Apostrophes — Again! This isn’t the first article I’ve written on using apostrophes, and given the confusion surrounding them, it probably won’t be the last. But since I can’t know who will read what I post or who needs to…
Traps for the Unwary, Part 2: Apostrophes do not Create Plurals!
Last week I started a series on common errors that can trap even the best writers when we’re not thinking clearly or reading what we’ve written. Today we’re looking at one of the smaller punctuation marks — the apostrophe —…
Does Good Grammar Matter?
In this day and age, many folks wonder: does good grammar matter? This post came about thanks to an article that Maggi Kirkbride found, read, and shared — and tagged me with. You can read it here. Thanks, Maggi! The article…
Parentheses ( ), Brackets [ ], & Braces { }
I was looking up ways to explain (in my Brush Up on Your Business Writing workbook) how these three different punctuation marks highlight information, and I realized I had NO idea when we are supposed to use braces. So I…
Another Pop Quiz!
*********** Yes, it’s quiz time again! I know many of you actually read my posts and perhaps even try to make some changes (if you’re using American grammar), so I hope this little quiz is easy for you! FYI: There…
Quiz Time — Colons and Semicolons!
Good Monday morning! It’s time for another quiz, this time on using colons and semicolons — the American way. About half of my connections live outside the United States, and they likely follow a different grammar system. But for those…
Who’s Hoarding All The Hyphens?
I am rerunning this particular post (first published December 2014) because over the last ten months I have tripled my readership, and I seriously doubt anyone has gone back to the beginning of what I have written to see what…
It’s National Punctuation Day!
I will bet most of my readers did not know this, but it really is! From Wikipedia National Punctuation Day is a celebration of punctuation that occurs each year on September 24 in the United States of America. Founded by…
It’s Quiz Time Again!
Please remember this is based on the American grammar system; if you follow any of the British systems, your rules might be different. ************** Yes, here’s another quiz (previous one here), which explains why I chose that picture for this…
Commas Count!
Today’s lesson is brought to you by the often-misused punctuation mark called the comma. Many of us writers never learned the basic rules for commas, and as we’ve aged we’ve really struggled with them. We’ve heard that if we pause…
Last (?) Thoughts on Apostrophes
I decided to run these three earlier posts this morning to help those who might not have seen them the first time. Over the last few months, I have doubled my number of LI connections, and I doubt that my…
Using Semicolons in Compound Sentences
Last week I published a post about using commas in compound sentences; if you didn’t see it (or even if you did and need a reminder), click here. I also wrote that I would show you another way to treat…
Forming Contractions
Good morning to you on May 18, 2015! Today’s grammar checkup involves a basic punctuation rule: using apostrophes in word and date contractions. Most of us know that we form contractions of words — usually to convey an informal tone…
Using Hyphens
Good morning, dear readers! Here’s another installment of my Monday grammar checkup posts, this one on using hyphens in compound (multi-word) adjectives, those that come right in front of a noun and modify / describe it. I often see this…
Say What?
Good Monday morning! Although many of us bemoan the arrival of Monday, it’s also a great day to just get going in our lives. And if we’re lucky, we have a job to go to, whether it’s a paid one…
Believe It or Not: Apostrophes #3
For those who saw my recent posts on the wrong usage of apostrophes, here’s another one on apostrophes, this time using them in contractions. Many of us create contractions in words without thinking, right? We often write “don’t” or “can’t”…
Can You Imagine This?
Do you remember a news story a few years ago about two 28-year-old young men who drove around the country correcting grammatical errors on public and private signs? They were called “Typo Vigilantes.” Unfortunately, they were not well received in…
Money Down the Drain
OK, I know I’m a crank, but my crankiness has a purpose. Right now I’m banging my head against a wall — figuratively, although it may get literal — because I just read the first three paragraphs of a post…
No Apostrophes in Plurals!
I see this time and time again: someone takes an ordinary word and adds an apostrophe and s, thinking the word is now plural. NO. That’s not the way we do it. In English, we create regular plurals of words…