10 Vital Grammar Rules and Best Writing Practices
The best writing follows the rules of grammar (or breaks those rules only with good reason) and is clear, coherent, and consistent.
Most writers don’t want their work to be weak or dull. We want our writing to be strong and vibrant. If we learn the grammar rules and adopt best practices in the craft, our writing can shine.
Here are ten of most frequently ignored (or unknown) grammar rules and writing practices: 1. Commas: except for the period, the comma is the most common punctuation mark and the most misused. It’s a tricky one because the rules are scarce, leaving usage up to style guides and writers’ best judgement. In weak writing, there are too few or too many commas. Be consistent in how you use commas and strike the right balance. 2. Avoid weak words: very, really, and the verbs to be, to have, and to do are often markers of weak, amateur writing. Sometimes, we need to use these words, but there is often a more specific or vivid word available. 3. Verb and tense agreement: these errors are often the result of shoddy editing and proofreading. A sentence that was originally in perfect past tense is changed to simple past tense but one of the words in the sentence is overlooked and you end up with something like She went the store and had shopped for produce. Another example would be The cats has one bowl. 4. Stay away from passive voice: avoid passive constructions like The book was read by the girl. Passive voice is awkward, renders unnecessary verbiage, and sounds old-fashioned. Active voice is better: The girl read the book. 5. Check your homophones: homophones are little devils because spell check won’t catch them and they often sneak past editor’s eyes. Too many youngsters aren’t taught proper homophone use (in other words, they don’t know spellings or definitions of their vocabulary). From common sets of homophones like they’re, their, and there to more advanced words like complement and compliment, it pays to learn proper usage and to proofread meticulously. 6. Rare or uncommon punctuation marks: if you decide to use a punctuation mark like the ellipsis (three dots) or semicolon (comma with a period over it), then take the time to learn what it’s called and how to use it properly. 7. Watch your pronouns: too many pronouns in a sentence cause confusion and makes it difficult for the reader to keep track of who is saying and doing what. Use the noun or name first in a paragraph, then use pronouns to refer back to whomever (or whatever) you’re talking about. 8. Only proper nouns are capitalized: for some reason, a lot of people have taken it upon themselves to freely capitalize any words they think are important, a practice that is rampant in business writing. The Product is on Sale Now is not a grammatically correct sentence. 9. Extraneous words (verbiage): verbiage is not text or writing; it is extraneous, unnecessary language. The best sentences and paragraphs contain only words that are absolutely necessary. They communicate as simply and straightforwardly as possible. Keep it simple and edit the excess! 10. Consistency is key: the grammar rules don’t cover everything. As a writer, you will constantly be challenged to make judicious decisions about how to construct your sentences and paragraphs. Always be consistent. Keeping a style guide handy will be a tremendous help.

Few more rules
One of the most common mistakes writers make is using improper punctuation and grammar when writing dialogue. Punctuation, especially in dialogue, is a big deal in writing and if you don't know the basic rules for punctuation in dialogue, pay attention to the article below. The wrong way can ruin whatever chance you might have had of getting a story accepted.
The punctuation at the end of a quote and the beginning of a sentence extension on a quote has a lot to do with the tone of the quote and what comes after the quote. This is what many people have a problem with.
1 - Regular Quote
In a regular quote, with no continuing or following sentence, use your standard punctuation.
"You didn't see her?"
"I didn't see her."
2 - Quote as End of a Sentence
Same deal here. If the quote, whether there are other parts to the paragraph or not, is a sentence all its own, the same rule applies as in the first example I wrote.
"You didn't see her?" Detective Martin paced back and forth in front of the two way mirror, the click click of his shoes making me nervous.
"I didn't see her." He was trying to wear me down. I knew for a fact I didn't see her that night.
3 - Do Not Capitalize a Sentence Extension
When you have an extension on the same sentence as the quote, you need to make sure that the extension of the sentence does not begin with a capital letter. I offer this example to better illustrate what I'm describing.
The wrong way:
"You didn't see her?" The detective asked.
The right way:
"You didn't see her?" the detective asked.
The same goes for any quote that has an extension of the sentence on it, regardless of the punctuation ending that quote. Too many times I see the extension capitalized as if the extension of the sentence is a sentence all on its own. It just doesn't work that way.
4 - Knowing When to Use a Comma
This is a basic grammar rule that often gets overlooked and is confusing for some people.
When you have a quote that ends with a period and it has a sentence extension on it, you need to replace the period with a comma.
The wrong way:
"I didn't see her." I told him.
The right way:
"I didn't see her," I told him.
Please take note that since "I" is always capitalized in a sentence, rule 3 does not apply to this particular sentence. However, if you change "I" to a pronoun or something else, rule 3 must apply in conjunction with rule 4.
The wrong way:
"I didn't see her." She whispered, holding back her anger.
The right way:
"I didn't see her," she whispered, holding back her anger.
Please remember these rules when you are writing dialogue in your fiction. Adhering to these rules will up your chances of success in publishing.