"Good Grammar" New Jersey Style

Is good grammar becoming an endangered skill? If so, could following suggestions passed along by John O’Brien, of the New Jersey Press Association, be the answer? Ah…No.

1. Verbs has to agree with their subjects.

2. Prepositions are not words to end sentences with.

3. And don’t start a sentence with a conjunction.

4. It is wrong to ever split an infinitive.

5. Avoid clichés like the plague.

6. Also, always avoid annoying alliteration.

7. Be more or less specific.

8. Parenthetical remarks (however relevant) are (usually) unnecessary.

9. No sentence fragments.

10. Contractions aren’t necessary and shouldn’t be used.

11. One should never generalize.

12. Don’t use no double negatives.

13. Eschew ampersands & abbreviations, etc.

14. Eliminate commas, that are, not necessary.

15. Never use a big word when a diminutive one would suffice.

16. Kill all exclamation marks!!

17. Use words correctly, irregardless of how others use them.

18. Use the apostrophe in it’s proper place and omit it when its not needed.

19. Puns are for children not groan readers.

20. Proof-read carefully to see if you any words out.

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