(#6) no one knows anything 🥑

How many parts of speech does English have?

Go on, Google it.

But the answer isn’t as clear as Google’s silly AI helper makes it seem.

Some grammarians say there are three (!) parts of speech. Others, fifteen. Still others, nine.

Why the debate?

Because no one person gets to be the final authority on language.

That’s liberating for authors—and challenging.

You can write however you want…

…but if you want readers to understand, enjoy, and resonate with your work, you gotta have a passing familiarity with the rules of engagement.

That’s where a trained editor comes in.

As a certified editor, I know a lot.

I also know how to find the stuff I don’t know.

And, most importantly, I can work out when and how the rules actually apply to your writing.

I’m running a special on copyediting right now. Anyone who books a copy edit for April or May gets 10% off their editing package.

Why?

Because I love this stuff so much, I’d do it for free (which I have).

But I have bills to pay.

And you have a story that deserves to become its best self.

Let’s get a free sample edit on the books.

And let me know:

What’s a grammar rule you find silly, outdated, or irrelevant?

Got questions about right writing rites? Reply to this email with your query; I might include it in a future Bite.

Thanks for reading Avocado Bites!

^{Avocado Bites is a publication of Avocado Tree Press, LLC, that helps you revise your stories one bite at a time. We love working with indie and traditionally published authors on fiction manuscripts—and if that’s you, welcome to our target audience.}

^{Ready for a sample edit? Here’s our site.}

^{Addison Horner is the chief editor of Avocado Tree Press. Here’s his newsletter. It’s different but still pretty good.}