Writing: Not Your Grandma’s Grammar

Not Your Grandma’s Grammar

Written by Jane Straus

Not Your Grandma’s Grammar

As if it isn’t enough that computers have influenced just about every area of our lives, you’d think that something as sacred as repparttar English language would remain immune to technology’s pressures. Not so. You may not need to learn new rules of grammar as often as you need to update your computer’s RAM, but tweaking your grammar skills will make you look more professional, and you can impress your friends and colleagues with some cutting-edge reasoning.

SPACED OUT One or two spaces between sentences after a period?

Unlike individual letters in typewriters, which all take up repparttar 128689 space of one character, computerized lettering allows for spacing differences depending on repparttar 128690 size of repparttar 128691 letter or punctuation mark. Hence, an m or an H is wider than an I. A period takes up less space than any letter so one space after a period on repparttar 128692 computer creates a large enough gap to repparttar 128693 eye to indicate repparttar 128694 end of a sentence.

Computer programmers changed this rule, not grammarians or English teachers. The battle is still being waged, but I think repparttar 128695 programmers will win.

QUESTIONABLE MARKS Quotation marks and punctuation.

In Grandma's day, a period used with quotation marks followed logic. Examples: Myrtle said repparttar 128696 word "darn". The period went outside repparttar 128697 quote because only repparttar 128698 last word was in quotation marks, not repparttar 128699 entire sentence.

Myrtle said, "I would never say that." The period went inside repparttar 128700 quotation mark because repparttar 128701 entire sentence is a quote.

Today (actually for repparttar 128702 last 30 years or so), repparttar 128703 period always goes inside repparttar 128704 quotation mark. Example: Myrtle said repparttar 128705 word "darn."

The Fear of Punctuation

Written by Jane Straus

The Fear of Punctuation By Jane Straus

If you have a sentence followed by a list, do you use a semicolon or a colon? The answer: That depends…Did you introduce repparttar list with an introductory word such as such as? Did you have a complete sentence before you began repparttar 128687 list? Is your list part of your sentence or did you indent repparttar 128688 items on repparttar 128689 list in tabular form? Those are a lot of factors to consider for one measly punctuation mark, which is why most people need help in repparttar 128690 form of a reference book, website, or trusted associate. People have reason to fear punctuation because repparttar 128691 rules have changed and they continue to do so. Who has repparttar 128692 right to change these rules? Rumor has it that repparttar 128693 rules about placing periods and commas inside quotation marks was changed 30+ years ago by repparttar 128694 typesetters’ union because figuring out inside vs. outside for repparttar 128695 comma or period was apparently too complicated and time consuming. So, all of a sudden, we were told to put all commas and periods inside quotation marks. The British apparently didn’t buy this excuse and continue to follow logic. This makes their lives more difficult because they actually have to think. Americans can just put that period or comma inside repparttar 128696 quotation mark with no worries. However, we Americans are not completely off repparttar 128697 hook. We still have to use logic with quotation marks when repparttar 128698 sentence has question marks, exclamation points, or, heaven forbid, a semicolon. Then, of course, repparttar 128699 advent of computers has brought numerous changes in punctuation. This is why we now have just one space after repparttar 128700 period before starting a new sentence. The programmers’ reasoning for this change is that repparttar 128701 computer spaces every letter and punctuation mark according to its actual size. So repparttar 128702 reader’s eye sees enough space between repparttar 128703 period and repparttar 128704 next capital letter such that he/she is not confused. But I have people writing emails to me every day questioning this decision. They ask me, “Is it a rule?” My answer: “It is now.” We are all familiar with those annoying red and green squiggly lines we see under words and punctuation marks. Often, when you right-click on repparttar 128705 squiggly line, you will receive a suggestion that is confusing or just plain wrong. The bottom line is that repparttar 128706 English language is a living, breathing entity, much like an animal responding to its environment. It must adapt in order to survive.

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