Source: arcamax.com via Jean on Pinterest   The vampire refers to himself as an old, single vampire. Is that comma correct? Yes! It’s a good example of a rule for using commas with adjectives that too many writers overlook. Here it is (not difficult!): When you’re using two (or more) unrelated adjectives, separate them with [...]

Source: doonesbury.slate.com via Jean on Pinterest   That roar you heard today was English teachers everywhere cheering. Why? Because the word fanboys appeared in the Doonesbury comic strip. “Fanboys” is a nonsense word for remembering the seven coordinating conjunctions: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so. But it’s not a nonsense word anymore! Here are [...]

Source: arcamax.com via Jean on Pinterest   Look at “shillelagh” in panel 2. Is the comma correct? Much ink has been spilled and many voices raised over this question. Answer: Your choice (as long as you’re consistent). Journalists always omit the comma; book publishers generally insist on it. Some businesses have style sheets that state [...]

Source: arcamax.com via Jean on Pinterest   Look at the third panel. What Opal is doing is interesting. There are seven coordinate conjunctions in the English language, and she’s using three of them: and, but, so. (The rest are for, nor, or, yet.) When you’re joining sentences with a comma, you MUST use one of [...]

   Is this sentence correct? Carla told me, “She’d be leaving for Texas tomorrow morning.” Scroll to the bottom of today’s post for the answer.    

Source: arcamax.com via Jean on Pinterest   Are the quotation marks correct in the first panel? Yes. “The world is your oyster” is not a question, so the question mark goes outside the quotation marks. If you’re quoting an actual question, put the question mark inside, like this: Jake kept asking, “When will we get [...]

Source: creators.com via Jean on Pinterest   Look at the first panel: Why is there a comma after “hot”? Answer: When you have two adjectives (describing words) together, you should separate them with a comma. (So you would write “hot, spicy soup” and “small, heavy box.”) I’m impressed that cartoonist John Allen inserted the comma [...]

Source: gocomics.com via Jean on Pinterest Let’s learn how to use a semicolon! Pick two sentences that go together. Change the period to a semicolon. Change the capital letter of the second sentence if you need to. You’re done! Let’s do it with the first panel of today’s Pearls Before Swine: Dad’s on the roof [...]

Source: fborfw.com via Jean on Pinterest   Let’s look at the comma in the second panel: “your cousin, Laura.” Is the comma correct? Depends. If Elizabeth has only one cousin, the comma is correct. If Elizabeth has several cousins, the comma should be omitted. Here’s why: You don’t drop your voice. “Your cousin Laura” (explaining [...]

Source: gocomics.com via Jean on Pinterest   The Oxford comma rears its ugly head in the first panel. Should there be a comma after “lawn-mower driver”? Answer: Yes – or no. Both are right. Just be consistent. Newspapers ALWAYS omit that serial comma to save space. Publishers (and many companies) have a policy about whether [...]