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Monthly Archives: November 2014
Quotation Marks: Inside or Outside? Part II
In the last post I tried to reinforce an absolute rule for “American English”: The two most common punctuation marks, periods and commas, ALWAYS GO INSIDE quotation marks, despite our logic telling us otherwise. (“American English” because the rule is different in … Continue reading
Posted in Common Punctuation Errors
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Quotation Marks: Inside or Outside? (Part I)
For a short workweek, let’s clear up an area of punctuation confusion we can cover in a short post––but there’s a catch. This punctuation rule can be counterintuitive. But wait. If you can sweep away the counterintuitive part, you’ll never … Continue reading
Posted in Common Punctuation Errors
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Borrow from the Journalists
Yes, print journalism is struggling these days, but does that mean we don’t have anything to learn from our favorite newspapers and magazines? After all, the craft has been undergoing continual refinement for hundreds of years, and plenty of smart … Continue reading
Posted in Flair & Finesse
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Promiscuous Capitalization
Knowing when to use initial caps is an extensive topic, so let’s focus on just three guidelines. Standing Firm The first guideline pertains to your personal “style guide.” When in doubt about capitalization, do you play it safe by going … Continue reading
Posted in Common Grammar Errors
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Throw off Three Shackles
Contrary to what we might have been instructed in school––or what we think we were instructed––we are allowed to begin sentences with And, But, and Because. Here are examples of correct sentences that make good use of these under-employed beginnings: And we lost … Continue reading