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Matthew Ward Writes

Short story author, Novelist in the making & Grammar enthusiast

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Can a single comma change the meaning of a whole sentence? A simple guide to placing commas before ‘which’ and ‘that’

Matthew Ward · 02/10/2020 · 2 Comments

‘Place a comma before “which” but not before “that”.’ I’ve come across this simple guideline many times, and it’s certainly memorable, straightforward, and easy to apply. And it works most of the time. However, I often wonder if it’s too simple for its own good. It refers to one … [Read more...] about Can a single comma change the meaning of a whole sentence? A simple guide to placing commas before ‘which’ and ‘that’

Filed Under: Grammar Blogs, Popular Tagged With: comma, commas, English grammar, English punctuation, grammar, punctuation, sentences

What’s an Oxford comma? How do I use it correctly? And do I need one at all?

Matthew Ward · 07/08/2020 · 6 Comments

I’ve got a book on my shelf printed by the Oxford University Press and another printed by the Cambridge University Press. The Oxford University book uses the Oxford comma. Not surprising. However, in the Cambridge University book, I noticed something that made me chuckle. There … [Read more...] about What’s an Oxford comma? How do I use it correctly? And do I need one at all?

Filed Under: Grammar Blogs, Popular Tagged With: comma, commas, English grammar, English punctuation, grammar, punctuation

Sentence cadence. Uncovering this secret of great prose in “The Pillars of the Earth”

Matthew Ward · 23/07/2020 · 3 Comments

Ken Follett opens The Pillars of the Earth with a stark and unsettling line.  The small boys came early to the hanging. I was gripped and repulsed at once. Shocked and intrigued. And I read on, hooked. I knew Ken Follett had done something right. And I wondered what. … [Read more...] about Sentence cadence. Uncovering this secret of great prose in “The Pillars of the Earth”

Filed Under: Lessons from Reading, Popular Tagged With: cadence, Ken Follett, Novel, sentences, The Pillars of the Earth

How to write Riveting Description with “The Pillars of the Earth”

Matthew Ward · 06/07/2020 · Leave a Comment

Writing description can be a tricky business. Too much and the reader might get bored. Too little and they’ll definitely get confused. I don’t envy the author who’s got to set the scene and keep a tight grip on the reader all at once. I might ride a unicycle while spinning a … [Read more...] about How to write Riveting Description with “The Pillars of the Earth”

Filed Under: Lessons from Reading, Popular Tagged With: description, Ken Follett, Novel, opinion, Pillars, The Pillars of the Earth

To Comma or Not to Comma? When to put commas before “and”, “but”, “or”, “nor”, and “yet” made simple

Matthew Ward · 06/07/2020 ·

Do you want to write clear sentences that use grammar and punctuation correctly? But do phrases like "compound predicate" and "subordinate conjunction" leave your mind blank? If that’s you, I’d like to help. In this blog series, I’m going to present the rules of grammar and … [Read more...] about To Comma or Not to Comma? When to put commas before “and”, “but”, “or”, “nor”, and “yet” made simple

Filed Under: Grammar Blogs, Popular Tagged With: comma, commas, compound sentence, compound sentences, conjunctions, English grammar, English punctuation, 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.