The Writing Life
Most of my writer friends know I’m a fan of the Oxford comma. (I also appreciate “comma” jokes, such as the “comma, comma, comma” pictured with a chameleon. What? It’s funny. No, seriously.) I would hazard most people, though, find the Oxford conversation a little silly.
[Read more…] about How to Be a Better Writer: Remember Your Commas
I’ve been threatening to write a new eBook for months, and I’ve finally gone and done it. The subject? Punctuation. Title? Perfect Punctuation. It’s an ironic title; even I don’t use punctuation perfectly despite the “Write Right” moniker. In addition, the eBook isn’t the end-all, be-all resource when it comes to punctuation. It’s more of a primer to be accessed when writing a blog post, white paper, or other content.
It’s no wonder that “its” and “it’s” are mistaken for one another. Both are spelled with the same letters and look similar in appearance except for the all-important apostrophe. The misuse usually is due to hasty proofreading; spellcheck and grammar check often are of no avail when trying to find the mistaken “its” or “it’s.”
I know of no rigid rules regarding bullet points and how to punctuate them. Because of that, I defer to two principles. One is consistency. The other is the effect on the page, that is, the visual element.
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I’ve been known to use the quotation mark symbol with my fingers to make a point – usually a sarcastic one – but I’m always amused when I see flagrant abuse and misuse of quotation marks. “Do ‘not’ park here”? I have to wonder what the writer was thinking. Perhaps the writer was trying to add emphasis. Unfortunately, the quotation mark was not the solution to the problem. The quotation mark was not only necessary but also made the entire statement suspect.
[Read more…] about Write Right: A Quagmire of Quotation Marks
I avoid exclamation points like they’re the plague. Don’t get me wrong; I’ll use them in texts, instant messages, or Facebook updates. When it comes to writing a blog post or an article, though, I hate using them. I think they’re a nuisance and, usually, unnecessary.
[Read more…] about Write Right: Say No to Exclamation Points