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  1. Melanie thank you for this timely post! I’m working on my masters degree, so I write academically quite frequently for my coursework. But that’s not how modern readers want us to communicate with them on a daily basis. Your post gave me permission to break some rules if it helps readers hear my voice. Thank you. Love this!

    1. Hey Chrissie – Thanks for the encouraging words! I am a former high school teacher,so I’m still in the process of learning to write more coversationally too. Glad it helped!

  2. Ahhhh, this makes me feel so good. LOL! I’ve been breaking those two rules from time to time in my writing and every time I cringe because I know it’s not “supposed” to be that way. But this post gives me permission. (See, I just broke a rule!) Thanks, Melanie! I enjoyed this post!

  3. Such an honest response – thanks! Sometimes it’s fun to break the rules, at least these rules! I don’t always break them…just at times when it makes my writing better! Glad you liked it!

  4. Yes!
    These are the rules I break most often in my writing. My ‘voice’ tends to be conversational – I want the feel to be as if we’re sitting across the table having coffee together. That means, sometimes, my sentences aren’t exactly proper.
    A writing teacher once explained that the purpose of grammar was clarity more than rules, so I’ve always felt that as long as my message was still being clearly understood, I could take some risks.
    Thank you for making me feel like I have permission to keep writing this way!

    1. Hi Jaime – I like that guideline of grammar serving the purpose of bringing clarity. Thanks for stopping by!

  5. I like to start sentences with conjunctions and connectives so my sentences aren’t all the same length.

    I know what you mean about the annoying advice from the grammar checker about “so”. And sometimes I like to use “over and over” or “again and again” for emphasis, but the grammar checker doesn’t like that either. It tells me to use “repeatedly” instead.

    Thank you for these tips! They help me breath a little.

    1. Yay! You agreed about the so! I like what you said about using the conjunctions to make your sentences varied – good point! Thanks for stopping by!

  6. I absolutely agree with breaking grammar rules! It makes me feel like I am talking to the person instead of just reading. Obviously we don’t always talk in perfect grammar! Thanks for the permission!

    1. Thanks, Deanna, for stopping by!

  7. How do I feel about breaking grammar rules? I enjoy breaking grammar rules! The problem is that I tend to break the ones, which should be honored 🙂 I will take the time to print your blogs on grammar, Melanie. I need them to be easily accessible!

    1. Charla, You made me laugh. Good idea to print!

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