Welcome to Part II in our grammar series. This installment will teach you about proper sentence structure, quotation marks, and how to properly use commas. Stick around and learn a little!

4. What's in a Sentence?
The most basic sentence you can build will need only one word: a verb. For example, "Go!" could be considered a complete sentence, because it doesn't need any additional words to make a statement. However, when writing a blog you're going to need many additional words to get your point across, so I'll give you the basic rundown of the sentence parts and which you need. First, you need a verb. No sentence is complete without one. A verb is an action word, like run, write, blog, go, stop or whine. Next you will probably want a noun. A noun is a person, place or thing. If you're not sure if something is a noun, just ask yourself if it is a person, place or a thing. Dog, house, James, and peanut are all nouns. He, she and it are pronouns, which can be used in place of the noun when you have a sentence like this: "She runs fast!". Now on to adjectives. Adjectives are descriptions of nouns. In the sentence "The blue car was totalled," blue is the adjective. Finally, we have adverbs. Adverbs describe the verb. So an adverb would be "fast" in the sentence, "She runs fast." The following are two sentences, one is complete and the other is not. I'm not telling which is which. You figure it out.

"Last week admitted that the market is experiencing difficulties."

"Prices of fuel and food inflation increased to 5%."

Don't forget to pay attention when you write your blog. I sure wouldn't want to hire someone that can't write a complete sentence, especially considering that person would be writing descriptions of my house to be used in online and print marketing!


5. Quizzical About Quotes?
Aren't we all? Quotes are pretty easy, if you can remember the rules. But if you can't, then just come back here for a reminder.
1. Punctuation goes inside the quotes only if it applies to the quote itself, or if it ends a sentence.
Sophie said, "I know!" Sophie asked, "Do you like my dress?" Did Sophie say, "Eat your peas"?
2. When using a quote at the beginning or the middle of a sentence, it needs to end with a comma.
"Here's your package," said the UPS man.
3. When quoting a quote, use the double quotes first and the single quotes inside of those.
"She said, 'I have an idea!'" repeated Mary.
4. When you quote numerous paragraphs of text, only the last paragraph gets end quotes, but all the paragraphs get beginning quotes.
"Paragraph one.....
"Paragraph two.....
"Paragraph three....."
For additional rules about quotes, check here.

6. Crazy Comma Conundrums
Commas can be a source of great confusion. The most basic rule for commas that I can give you is this one: use a comma if you need to separate things, or if there should be a pause in a sentence. Of course, you also use commas when listing things, in dates, and in quotes.

Here are some good examples of comma usage:
I'd like to eat steak, crab cakes, or pasta for dinner. I would not like chicken, pork, or fish.
Her daughter was born on March 8, 2008, in Omaha, Nebraska.
Unfortunately, I will not be attending Inman this year.
Your ultimate goal, to sell a house, won't come true unless you market yourself properly.
I love my dogs, but they certainly annoy me.

Here are some examples lacking commas:
I want to go to the beach home to change and then the restaurant.
Obviously your plan won't be successful.
I want to date a soccer player not an attorney.
Helen you can't go to the movies!

For more on commas, check out this site.


Come back next week for part III of this series, and lots of other great stuff that is sure to come!

Labels: Blog Mistakes, Grammar Errors, Real Estate Blog