Pablo Picasso said, “Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist.” This principle of art applies to more than paint on a canvas—skillfully applied, it can transform your writing into a work of art.
But breaking the grammar rules begins with knowing them.
Most of us can recall the groans that accompanied grammar exercises in English class. Diagramming sentences was akin to pulling weeds in Grandma’s garden on a hot summer day. But if we’re honest, we have to admit that remembering some of those rules would come in handy when we sit down to craft our masterpiece.
You know what I mean—you’re writing along, and you can’t quite say what’s in your head. You write anyway. And a sentence jumps out at you.
You’ve probably encountered that moment when you looked at a line that you’ve just written, and you know that something’s not quite right. But you can’t quite figure out what the problem is. You intuitively know something’s wrong, but you’re not sure how to fix it.
If you write or edit long enough you’ll experience the I-wish-I’d-paid-attention-in-English moment. That means it’s time for a grammar tune-up. Here are five reminders to refresh your grammar lapse:
- A sentence contains a subject and a verb. A sentence is an independent clause.
- Join two independent clauses, or sentences, with a comma followed by a coordinating conjunction.
- To remember coordinating conjunctions, think FANBOYS: For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet, So.
- “Nor” is only used when the first sentence, or independent clause, is negative.
- You can also join two independent clauses, or sentences, with a semicolon, but semicolons are as unpopular as exclamation points in today’s publishing world.
Okay, now that you’ve had your grammar tune-up, feel free to follow Picasso’s lead and break the rules. But only when you can do it like an artist.
