When there are two independent clauses that are joined by a coordinate conjunction, — and, but, or, nor — a comma goes before the conjunction. This is probably the most basic of all comma rules. …There were three of us, and I assumed we were all in agreement. …I saw her early in the day, but she was not at the …
Hyphen Seminar
In introductory remarks entitled “Where Have All the Hyphens Gone?” The Gregg Reference Manual suggests that what it calls “the hyphen mess” is simply going to go away because people just don’t understand the rules. And if you go on to read the 38-page chapter on compound words, I am fairly sure you will agree. Since – for those of …
Checking In
Dear blog followers, I am checking in for the first time in a while. Life has been hectic in the Wellses’ household the last many months. Among other things, I traveled seven times in nine weeks September through November, and we moved in January for the first time in 45 years. We downsized and now have NO stairs AND our …
Just a reminder: Sentence Structure, a study of clauses and phrases, begins this Saturday, August 10, at 8:30 A.M. PDT. Go to margieholdsclass.com for details and registration. And, yes, I had a MAJOR grammar mistake in my last post!!! …I give this class ONLY once a year. The placement of “only” matters!!!! Happy punctuating! Margie
Phrases and Clauses — The Never-ending Dilemma
Phrases and Clauses: How can I tell the difference? Does it matter? Can I punctuate them the same? Do adverb phrases always take commas or never take commas? Does “essential” have anything to do with it? These two language elements, phrases and clauses, function differently from each other and are punctuated according to two different sets of rules. Understanding how …
Commas on Steroids Starts This Sunday
My first-time-ever class on commas alone, Commas on Steroids, begins this Sunday, January 13, and then meets both days next weekend, January 19 and 20. (As I am putting the class together, I am thinking we need more time, but that will have to be a Part 2 comma class at a later date!) We will spend the entire six …
“Commas on Steroids” — A New Class
I was recently told that what I generally teach is “too easy.” So having given it some thought, I have created a new class — Commas on Steroids. We will look at the basic rules and then see how they apply to those transcript sentences that are lengthy and often convoluted. We need to figure out how to break these …
Is the Apostrophe Necessary in This Construction?
There was a recent question on FB regarding the apostrophe in this construction: …It was 2013-’14. OR …It was 2013-14. I wanted to look it up to make sure but was running out the door at the time — and then promptly forgot about it. Here is a post from today by Mary Neel with the reference that cites the …
“Yes” and “No” and Their Friends
When “yes” and “no” are being used generically, there are no quotes. That is, when they are being used to refer to a positive or negative answer, they are not quoted. Attorneys are generally looking for a generic response and are not requiring that those words and only those words be used. When the “yes” and “no” are mixed in …
What about…? How about…?
“What about…?” and “How about…?” are idiomatic expressions that are meant to ask a question. It is true that they are not grammatically complete sentences in that they do not have a verb. However, idioms are unique unto themselves, and these two indicate questions and must stand alone with a question mark. If there is a question after this expression, …