Ten Grammar Rules and Best Writing Practices That Every Writer Should Know | Grammar Rules | Melissa Donovan, Writing Forward

Near the beginning of her article, Donovan stresses what I believe must be the highest-priority concern of every writer: What will the reader think? How will the reader respond?

She writes:

Bad grammar is a distraction. If you can write a riveting story, readers will probably overlook a few grammatical problems. However, each mistake or incorrect construction will momentarily yank readers out of the story. Sure, they can jump back in, but it makes for a negative or unpleasant reading experience.

Her column discusses "ten of the most frequently ignored (or unknown) grammar rules and writing practices": commas, weak words (like really and very), verb and tense agreement, passive voice, homophones (they're, their, there), uncommon punctuation marks (ellipsis, semicolon), pronouns, capitalization (only proper nouns), extraneous words, and consistency.

For links to other websites that provide writing advice, check out Garbl's Online Grammar Guides. You also may find Garbl's Editorial Style Manual useful.