Writing

Mechanics:
The Blueprint to
Effective Writing
What Are Writing Mechanics?
Mechanics are to writing what grammar is to speech. In other words, writing
mechanics is the set of rules and principles that make writing clear and easy to
understand.
● If grammar covers rules like subject-object agreement and verb tenses, writing
mechanics covers principles of punctuation, capitalization, and other tools that
help language make sense on the page.
● Effective writing requires that language is not just grammatically correct, but that
it’s also written in the correct way. That’s where mechanics comes in.
The Importance Of Getting It Right

Today, we have more tools than ever that automate our writing. Spellcheck, grammar
checkers, and auto-correct are all great tools to improve our writing. However, these
tools do not replace the writer’s understanding of mechanics, because only you know
exactly what you intend, and how best to communicate your meaning.
Mastery of writing mechanics is critical for:
● Clarity. Proper writing mechanics helps your
sentences communicate clearly and correctly,
so the reader understands your intent and can
follow your train of thought.
Mastery of writing mechanics is critical for:
● Focus. Not only is poor construction unclear, but
it’s also distracting. Spelling and grammatical
mistakes draw focus away from your subject,
detracting from what you intend to communicate.
Mastery of writing mechanics is critical for:
● Professionalism. Correct mechanics is essential
for professionalism. If a client is paying you to
write, mechanical errors are the first indicator of
low quality in your work.
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The Basic Rules Of

Writing Mechanics
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Parts of Speech
The parts of speech are the basic categories that
words belong to, and they govern how the words
relate to each other. Writers need to understand
nouns and pronouns, verbs and adverbs, and how
to correctly use prepositions and conjunctions.
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Sentence Structure/Pattern
A complete sentence contains at least a subject
and a verb. A typical English sentence uses the
word order subject+verb+object (“the boy
bounced the ball”), but there are a huge range of
correct ways to put together a sentence.
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Sentence Structure/Pattern
1. Subject + Linking Verb + Complement ( S – LV – C)

She looks happy.

S LV C

2. Subject + Intransitive Verb ( S – IV )

Evil exists.
S IV
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Sentence Structure/Pattern
3. Subject + Transitive Verb + Direct Object ( S – TV –
DO )
They are baking cookies and cakes.
S TV DO

4. Subject + Transitive Verb + Indirect Object + Direct

Object ( S – TV – IO – DO )
Mary lent Josh money.
S TV IO DO
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5. Subject + Transitive Verb + Direct Object + Object

Complement ( S – TV – DO – OC)

She called the boy attractive.

S TV DO OC

They painted the house blue.

S TV DO OC
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The basic building blocks of sentences are:

● A clause. A clause contains a subject and verb,
and can be a complete sentence.
● A phrase. A phrase is a collection of words
without a subject or verb, used to modify the
other parts of a sentence.
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● my cousin in La Trinidad Is it true that my cousin in La Trinidad? phrase

● my cousin lives in La Trinidad Is it true that my cousin lives in La Trinidad? clause

phrase clause
succeeding in school despite working full time
dependent independent
habits which annoy me
because Mary broke my cellphone Mary broke my cellphone.
people who are happy
dog that lives next door since I went back to school I was excited for you to join me
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Some of the most common sentence

construction errors are:
* Fragments * Faulty parallelism

* Run-ons * Comma splices

* Dangling modifiers/misplaced modifiers

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Punctuation
Correct punctuation is essential for clarity in writing.
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The most common punctuation

errors are:
 Misused apostrophes. The apostrophe has only three purposes:

 To form possessive nouns. The apostrophe replaces the

words “of the”. For example, “the table’s leg” instead of
“the leg of the table”

 To form contractions. When you are replacing letters

with an apostrophe. For example, “don’t” instead of “do
not”, or “I’m” instead of “I am”

 (Rarely) to form a plural in letters or abbreviations. The

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The most common punctuation

errors are:
● Misused quotation marks. Quotation marks
are always used to distinguish exact speech,
and never for emphasis. Be cautious about
the use of scare quotes, and review how to
use them correctly.
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The most common punctuation

errors are:
● Commas. Commas are arguably the most used
and abused form of punctuation in English. Aside
from the Oxford comma debate, commas are
used incorrectly in lists, in conjunctions and
splices, in quotations, in phrases…
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Eight Basic Uses of

Commas
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1. Use a comma to separate independent clauses

Rule: Use a comma before a coordinating
conjunction (and, but, yet, so, or nor, for) when it
joins two complete ideas (independent clauses).
a. He walked down the street, and then he turned

the corner.
b. You can go shopping with me, or you can go to a

movie alone.
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2. Use a comma after an introductory clause or
phrase
Rule: Use a comma after an introductory
clause or phrase. A comma tells readers that
the introductory clause or phrase has come
to a close and that the main part of the
sentence is about to begin.
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2. Use a comma after an introductory clause or
phrase
a. When Evan was ready to iron, his cat tripped
on the cord.
b. Near a small stream at the bottom of the
mountain, the residents discovered a gold mine.
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3. Use a comma between all items in a series

Rule: Use a comma to separate each item
in a series; a series is a group of three or more
items having the same function and form in a
sentence.
● We bought apples, peaches, and
bananas today. (series of words)
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3. Use a comma between all items in a series

● Mary promised that she would be a good
girl, that she would not bite her brother,
and that she would not climb onto the
television. (series of clauses)

● The instructor looked through his

briefcase, through his desk, and around
the office for the lost grade book. (series
of phrases)
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4. Use commas to set off nonrestrictive clauses

Rule: Use commas to enclose clauses not
essential to the meaning of a sentence. These
nonessential clauses are called nonrestrictive.
Clauses which are essential are called restrictive.
A relative pronoun refers to the noun or pronoun
that precedes it.
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4. Use commas to set off nonrestrictive clauses

● Steven Strom, whose show you like, will host a
party next week. (nonrestrictive)
● John, who spent the last three days fishing, is
back on the job again. (nonrestrictive)
● The gentleman who is standing by the fireplace
is a well-known composer. (restrictive)
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5. Use a comma to set off appositives

Rule: An appositive is a noun or noun phrase
that renames a nearby noun. Appositives
offer nonessential information. Nonrestrictive
appositives are set off with commas;
restrictive appositives are not.
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● Alexander Pope, the Restoration poet, is famous for his

monologues. (appositive)
● The poet Pope is famous for his monologues. (no
appositive)
● The New York Jets, the underdogs, surprised everyone
by winning the Super Bowl. (appositive)
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6. Use a comma to indicate direct address

Rule: When a speaker in a sentence names the person to
whom he is speaking, this addressing of his audience is called
direct address. Direct address is indicated by the use of a
comma or commas, depending upon its placement within the
sentence. I think, John, you’re wrong.
John, I think you’re wrong.
I think you’re wrong, John.
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7. Use commas to set off direct quotations

Rule: A dialogue is a conversation between
two or more people. If the speaker (not the
listener) in the conversation is identified, his
name, (or the noun or pronoun used to refer to
the speaker), and the verb that refers to his
speaking are enclosed within commas.
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7. Use commas to set off direct quotations

● Mary said, “I dislike concerts because the
music is too loud.”
● “I dislike concerts because the music is too
loud,” she said.
● “I dislike concerts,” proclaimed Mary,
“because the music is too loud.”
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8. Use commas with dates, addresses, titles, and
numbers
Rules for dates: In dates, the year is set off from the rest of the
sentence with a pair of commas. Example:
● On March 1, 2020, orders were sent out for the nationwide lockdown.

Rules for addresses: The elements of an address or place name are

separated by commas. A zip code, however, is not preceded by a
comma. Examples:
John Lennon was born in Liverpool, England, in 1940.
Please send the letter to Mylene Decoran at PA395A,
Wangal, La Trinidad, Benguet 2601.
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Rules for titles: If a title follows a name, separate the title
from the rest of the sentence with a pair of commas. Example:
● Rolando Dalisay, MD, has been appointed to the board.

Rules for numbers: In numbers more than four digits long,

use commas to separate the numbers into groups of three,
starting from the right. In numbers four digits long, a comma is
optional.
Examples:
○ 3,500 [or 3500]
○ 100,000
○ 6,000,000
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Spelling
● English spelling is difficult, but needs to be correct.
Use a spellcheck, use a dictionary, use a
proofreader, and make sure you get it right.
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Spelling
pronunciation pronounciation
privilege priviledge
license licence
stationery stationary
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Spelling
vis-à-vis rendezvous
highfalutin adieu
denouement a la carte
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Capitalization
● Capitalization is tricky, because it has overlapping rules with
grammar, writing mechanics, and also writing conventions and
style guides. Check your writing conventions for rules on
capitalization in titles and headers, but here are the most
frequently used rules of capitalization:
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Capitalization
● Capitalize the first word of a document, the first word
of a sentence, and the first word of a direct quote
within quotation marks
● Capitalize proper nouns, including the names of people,
places, and companies, and capitalize their initials or
acronyms
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Capitalization
● Capitalize the days of the week, months of the year,
and historical eras (“the Great Depression”)
● Capitalize nicknames, and also kinship names when
they are used in place of a personal name (“he loved
Mom’s cooking”)
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Redundancy
Redundancy is unnecessary repetition, and should be avoided.
“Evil villains,” “geriatric old people,” or “we must now at this time
immediately” are all redundant phrases.
● “Unexpected surprise” All surprises are unexpected. ... “Exact same”
● “End result” ... “Collaborate / join / merge / combine together” ...
● “Advance warning / reservation / plan” ... “Current trend” ...
● “Ask a question” ... “Compete with one another/each other” ...
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Abbreviations
● Modern language is full of TLAs (Three Letter Abbreviations), and

writers should not assume that readers know the abbreviation or

acronym in question. Always introduce an abbreviation or acronym the
first time you use it in a piece of writing.
● The most common method is to first write out the abbreviation or

acronym, capitalizing each letter, and introducing the acronym you will
use going forward. For example, “the Food and Drug Association (FDA)”
or “English as a Second Language (ESL)”.
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The Three H’s: Homonyms,

Homographs, and Homophones
○ Homonyms are two identical words with different
meanings. For example, “sentence” as a part of speech,
and “sentence” as a punishment for a crime.
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The Three H’s: Homonyms,

Homographs, and Homophones
○ Homographs are two words with the same spelling, but
different meanings and pronunciation. For example, “wind”
as the movement of air, and “wind” as a twisting or turning
action. When writing, readers can’t hear differences in
pronunciation, so avoid homographs unless, again, the
context makes the meaning very clear.
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The Three H’s: Homonyms,

Homographs, and Homophones
○ Homophones are words that sound the same but are
spelled differently and have different meanings. Common
trouble words for writers are “there/their/they’re” or
“two/to/too”. Spellcheck will not always catch and correct
homophones, and they can dramatically affect the meaning
of a sentence. When in doubt, use a dictionary to make
sure you are using the correct form of a homophone.
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Thank YOU for

listening!!!