October 22, 2024
I’m not the only person who has favorite and least-favorite grammatical rules, right? For example, the Oxford comma is definitely up there as one of my favorites. Unfortunately, the rule we’re talking about right now—the suspended hyphen—is one of my Read more…
October 21, 2024
It might sometimes seem like people just toss hyphens randomly into their writing. And with so many different rules and various situations when you do or don’t need a hyphen (even for the same word!), it’s very possible that some Read more…
Babysit or baby-sit? Common sense or common-sense? First aid, first-aid, or firstaid? There are three different kinds of compound words—open, closed, and hyphenated—and it can be tricky to keep them all straight! Overview: What Is a Compound Word? A compound Read more…
October 18, 2024
If we only had short, simple sentences, our writing would be super boring to read. Every sentence would be like this. There would be no variation. Books would be absolutely unbearable. We would sound like robots. Luckily, we’re not restricted Read more…
October 7, 2024
Parentheses are a great tool you can use to add extra information or commentary to your text. If you want to toss in some examples or clarifications, they’re super handy. Little jokes and sarcastic comments love to be nested inside Read more…
October 3, 2024
Parentheses have all kinds of different functions: In academic papers, you’ll see them used for citations and maybe even in a few mathematical equations. In more casual writing, they’re used to insert extra information or relevant commentary. They’re handy if Read more…
September 6, 2024
You’ve probably figured out by now that commas have a LOT of different jobs. You might call them the jack-of-all-trades of the punctuation world. They separate items in a list, set off nonrestrictive clauses, follow introductory phrases, and so much Read more…
September 4, 2024
If I had to use just one word to describe the most common mistake that writers make with commas, I’d say “overuse.” Sins of omission with commas are rare; sins of commission are plentiful. Part of the trouble is that Read more…
August 23, 2024
One of my favorite books about grammar is Eats, Shoots & Leaves. In one chapter, the author (Lynne Truss) enumerates the many different roles of a comma and, after all that, reveals “the big final rule for the comma”: She Read more…
August 13, 2024
Colons and semicolons are spicy punctuation. If commas and periods are salt and pepper, then colons and semicolons are cayenne pepper. Here’s why: You can usually get on OK without ever using a colon or semicolon in your writing. Just Read more…