Writing is a beautiful way to share your thoughts and experiences with the world. When we think about how our words can help another person make healthy choices, find success, or experience a unique perspective, we may get this warm, fuzzy feeling throughout our bodies.
But then the reality of sitting down to write those words knocks the warm fuzzies away, and we’re left with a feeling that resembles fear more than anything else. Trust me. It happens to all of us, whether we are seasoned or novice writers.
One of those fears may revolve around grammar. Well, fear no more. We are here to help you with common grammar errors through a series of blog posts.
Before we get started, however, please don’t let the fear of grammar errors stop you from writing.
Just write. Use your unique voice without worrying about grammar errors. Work on the big picture first.
- What is the point of your book?
- Who are your readers?
- How are you making their lives easier?
Take your readers on a journey that will move them. It’s not easy, and you will have to edit along the way, but those are big-picture, macro edits. The type of editing that keeps your book focused.
Then, after you get the story right, take a step back and look at the microelements—the grammar errors. Common errors include verb tense, subject/verb agreement, fragments, run-ons, comma splices, and misplaced modifiers.
Verb Tense
Writers often have a hard time with verb consistency. They start with present-tense verbs and then switch to past-tense or future-tense verbs for no reason. It makes the book difficult to follow for readers when the verbs are inconsistent. For example, read this short paragraph with inconsistent verb tenses.
When I first saw the Gucci bag, I knew I had to have it. It is perfect! It was the exact color and size I needed. I worked overtime for two months. I cut back on entertainment and even stopped ordering takeout. Finally, I will save enough money. I am driving to the store and am feeling proud when I hold the bag in my hands!
You may be wondering when this story happened. That’s the point. We don’t know. As the writer, you will have to make sure your verb tense is consistent. In order to do that, you will need to understand the basics of verb tense.
Mini Verb Tense Grammar Lesson
Verbs tell us when something happens, happened, or will happen. We exist in a moving continuum of time. Time is so central to our experience that we identify it in every sentence we make, and we do it by putting each verb in a time tense. The time of an action or state of being can be past, present, or future. Each verb has six tenses that express time in different ways.
The 3 basic tenses: Present, Past, and Future
The 3 perfect tenses: Present Perfect, Past Perfect, and Future Perfect (actions that are complete or “perfect”)
If you remember your English classes, you may recall the conjugation of verbs. Here’s an example of all six tenses with the verb “protest” and what the tense signifies.
- Present tense: I, we, you, they protest! He, she, and it protest!
Present tense verbs describe an action happening or existing now.
- Past tense: I, we, you, he, she, it; they protested that rule yesterday.
Past-tense verbs describe an action happening or existing in the past.
- Future tense: I, we, you, he, she, it– they will protest that rule tomorrow.
Future tense verbs describe an action happening or existing in the future, and they use the helping verb “will.”
- Present perfect tense: I, we, you; they have protested for an hour. He, she, and it have protested for an hour.
Present Perfect verbs describe an action that is complete now, and they use the helping verbs “have” or “has.”
- Past perfect tense: I, we, you, he, she, it, they had protested for two hours by the end of the week.
Past Perfect verbs describe an action that was completed before a specific time in the past, and they use the helping verb “had.”
- Future perfect tense: I, we, you, he, she, it; they will have protested for four hours by the end of next week.
Future Perfect verbs describe an action that will be completed before a specific time in the future and use the helping verb combination “will have.”
Applying the Grammar Lesson to Writing
Grammar lessons may not be that exciting, but they are helpful. We can now edit the inconsistent paragraph from above with the grammar knowledge we just learned.
Inconsistent Paragraph
When I first saw the Gucci bag, I knew I had to have it. It is perfect! It was the exact color and size I need. I worked overtime for two months. I cut back on entertainment and even stop ordering takeout. Finally, I will save enough money. I am driving to the store and am feeling proud when I held the bag in my hands!
Consistent Past-tense Paragraph
When I first saw the Gucci bag, I knew I had to have it. It was perfect! It was the exact color and size I needed. I worked overtime for two months. I cut back on entertainment and even stopped ordering takeout. Finally, I had saved enough money. I drove to the store and felt proud when I held the bag in my hands!
Notice that to stay consistent, the Past Perfect tense is used in the sentence “Finally, I had saved enough money.” That signifies that the “saving” was completed at a certain time in the past.
If we want to write the same paragraph in the present tense, we will have to make other adjustments.
Consistent Present-tense Paragraph
When I first see the Gucci bag, I know I have to have it. It is perfect! It is the exact color and size I need. I work overtime every day. I decide to cut back on entertainment and stop ordering takeout. Finally, after two months, I have saved enough money. I drive to the store and feel proud when I hold the bag in my hands!
Notice that this time the Present Perfect tense is used: “Finally, after two months, I have saved enough money.” That signifies that the “saving” was complete now.
The key is to stay consistent with tense. Don’t unnecessarily change from present to past to future.
At Dream That Big Publishing, we offer a range of resources and support, including online resources, a Facebook group to build up your community of writers, one-on-one coaching, and even comprehensive publishing packages to help you bring your book to life.
-Octoryia Robinson
