Punctuation

The power of punctuation.

The power of punctuation.

July 9, 2011 Punctuation

It took me a minute to figure out what Robby was trying to say here. Aye caramba! Who would want to watch his grandpa engage in sexual relations with a man in the hospital?  Mason is on the right track, but both a period (after him) and a comma (after man) would help here. But a [...]

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The mother of all fireworks shows

The mother of all fireworks shows

July 4, 2011 Punctuation

I spent the weekend in Margate. (For those unfamiliar, we’re talkin’ Jersey Shore, and also the home of my girlhood days.) This poster for Fourth of July fireworks was plastered all over town: I’m confused. Who are these Margate Mothers, and do they own the fireworks? Are they omnipotent and omniscient, as I have always suspected? [...]

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If the Oxford comma could speak...

If the Oxford comma could speak…

June 30, 2011 Punctuation

Surely it would be invoking the famous Mark Twain line right about now: The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated. Twitter was aflutter this week with rumors that the Oxford comma, aka the serial comma, has been abandoned by the very institution that gave it its name: Oxford University Press. Here’s how the Economist’s [...]

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Jersey girls don't pump gas but they sure can hyphenate.

Jersey girls don’t pump gas but they sure can hyphenate.

June 23, 2011 Punctuation

On my way to the beach today, I stopped at the rest stop for a healthy treat Doritos for the kids. Imagine my delight upon seeing this perfectly punctuated t-shirt for sale: They even got the tricky totally cool right — no hyphen after words ending in -ly.  I didn’t buy it. But there’s always the ride [...]

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Harsh

Harsh

May 27, 2011 Just wrong

      reblogged from myfriendgregsdepressingfacebook: Greg will sterilise you if you misuse an apostrophe. However, he can use a semicolon any way he wants.

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Above the Law makes hyphens sexy.

Above the Law makes hyphens sexy.

May 10, 2011 Punctuation

Above the Law is the go-to source for breaking news on law-related scandals, hot lawyers, secret firings, and associate bonuses. Imagine my delight when I saw this headline on the site: Small Firms, Big Lawyers: The ‘Lost’ Art of Hyphens I’ve raved about the wonders of hyphenation here, here and here. The Above the Law article, written by Jay Shepherd [...]

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Would you refinance your home with this man?

Would you refinance your home with this man?

May 8, 2011 Grammar

We’re looking into refinancing, and have received a few (thousand) emails as a result of my inquiries. I’m a sucker for branding, so I paid attention to the email from Lending Tree, as I’ve seen them on tv. (Basically, that’s what my process boils down to. Or, that’s down to what it boils.) Anyhoo, when [...]

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The Royal Wedding, Hyphenated

The Royal Wedding, Hyphenated

April 28, 2011 Punctuation

Whenever I teach lawyers the rules on hyphenating compound modifiers, I feel like a bit of a crazy, because strict application of the rule would result in hyphens all over the place, including places where most writers are not used to putting them or seeing them, like affirmative-action plan or collective-bargaining agreement. So I was [...]

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A more benevolent take on the semi-colon

A more benevolent take on the semi-colon

March 24, 2011 Punctuation

In yesterday’s post, Kurt Vonnegut trashed the semi-colon as a transvestite hermaphrodite (or was it a hermaphrodite transvestite?) whose main purpose is to show off the writer’s college education. Anger issues, Kurt? I love this equally vivid but much more generous view of the misunderstood and maligned mark: Sometimes you get a glimpse of a semicolon coming, [...]

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Please pass me a comma before I . . .

Please pass me a comma before I . . .

March 23, 2011 Punctuation

Rachel Ray finds inspiration in cooking her family and her dog. Wow. She looks so normal. Read the article to see which she finds more tender — dog meat or human flesh. (Image from FoodNetworkHumor.com)

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