Category Archives: Common Punctuation Errors

Thanksgiving Dinner Guests

Select your answer in each of the following. 1. We’re inviting the (Rubio’s/Rubios’/Rubios) and a few other candidates’ families to Thanksgiving dinner. 2. I need the (Clinton’s/Clintons/Clintons’) banana cream pie recipe, but I don’t have Hillary’s email address. 3. We hope the … Continue reading

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Anniversary Month

Yep. If you are one of my original subscribers, you have now been receiving posts for a full year. And if you joined the party late, entries you missed are waiting for you in “Archives.” So let’s mark the one-year … Continue reading

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Time for the Red Pen Again

Reach for your red pen and try your hand at this short summer quiz. What corrections and other refinements would you make in the following two sentences? 1. The principal reason I held a meeting with the Marketing staff was … Continue reading

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More cloudy Issues

Let’s keep the quiz momentum going another week. Try your hand at identifying one or more errors in the following sentences. 1. If you’re wondering where my Dad is, Uncle Al saw him hop in the hotel bar. 2. Because … Continue reading

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Pop Quiz Theme: Summer Cookouts

I don’t get it. Back in school, having a teacher spring a quiz on us elicited groans and anxiety, but several readers have remarked that they particularly like the posts containing quizzes. So here you go. Each sentence below can … Continue reading

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An Embarrassment of Glitches III

Here’s another example of how much good we can do ourselves by putting aside a rough draft and returning to it later with renewed energy and refreshed lenses. The brief paragraph, from an online newsletter, describes employees who merit supervisory … Continue reading

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Common Comma Misunderstandings, Part 2

As promised, here is the follow-up to last week’s discussion and quiz (http://www.normfriedman.com/blog/wp-admin/post.php?post=542&action=edit) related to comma errors. This time, decide which sentences need corrections and which are fine as is. Quiz time 1. I can’t figure out why the pie … Continue reading

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Common Comma Misunderstandings

Sometimes comma use is arbitrary, but usually we have rules to guide us. So to brush up on the rules, let’s look at a few of the most common misunderstandings about when to hit the comma key or resist the … Continue reading

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You’ve Got Style

  One of many ways to refine our writing is developing a personal style guide. Some employers have a style guide to help ensure consistency and correctness across all departments, but most don’t. That shouldn’t stop you, however, from maintaining … Continue reading

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“Fraternal Twins”

How many errors do you spot in these two sentences? 1. In his remarks at the all-staff meeting, our CEO inferred that a new vacation policy would go into effect in July 2015. 2. Based on my neighbor’s description of … Continue reading

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