Saturday, May 28, 2011

On writers and grammar

Most writers paragraph for effect, punctuate on impulse, and let split infinitives and comma slices fall where they may. Omnivorous reading substitutes for systematic study. Syntactic nomenclature is a thing they learn only if, somehow trapped into teaching others the craft, they find themselves in need of terms to describe the errors of their students.

Dwight V. Swain, Techniques of the selling writer, ch 2; pg 22.

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