A compelling story can draw readers in, but even a strong story can lose momentum when grammar, punctuation and sentence construction repeatedly get in the way.

Readers may forgive an occasional typo. Publishers and editors understand that no manuscript arrives completely flawless. However, frequent errors can make a manuscript harder to read and may suggest that the writer submitted the work before giving it a careful final review.

Before submitting your manuscript to an editor, agent or publisher, watch for these five common problems.

1. Punctuate Dialogue Correctly

Dialogue punctuation can trip up even experienced writers.

In American English, periods and commas generally go inside closing quotation marks:

Incorrect:

“I don’t know”, Sally said.

Correct:

“I don’t know,” Sally said.

Question marks and exclamation points depend on the meaning of the sentence. If the punctuation belongs to the quoted dialogue, it goes inside the quotation marks:

Incorrect:

“What’s going on”? Sally asked.

Correct:

“What’s going on?” Sally asked.

However, if the entire sentence is a question but the quoted material itself is not, the question mark belongs outside:

Did she really say, “I’m leaving”?

The goal is not simply to memorize where punctuation goes. Ask whether the punctuation belongs to the speaker’s words or to the larger sentence.

2. Start a New Paragraph When the Speaker Changes

When two or more characters are speaking, each change of speaker should normally begin a new paragraph.

Incorrect:

“Who’s there?” Sally asked. “It’s me,” Charlie said. “You scared me,” Sally replied.

Correct:

“Who’s there?” Sally asked.

“It’s me,” Charlie said.

“You scared me.”

Notice that the final line does not need a dialogue tag. Because the writer has begun a new paragraph after Charlie speaks, the reader can understand that Sally is speaking again.

This simple formatting rule does a tremendous amount of invisible work. It helps readers follow a conversation without repeatedly stopping to determine who said what. The original article made this point especially well: paragraph breaks themselves can help identify the speaker.

3. Use Commas Around Nonessential Descriptions

Writers often introduce a character and immediately provide a descriptive phrase.

When that description supplies nonessential information, it should usually be set off with commas.

Incorrect:

Sally was angry with Charlie her annoying younger brother for scaring her.

Correct:

Sally was angry with Charlie, her annoying younger brother, for scaring her.

The phrase her annoying younger brother gives us additional information about Charlie, but the sentence still identifies him clearly without it:

Sally was angry with Charlie for scaring her.

That is why the phrase is surrounded by commas.

The distinction matters because commas can change meaning. If the descriptive information is necessary to identify the person being discussed, it may not need commas.

4. Watch for Accidental Tense Changes

Stories may be written in past tense or present tense, and sophisticated narratives sometimes move deliberately between time periods.

The problem occurs when the tense changes accidentally.

Incorrect:

Sally chased Charlie through the house but can’t catch him.

Correct:

Sally chased Charlie through the house but couldn’t catch him.

The first half places the action in the past, while can’t catch him suddenly moves it into the present.

When revising a manuscript, look beyond individual verbs and examine whole paragraphs or scenes. Tense slips can be especially difficult for writers to notice because the intended meaning remains obvious in their own minds.

Consistency does not mean a manuscript can never change tense. Flashbacks, dialogue, memories and other narrative devices may require shifts. Those shifts should be intentional rather than accidental. The original article correctly emphasized maintaining a consistent narrative tense unless the writer is making a deliberate stylistic choice.

5. Watch Commonly Confused Contractions and Possessives

Contractions often make dialogue sound natural:

“I am sorry for scaring you.”

may sound more conversational as:

“I’m sorry for scaring you.”

A character does not have to use contractions, of course. Speech patterns can reflect personality, culture, setting, period, formality or emotional state. The important point is that dialogue should sound intentional rather than mechanically formal.

The larger grammar problem occurs when writers confuse contractions with other words that sound the same.

Common examples include:

its / it’s

• its = possessive
• it’s = it is or it has

your / you’re

• your = possessive
• you’re = you are

their / they’re / there

• their = possessive
• they’re = they are
• there = a place or position, among other uses

were / we’re

• were = past-tense form of be
• we’re = we are

One useful test is to replace the contraction with its full form. If the sentence still makes sense, the contraction may be correct.

For example:

You’re going to enjoy the book.

becomes:

You are going to enjoy the book.

That works.

But:

I like you’re writing style.

would become:

I like you are writing style.

Clearly, something has gone wrong.

Good Grammar Should Disappear Into the Story

Grammar is not the reason most people pick up a novel. That is precisely why it matters.

When grammar, punctuation and formatting are working well, readers rarely notice them. The language simply carries them through the story. When the mechanics repeatedly fail, readers are pulled out of the experience and forced to notice the writing instead of experiencing it.

The purpose of revision is not to make every sentence sound identical or to strip personality from the prose. It is to remove unnecessary distractions so the writer’s voice, characters and ideas can do their work.

A manuscript does not need to be perfect before it reaches an editor. It should, however, show that the writer cared enough to give the story a strong first presentation.

NOTE: Originally published March 2017. Updated September 2026 with expanded examples and clarification of dialogue punctuation and usage.