𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐢𝐩𝐬 & 𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐬

grammar tips

GRAMMAR

If you're going to write on Wattpad, please know that proper grammar is absolutely necessary if you want your story to be successful. It's hard for people to read what you write if you have trouble with grammar. I'll go over all that I can think of in this chapter, hopefully it helps.

PUNCTUATION & CAPITALIZATION

Always capitalize words and names that need to be capitalized. The first word in a sentence should always be capitalized. Names should always be capitalized because they are proper. Stores and name brands are also proper and should be capitalized, such as 'Barnes & Noble'.

Another example of a proper noun that should be capitalized is the name of a school.

'Green Valley High School,' is capitalized because it is a name. If you are just talking about a school without the name, you wouldn't capitalize it because 'school' is a common noun. Common nouns are not capitalized.

Don't forget to add punctuation.

She walked home alone, not caring about a thing

What's this missing? A period. Don't forget punctuation. And use commas, but only when necessary, of course. If you use too many in a sentence, you'll just create run-on sentences.

Don't forget the apostrophes. Forgetting or misplacing apostrophes can really change what you're trying to say. For example, 'it's behind' and 'its behind' are not the same thing.

'It's' with an apostrophe, is a contraction of 'it is."

Example:
It's the first day of school.

What this sentence is saying is that it is the first day of school, this is correct.

'Its' without the apostrophe is used for describing a characteristic or belonging of a particular object.

Example:
The dog looked for its bone.

This is correct because the bone belongs to the dog. You wouldn't say the dog looked for it's bone because then that would be saying, 'the dog look for it is bone.' And that is obviously not correct. So, if you're not sure which one to use, break it down.

You're and your are two different things as well, if you didn't already know that.

You're = you are

Your = meaning it is your book

You're doing something = You are doing something

Your phone is ringing = the phone belongs to you, it is yours

SPELLING

I've always loved spelling, so I don't have a problem with it, but some people do and that's okay. If you're not sure how to spell a word, just simply look it up.

You may accidentally misspell a word as you're writing, so once you're done, just go back and check everything.

Do not use text talk. It's alright if you're only using it to show texts between characters within the story, but definitely don't overuse it.

Another thing going along the same lines is ellipsis. You know those dots that follow a sentence? That's what those are called. Ellipsis are made up of three dots. No more, no less. Don't do something like this:

"Fine. I'll see you later.........."

The same thing goes for exclamation marks and question marks.

"I'm so excited!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

We get that the character is excited with just one exclamation mark.

A tip to have better grammar is to read a lot. While reading, take note of the grammar and notice where certain things are put.

• • •

That's really all I can say about grammar right now without going into dialogue. Which is what the next chapter is going to be about! Proper and easy to read dialogue is much needed in your story; it could make or break it.

If you have any questions or need help with something, just let me know!

Stay tuned and keep writing!