Not Your Grandma’s GrammarWritten by Jane Straus
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This does not follow logic, but it makes life easier for professional editors and for rest of us who have enough to think about besides punctuation. Warning: If you write a quotation in England, ignore this advice. Logic is still followed on that side of “the pond.” WE’VE COME A LONG WAY, MAYBE Since Grandma's day, we have shortened some words and dropped former plural form. Memo and memos used to be memorandum and memoranda. Yet other words still retain their original length, spelling, and plural form. Example: curriculum and curricula. With word data, we no longer see singular datum used at all. Data is now normally used as both singular and plural form. Examples: The data are being tabulated. The data is useful to scientists. JUST BECAUSE In Grandma's day, you would be scolded if you started a sentence with but or because. But you wouldn't have deserved that scolding then or now. Just make sure that if you start a sentence with either of these two words, you are following them with complete thoughts. Good Examples: But she would never say such a thing. Because of this bee sting, my arm is swollen. Bad Examples: But I can't. Because I said so. These are incomplete thoughts and you will get your knuckles rapped with a ruler for writing them. GET IT WRITE It’s not rocket science; it’s English language - and it’s easy. Click here for a free preview of book and for more information: THE BLUE BOOK OF GRAMMAR AND PUNCTUATION by Jane Straus. www.grammarbook.com
The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation An easy-to-use reference guide and workbook. Go online to access the entire contents of the book, to take an online quiz to test your skills, or to order your copy of this popular book. See why colleges, universities, professionals, and home school families choose this as their favorite resource! 800-644-3222 jane@grammarbook.com
| | The Fear of PunctuationWritten by Jane Straus
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I think most people feel insecure about their grammar and punctuation skills and long for comfort of a book or website that offers quick, understandable answers to their everyday questions. Common mistakes I see are letters, reports, and websites overusing or inappropriately using commas. There are just so many rules about commas that you have to be dedicated to learning rules or have a handy reference that gives you real-world, clear examples along with rules written for all of us who did not major in English. This is why I wrote The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation and decided to share contents of book online. When I see mistakes in ads, on billboards, and on websites, I think, “These businesses have paid good money for this advertising but they’re not getting their value.” While driving from San Francisco Bay Area to Sacramento, I saw two billboards with glaring errors. One read, “Your Welcome Here” (should be: You’re Welcome Here). Another one read, “Its Time to Call Us” (should be: It’s Time to Call Us). When potential customers see glaring English usage errors, they will inevitably question quality of service or product. Businesses that do not have their websites, letters, and advertising copy proofread pay a hidden price in customer confidence and profits. I would like to leave you with a helpful tip for one of most confusing issues for most of us: It’s vs. its It’s is a contraction for it is. If you cannot substitute it is for its, then don’t use apostrophe. Example: It’s a good thing you have access to rules now. Example: Knowing rules is worth its weight in gold.
Jane Straus is an entertaining teacher, lecturer, and author. Her book, The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation, is an easy-to-use reference guide and workbook for those of us who need answers to our everyday questions. You can see the entire contents of her book; order the book for your home, workplace, or school; take an interactive test; get your questions answered; or submit your documents for editing at: http://www.grammarbook.com/.
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