…I object to his being here… and Other Correct Forms

Margie Wakeman WellsThe Apostrophe 2 Comments

Sometimes we “like” something that is not correct just because so many people say it incorrectly that we have become used to it. The who/whom question comes to mind. Many do not use these correctly because there are so few modeling them correctly. The “possessive in front of the gerund” is one such thing. The gerund  is the “-ing” form …

What About Philly? Was It Terrific?

Margie Wakeman WellsGeneral Leave a Comment

Oh, yes, it was. The many hugs were the best part. Great to see old friends; great to meet new people. Thanks for your hard work, Doug. Tami, you are going to have a great year! We are behind you. CCR people, I have missed you — fun to see you and get to chat at least a little. Pizza …

Philly, Here We Come!

Margie Wakeman WellsGeneral Leave a Comment

Leaving in the morning for Philadelphia! If you are going to be there, I hope you will come by Booth 307 and say hi — or catch my workshop on Friday. It will be great fun to see/meet you all. Don’t forget that I am doing two seminars here in Los Angeles: August 18 and August 25, 6700 West 83rd …

“Handicap Parking” and Other Errors

Margie Wakeman WellsGeneral Leave a Comment

Drove about 12 miles today to my stepdaughter’s house for a family get-together. “Handicap Parking” at a church: Nope. It is handicapped parking. “Oversize Load” on the back of a truck: Nope. It is oversized load. These are both participles. Participles end in “-ed” or “-ing” for these regular verbs. “Less Than Ten Items” at the market: Nope. Less is …

Interesting Construction with Dashes and Questions

Margie Wakeman WellsThe Comma, The Dash, The Question Mark 4 Comments

This is a sentence I was asked about on Facebook. And I have it correctly punctuated here. Have there been any major stressful events in the last year that you can think of — divorce? someone, a family member, dying? a major change in your work? — that has caused additional stress? There are dashes around the suggested answers for …

Beware of the Dependent Clause That Tries to Deceive You!

Margie Wakeman WellsThe Comma Leave a Comment

This is an issue that is VERY misunderstood. I am copying here the section from my book, beginning on page 401 in the chapter on “Where NOT to Put Punctuation.” Normally, I do not copy an entire section, but this one bears reading in its entirety. 27.9: No Punctuation: In Compound Dependent Construction Definition Compound Construction: Compound construction is two …