So many people make this mistake. My very favorite Dodgers announcer, Vin Scully, whose English was really excellent, made this error. And he is not alone. I heard it three times yesterday and had the news on for only an hour. Once you say “the reason,” all other words implying the reason are unnecessary. …The reason why is that she …
That Confusing “S”
When a proper name ends in “s” and we have to make it plural or possessive, it seems it is always a bit jarring. There are several things to keep in mind: First, when a surname has the word “the” in front of it, it is always plural. …I saw the Cohens when I visited D.C. …The Johnsons joined us …
Sentences Joined by “And”
If there are several sentences that have a coordinate conjunction between them — usually this is the word “and” — it is correct to put a comma before the coordinate conjunction, the “and.” There seems to be some discussion that, when there is a string of these sentences, there is no need for the commas. I know of no such rule. This is …
Errors
Okay. So I should not write a blog during the insomniac hours of my life — 4:30 A.M. I just reread it: “…who is just needs a better grasp….” Yikes. Why are those errors so easy to spot now? And I violated a very important proofreading rule for these things: write the blog; proofread it; save it as a draft; …
“All Things English,” My Book with a Different Approach
As I am sure many of you agree, the lack of English skills of people in general is appalling. Whether it is grammar, punctuation, word pairs, spelling, or just general knowledge of English, people are just not learning even the most basic of English skills. Little or nothing is being taught about the language. High school students, college students, those …
The Word “Then”
When “then” means “at that time,” it does not take a comma as it is an adverb. …He was then on his way to becoming successful. …I saw them and then began to wonder what would happen. If “then” is at the beginning of a sentence, it starts a new sentence and needs a semicolon or a period in front …
Does “:00” Mean “O’clock”?
I have not seen a written rule about “o’clock” equaling “:00” in a standard English text. I would love to have a reference for that rule. I know that many people were taught that. I have simply never seen it written as a rule. There are three separate English rules for transcribing times. I believe that, in our era of …
Punctuation When Using Parens
Does the punctuation go inside or out? Is there a cap or not? …A (Indicating.) …A Right here (indicating). The English rule: If the whole thought is inside the parens, the first word is capped, and the punctuation goes inside; if the thought inside the parens is part of a larger thought, there is no cap, and the punctuation goes …
A Period or a Question Mark?
When the witness repeats the question or part of the question and then answers it, use a question mark after the question and let the rest of the answer stand on its own. …Q Was it after 10:00 that he called that night? …A Was it after 10:00? Yes. …Q What was the attire for the meeting? …
That Sneaky Dependent Clause, Part 2
I have been asked for a little more explanation on the last post. A dependent clause is dependent because it has a word out in the front of it that “introduces” it. …He left. (a sentence, an independent clause) …that he left (dependent clause) …when he left (dependent clause) …because he left (dependent clause) …if he left (dependent clause) When …