Get A Fix On Grammar

Whatever your connection to the writing world, basic grammar skills are important to master. Many people have forgotten but I have a Masters degree in linguistics which means I've spent more hours than I'd like to recall in detailed study of grammar. I'm talking about way beyond simple English grammar but grammar patterns of other languages. For example, one of my courses for my Master's degree was called "The Sentence." Over an entire college semester, we studied various sentence patterns in a sweeping array of languages.

It's not that I am uninterested in grammar. Over the years since I've been in publishing, I've tried a variety of books geared to writers about grammar--and each one has landed in the boring category. Yes I read a few pages of each one then didn't complete them or use them. They sat on my shelf of writing books for a few years then were cleared off to make room for other books.

In my local newspaper, I found a great story about the wildly popular podcast, "Grammar Girl's Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing." It turns out Mignon Fogatry is starting her book tour here in Arizona this week for her first book--which naturally bears the same title as her well-known podcast.

I spent a few minutes looking around her podcast which includes transcripts. Also make sure you check out her other website called Behind the Grammar where she talks about other topics like marketing, business and writing.

One of Fogarty's most popular entries is about proofreading--which is an area that many writers can use some help. She's got some great tips that I recommend.

No matter what your skill level as a writer, it's a good idea to continually improve your grammar skills and these links might help you get a fix on grammar skill improvement.