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Month: March 2019

Tricky grammar: dangling modifiers, lie/lay, I/me

Tricky grammar: dangling modifiers, lie/lay, I/me

In a previous part of my life, I was an English professor. In that role, I wound up repeatedly explaining bits of grammar that writers tripped over again and again. Three of these were the dangling modifier, the difference between “lie” and “lay,” and the use of “I” and “me” in compound constructions. I also spent time explaining what passive voice, but I’ve already talked about that in a previous post. Dangling modifier Here’s an example of a dangling modifier: Running…

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What Do YA Writers Owe Their Readers?

What Do YA Writers Owe Their Readers?

Occasionally, I hear someone suggest that a YA book should embody a good message for teens. That feels wrong to me, but it’s hard to articulate why. No Sending a Message! First, I don’t believe a good novel of any kind sets out to “send a message” in a bald way, and if a book does, it probably cripples the writing. I do believe that a story embodies the writer’s world view and that inevitably includes pretty much everything: politics,…

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