Top 10 Grammar Rules for Better Writing

Grammar is often seen as a boring and difficult topic, but it is essential for clear and effective writing. Nurses are frequently called upon to f documenting patients' condition and progress, communicating with other medical staff, and writing educational materials. Poor grammar can lead to errors in patient care, so it is important for nurses to brush up on their grammar skills.
Here are 10 top tips for better grammar in your writing:

1. Write in active voice, not passive.

When writing, it is important to use active voice. This means that the subject of the sentence is doing the action. For example, “The dog bit the man” is in active voice, while “The man was bitten by the dog” is in passive voice. Active voice is more direct and easier to understand than passive voice.

2. Join 2 ideas together with punctuation or conjunction.

You can connect two ideas together using a comma and a conjunction (for example, and, but, or), or by using a semicolon. For example, “I have a dog, and I have a cat”; “I have a dog; I have a cat”. Connecting ideas together in this way makes your writing more concise and easier to read.

3. Correct verb for the subject.

Make sure that the verb you use agrees with the subject of the sentence. For example, if the subject is singular (e.g., “She”), then the verb must also be singular (e.g., “She walks”). If the subject is plural (e.g., “They”), then the verb must also be plural (e.g., “They walk”). Using the correct verb form makes your writing more accurate and easy to understand.

4. Every sentence needs a subject, verb and object.

Every sentence must have a subject (the noun or pronoun that is doing the action), a verb (the action itself), and an object (the noun or pronoun that is affected by the action). For example: “I am writing a guide”; Subject = I; Verb = am writing; Object = guide. Sentences without one of these components are called incomplete sentences, and are not grammatically correct.

5 . Apply the apostrophe correctly .

An apostrophe has two main uses: to show possession, and to indicate omitted letters . To show possession , add an apostrophe + s to singular nouns , even if they end in -s already ; add just an apostrophe to plural nouns that don't end in -s . For example : " The dog ' s food " ; " The dogs ' food " ; " The children ' s toys " . To indicate omitted letters , add an apostrophe where letters have been left out . For example : " don't " ( short for " do not " ) ; " can't " ( short for " cannot " ) ; " I ' m " ( short for " I am " ) . Applying apostrophes correctly can help to make your writing more accurate and clear .

6 . Capitalize correctly .

There are certain words that should always be capitalized : proper nouns , titles , days of the week , months of the year , holidays , etc . In addition , the first word of every sentence should also be capitalized . For example : " Christmas is my favorite holiday " ; " My name is Sarah ." Capitalizing words correctly makes your writing look more professional and polished .

7 . Understand articles .

Articles are words like " a ," " an ," and "the." They are used before nouns to signal whether we are talking about a specific thing or things , or general things . For example : "I have a dog." ( specific ) "Dogs are cute." ( general ) Using articles correctly can help make your meaning clearer .

8 . Use the correct punctuation .

Punctuation marks are symbols like full stops , commas , question marks , exclamation marks , etc. They are used to clarify meaning , emphasize certain words or phrases , or indicate when one sentence ends and another begins . For example : " Do you want to go for a walk ? " Without punctuation marks , our writing would be much harder to understand .

9 . Use singular nouns correctly .

A singular noun names one person , place , thing , animal , idea , etc . For example : " dog ," " table ," " girl ." We use singular verbs with singular nouns : " The dog barks ." To make a plural noun out of most singular nouns , we simply add - s : " dogs ," " tables ," " girls ." But there are some irregular plurals that don't follow this rule : " child - children ," " person - people ," ox - oxen ." Using singular and plural nouns correctly can help prevent confusion in your writing .

10 Use plural nouns correctly (see above!) 

Good grammar is essential for nurse writers. By following these 10 tips, you can become a better writer and communicator. Do you have any other grammar tips to share? Let us know in the comments below.