 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Grammar SOS > Tighten up!
"Tighten up" means prune extra wordiness from your writing and pay attention to all the grammar, punctuation and style rules that, by now, you should know. (You also should know where to find these, when in doubt.)
Simplify. That's what AP style and others are at their cores: suggestions of ways to make things readable, clear, concise. Look for a better way that goes straight to the information.
If you know what you've written sounds awkward, try breaking the sentence into two sentences.
- "She tried out again in February of 2000.
- Better: She tried out again last February.
- "Volleyball is a sport that barely receives a fraction of the coverage that Baseball, Football, and Basketball do in the United States."
- "In the U.S., volleyball receives a fraction of the sports coverage of baseball, football and basketball." (Note that these sports are not capitalized.)
- "She's been up to Michigan many times to try out their various ski slopes."
- "She's been to Michigan many times to try out various ski slopes."
- "She's been to Michigan many times to ski."
Could be:
Could be:
Or:
| To SOJ Home | Who is Gena Asher? |