What constitutes good writing? Sometimes the answer depends on how professional you are. Take a look at this sentence:
We’ve had a lot of rain, and we were thrilled when the sun finally came out.
Both the grammar and usage are correct. But I would still recommend a change.
Here’s why: pros try not to join sentences with and. Your writing will have more sophistication if you define the relationship between the two sentences. My version sets up a before-and-after relationship between the two ideas:
We were thrilled when the sun finally came out after all that rain. BETTER
When I edit a piece of written, I always look at each and to see if the sentence could be improved. Here’s another example:
It rained for two days, and our street was flooded.
There’s a cause-and-effect relationship here. Here’s my version:
Because it rained for two days, our street was flooded. BETTER
The way I was taught to remember the spelling of “stationery” was to note that envelopes, paper, pens, pencils are sold by a “stationer”. The “er” ending is similar to that found in the names of other tradespersons: barber, plumber, grocer, carpenter, baker, etc.
Also another way to write the sample sentence to avoid the “and” problem is:
“It rained for two days: our street was flooded.” That is the type of sentence structure where the semicolon is appropriate.
Your stationer – barber point is very elegant! And next time I hope I’ll remember to mention the semicolon. Thanks!