Reddit reviews Rhetorical Grammar (6th Edition)

So, I actually disagree with the "read, read, read" comment because a lot of prolific and culturally important writers disregard grammar rules deliberately which would confuse someone who wants to learn the foundations. Hemingway did this, Jack London did this, William Faulkner did this, and on and on.

What I would suggest, instead, is read a grammar book like Rhetorical Grammar and another book you really enjoy, side by side. That way, when you come across something you don't understand or are curious about, you can pause your reading and refer to the rules according to the relevant grammar instruction you have at your side.

This is the same concept as reading Spark notes along with a difficult book for the sake of interpretation or guided analysis. Even in my graduate education I do this to make sure I'm getting the most out of my readings.

TL;DR Find a grammar instruction book you like and have it at arms reach while you're reading to reference the grammar rules you're curious about in the books you enjoy reading.

Learn grammar, then learn how to break the rules.

I've met a lot of good journalists who know nothing about grammar. However, many of them develop an intuitive sense for it overtime and make due. You might be the sort of person that can get away with this. To increase your chances of success, though, I would recommend you at least study a few books on the subject.

Skunk and White's elements of Style is a good starting point. After that, you can move on to something like Rhetorical Grammar by Koln and Gray (http://www.amazon.ca/Rhetorical-Grammar-6th-Martha-Kolln/dp/0205706754/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1369411827&sr=1-1&keywords=rhetorical+grammar).

Study rhetorical devices as well. Here's a small online guide http://www.virtualsalt.com/rhetoric.htm