Did you say writing is easy?
If you know your grammar, you will realize that this post’s title and first line contain a clumsy error.
I used it because I often see this phrase online.
It highlights how easy it is for an author or writer to type a bio on X (Twitter) or Facebook too quickly and, in the process, affect their reputation.
It doesn’t agree
Who said writing is easy? What’s the grammatical problem with this question?
It is a tense agreement issue.
Without going into this too deeply, the first verb is in the past, and the second is in the present.
To highlight the error more clearly, I’ll change the phrase from a rhetorical question to a simple active phrase with two verbs.
Tom went to London and visits the Queen. Incorrect.
Tom went to London and visited the Queen. Correct.
Tom goes to London and visits the Queen. Correct.
In the last two examples, both verbs agree and occur in the past or present.
With simple sentences, it’s easy to fix this problem.
But with more complex sentences, it’s sometimes not so easy to spot.
The question in my post title
It is complex because it uses a reported speech verb and the question adverb as the subject.
But I can use the same verb agreement pattern.
Who said writing was easy? The verbs agree, so it is now correct.
However, depending on what you intend by the question, you could also write it this way.
Who was it who said writing is easy?
Now, it asks directly for the quote’s author, with ‘who’ being the subject.
The answer would be this.
Writing is easy, Tom famously said.
Tom is the subject, and his famous quote can stay, as it was said, in the present simple.
Errors happen
Without digging any deeper into grammar, my point in writing this post is that all writers make minor grammatical errors.
In a novel of 80,000 words, avoiding a few typos or errors is next to impossible.
But this is why having a second pair of eyes is so vital.
You might have an editor, sub-editor, proofreader, or at least a friend or acquaintance with some grammatical knowledge.
But you need to check a text thoroughly and more than once.
Another fact is that there are often different interpretations of some grammar and punctuation points.
It often depends on which style guide you might use as your reference.
Always check
I’m sure you are fastidious when checking the text of a manuscript.
But just as vital, and perhaps even more so, are a few quick sentences you might post on social media for the whole world to see and read.
Another is the possibility of errors in an author bio.
Few potential readers would consider glancing at a book written by an author who couldn’t write a grammatically correct short bio.
Don’t ruin your first chance to impress a reader by being clumsy.
Check and double-check everything you write before posting it for the world to read.
Related Reading: 350 Other Words For Said For Your Dialogue Writing
Who said, “writing is easy.”
Beginning of quoted text needs a capital. Also, where’s the question mark for the question. Appears this, too, needs to be rewritten.
“Tell me who said, “Writing is easy.”