Writing rules, made clear
Plain-English guides to the grammar and style rules that quietly cost you marks — each with real before/after examples and a free checker to fix your own writing in one click.
Parallel Structure
Parallel structure means items joined in a sentence share the same grammatical form — all nouns, all -ing verbs, or all clauses. “She likes hiking, swimming, and biking” is parallel; “hiking, swimming, and to bike” is not.
Read the guide →Reduce Wordiness
Wordiness is using more words than your meaning needs. Replace empty phrases with single words — “due to the fact that” becomes “because”, “at this point in time” becomes “now” — and cut words that repeat an idea already stated.
Read the guide →Formal vs Informal Sentences
A sentence is more formal when it avoids contractions, slang, and casual phrasal verbs, and uses precise vocabulary instead. “Kids can’t figure it out” is informal; “Students are unable to understand it” is formal.
Read the guide →Comma Splices
A comma splice happens when two complete sentences (independent clauses) are joined by only a comma. Fix it three ways: a period, a semicolon, or a comma plus a joining word like “and”, “but”, or “so”.
Read the guide →Run-on Sentences
A run-on sentence joins two or more complete thoughts with no punctuation or joining word. Fix it by adding a period, a semicolon, or a comma plus a conjunction between the clauses.
Read the guide →Subject-Verb Agreement
Subject-verb agreement means a singular subject takes a singular verb and a plural subject takes a plural verb. The trap is words between them: “The list of items is long” (the subject is “list”, not “items”).
Read the guide →Active vs Passive Voice
In the active voice the subject does the action (“John threw the ball”). In the passive, the action is done to the subject (“The ball was thrown by John”). Active is usually clearer and shorter; passive has its uses.
Read the guide →Sentence Fragments
A sentence fragment is a group of words punctuated like a sentence but missing a subject, a verb, or a complete thought. “Because it was raining.” is a fragment — it needs a main clause to finish the idea.
Read the guide →Fix it as you learn it
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