Last week’s blog post was a punctuation quiz. The answers were given, but the longer explanations were not. They will be given in this post. If you are a new subscriber, just click here to see last week’s post and take the quiz (Quick! Before you look at the answers and explanations here).
OK…I will leave a little space here before the explanations — enough space to thank every one of you who was able to attend my book launch last Friday evening, March 16. Today, I saw in the local newspaper that The Best Little Grammar Collection Ever! was the #3 bestselling fiction/nonfiction book last week at Petaluma Copperfield’s Books!
But enough bragging. Here is a discussion of the quiz and the answers…
1. I will be late for the meeting, please save me a seat. Not correct. Needs a semicolon or period instead of the comma; or you add a conjunction to the comma.
One of the most common grammar issues is the comma splice — trying to separate two complete sentences with just a comma and no conjunction. Otherwise, known as a run-on sentence, it is incorrect! Sometimes novelists will do it to indicate speed of dialogue or narration, but it has no place in formal or business writing. In this particular example, you could add the conjunction so, or you could change the comma to a semicolon; the semicolon can separate two sentences. Of course, you could always just make it two sentences, using a period after meeting and starting please with a capital P.
2. This must be James’s book.
Many of us claim to have learned in school — way back — that if a singular ended in an s, we wouldn’t add apostrophe s for the possessive, but simply just an apostrophe.We do that with plurals that end in s (the girls’ bicycles are in the garage), but not for singular words ending in s, unless we don’t pronounce the ‘s syllable. You would pronounce it James’s, so you should write it that way. Sometimes you don’t pronounce the ‘s. Let’s say his name was Miles instead. You very well might not say Miles’s. You might just say Miles’ car is in the shop. So here you have a choice. Generally we do pronoun that ‘s: my boss’s desk, the princess’s slipper, Frederick Douglass’s quote.
3. I am here, therefore, I am not there. Incorrect. Comma after here needs to be a semicolon. (Or you could put a period after here, and initial cap therefore.)
If you take out the word that is set off in commas, you see that you have two sentences, or a run on. I am here, I am not there. Since therefore is not used to connect two sentences, you need to do something. You need a period or a semicolon after the first sentence: I am here. Capitalize therefore if you used a period, leave everything else the same, and you are done. In some sentences therefore is fine set off with commas. How do you know? Take out the therefore (or however). If the sentence is okay, you can leave the commas. If the sentence is a run on, you need a semicolon.
4. Did he ask, “Are we there yet?”
You were asked to punctuate this sentence. Here is the correct punctuation. Of course, there is a comma after ask, separating the quotation from the other part of the sentence. Are we there yet is the quote, so there are quotation marks around each side. The big question is where to put the question mark. Question marks can go either inside or outside quotation marks. In this case the entire sentence is a question, and the quoted part is also a question. But we don’t use two question marks. Here is the rule:
If the entire sentence is a question, but the quoted part isn’t, the question mark goes outside the quotation marks.
If the entire sentence is a statement, but the quoted part is a question, the question mark goes inside the quotation marks.
If they are both questions, as they are in this example, the default is to put the question mark inside the quotation marks.
5. He said, “I heard the song ‘Forget You.”’ Correct as is.
This punctuation is correct, although the quotation marks might display funny on your computer. We have the comma after said, as usual. Then, what we have here is a quote within a quote, since song titles are quoted, not italicized. And we use single quotes for quotes within quotes. Periods always, always, always go inside quotes in American English, so the period is inside the single quote that goes with the song title and the double quote that goes with the end of the spoken part of the sentence.
6. “The Hobbit” is my favorite book. No. The Hobbit should be italicized rather than in quotation marks.
Book titles are italicized. The rule of thumb is that whole things are italicized and parts of those things are in quotation marks:
Italicized: book titles, movie titles, TV series titles, magazine titles, newspaper titles, paintings, titles of plays and operas, CDs
In quotes: chapter titles, title of an act in a play, newspaper or magazine article, episode of a TV series, songs.
7. This book is from the 1940s.
No apostrophe needed. Basically it is a plural. Plurals don’t have apostrophes except on rare occasion (a‘s, i‘s u‘s because of confusion ).
8. Please bring two shirts; blue, black, and brown pants; and black and blue socks. Or you could rewrite it somehow.
This series is unclear with just commas. Semicolons can be used to separate larger items in a series when there are already commas used. So two shirts is one item. The next item is three colors of pants, so commas separate the colors, and then a semicolon is once again used to separate the entire pants item. If you use semicolons in a list that already has commas, you need to make sure you separate each big item with a semicolon, even the items without commas in them. If you can think of a way to rewrite the sentence or separate it into more than one sentence, that is another way around it. Clarity is king! Or queen!!
9. She said, “I can’t go because I have to stay home to read Romeo and Juliet.”
Comma after said to separate the quoted part of the sentence, quotation marks around the quoted part, and Romeo and Juliet in italics because it is the name of a whole play. Period always inside the quotation marks.
10. My sister and her friends are coming to visit. Correct as is.
Some would be tempted to put a comma after sister or friends, but why????
11. Bob was usually a quiet man; however, he screamed upon entering the room. You could also put a period after man and capitalize however.
If you take out however, you see that you have two sentences — a run on– since however cannot be used to separate two complete sentences. Use a semicolon or a period after man. However, takes a comma after it. I you use a period, capitalize However.
12. To whom it may concern:
There is a colon after the salutation of a business letter. Use a comma for friendly letters. Sometimes with e-mail, there is probably a gray area!
13. It is a cold, rainy day. No. You need a comma between cold and rainy.
Sometimes you need a comma between two adjectives. Generally the rule is that if both adjectives are describing the noun, you use a comma between them, but if one adjective is actually describing the other adjective, and the second adjective is describing the noun, there is no comma. The best way to figure it out is to say it with and between the two adjectives. If it makes sense to put an and in when you say it, you probably need a comma. Look at this example of no comma needed: I looked at the bright blue sky.
14. This book, which is written by William Golding, is my favorite. No. The clause beginning with which needs to be set off with commas.
We are setting off the clause with beginning with which with commas because is it nonessential and could be left out without making the meaning unclear. The clause which is written by William Golding is a “by-the-way,” or added information. Because you refer to this book, it is probably clear which book you are talking about. It is nice to know who wrote the book, but the meaning is that the book you are showing to the listening is your favorite.
15. The book that is on top of the coffee table is next on my reading list. Correct as is.
On the other hand, the clause beginning with that is not set off with commas because it is essential. It identifies which book you are talking about: the book that is on top of the table. Take it out and the sentence is unclear.
16. I decided not to cook dinner and went to the movies instead. Correct as is.
No comma after dinner because this is not a compound sentence. A compound sentence is two complete sentences joined by a conjunction (or a semicolon). Went to the movies instead is not a complete sentence because the subject is missing. If the subject were there, we would use a comma: I decided not to cooke dinner, and I went to the movies instead.
17. I was born on August 10, 1980, in Lincoln, Nebraska.
These are just some comma standards: There is a comma after the month and day (but no comma if just the month is mentioned and not the day). There is always a comma after the year in a sentence. There is a comma between the city and state and a period at the end.
18. The only four ingredients in this recipe are sugar, vanilla, eggs, and flour. The comma after eggs (the Oxford comma) is optional, but I recommend using it.
Some people want to put a colon after are. This is not correct. Why interrupt a perfectly good sentence? In a list don’t use a comma after a verb. In this case you would use a colon: The only four ingredients in this recipe are as follows: sugar, vanilla, eggs, and flour.
19. I did not do very well on the test, however, so I failed the course.
Yes, you can set the however off with commas. There is no semicolon needed here. Take out the however. You are left wth a perfectly good sentence, not a run on because you have a conjunction (so). Commas are correct here.
20. Yes, Elaine, the party is at my house.
More comma standards. There is a comma after Yes and No at the beginning of a sentence. There is also a comma after Elaine, which is called direct address, or addressing someone by their name.
21. My address is 1487 Markham Place, Boston, Massachusetts 01987; please send my mail there, not to my old address. You could also put a period after the zip code and initial cap please.
More comma standards. When writing an address in text (as opposed as to on an envelope), put a comma between the street address and the city. Always put a comma between the city and the state. Never put a comma between the state and the zip code. You need a period or a semicolon before please because it begins a new sentence. The comma between there and not is one of “contrary information.”
22. I want to see that movie, I heard it’s great, but I haven’t had the time. Not correct. You can use dashes or parentheses, but not commas to set off I heard it’s great.
The main problem here is that the section set off in commas (I heard it’s great) is a complete sentence, and we can’t do that. You can use dashes, you can use parentheses. You can also put a semicolon or a period after movie and make it two sentences. It is kind of a double comma splice with the commas.
23. Not correct. The ellipsis(…) is used for trailing off. The em dash(long dash) is used for interruption.
She screamed, “I have had enough of this—”
“Calm down,” he interrupted.
This is rather new to me — not one to enjoy reading about ellipses. However, in the case of an interruption, a dash is used, not an ellipsis. Ellipses are used to indicate missing information or a trailing off. This dialog indicates an interruption rather than a trailing off.
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I apologize for any typos you might find in this post. I know it is inexcusable, especially for a grammarian. But my eyes cannot take looking at this screen for one more minute!
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