R&R: Raves And Rants From Multi-Published Author Amanda Cabot

The Final Rant

As the title says, this will be my final rant or at least my final scheduled rant. As much as I’ve enjoyed discussing grammatical errors and seeing your reactions to the posts, I’m reaching the end of my list of subjects. And, just as importantly, I discovered a book that explains grammar far better than I could hope to. If you haven’t already read Dreyer’s English by Benjamin Dreyer, I suggest you put it on your absolutely-positively-must-read list. It’s both entertaining and informative.

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Today’s post will be a potpourri, filled with items that have annoyed me but weren’t substantial enough to warrant individual posts.

Mismatches

The rule is simple. A singular subject requires a singular verb. If the subject is plural, the verb must also be plural. Then, why did I find the following in print?

·         A little spit and shine on the outside and some renovations on the inside was all that was needed.

   We clearly have a plural subject here – “spit and shine” plus “renovations” – so the verb should also be plural.

What do you think about this sentence?

·         Gone were the boyish good looks and in its place was stunning rugged appeal.

I have no problem with the singular verb in the second half of the sentence, since the subject of that clause is “stunning rugged appeal,” which is singular, but I take exception to “in its place.” The author obviously knew that “good looks” was plural, because she used “were” in the first clause. Why, then, didn’t she say “in their place”?

Improbable Dialogue Tags

You know what I mean by dialogue tags, don’t you? They’re the “he said/ she saids” that precede or follow a line of dialogue. Correct dialogue tags include “whispered, asked, exclaimed” and a host of other verbs, all of which describe an aspect of speaking. Sometimes, though, I encounter sentences like the following.

·         “Jane packed your bag,” Susan nodded to the nylon suitcase in the corner.

·         Steve smiled, “Your dog is climbing on the chair again.”

What’s wrong with these? A person cannot nod or smile a line of dialogue. Correcting these errors is simple: substitute periods for the commas, creating stage directions rather than dialogue tags.

Misplaced Clauses

We’ve discussed clauses in the past, but a refresher never hurts. To avoid ambiguity or sometimes amusing errors, clauses need to be placed next to the nouns they modify.

·         Mother predicted an angel would fall out of the sky meant just for Jake.

Did the author mean to say that the sky was meant for Jake? I doubt it. The meaning would have been unambiguous if the author had said, “an angel meant just for Jake.”

Here’s another:

·         She forced herself not to look in Antonia’s direction who was nearly twenty years Michael’s junior.

Not only is this awkward, but the direction is NOT twenty years younger than anyone. Why didn’t the author simply say, “in the direction of Antonia, who was …”?

Miscellaneous Errors

·         The both of them were seated at the table.

What’s wrong with that? “Both” is a pronoun. It does not – repeat after me, it does NOT – need an article before it. You wouldn’t say, “the either of them,” would you? The sentence should begin with either “Both of them” or “The two of them.”

·         She reverted her gaze back to the path.

Does that bother you? “Revert” means to return, so there is no need to add the word “back.” It’s superfluous.

Anachronisms

We’ll end with one of my pet peeves, an anachronism. This is from a book that takes place in an aristocratic London household in 1861. The duchess is addressing a servant and asks, “What part of ‘no’ was not clear?”

Did you laugh? I did, but I also stopped reading the book at that point and made a mental note to avoid everything written by the same author. That’s hardly the reaction the author wanted, but it is the reason I’ve written these posts. I don’t want you to make mistakes that will cause readers to laugh for the wrong reasons.

Grammar is important. I’d go so far as to say that good grammar is the hallmark of a professional author, and that makes it essential. If you’re not confident that your grammar is correct, read Dreyer’s English or hire an editor, but, please, please don’t make me laugh at your mistakes.

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~Amanda

Bio:

Amanda Cabot’s dream of selling a book before her thirtieth birthday came true, and she’s now the author of more than thirty-five novels as well as eight novellas, four non-fiction books, and what she describes as enough technical articles to cure insomnia in a medium-sized city. Her inspirational romances have appeared on the CBA and ECPA bestseller lists, have garnered a starred review from Publishers Weekly, and have been nominated for the ACFW Carol, the HOLT Medallion, and the Booksellers Best awards. A popular workshop presenter, Amanda takes pleasure in helping other writers achieve their dreams of publication.

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