, use the readability tool in Word

Cut it Out!

• Cut out excessive words – (ex. revolutionary,

outstanding)

• Cut out redundant words – (ex. young children, ATM

machine)

• Cut out long words if possible

Tips on Writing Well

• Simplify the complex.– Give readers only the information they need

to know. – Don’t use euphemisms. – Avoid jargon.– Introduce one new idea at a time, in a logical

order.– Explain technical terms you can’t avoid. – Explain the unfamiliar with the familiar.

Tips on Writing Well

• Make the main idea stand out.

• If possible, pretest drafts with intended audiences.

• Edit, edit, edit!

Grammar

• Why use proper grammar?– Poor grammar damages

credibility.– Poor grammar affects

readability. – Good grammar reduces

ambiguity.

Grammar

Tips for good grammar:

• Read and revise.

• Spell check misses some errors.

• Learn the rules, but break them if you need to.

Some Basic Grammar Rules

• Proper Nouns– Only capitalize proper nouns

Common Noun Proper Noun

singer

cookie

city

restaurant

Lady Gaga

Oreo

Tuscaloosa

Pepito’s

Possessive Nouns

Possessive nouns are used to show possession (owning, or having).

Add ‘s to the end of singular noun to make it possessive:

• dog’s collar• girl’s shirt

If a singular common noun ends in an “s”, add ‘s• The boss's temper was legendary among his

employees. • The boss' sister was even meaner.

Possessive Nouns

If a singular proper noun (a name) ends in s, or an s sound, add an apostrophe only.

• Chris' exam scores were higher than any other students.

If a noun is plural in form and ends in an s, add an apostrophe only

• The dog catcher had to check all of the dogs' tags.• It is hard to endure the Marine Corps' style of

discipline.

Possessive Nouns

If a plural noun does not end in s, add 's • Many activists in Oregon are concerned with

children's rights. • Everyone was disappointed with the American

media's coverage of the Olympics in Atlanta.

If there is joint possession, use the correct possessive for only the possessive closest to the noun.

• Clinton and Gore's campaign was successful. • She was worried about her mother and father's

marriage.

Some Basic Grammar Rules

• That vs. Which– That introduces essential clauses, which introduces

nonessential clauses

– If you use the word "which" to introduce a phrase or clause, precede it with a comma.

– Do not precede the word "that" by a comma.

Some Basic Grammar Rules

• That vs. Which– Use "which" to introduce non-essential phrases and

clauses, which can be eliminated from a sentence without changing its essential meaning (such as in this sentence).

– Use "that" when you want to use a phrase or clause that cannot be removed from a sentence without changing its meaning (such as in this sentence).

– Ex. The paper that won the award was mine. (tells which one) Vs. The paper, which can be found online, was interesting. (adds only a fact about the paper) Vs. The paper (that) I wrote in class was a winner.

Some Basic Grammar Rules

• That vs. Who– Who refers to people. That refers to groups or

things.– Example:

• Kristen is the one who made this presentation.• The Crimson Tide is the team that makes people

cry.• We go to a school that makes others jealous.• The students are the ones who make Alabama so

great.

Some Basic Grammar Rules

• Who vs. Whom– Use the he/him method to decide which word

is correct. • he = who• him = whom

–Who/Whom wrote the letter?He wrote the letter. Therefore, who is correct.

– For who/whom should I vote?Should I vote for him? Therefore, whom is correct.

Some Basic Grammar Rules

• Subject-Verb Agreement – Helps avoid confusion– Words that intervene between subject

and verb do not affect the number of the verb.

– Ex. Growing vegetables is interesting. Vs. Growing vegetables are interesting.

Some Basic Grammar Rules

• Subject-Verb Agreement – Use a singular verb form after:

• Each (is)• Either (is)• Everyone• Everybody• Neither• Nobody• Someone

Some Basic Grammar Rules

I vs. MeIf John and (I or me?) get married, we'll have two kids.

If me get married? NO

If I get married? YES

Therefore, If John and I get married, we'll have two kids.

Some Basic Grammar Rules

I vs. Me

He told Tom and (I or me?) to get ready.

He told I to get ready? NO

He told me to get ready? YES

Therefore, He told Tom and me to get ready.

Some Basic Grammar Rules

Commas• Limit the use of commas• Non-restrictive clauses that don’t change the

meaning of the sentence should be set off by commas (Ex. The celebrity, who was battling addiction, finally went to rehab.)

• Restrictive clauses that change the meaning of the sentence if left out, are not set off by commas. (Ex. Fans who show up early win a prize.)

• Don’t set off short titles by commas. (Ex. Vice president Dick Cheney did not run in the 2008 election.)

Some Basic Grammar Rules

Quotation marks:• Periods and commas belong inside quotation

marks• Exclamation points and question marks can be

placed according to the sense of the sentence.• Ex. Did you see “The Daily Show”? vs. She said,

“Where’s the beef?”• Ex. My thought was, “Who cares?” vs. What

company’s slogan is “We care”?

Breaking Grammar Rules

• You don’t always have to use the active voice.

• Sometimes you should split infinitives. (Ex. I can’t bring myself to really like vampire movies. Vs. I can’t bring myself really to like vampire movies.)

• It’s okay to end a sentence in a preposition if you want to.

Commonly Confused Words

• All right• Alternate vs. Alternative• Among vs. Between• As yet and As to whether• Data• Disinterested• Effect vs. Affect• Farther vs. Further• Flammable• Gratuitous

• Irregardless • Lay• Nauseous vs. Nauseated • One• Secondly, thirdly• Shall vs. Will• They, he or she• Unique• Utilize• A lot• Toward

AP Style

• AP Style is used by most print journalism organizations

• While publications differ, most use a style similar to AP Style

• Writing with AP Style will give your piece a better chance of being picked up by the press

• Only about 10% of the rules in the style book are used 90% of the time

AP Style

Common AP Style Errors:– Datelines– Dates– Comma before “and” in a list of items– Titles after names (should be lowercase)

• When in doubt, check it out.• AP Style quick reference handouts

Some Resources

• Grammar Girl

• AP Style on Twitter

Just for fun:

• Unnecessary quotes

• Funny typos