Correct grammar?

[cheifo]

I have always enjoyed doing a little creative writing here and there but tbh never really had a proper crack at it.I have been told my ideas are very good but my grammer/writing style is very bad.I am sure some of the excellant wordsmiths on here will be able to reccomend some books to help with advice on sentence construction,formats etc.Any ideas anybody?

Cheers

[dahamsta]

/me corrects spelling and grammer in thread title

[Plastic Paddy]

I'd start with Eats Shoots and Leaves by Lynne Truss. It's a no-nonsense guide to punctuation and grammar that is also quite funny in places too. It also contains the best explanation I've seen of the seven correct uses of an apostrophe. Read it; you'll never go wrong again.

PP

[paul_oshea]

i honestly think grammar, symantecs and syntax is something that comes naturally to you. you either get it or you dont. for example "to" and "too" the difference is very simple but the amount of people who get it wrong is unreal.

can it really be "learned"?

[noby]

That's just too funny.

[Peadar]

can it really be "learned"?

I finished school with a moderate standard of grammar.
It was only when I was required to compile reports in an official capacity that I made an effort to get my grammar checked and corrected.

I would have to say that my grammar has improved since I left school, therefore I've learned it.

I had an English teacher who only wanted the "best" students in her class. If you needed to be taught, she got you removed from her class. This gave her a very high success rate in the Leaving Cert but did nothing for the kids who needed to learn.

I refused to leave her class and got an honour in higher level leaving cert English, despite her constant insistance that I'd fail.

[Ash]

... me fail English ... thats unpossible

[dahamsta]

That's just too funny.

Indeed.

[DeLorean]

I never really thought about it previously but, for some reason, I started wondering about the difference between 'assume' and 'presume'.

I looked it up and found this example.

Assume and presume both mean to believe something before it happens, but when you assume you're not really sure. If someone bangs on your door in the middle of the night, you might assume (and hope!) it's your crazy neighbour. If your neighbour knocks on your door every night at 6:30, at 6:29 you can presume she's coming over in a minute.

That's clear enough I guess. I'm just wondering though if the tense is important. To presume something, does it have to be about something that hasn't taken place yet? Or can you presume that something has already happened? In other words, would it be grammatically incorrect to say, "I presume she already did it", or should assume be used in this context? Does the 'pre' part of the word just relate to the fact that you haven't yet received confirmation that your assumption (or presumption!) is correct?

[osarusan]

To presume something, does it have to be about something that hasn't taken place yet? Or can you presume that something has already happened?

Both past and future events are ok. 'missing and presumed dead' is an example that you should recognise that deals with past events.

[thischarmingman]

I have always enjoyed doing a little creative writing here and there but tbh never really had a proper crack at it.I have been told my ideas are very good but my grammer/writing style is very bad.I am sure some of the excellant wordsmiths on here will be able to reccomend some books to help with advice on sentence construction,formats etc.Any ideas anybody?

Cheers

I have Strunk and White's The Elements of Style on my desk in front of me at work right now. It's a great resource for grammar rules and style advice.

http://www.bookdepository.com/The-Elements-of-Style-William-I-Strunk-E-B-White/9780205309023?ref=grid-view

EDIT: Just replied to a post that's over a decade old.

[TheBoss]

I never really thought about it previously but, for some reason, I started wondering about the difference between 'assume' and 'presume'.

That's clear enough I guess. I'm just wondering though if the tense is important. To presume something, does it have to be about something that hasn't taken place yet? Or can you presume that something has already happened? In other words, would it be grammatically incorrect to say, "I presume she already did it", or should assume be used in this context? Does the 'pre' part of the word just relate to the fact that you haven't yet received confirmation that your assumption (or presumption!) is correct?

'Assume' would be a assumption and 'Presume' would be based on some previous evidence.