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Q&A Do I have any control over the grammar of my novel?

English grammar is anything but black and white. Everything is debatable, even the definition of "word". Punctuation is not grammar. This is a punctuation question, not a grammar question. Your pu...

posted 7y ago by Mark Baker‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

Answer
#4: Attribution notice removed by user avatar System‭ · 2020-01-03T20:41:54Z (almost 5 years ago)
Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/29245
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
#3: Attribution notice added by user avatar System‭ · 2019-12-08T06:46:24Z (almost 5 years ago)
Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/29245
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
#2: Initial revision by user avatar System‭ · 2019-12-08T06:46:24Z (almost 5 years ago)
1. English grammar is anything but black and white. Everything is debatable, even the definition of "word".

2. Punctuation is not grammar. This is a punctuation question, not a grammar question.

3. Your publisher probably has a preferred style guide that they want their authors to use.

4. Everything is negotiable. Negotiations are all about who has the most clout. If you say, "Use the Oxford comma or I take this to Penguin," then if they say "Don't let the door hit you on the way out," you know who has the most clout in that relationship. Cormac McCarthy uses unorthodox punctuation. Cormac McCarthy has clout. Depending on the potential of your book, you may or may not have clout. Or they may just not care whether you use the Oxford comma or not.

5. Oxford comma FTW.

#1: Imported from external source by user avatar System‭ · 2017-07-16T15:18:32Z (over 7 years ago)
Original score: 88