6 Comments
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Timothy Schmid's avatar

Bad grammar, punctuation, and unclear sentences are automatic put-downs.

As for danglers, they are put down and minor headache givers. 😂😂😂😂.

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Mary Catelli's avatar

Hmm -- does that include the wizard's checklist for his pack, given the fragments?

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J.A.A. Arnold's avatar

Love the reminder that clarity trumps correctness, and that style, not syntax, keeps the reader in the spell.

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Matt Price's avatar

When I taught my screenwriting class, I told the students I would only correct grammar if I noticed an error. If the characters are interesting, the story engaging, and the meaning clear, I didn't give a hoot about dangling participles or whatever. But if I wrote a note, that meant 1) they had made a mistake but worse, 2) I didn't really like the story anyway. Both had to be addressed.

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Mary Catelli's avatar

Very true!

Still, it's wise to not assume the reader is that engaged.

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Matt Price's avatar

Absolutely! I don't mean to excuse poor grammar, but rather point out that the purpose is clarity and to give the reader an experience, which your examples illustrate wonderfully.

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