Today, 4th March, is National Grammar Day in the US. I would like to see this adopted in Britain, where standards of English writing are declining. But what is grammar? Many believe that grammar covers everything regarding language, including punctuation; however, grammar is distinct from this. It is the study of sentence structure and word [...]
As part of my job entails helping businesses with their grammar, punctuation, spelling and vocabulary, it might seem strange that I am asking this question. My answer should be ‘Of course grammar is important! Grammar is everything!’ Grammar counts for a lot and, as I’ve discovered from recent discussions on LinkedIn, even the most mild-mannered [...]
I talked about commas in my first post ‘Let’s eat Grandma’ way back in April. Despite being one of the most-used punctuation marks, commas are among the least understood; comma splicing is a common phenomenon, even among talented writers. To understand how to avoid comma splicing, one needs to be aware of clauses. This is [...]
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 [...]