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Make your sentences, paragraphs, and messages clearer.
Search this topicFind the grammatical subject and ask whether it performs the action or receives it. The gardener repaired the gate is active; the gate was repaired by the gardener is passive. Look at the full verb construction and meaning rather than treating every sentence containing was as passive.
Identify the actor, make that actor the subject, and give it the action verb. The parcel was delivered by the courier becomes the courier delivered the parcel. Preserve the original tense and meaning. If the actor is unknown, do not invent one just to force an active construction.
Use lowercase for seasons in ordinary prose, such as planting in spring. Capitalize them when they begin a sentence or belong to a proper title that calls for capitals. Days, months, and holidays follow different conventions, so the capitalization of September does not make autumn uppercase.
Use lowercase when describing a compass direction, such as driving north. Capitalize a word when it forms a recognized regional name or proper name, such as the Southwest. Determine whether you mean a named place or simply a direction, and follow any required house style consistently.
Capitalize a family term when it functions as a name or part of a proper name, such as asking Dad or visiting Aunt Rosa. Use lowercase for an ordinary relationship description, such as my dad or her aunt. Read the term’s role in the sentence before deciding.
Temporarily remove the other person from the sentence. Write Lena and I arrived because I arrived works; write they thanked Lena and me because they thanked me works. Restore the other name afterward. Adding another person does not change the pronoun’s grammatical job as subject or object.
Identify the pronoun’s role: who is a subject, while whom is an object. Rephrasing with he or him can help reveal the distinction. Everyday speech often uses who more broadly, but formal writing may require whom, especially after a preposition. Check the whole clause rather than only the nearest word.
Usually use me when another person is being asked to contact you. Myself is not a more formal substitute for me. Reflexive forms normally refer back to the same person as the subject, as in I reminded myself. Removing extra names from the sentence can make an unnecessary myself easier to spot.
Yes. A self-form can emphasize that the named person performed the action, as in I made the shelf myself. Removing myself leaves a complete sentence with less emphasis. This differs from incorrectly using myself as an ordinary object when the subject is someone else.
Choose the main time frame, then check verbs describing events within that frame for consistency. A past-tense account normally keeps those events in the past. Shift tense when the time relationship genuinely changes, not merely because the next sentence sounds natural in isolation. Read several sentences together.
Use past perfect when the earlier event needs to be distinguished from the main past-tense action. For example, the train had left before I reached the platform places departure first. Time expressions help readers follow the sequence; avoid changing every verb to past perfect without a reason.
Literary discussion commonly uses present tense for what happens in the work, even if its story was published long ago. Use past tense for relevant historical events or the author’s biography. Keep these time frames distinct and follow the expectations of your assignment or publication.
In general prose, spell out a number at the start of a sentence or recast the sentence so it does not begin with the numeral. Check the required style guide for exceptions. Rewriting is often clearer when spelling out a long statistical value would distract from the point.
Use a consistent format for comparable quantities, following the style guide required for the document. Avoid switching between words and numerals arbitrarily within one series. Context matters: measurements, statistics, dates, and identifiers may follow special conventions, so a single blanket rule will not cover every number.
A standard memo heading identifies the recipients, sender, date, and subject. Make the subject specific enough to distinguish the decision or update from a broad category. Use accurate names and roles, and follow any organizational template so readers can quickly see who the memo concerns and why.
Open with the purpose, enough context to explain the situation, and the task or recommendation. Put the most important information before supporting detail. The opening should orient the reader quickly; a long history before revealing the actual request makes the memo harder to use.
Mention each relevant attachment in the memo where it supports a point, then identify the attached documents below the closing. Use clear titles so readers can match the reference to the file or page. The memo should still state its main recommendation without making readers hunt through attachments first.
Align the letter’s sections and paragraphs to the left. Use single spacing within paragraphs and a blank line between them, with the sender details, date, recipient details, greeting, body, and closing arranged clearly. Adapt the layout to an organization’s letterhead or template when it has specific requirements.
Place the closing after the final paragraph, then leave space for a handwritten signature above your typed name. A conventional business-letter layout leaves several blank lines there. Keep the closing aligned according to the chosen letter format, and check the printed page before signing and sending it.
Add an enclosure notation below the closing and signature area. When several documents are included, naming them helps the recipient check that everything arrived. Confirm that the actual papers or files match the list before sending; an enclosure line does not substitute for attaching the document.
Read slowly enough to hear each word, or listen to the document being read while following the text. Pause at missing words, repeated phrases, and awkward constructions. This is one proofreading pass, not a substitute for checking facts, citations, and spelling separately before sharing the finished document.
A correctly spelled word can still be the wrong word for the sentence, and a suggested replacement can change the meaning. Review suggestions in context instead of accepting them all. Keep a short list of your recurring errors and search for those during a separate proofreading pass.
Passive voice can help when the actor is unknown or unimportant and the action or affected thing deserves attention. For example, a report may focus on a damaged package without knowing who damaged it. Choose the construction for that purpose rather than assuming passive voice is always grammatically wrong.
For a paginated source with a known author, identify the author and relevant page number, then provide the complete source in Works Cited. If the sentence already names the author, the parentheses normally need only the page. Ensure the citation leads readers to the matching entry.
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