So many rules. So many exceptions. Should authors pay more attention to content or to grammar? Read on. Share This:

How do you interject something into a sentence or dialogue that’s not actually part of the main thought? You can use commas or parentheses—or you can use em-dashes. Here’s how. Share This:

A common problem writers face is whether to use a comma between two clauses. The solution depends on whether one the clauses is essential or non-essential. Following are some useful guidelines. Share This:

An effective writer should be skilled in all the usual forms of punctuation (commas, periods, etc.). However, sometimes question marks, exclamation points, and parentheses can be challenging. Here are some useful ideas. Share This:

This is another post on the subject of commas. It seems that, no matter how much is written about this little mark, it continues to be a dark area of writer’s understanding. While it may seem that an author can put a comma just about anywhere, or not, there are some basic “rules” or guidelines

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Sometimes you need a comma before “because” and sometimes you don’t. This can often be confusing. So here are some guidelines. Share This:

Believe it or not, there is an appropriate order to writing a string of adjectives in a sentence. Most native English language writers take this order for granted, picking it up while learning to talk. Share This:

Rules for using commas and semicolons have been debated for years, and there are a number of sources that offer an opinion on how to use them. However, there are a few simple or basic guidelines that work most of the time. Share This:

Why is abbreviation such a long word? Periods in abbreviations can be a controversial subject. There are no hard and fast rules, and often the style manual used by the editor or publisher will prevail, so know your audience. Following are some general guidelines. Share This:

It’s often difficult to decide when to use a hyphen or dash, and whether to use a long (em) dash or a short (en) dash. The letters ‘m’ and ‘n’ are used to describe the length of the dash as the same as the matching letter. Share This: