The No, It’s Not Arbitrary and Does Make Sense: Teaching the English Punctuation System article from busyteacher.org is a great place to review what you know and think you know about punctuation. A true/false quiz is the best place to start. 1. You write a comma when you take a breath. True False 2. You … Continue reading Punctuation Myths: A Grammar Lesson
All Together vs. Altogether: A Grammar Lesson
You know that moment when you're writing away and all of a sudden you can't remember simple things? Like than or then? I once wrote an entire high school AP English paper without using than. To which my very patient teacher asked me, just how late were you up writing this paper? Of course, my … Continue reading All Together vs. Altogether: A Grammar Lesson
Colon or semicolon: a grammar lesson
If you aren't following Mark Ragan (@MarkRaganCEO) on Twitter, you're missing out. In addition to posting about the ever-changing landscape of Public Relations, he often posts quick grammar hit, like this one on the colon and semicolon. Colons can be used for emphasis, to set off a list, indicate dialogue, introduce quotations and in a … Continue reading Colon or semicolon: a grammar lesson
Anyone, any one, anybody, any body: A Grammar lesson
Earlier today, I had to pull out my trusted AP Stylebook. I had to explain why anyone was wrong in a sentence and couldn't quite remember why it was wrong, I just knew it was. The sentence was, "any one can participate." I just knew it was supposed to be, "anyone can participate," but I … Continue reading Anyone, any one, anybody, any body: A Grammar lesson
Me, myself and I: A Grammar Lesson
We all could use a little review of me, myself and I once in awhile. This article from Dina Giolitto “Credibility Thieves in Your Web Copy, A.k.a. Grammatical Goofs and Punctuation Flubs” is an excellent refresher. In the article, Giolitto explains that “myself” is a reflexive pronoun that should reflect back to “I” … Continue reading Me, myself and I: A Grammar Lesson