In the first two posts in this three-part series, I talked about the overall structure of your message, the paragraphs and sentences. Today, we look at the details: grammar and punctuation.

Poor grammar can not only create a bad impression of you but can also change the meaning of your message. Look, for example, at these two sentences:

Mary likes John more than me. Mary likes John more than I.

Which is correct? They both are, but they have different meanings. The first one means Mary likes John more than she likes me, while the second says Mary likes John more than I like John.

Grammar is a wide subject. If you’d like to learn more, you might subscribe to my free twice-weekly grammar tips.

Watch those pears — or is it pairs? English contains many pairs of words that look and sound similar but have different meanings. Here are just a few of the most commonly confused:

accept vs except, continual vs continuous, principal vs principle, imminent vs eminent, adverse vs averse.

Oh, you thought I was going to explain them to you? Sorry, you have to find the differences yourself. Fortunately, it’s not difficult — just use your dictionary!

The purpose of punctuation is to make the message clear. Don’t just drop commas in because you have a long sentence and you think it needs a little something! There are many books and other resources that will help you understand punctuation and use it correctly. The Elements of Style by Strunk and White is the ultimate authority for English speaking writers everywhere, and it’s well worth buying your own copy.

As I said at the beginning of this short series, self-editing can be tricky, but it’s worth the effort because skillful editing improves even good writing — whether it’s your own or someone else’s.