100 Ways to Improve Your Writing (Mentor Series) by Gary Provost

fact that contributes to the idea that males are the regular folk and females are something else. It is good grammar but poor feminism to write, “A doctor should always clean his stethoscope before checking someone’s heart.”
     
    Several solutions to the problem have been suggested. Among them are he/she, his/her, and s/he. None has really caught on. What is catching on, however, is “A doctor should always clean their stethoscope,” an error in number that is perpetrated by people who would rather offend grammarians than feminists. It’s good feminism but bad grammar, and I don’t like it. In fact, to be perfectly honest about it, I hate it. But I’m starting to get used to it, and it seems to be earning its way into the language. If it proves to be made of hearty stuff, I will welcome it.
     
    The point is that it’s bad grammar today, but it might be good grammar ten years from now. Today’s rules have no better shot at immortality than thee and thou had.
     

10. Prefer Good Writing to Good Grammar
     
    Keep in mind that good grammar, even perfect grammar, does not guarantee good writing any more than a good referee guarantees a good basketball game.
     
    “It is my objective to utilize my management expertise more fully, than has heretofore been the case” is acceptable grammar but poor writing because it is poor communication. The sentence should read, “I’m looking for a better job.” On the other hand, “I ain’t got no money” is terrible grammar but could be good writing in some context by communicating exactly what the writer wants to communicate.
     
    There are many writing situations in which inferior grammar makes for superior writing. You could use poor grammar to reveal the character of a narrator, as Mac Hyman did in No Time for Sergeants (Random House).
     
     
     
    The thing was, we had gone fishing that day and Pa had wore himself out with it the way he usually did when he went fishing. I mean he went at it pretty hard and called the fish all sorts of names — he lost one pretty nice one and hopped up in the boat and banged the pole down in the water which was about enough to scare a big-sized alligator away, much less a fish, and he spent most of the afternoon after that cussing and ranting at everything that happened.
     
     
    You could use poor grammar in an essay or an opinion piece to establish a certain tone: “Marvin Hagler and Ray Leonard go at each other tonight in the Centrum, and it ain’t going to be pretty.”
     
    You can also use faulty grammar in a story or novel to characterize people, places, and events, or to establish a casual, conversational tone. In this example, poor grammar does both jobs: “Moose asked every guy in the bar if they had seen Helen. Nobody knew nothing. Moose looked like he was going to tear the place apart.” There are three grammatical mistakes in those three sentences, but they are all intentional and they are all doing some work.
     
    Whenever you knowingly use poor grammar, you should ask yourself two questions. The first: Is my meaning clear? If the answer is no, rewrite. The second question: What am I getting in return for the poor grammar? If you can’t answer that, don’t use poor grammar.
     
    So strive most of all for good writing, but make proper grammar your rule and improper grammar your exception. Don’t give easy access to every bizarre construction or chunk of senseless jargon that comes whistling down the pike. Never violate a rule of grammar unless you have a good reason, one that improves the writing.
     
    But never choose good grammar over good writing. There is nothing virtuous about good grammar that does not work. Your goal is good writing. Good grammar is only one of the tools you use to achieve it.
     

CHAPTER NINE
     
    Six Ways to Avoid Punctuation Errors
     
    1. Use Orthodox Punctuation
    2. Know When to Use a Comma
    3. Know When to Use a Semicolon
    4. Know When to Use a Colon
    5. Use Exclamation Points Only