grammar – Words & Deeds

January 20, 2022

7 Common Comma Mistakes

I wanted to call it “Common Comma Conundrums” (I’m a sucker for alliteration), but I figured “Common Comma Mistakes” was more searchable. Oh, well. Either way, it’s a list of comma errors that people make a lot and how to fix them. The 7 Most Common Comma Errors 1. Comma Splice A comma splice is when you join two sentences...

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August 26, 2021

Don’t Use a Colon After Include

You know who you are. Yeah, you. I’m calling you out – don’t use a colon after “include.” Or “includes.” Or “including.” Or any other verb that has to have something after it to make sense. If you feel personally attacked by that, then, yes, I’m talking about you. But don’t worry: you’re not alone. A large faction of the...

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June 9, 2016

Why Doesn’t Anyone Care About Split Infinitives?

You know it’s true. For all that high school Grammar & Composition teachers tried to drill it into us, nobody cares. I’m not even sure the teachers care outside the classroom. Even grammar nazis seem to shrug and look the other way. In case some of you care so little that you’ve already wiped the error from your mind, here’s...

Grammar & Editing Comment: 1

January 31, 2016

Good Grammar & Tired Brains Don’t Mix

If you want your writing to have decent grammar, it’s better to do it when you’re conscious (the brain, at least, should be awake). As obvious as that seems, when you’re trying to cram in writing with a full time job, family, friends, car repairs, etc., it’s not the easiest rule to stick to. There are plenty of writers who...

Creative Process/Grammar & Editing Comment: 1

January 18, 2016

A Grammar-related T-shirt That Is All Too True

I do this automatically. At least, I’ve learned to do it silently (usually). On the other hand, I might be focusing on your speaking style so that I can use it when writing dialogue… but that’s too long to put on a t-shirt.

Grammar & Editing/Humor & Wordplay Comments: 0

January 17, 2016

Criticism v. Editing: What’s the Difference?

I get the impression that people sometimes lump criticism and editing together when they are in fact two very separate entities. Since you don’t want to make the mistake of giving one when someone wanted the other, it’s important to understand their differences. From what I can see, the biggest differences are who, how, and why. Criticism As a rule,...

General Thoughts & Updates/Grammar & Editing Comments: 0

December 27, 2015

My Grammar Pet Peeve Is Direct Address. What’s Yours?

The funny part about learning grammar well is that it turns grammar mistakes into nails on a chalkboard. Honestly, the screech of nails on a chalkboard is less aggravating. Since perfect English usage is almost unheard of (in speech, online, etc.), most English lovers learn to live with some errors or go mad from all the screeching. At the same time, we inevitably...

Grammar & Editing Comment: 1

October 11, 2015

Possessive Adjectives Shouldn’t Exist – At Least Not in High School.

Ok, Grammar Nazis, calm down and let me explain. First, for those of you who don’t know, school systems in the U.S. now teach that certain words are called possessive adjectives: my, your, his, her, its, our, and their. When you learned about them growing up, they probably called them possessive pronouns. That makes sense to me. A pronoun takes the...

General Thoughts & Updates/Grammar & Editing Comments: 0

September 19, 2015

The Wise Old Grammar OWL

No matter how well you learned grammar and punctuation, there will be times when you need to check whether something is correct or not. Whether it’s a case of not remembering for sure, being told your way is wrong, or simply not knowing, having somewhere to check is invaluable. The only problem is that if you don’t know for certain, how...

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September 12, 2015

Want to Date a Writer? Don’t Misuse Homophones!

The only problem with this card is that the period and quotation are in the wrong place relative to each other. I guess ecards are like dating: sometimes, you have to compromise. If you like the message enough, you might send it with one punctuation error. On the other hand, the people who would enjoy the message are usually the...