A Kernel on Grammar Resources
and what I’m reading as I await my novel critique
If you’re anything like me, embarrassment is a sure-fire way to learn a lesson. When I was 28, I had a short-lived stint working at a magazine. While my role wasn’t “writer,” I sometimes got to write. Admittedly—like most folks who grew up in the American public school system—I never learned grammar. My writing was based on vibes and the hope that my inherent knowledge of the English language was enough.
I got back notes on one assignment that told me I was using the wrong relative pronoun. When referencing a person, I needed to use “who” not “that.” “That” is for animals and objects. Now, I am a very stubborn person, so I held onto the embarrassment of being perceived as “wrong” and the friction of not knowing whether it was really true all day. At home, I looked up pronouns and learned that “that” can be used for people, even if it wasn’t the most widely-accepted pronoun. Reading The Bone Season, I found a usage of “that” referencing a person. See, a published author used it. In “Dog Years,” Maggie Rogers sings, “Oh, and I’m the one that loves you.” I was in good company.
My need to be right was really my desire to extinguish my embarrassment. I was young and mortified that I wasn’t already an expert on the thing I wanted to dedicate my life to doing. Not only would I need to deeply understand the craft of storytelling, I would also need to have a firm grasp on grammar. If I wanted to be a writer, I’d have to be okay with the messy, often cyclical process of learning grammar.
Now, at 34, I’m still no expert, but I have a solid foundational understanding that I continue to build upon. As my workshop reads my novel this month and I await feedback, I have decided to dig into the weeds of grammar and syntax. If grammar gives you anxiety, don’t worry; you’re not alone. Below are my favorite grammar and syntax resources, which I hope to get through by the end of the month.
The Deluxe Transitive Vampire by Karen Elizabeth Gordon
This book is a great entrypoint to grammar. Gordon clearly and succinctly explains the parts of speech with a cast of gothic characters and illustrations. She gives names to things you already know and some you might not. The example sentences she uses are delightfully strange. Take this one: “The vampire began to powder his nose.” Or: “Do you take this chimera to be your lawfully espoused pal?”
I recommend starting with Deluxe before diving into books on syntax. I’m on my third re-read of it. It’s a great refresher before I dive into heftier reference books. If you want to test your grammar knowledge afterwards, Grammar Bytes! is a free, online resource that offers grammar breakdowns and quizzes. Beware of the scary (to me) shark that greets you upon entrance. If you can make it past that, the website is worth it.
Grammar As Style by Virginia Tufte
Virginia Tufte is a grammarian goddess. Once I finish my re-read of Deluxe, I plan to move onto this one. It will be my first time reading it. From my understanding, Grammar As Style will be a good bridge between grammar and syntax. Knowledge of words and their jobs affords us the ability to play with our sentences, to make them sing. I hope to come out of this reading with a solid grasp on grammar and how it will guide my syntactical choices.
Please note: this book is hard to obtain and I may have gotten a PDF version from a fellow Kernelist, but if anyone asks with serious intent, I know nothing about this book nor how it was downloaded onto my laptop.
Artful Sentences: Syntax as Style by Virginia Tufte
I’ve had several false starts with this book. Despite its many sentence examples, this book is dense! When us Kernelists, along with a fellow workshop member, attempted this one for our craft book club, even having broken it up into sections, we failed to get through it. But what I did get through, I was able to immediately apply to what I was reading, gaining a deeper comprehension of the concepts and the text itself.
While grammar and syntax are tough beasts to tackle, they’re worth it. When you understand the mechanics of a sentence, you’re able to be more creative, to push the boundaries of your sentences and stories. Knowledge is power, after all.
My kernel of advice: Don’t be embarrassed. You’re never too old to learn grammar.
Inspiration, Information, & Insight
When Shelby wasn’t working at the bookstore this week, she spent her free time resting. She’s been emotionally dysregulated, and it’s been hard for her to stay regulated. Her therapist wisely suggested that the completion of her novel draft, while exciting, left a huge hole in her routine, which is throwing her off. Shelby couldn’t agree more and is looking forward to getting further along on her new novel idea.
Natalia was in Maine this week with her husband’s family.
Sarah is giving herself the summer to write the rough draft of a novella, so she has been devoting as much time to that as she can—when she’s not caring for her five year old that is. This week she also listened to two recently published short stories by masters of the format. “Vincent’s Party” by Tessa Hadley is the opening third of a novella Hadley will release in the fall. Sarah has long been a fan of Hadley’s style and the emotional depths of her characters and was particularly interested in how a novella in three parts might work since she’s planning a three-part structure for her own project. “The Hadal Zone” by Annie Proulx was dark and dense and deeply cynical, and Sarah was impressed by how Proulx brought her characters so vividly to life and wove in a climate change thread, a theme that has deep resonance for Sarah’s own novella-in-progress.
This week Neidy spent lots of time with her kids. They went to the farm, to two different pools, to a lake, to visit family, and to Ticonderoga for a huge fireworks display. While she hasn't done much reading or writing this summer, she has spent lots of time doing activities that reconnect her to her friends and herself, and she's certain that will eventually translate back into her writing.
Maggie mentioned!😍