5.2 Common Grammar and Punctuation Rules
5 min read•july 30, 2024
Clear writing is crucial in journalism. Grammar and punctuation rules ensure your message is understood. Mastering these basics helps you craft compelling news stories that engage readers and convey information accurately.
From to proper punctuation, these rules form the foundation of effective reporting. By avoiding common errors and honing your proofreading skills, you'll produce polished articles that meet professional standards and resonate with your audience.
Grammar for Clarity in News Writing
Subject-Verb Agreement and Pronoun Usage
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- Subject-verb agreement ensures singular subjects take singular verbs and plural subjects take plural verbs
- Singular: "The reporter writes a story"
- Plural: "The journalists write stories"
- Proper pronoun use maintains clear antecedents and avoids ambiguity
- Clear: "The editor reviewed the article before she approved it"
- Ambiguous: "The editor reviewed the article before they approved it"
- Consistent verb tense usage throughout a news story maintains clarity and helps readers follow the timeline of events
- Consistent: "The mayor announced the policy change and explained its implications"
- Inconsistent: "The mayor announced the policy change and explains its implications"
Modifiers and Sentence Structure
- Correct placement and use of enhance precision and clarity of news writing
- Correct: "The witness quickly identified the suspect"
- Incorrect: "The witness identified the quickly suspect"
- in lists, comparisons, and series of clauses contributes to overall coherence and readability
- Parallel: "The campaign focused on reducing crime, improving education, and creating jobs"
- Non-parallel: "The campaign focused on reducing crime, education improvements, and to create jobs"
- generally preferred for clarity and conciseness in news writing
- Active: "The committee approved the budget"
- Passive: "The budget was approved by the committee"
- Proper , including subordinate clauses and compound sentences, varies sentence rhythm and maintains reader engagement
- Simple: "The protest began at noon"
- Compound: "The protest began at noon, and it lasted for several hours"
- Complex: "Although the protest began peacefully, tensions escalated as the day progressed"
Punctuation for Meaning and Emphasis
Commas and Semicolons
- Commas serve multiple functions in news writing
- Separating items in a series: "The event featured music, dance, art, and food"
- Setting off introductory phrases: "After months of negotiations, the treaty was signed"
- Joining independent clauses with coordinating conjunctions: "The storm caused widespread damage, but no injuries were reported"
- Semicolons connect closely related independent clauses and separate items in complex lists
- Related clauses: "The conference was a success; over 500 people attended"
- Complex lists: "The delegates came from New York, New York; Los Angeles, California; and Chicago, Illinois"
Colons, Quotation Marks, and Dashes
- Colons introduce lists, explanations, or quotations and can be used for emphasis
- List: "The charity supports three main causes: education, healthcare, and environmental protection"
- Emphasis: "The verdict was clear: not guilty"
- Proper use of crucial for direct quotes in news writing
- Direct quote: The witness said, "I saw the entire incident unfold"
- Punctuation inside quotes: "The situation is critical," the official stated
- Dashes (em dashes and en dashes) serve different purposes
- Em for parenthetical information: "The new policy—controversial from the start—was implemented last week"
- En dash for ranges: "The event runs May 1–5"
Apostrophes and Other Punctuation
- Apostrophes used for contractions and to show possession
- Contraction: "It's important to verify sources"
- Singular possession: "The reporter's notebook was full of leads"
- Plural possession: "The journalists' investigation uncovered corruption"
- , , and provide additional information or indicate omissions
- Parentheses: "The bill (which was introduced last month) faces strong opposition"
- Brackets: "She [the CEO] declined to comment on the allegations"
- Ellipses: "The speech continued: 'We must act now ... to secure our future'"
Common Errors in News Writing
Sentence Structure and Modifier Issues
- Run-on sentences and sentence fragments impair readability
- Run-on: "The mayor gave a speech the audience applauded loudly"
- Corrected: "The mayor gave a speech. The audience applauded loudly"
- : "While the committee debated the proposal"
- Corrected: "The committee debated the proposal for hours"
- Dangling or misplaced modifiers create confusion
- Misplaced: "The reporter interviewed the suspect wearing a red shirt"
- Corrected: "The reporter interviewed the suspect, who was wearing a red shirt"
- Subject-verb agreement errors, especially with complex subjects or intervening phrases
- Incorrect: "The list of candidates for the position, including two internal applicants, were announced"
- Corrected: "The list of candidates for the position, including two internal applicants, was announced"
Grammatical and Punctuation Errors
- splices and fused sentences disrupt flow and coherence
- : "The press conference ended abruptly, reporters were left with unanswered questions"
- Corrected: "The press conference ended abruptly; reporters were left with unanswered questions"
- Pronoun-antecedent agreement and pronoun case errors reduce clarity
- Incorrect: "Each journalist must submit their story by the deadline"
- Corrected: "Each journalist must submit his or her story by the deadline"
- in lists, comparisons, and series of clauses
- Incorrect: "The campaign promises included lowering taxes, job creation, and to improve education"
- Corrected: "The campaign promises included lowering taxes, creating jobs, and improving education"
- Punctuation errors such as misused semicolons or incorrect placement
- Incorrect: "The company's profits rose; due to increased sales"
- Corrected: "The company's profits rose due to increased sales"
- Incorrect: "The 1990's saw significant technological advancements"
- Corrected: "The 1990s saw significant technological advancements"
Proofreading and Editing Strategies
Systematic Approaches and Technology
- Implement a systematic approach to proofreading
- First pass: Focus on overall content and structure
- Second pass: Check grammar and punctuation
- Third pass: Review for style and consistency
- Utilize text-to-speech technology or read aloud to identify issues
- Helps catch awkward phrasing and run-on sentences
- Reveals rhythm and flow problems in the writing
- Develop a personalized checklist of common errors based on individual writing tendencies
- Example checklist items:
- Check for subject-verb agreement
- Verify proper use of commas
- Ensure consistent tense usage
- Review for clarity in pronoun references
- Example checklist items:
Advanced Techniques and Collaboration
- Employ the "reverse reading" technique to focus on individual sentences
- Start from the last sentence and move backward
- Helps isolate each sentence for closer scrutiny
- Utilize style guides specific to news writing
- Associated Press Stylebook for consistency and industry standards
- Organization-specific style guides for local preferences
- Collaborate with peers or colleagues for reciprocal proofreading
- Fresh perspective can catch overlooked errors
- Encourages discussion and improvement of writing skills
- Implement a "cooling-off" period between writing and editing
- Allows for renewed objectivity when approaching the text
- Recommended time: At least a few hours, ideally overnight
Key Terms to Review (29)
Active Voice: Active voice is a grammatical structure where the subject of the sentence performs the action of the verb, creating a clear and direct sentence. This style often enhances clarity and engagement in writing, making it particularly effective in various journalistic contexts.
AP Style: AP Style, or Associated Press Style, is a standardized writing style used primarily in journalism and news writing that emphasizes clarity, brevity, and consistency. This style helps writers maintain objectivity in reporting and ensures that news stories are easily understood by a broad audience, guiding writers in grammar, punctuation, and formatting.
Apostrophe: An apostrophe is a punctuation mark used to indicate possession or the omission of letters in contractions. It helps clarify meaning in sentences by showing ownership or forming shortened versions of words. Understanding its correct usage is crucial in maintaining clarity and accuracy in writing.
Brackets: Brackets are punctuation marks used in writing to enclose additional information or clarification within a sentence. They help clarify the meaning or provide context without interrupting the main flow of thought. Brackets are typically used in academic writing and journalism to indicate editorial additions, explanations, or corrections to quoted material.
Chicago Manual of Style: The Chicago Manual of Style is a widely used style guide for American English that provides rules and guidelines for writing, editing, and publishing. It emphasizes clarity, consistency, and precision in grammar and punctuation, making it essential for writers and editors to follow when preparing manuscripts. Its comprehensive approach also supports effective copy editing and promotes concise writing, which is crucial in clear communication.
Colon: A colon is a punctuation mark (:) used to introduce a list, a quote, an explanation, or a conclusion. It serves as a signal to the reader that what follows is related to what came before it, often providing additional information that clarifies or expands on the preceding statement.
Comma: A comma is a punctuation mark that indicates a pause between parts of a sentence or separates items in a list. It helps clarify meaning by grouping and organizing elements, making sentences easier to read and understand. Commas can also be used in conjunction with other punctuation marks to convey complex ideas effectively.
Comma splice: A comma splice occurs when two independent clauses are joined together with just a comma, without a coordinating conjunction or other appropriate punctuation. This common grammatical error can create confusion in sentences and disrupt the flow of writing, highlighting the importance of proper punctuation to ensure clarity and coherence in communication.
Compound sentence: A compound sentence is a sentence that contains at least two independent clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction or a semicolon. This structure allows for the combination of related ideas, making writing more complex and varied while maintaining clarity.
Dangling modifier: A dangling modifier is a descriptive phrase that is not clearly attached to the word it is meant to modify, often leading to confusion or misunderstanding in a sentence. This grammatical error can make sentences unclear, as the intended subject of the modifier may be omitted or misplaced, disrupting the flow of the text. Proper placement of modifiers is essential for clarity and effective communication.
Dash: A dash is a punctuation mark used to indicate a pause, break, or interruption in a sentence. It can help clarify meaning or add emphasis, often replacing commas, parentheses, or colons in certain contexts. Dashes can enhance readability and allow for more dramatic expression in writing.
Dependent clause: A dependent clause is a group of words that contains a subject and a verb but cannot stand alone as a complete sentence because it does not express a complete thought. These clauses often begin with subordinating conjunctions like 'because,' 'although,' or 'if,' which link them to independent clauses, helping to add depth and detail to writing.
Ellipses: Ellipses are a set of three consecutive dots (…), used in writing to indicate the omission of words or to create a pause for effect. This punctuation mark is often used in dialogue and quotations, allowing writers to convey incomplete thoughts or unfinished sentences, enhancing the flow and readability of the text.
Faulty parallelism: Faulty parallelism occurs when elements in a sentence are not structured in a consistent grammatical form, leading to awkwardness or confusion. This lack of balance can affect clarity and comprehension, especially in writing where lists or comparisons are involved.
Fragment: A fragment is an incomplete sentence that lacks a main clause, making it unable to stand alone as a complete thought. Fragments often occur when a dependent clause or phrase is presented without the necessary independent clause, leading to confusion in writing. Recognizing fragments is crucial for effective communication, as they can disrupt the flow of information and clarity in written works.
Independent clause: An independent clause is a group of words that contains a subject and a predicate and expresses a complete thought. It can stand alone as a sentence and is fundamental in constructing both simple and compound sentences. Understanding independent clauses is crucial for effective sentence structure and clarity in writing.
Misplaced modifier: A misplaced modifier is a word, phrase, or clause that is incorrectly separated from the word it modifies or describes, which can lead to confusion or a humorous interpretation. This issue often arises in sentences where the placement of modifiers can change the intended meaning. Proper placement is crucial for clarity and precision in writing, ensuring that the reader accurately understands the intended message.
Modifiers: Modifiers are words, phrases, or clauses that provide additional information about other elements in a sentence, helping to clarify or enhance meaning. They can describe, limit, or qualify nouns and verbs, making sentences more specific and detailed. Proper use of modifiers is essential for clear communication and effective writing.
Parallel structure: Parallel structure refers to the use of the same grammatical form within a sentence or series of sentences, creating balance and clarity. This technique enhances readability and ensures that ideas are expressed in a consistent way, making writing more persuasive and engaging.
Parentheses: Parentheses are punctuation marks used to enclose additional information or clarify a statement within a sentence. They help to include supplementary details without disrupting the main flow of the text, making it easier for readers to follow along while providing extra context when necessary.
Passive Voice: Passive voice is a grammatical construction where the subject of the sentence is acted upon by the verb, rather than performing the action. This construction often emphasizes the action itself or the recipient of the action, which can shift focus away from who or what is performing it. It's commonly used in journalism to maintain objectivity or when the doer is unknown or less important.
Pronoun Usage: Pronoun usage refers to the way pronouns are employed in sentences to replace nouns and ensure clarity and cohesiveness in writing. Effective pronoun usage is essential for avoiding ambiguity, maintaining consistency in perspective, and adhering to grammatical rules, which enhances the overall readability of the text.
Quotation marks: Quotation marks are punctuation marks used to denote spoken words, direct quotes, or specific phrases within a text. They play a crucial role in distinguishing the words of a speaker or source from the rest of the narrative, ensuring clarity and proper attribution in writing.
Redundancy: Redundancy refers to the unnecessary repetition of words or ideas in writing, which can lead to wordiness and dilute the clarity of a message. It's crucial to eliminate redundancy to enhance the effectiveness of communication, ensuring that every word serves a purpose without overwhelming the reader with superfluous information.
Run-on sentence: A run-on sentence occurs when two or more independent clauses are incorrectly joined without proper punctuation or conjunctions. This grammatical error can confuse readers, as it fails to clearly separate distinct ideas, making the writing less effective and harder to follow.
Semicolon: A semicolon is a punctuation mark (;) used to connect closely related independent clauses and to separate items in complex lists. It functions as a middle ground between a comma and a period, indicating a pause that is stronger than a comma but weaker than a full stop. The semicolon helps to enhance clarity and flow in writing by linking ideas that are thematically connected.
Sentence structure: Sentence structure refers to the way in which words, phrases, and clauses are arranged to create meaningful sentences. It encompasses the grammatical rules that dictate how subjects, verbs, and objects come together, which is crucial for clarity and coherence in writing. Understanding sentence structure aids in effectively conveying ideas and maintaining reader engagement through varied sentence forms.
Subject-verb agreement: Subject-verb agreement is a grammatical rule that requires the subject of a sentence to match its verb in number, meaning both must be singular or both must be plural. This rule ensures clarity and coherence in writing by maintaining consistency between subjects and verbs, which is essential for effective communication. A correct subject-verb agreement makes sentences easier to read and understand.
Wordiness: Wordiness refers to the use of more words than necessary to express an idea or convey information, leading to sentences that are overly complicated and less effective. This excess verbiage can dilute the clarity of writing, making it harder for readers to grasp the main point. Being concise not only improves readability but also respects the reader's time and attention.