You will find that many school text books include explanations on how to use apostrophes within the punctuation section. What many don’t realise is that this grapheme (written symbol, letter or group of letters) is actually a feature of spelling – not punctuation. Think about it: commas separate words, phrases and clauses; full-stops appear at [...]
I was a school child for the whole of the 1970s, a time when the discrete teaching of grammar was considered unhelpful. The great educational powers of the time decided that grammar teaching was boring and not working so must change. It was decided that it should be taught in the context of whatever was [...]
In case you’re wondering about the title, it’s an example that shows why commas are important for conveying meaning. Having grandma round for dinner has a whole new meaning when the comma is left out. ‘Let’s eat, grandma,’ is so much more friendly and welcoming. Who would have thought that one little punctuation mark would [...]