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Matthew Ward Writes

Short story author, Novelist in the making & Grammar enthusiast

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Matthew Ward

Semicolons—What in the world do they do?

Matthew Ward · 05/02/2021 · 3 Comments

Welcome to week two of our foray into punctuation marks I wish were easier to use correctly. Last week, we figured colons out, and you can read that blog here. This week we’ve got semicolons to deal with. They’ve got three uses—one that’s somewhat tricky to navigate, and two that … [Read more...] about Semicolons—What in the world do they do?

Filed Under: Grammar Blogs Tagged With: English grammar, English punctuation, grammar, punctuation

Colons—How in the world do you use those?

Matthew Ward · 29/01/2021 · 3 Comments

If I could have it my way, three punctuation marks would have permanent how-to guides hovering above them. Colons, semicolon, and dashes. Ever felt that way yourself? Well, over the next three weeks we’ll do the best we can—in the absence of hovering how-to guides—to lay out … [Read more...] about Colons—How in the world do you use those?

Filed Under: Grammar Blogs Tagged With: English grammar, English punctuation, grammar, punctuation

3 Awesome Writing Lessons I Learned in 2020

Matthew Ward · 25/01/2021 · 1 Comment

In a box somewhere there’s a stack of pencil-written pages bearing my first story. I was eleven or twelve, I was enchanted with The Chronicles of Narnia, and I wanted to write my own fantasy. Child protagonist—check! Aslan-style mentor—check! Magic trees—check! My own Narnia … [Read more...] about 3 Awesome Writing Lessons I Learned in 2020

Filed Under: Lessons from Reading Tagged With: writing advice

What is passive voice?

Matthew Ward · 15/01/2021 · 2 Comments

‘Avoid passive voice.’ That must be one of the most common pieces of grammar advice. And one of the most valuable ever. So, how terrible would it be if you had to ask, ‘But what is passive voice’, and no one had a simple answer? That’s what I’m here to provide today. … [Read more...] about What is passive voice?

Filed Under: Grammar Blogs Tagged With: English grammar, grammar, sentences

‘Further’ vs ‘Farther’ as simply as possible

Matthew Ward · 08/01/2021 · 2 Comments

And I thought writing a blog about further and farther would be easy! Or at least somewhat straightforward. Instead, Merriam-Webster.com is able to spend eleven paragraphs explaining that pair of words and then conclude with this: ‘If you come across a situation which the … [Read more...] about ‘Further’ vs ‘Farther’ as simply as possible

Filed Under: Grammar Blogs Tagged With: English grammar, grammar

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I’m a nineteen-year-old budding writer with a passion for grammar, short stories, and novels.

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“What about milk?” Debbie asked. Mark reached for the milk. “Let me see.” He shook the carton. “There’s only a drop left.” “I’ll add it to the list.”

This paragraph includes several mistakes.

The paragraph starts with Debbie’s dialogue. Then, it moves to Mark’s. Then, it returns to Debbie’s. We need to start new paragraphs with each new speaker.

And we need to make sure that information about Debbie is alongside her dialogue, and information about Mark is placed alongside his dialogue.

When we put this into action we get this:

“What about milk?” Debbie asked.

Mark reached for the milk. “Let me see.” He shook the carton. “There’s only a drop left.”

“I’ll add it to the list.”

Now that’s perfect.

Mark, standing in the kitchen and hearing her call, opened the fridge. “I think,” Debbie continued, “we might be low on cheese.”

This paragraph includes a mistake. The dialogue in the paragraph is Debbie’s. Therefore, information that is primarily about Mark shouldn’t be in the same paragraph.

This is how it should be written:

Mark, standing in the kitchen and hearing her call, opened the fridge.

“I think,” Debbie continued, “we might be low on cheese.”

Mark moved one block of cheddar and checked behind it. “No, we’ve got two blocks.”

This paragraph is perfect. It involves Mark’s dialogue and information about Mark.

“Have we got enough groceries to last the week?” Debbie shouted from the living room.

This paragraph is perfect. It involves Debbie’s dialogue and information about Debbie.


There’s no need to wait for my next post because I’ve got an offer for you.
I’ll edit the punctuation and grammar in any two paragraphs of your writing for free.
You could choose the most awkward ones if you like!
(I’d probably do that if I were you.)
Then, when I return your paragraphs, I’ll include full explanations of every edit so that you can apply them to the rest of your writing. I’d love to help.
For more information and to take up my offer, click here.