Top 20 Grammar Rules

  1. Begin a sentence with a capital letter.
  2. End each sentence with a period, question mark, or exclamation mark.
  3. Prioritize the active voice in most sentences.
  4. Use the passive voice, selectively, to deemphasize the subject.
  5. Separate items in a list with a comma.
  6. Combine two independent clauses with a semicolon, when the clauses connect.
  7. Place a colon before a list or explanation.
  8. Enclose direct speech or quoted text in quotation marks.
  9. Indicate possession or create contractions with apostrophes.
  10. Ensure subject-verb agreement in sentences.
  11. Ensure pronoun-antecedent agreement in sentences.
  12. Use the correct verb tense in sentences.
  13. Use parallel structure in lists and comparisons.
  14. Place modifiers correctly, keeping them close to the word they modify.
  15. Join independent clauses with coordinating conjunctions.
  16. Create complex sentences with subordinating conjunctions.
  17. Introduce relative clauses with relative pronouns.
  18. Use the correct case for pronouns (e.g., I, me, my, mine).
  19. Match nouns correctly, including plural and possessive forms.
  20. Use articles (a, an, the) correctly in front of nouns.