JS Tip 431: The Rules VI

From the Writing Workshops: The Rules VI (Last Entry)

We’ve been talking about the goofy rules we learned in high school.

But notice that: the goofy rules. 

Some rules work. 

Don’t throw away all the rules you learned in high school.

Some rules still work:

  • Sentences should—unless it’s clear by the context—have a subject (what the sentence is about) and a predicate (an action or a description). 

     

  • Subjects and verbs should agree in number: “Lucy writes . . . .” “Lucy and Ruby write . . . .” “Lucy is . . . .” “Lucy and Ruby are . . . .”  
  • Keep your words, sentences, and paragraphs short. Short words, sentences, and paragraphs are easier to read, understand, and comply with. (Big words do not make you sound smart. They make you sound pompous.)   
  • Paragraphs should be logical and coherent: “This happens. Then this happens. This is what we can understand from the sequence.”  
  • Integrity always. No exceptions. Truth has a value all its own.  

What are your questions, comments, or arguments? Let us know. We love this stuff. 

Mark Brooks