Arlene Miller's Blog, page 35

Commas Part 4: And More Comma Rules…

Image by Gordon Johnson from Pixabay

More comma rules? Yup. So far we have discussed some common uses for commas, using commas for introductory material, and using commas for interrupters.  But there’s more! Here are more uses for commas . . .

Sometimes you need a comma between two adjectives that both  come before a noun. Other times you don’t. How can you tell?

1. If the first adjective modifies the second adjective, rather than both adjectives modifying the noun, there is no comma. 

She is wearing a bright blue dress. (Bright modifies blue, not dress.)

2. If you can put and between the two adjectives, and the sentence still makes sense, you need a comma.

We drove for miles along a narrow, winding road.
Please get that torn, dirty blanket off my bed.

3. You can always try the pause test. If you would pause, you probably need a comma. If you wouldn’t pause, no comma necessary.

Try on your new white shirt.
That beautiful green hat is mine.

You need a comma before etc.

If etc. falls at the end of the sentence, put a comma before it. If it comes in the middle of the sentence, put commas both before and after it. Don’t forget the period.

I love all types of Asian dishes including Thai, Chinese, Korean, etc.
Please bring your pencils, erasers, notebooks, pens, etc., to class the first day.

You need a comma before i.e. and e.g.

These two abbreviations follow the same rules as etc. Etc. means “and so on,” whereas i.e. means “that is,” and e.g. means “for example.”

She is the new drum major, i.e., the leader, of the marching band.
She can speak many languages, e.g., French, Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese.

You need a comma with direct address.

Direct address means calling someone by name in a sentence. Use a comma or commas regardless of where the name falls in the sentence.

Mom, can you please come to the front of the room?
Can you please, Yasmin, clean your room before you go out?
Did you mow the lawn yet, Jasper?

Use commas when you write addresses.

When you write an address on an envelope, you need a comma only between the city and state. If you are writing an address in text, you need more commas. Note there is never a comma between state and zip code.

John Jones

55 Main Street

Boston, MA 01911

I live at 55 Main Street, Boston, Massachusetts 01911.

Commas are used when writing dates. Sometimes.

Here are some examples:

March 22, 2020
March 2020 (no comma if the day isn’t there)
I have a valuable cover from the March 5, 1949, issue of Life Magazine.  (Note the comma after 1949 too.)
I was born August 12, 1980, in Boston. (Notice the comma after 1980.)

Commas are used in numbers.

Commas are generally used in numbers containing four or more numerals:

1,000

65,000

10,000,000

If you should happen to write a sentence with two numerals in a row (perish the thought; please rewrite the sentence), put a comma between them:

Of the total of 400, 60 were girls.

Sometimes you need a comma with too.

If too (meaning “also”) appears at the end of a sentence, you do not need a comma before it. If it falls in the middle of the sentence, it should be set off with commas.

My brother says he wants to come too.
I, too, would love to take piano lessons.

Commas are used to set off academic degrees.

When writing academic degrees with their owners, use commas.

Val Smith, Ph.D., will be speaking at the conference.
I have an appointment with Alan Crosby, M.A., this afternoon.

Commas are used with Jr., Sr., and other such titles.

Use a comma between the person’s name and the title. However, in text you don’t need a comma after the title unless the person wants the comma there or if something follows the title that is set off with commas.

Martin Luther King, Jr. gave many inspiring speeches.
John Dean, Sr., president of the academy, spoke at the graduation.

Use commas in company names  — usually.

Usually there is a comma before Inc. or Ltd. in a company name. However, you should punctuate the company name exactly as they do (or don’t).

I work for ABD, Inc.

Use a comma in greetings and closings of letters or e-mails.

Use a comma after the greeting of a letter or e-mail. However, if the letter or e-mail is formal (business), use a colon instead. Use a comma after the closing of a letter or e-mail.

Dear Sal,
Dear Dr. Norman:
Respectfully yours,

Use commas with however and therefore.

Use a comma with however or therefore when either word begins a sentence (or follows a semicolon). Use a comma before the word if it ends a sentence. If however or therefore occurs in the middle of the sentence, set if off with commas. But be careful! If however or therefore is actually connecting two complete sentences, you will need a semicolon (or period) before it. These are all correctly punctuated.

Therefore, I think you are doing the right thing.
I don’t think you should join that group, however.
You  seem to have researched the situation. Therefore, I think you are doing the right thing.
You may go against my wishes, however, and that is your choice.

Next Week: More Commas Still!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ten Grammar Mistakes ESL Students Make

I am happy to present a guest post by Nora Mork:

Image by Kollakolla from Pixabay

 

If you want to speak English well, you should learn some basic English idioms. Speaking naturally comes with slang as well. But before all that, you should focus on learning proper English grammar and correcting your grammar mistakes.

Here are some of the most common English grammar mistakes ESL learners make — and how they can avoid making them in the future so they can learn faster and gain more confidence:

1. May vs. Might

This is a tricky one because the difference is pretty small.  Both words state that something is possible, but might is more uncertain than may.

So, keep in mind that saying that you may do something has more weight;  it’s a lot more certain and stronger than saying that you might do something. Might should be used when what you say will maybe happen but then maybe it won’t.

May also turns into might in the past tense.

2. Fewer vs. Less

This is a mistake both native and ESL speakers make. These words both describe the opposite of more, but you need to keep the noun in mind when deciding whether to use fewer or less. Fewer is used for countable nouns — when you can count the number of things you are addressing. Less is used with uncountable nouns — something that can’t be used with a number in front of it like love, water, electricity,  and so on.

3. Could, Should, Would

These sound the same but mean different things. Should is used when you give advice to someone. Would is used to describe situations that are unreal or unlikely and to make polite offers. Could can be used to describe a past ability, possibilities in the future, or to make polite requests.

4. Since and For

These words are both used in relation to time. For is used with a period or a duration of time, while since is used with an exact moment in time. For comes before expressions like 10 minutes, 6 months, and so on. Since comes before Monday, January, 1995, for example.

5. Bring or Take

These two words have almost the same meaning, but they have different directions.

Bring suggests that you are moving something to the speaker; you are bringing things to where you already are. Take means that you are moving away from the speaker. You take things with you, but people bring stuff with them to you.

6. Order of Adjectives

Keep in mind that adjectives — if there is more than one of them in a row — always go in the same specific order.

The normal order is

Quantity or number
Quality or opinion
Size
Shape
Age
Color
Nationality
Material

Not all of these are used at once;  use three at most at the same time.

7. Me and Myself

When to use me and when to use myself is another big ESL problem.

“Well, me is an object pronoun which refers to the person the action is being done to – so use me when something is being done to you,” says Tiana Franklin, an educator at Bigassignments and Resumention. Myself  is reflexive and generally only used in sentences that have I in them as well.

8. There, Their, and They’re

This is a common mistake even with native speakers. These words sound the same but are definitely not the same.

There is a place, or it is used with the verb to be. Their is a possessive adjective, which signals that something belongs to them. They’re is a contraction of they are.

9. Its vs. It’s

These two words often cause another mistake common with both native and ESL speakers. Its signals that something belongs to it. It’s is a contraction of it is. 

10. A or The

There are many languages that don’t use definite and indefinite articles ,which means that many ESL learners will have trouble with this. When you are talking about something in a general way, you should use the “a” article, but when you are referring to something specific that everyone is familiar with, you should say “the.” Academ advisor and Revieweal might help you find out where to use a and where to use the in your conversations.

 

Learning a language is hard, especially English since there are so many differences in grammar from other languages. But you can manage to overcome these mistakes and become a more fluent speaker. 

 

Nora Mork is an e-learning journalist and an ESL tutor at Oxessays. She helps ESL students achieve learning goals by sharing her experience in lectures and language learning posts at such online magazines and blogs as Academized and Writemyaustralia.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Commas Part 3: Interrupters

Often, you have a word, a phrase, or a clause that interrupts the flow of the sentence. Sometimes you use commas around such an interrupter. If the element is added information and you don’t need it for the meaning of the sentence to be clear, use commas around it. Such a word, phrase, or clause is called “nonrestrictive,” or “nonessential.”  If the information is necessary for the meaning of the sentence, do not use commas. Such information is called “restrictive,” or “essential.” At times, it might be difficult to ascertain whether something is essential or not. Sometimes you can tell by using the “would I pause?” test, but not always.

 

Here are some nonessential interrupters:

I know, by the way, all about your little secret.

This story is, for your information, good enough to publish.

My neighbor two doors down, who recently moved in, just left for Italy. (You already know which neighbor: the one two doors down.)

My brother’s math teacher, Mr. Quinn, is a really easy grader. (Presumably, he has only one math teacher.)

My birthday cake, chocolate with lemon icing, was delicious! (We are assuming it was your only birthday case, so we don’t need to distinguish it from other cakes.)

 

Which one of these is correct?

Joe’s mother, Abigail, is wearing the same dress as I am.

Joe’s mother Abigail is wearing the same dress as I am. 

If you said “the first one,” you are probably correct. Can you tell the difference in presumed meaning?

The first sentence treated Abigail as unnecessary, added information. The second sentence assumes that Abigail is necessary to the meaning of the sentence. What is the difference, and why is the first sentence most likely better?

We can assume that Joe has only one mother. Therefore, we don’t really need to use her name. Using her name implies we are specifying which mother out of multiple mothers. 

 

So….which one of these is correct?

My brother, Paul, is the tallest person in the family.

My brother Paul is the tallest person in the family.

Either one could be correct, depending on the makeup of the family. The first sentence, which treats Paul as added information, assumes that you have only one brother so you don’t need to name him. The second sentence, which treats Paul as necessary, implies that you have more than one brother, so you need to specify which brother you are talking about.

 

Here are some essential interrupters: no comma.

My neighbor across the street has a beautiful garden. (Which neighbor? Oh, the one across the street, not the one next door.)

The pizza with the anchovies is nearly gone. (Which pizza? The one with the anchovies, not the one with pepperoni.)

All the teachers who have been at the school for more than 20 years are being honored.  (Not all the teachers, but just the ones who have been at the school for more than 20 years.)

All the teachers, who have been at the school for more than 20 years, are being honored. (This could mean all the teachers have been at the school for over 20 years. It could also mean you know which group of teachers is being referred to, and you are mentioning they have all been at the school for more than 20 years. 

 

Usually participial phrases that interrupt a sentence are set off with commas:

My dog, gnawing on a big bone, must be hungry.

The principal, marching into the classroom with a red face, must be very angry.

I don’t know how the cat, walking along the top of the fence, doesn’t fall down.

Often a descriptive phrase is set off with commas:

This coffee, much too strong for me, needs a lot of sugar.

The sky, usually beautiful at sunset, was dark and foreboding today.

My history paper, due next Tuesday, will likely be late. 

 

Stay tuned for a guest post about Ten Grammar Mistakes ESL Students Make next week — followed by more in the comma series — for you comma lovers (or haters).

 

 

 

 

6 Tips to Teach Writing to a Student with Autism

Image by Alexandra_Koch on Pixabay

A guest post by Chloe Bennet

Autism can affect the way children learn, and it is commonly accompanied by concurrent difficulties such as dyslexia, dysgraphia, and dyscalculia. Writing can be difficult for children with autism both because of organizational difficulties and coordination challenges. Teaching a child with autism to write can be a challenging and unique experience, but there are many solutions to help them learn this highly important skill. Use these six tips to teach writing to a student with autism.

Read to Them

One of the best ways for anyone to improve their writing is to simply read more. You may find what works best is to read to your child. “Let them pick books on subjects that interest them, and they will be more likely to pay attention. Books about the alphabet are also a good idea because they can help introduce basic reading and writing elements that will help the child begin to write. Try and keep your sessions relatively brief, since children with autism often struggle to sit still for long periods of time,” writes Robert Beavers, educator at Academized. Read on your own, and let your child see you reading, to encourage them to do the same.

Try Grips and Texture  

If your child is having difficulties gripping a pencil, consider picking up a pencil grip to help them. These grips can take the form of soft pads that wrap around the pencil, finger holes, or even special pencils designed to be easier to grasp. You can also try using touch to get them started writing. Some autistic children enjoy certain textures, so you can use these textures to encourage them to write. Some examples include finger painting or even writing in shaving cream.

Use Simple Language

Keep your language as simple and concrete as possible. Try to get your point across in as few words as you can. Using this kind of very straightforward language might feel different and strange, but it will help you communicate better with a child with autism. In the same vein, give the child a small amount of choices to pick from. The more options, the more confused an autistic child will become.

Add Writing to Their Daily Routine

Children with autism can thrive when they are following a routine. They appreciate the safety and stability of these routines, so apply that when teaching them writing as well. As writing becomes a regular part of their daily schedule, you may see a significant increase in their progress. Be sure not to pressure them into writing. If they really don’t feel like writing, it’s best to let it go and move on with the routine. They should look at writing as something fun, not a chore. 

Try Autism Writing Tools

We already mentioned using grips to help your child with writing, but there are more options. If the child struggles with pencil grip, try giving them weighted pencils to give them some sensory feedback that will help them improve. You can also use hand and wrist weights for this purpose, and also to provide a sense of security.

Use Online Tools for Extra Help

Autistic students can learn how to write an essay; it just takes a unique approach. These online resources can help you and your student improve writing skills and have fun:

#1. ViaWriting and WritingPopulist – Use these grammar resources to break down grammar rules and make them more approachable for your student with autism.

#2. Academic Paper Help and EssayRoo – These online proofreading tools have been recommended by Essayroo review and are very helpful for a student learning to write.

#3. StudyDemic and StateofWriting – Read through these blogs, and you’ll learn some helpful suggestions about essay writing. Then you can put those suggestions to good use and use them to help your student with autism.

#4. Boom Essays and UKWritings – Check out these editing tools, which have been reviewed by UKTopWriters. Editing is one of the most challenging aspects of writing, and most people don’t do well at editing their own work.

#5. MyWritingWay and LetsGoandLearn – Use these academic writing guides to make sure your student is familiar with all the steps in the writing process.

Conclusion

Teaching children with autism to write can be challenging, but with the right approach, you can successfully teach your child how to write. Read to them and help introduce the basics to them. Make it a part of their daily routine; children with autism thrive on routine. Take advantage of online writing tools, as well as aids such as grips and weights, to help them learn.

 

Chloe Bennet is a book editor and proofreader at Assignment Writing Service and Big Assignments websites. She helps with book marketing, design, and legal aspects of publishing. Chloe also tutors at Elite Assignment Help portal.

 

 

Commas Part 2: Introductory Elements

When we write, we don’t always start our sentences with the subject: I graduated from college five years ago.

Image by Ramdlon on Pixabay

We often — and we should — vary our sentence structure, beginning with an introductory word, idiom, phrase (group of related words), or clause (group of related words with a subject and a verb).  Many of these introductory elements are followed by a comma.

Introductory Words

Most of the time introductory words are transitional words like first, second, next, last, finally, etc. Transition words are generally followed by a comma.

First, I would like to introduce our guest speaker.
Finally, you should always check your work.

Sometimes a sentence begins with an adverb. We have a gray area here. Sometimes there is a comma, and sometimes there isn’t. In this case, the “pause” test works. If you think there should be a pause there, put in a comma.

Obviously, I hid the surprise from her.
Suddenly she appeared at my doorway.

Introductory Phrases

There are several types of phrases. You can begin a sentence with a prepositional phrase. If the phrase is short, you do not need a comma after it. However, if it is longer, or if you are using two prepositional phrases in a row (or two consecutive phrases of different types), you probably need a comma.

In Paris I bought myself an entirely new wardrobe.
In Paris in December, you probably need a heavy coat.

You can also begin a sentence with a participle or a participial phrase. Usually a comma follows a participial phrase.

Walking along the river, she spotted a lost dog.
Walking quickly, she tried not to miss the bus. 

Make sure your participial phrase isn’t misplaced or dangling. The word following the comma should go with the phrase. Here are a couple of misplaced modifiers:

Walking along the river, the rain began to come down. (Is the rain walking along the river??)
Reading a book by the window, the cat jumped in my lap. (Is the cat reading a book by the window??)

Be careful with your participles!

Descriptive phrases are usually followed by a comma.

Pretty as a picture, she walked down the fashion runway.

Here are some examples of phrases that would not be followed by a comma.

Infinitives look like verbs with the word to in front of them. But they are not verbs. They are actually used as nouns. Therefore, they themselves can be the subjects, so technically the subject is starting the sentence.

To become a doctor is my ambition. (No comma after doctor. To become a doctor is used as a noun and is the subject.)

Gerunds also look like verbs — or participles — but again they are used as nouns and can actually be the subject.

Skiing  in Tahoe is my favorite hobby.
Running a few miles is something I try to do every day.

Introductory Sayings or Idioms

Once again, this is sometimes a gray area. Usually, there is a comma after an introductory idiom, but not always. Once again, the “pause” test usually works!

In my opinion, this is not the right way to do it. 
Of course, I am not an expert on the subject.
Of course I will go with you.

Introductory Clauses

Introductory adverbial clauses are always followed by a comma. Those clauses begin with words such as although, until, before, after, since, because, whenever, wherever.

Although I wasn’t there, I heard about what went on.
After the game is over, we are going out to dinner.
Because I have a doctor’s appointment, I will miss school tomorrow.

Introductory noun clauses are usually not followed by a comma (and there would be no pause) because they are subjects.

Whoever is coming should RSVP to me. 
Whatever you tell me will be kept secret.
Whatever you tell me, I will keep secret. (Here, I is the subject, not the introductory clause. You would probably want to put a comma there.)

 

 

 

 

Commas Part 1: Five Common Uses for Commas

Commas: The bane of a writer’s existence. Depending on where you look, there can be ten —  or tons  — of comma rules. However, there are two main rules: 1. Don’t use a comma unless you have a reason (rule) to use it. 2. Use a comma anyplace where not using one would result in confusion for the reader. Simple, huh?

The purpose of punctuation is to make for easier reading. Without punctuation the reader doesn’t know where the sentences end, where there is a pause, or when a character is speaking. However, some punctuation rules, particularly those regarding the comma, don’t really make reading a whole lot easier. They seem superfluous, but we are told to use  them anyway.

This post is Part 1 in a series of posts about using commas; it describes five of the most common uses for the comma.

1 A compound sentence contains two (or more) complete sentences connected with a conjunction. These connecting conjunctions include and, but, for, nor, or, so, yet. 

We studied for about an hour, and we didn’t feel as if that was long enough.
We studied for an hour, we watched an hour of television, and we studied for another hour. 

If you don’t use the conjunction, you need to use a semicolon. This construction is still considered a compound sentence.

We studied for an hour; we didn’t feel that was long enough.

If the two sentences are short, you don’t need the comma.

I watched TV and I went to bed.

If the second sentence isn’t really a complete sentence, do not use a comma. Usually what is missing is the subject of the second sentence.

We studied for about an hour and didn’t feel as if that was long enough.

2. The series comma is probably the most well-known use of a comma. Items in a series need commas to separate them. The comma before the and is optional. That comma is called the Oxford, or series, comma. I like it, but it is not necessary. Two things to remember: If you decide to use the Oxford comma, use it consistently within a piece of writing. Don’t alternate between using and not using it. The only exception is to put it in when the meaning of the sentence would be confusing without it — even if you have not been using it in that piece of writing.  

This recipe calls for apples, pears, cranberries, and walnuts for the filling. (Oxford comma used.)
This recipe calls for apples, pears, cranberries and walnuts for the filling. (No Oxford comma.)
The dog ran out of the kitchen, into the yard, across the street, and over the fence. (A series of phrases.)
The dog ran out of the kitchen, into the yard, across the street and over the fence. (No Oxford comma.)
I went into the kitchen, I put the steak in the oven, and I washed the dishes. (Series of sentences – compound sentence.)
I went into the kitchen, I put the steak in the oven and I washed the dishes. (No Oxford comma.)

3. Commas are used in dialog to separate it from the rest of the sentence.

She said, ” I don’t like the rain.”
“I don’t like the rain,” she said.
“I don’t like the rain,” she said. “I wish it would stop.”
“I don’t like the rain,” she said, “and I wish it would stop.”

4. Use commas before and after etc. (and so on), i.e. (that is), and e.g. (for example).(Don’t forget the periods.)

You can make a fruit salad with any fruit: apples, oranges, pears, berries, etc.
I knit socks, sweaters, scarves, etc., for my grandchildren who live in a snowy climate.
She is the captain of the cheerleading squad, i.e., the leader of the cheers.
You need to take advanced math, e.g., calculus, to get into that school.

5. Salutations and closings of letters and e-mails use commas.

Dear Frank,  (but in a business letter, a colon is more commonly used: Dear Ms. Symes:)
Sincerely Yours, 

 

 

 

Best Grammar Activities That Will Teach Your Kids To Cooperate

The following is a guest post by Joel Syder.

Should you really mix games and grammar? Most teachers say yes. It’s a great mix that gets children to learn effortlessly and without you having to yell or scream to get their attention. It’s also well known that children learn best when playing.

Old teachers might say no to this method because they just don’t want to mess with what works. But language is fun and fluid, and it definitely doesn’t belong in door-stopper textbooks. So, get creative and come up with some games for your classroom. Your students will love it!

Why Use Games?

Grammar isn’t always best studied through traditional methods. It can be a bit dry and boring. However, games make it fresh and exciting, especially for children. Just think about it: after learning all day, students come to your class, but their minds are not ready for more dry information. But you know what they will be ready for? Playing. Their minds will relax and they will learn things with ease.

Here are some of the benefits of using games in your classroom:

They shake things up — When kids can use something in a fun way, they will definitely remember it and store it with no problems. They will be able to take your messages as fun facts and learn in a way that creates a visual example of what to do. Grammar is boring. But games are definitely not. Plus, your students will love and look forward to your class.
Games help develop competition — “Grammar games are motivational and they boost competition which is always healthy and good. Students have to strive to be the best, outperform their peers and simply be the best in the classroom,” says Leslie Ruben, proofreading expert at 1Day2write .
Cooperative learning — When you create teams, you can create a bonding experience between the students and help students with a bit less knowledge learn a lot better. They will all have someone to cheer for them, and that’s one of the best things about this.
Get energy levels up — Start teaching grammar and you’ll notice that your students doze off. However, introduce a game and your students will all jump with joy and start focusing immediately. Everyone will want to participate.

 Amazing Grammar Game Strategies

Here are some of the activities that students could do to have fun and learn at the same time. Keep in mind that you can adapt them to lower or higher levels of knowledge easily.

Group quiz + personalized sentences

This activity is created for practice stages of the lesson. You have already introduced the rules and language to the students; now you have to allow them to practice. Your goal is to make the rules that you have set memorable. Provide personalized addition to make things even easier to remember. You can put an example on the board and ask for the full sentence from the students. Write their ideas on the board. Ask for personalized verb-noun collocations. They can use it for reference later.

Divide the class into groups and give them a set of quiz cards; allow them to work on their own to complete the cards, for instance, “I would like to be able to cook well” and then on the next, “I am able to play football very well.”

Then when you collect the cards, you can start a quiz where the class would have to guess who wrote the sentence.

Error correction

“This is a fun game, which can be done quickly and turn errors into a fun and competitive experience. You can create a list of sentences, each having an error and then ask students to find corrections for these sentences. You can either split them into a few teams and create a scoreboard or they can work in pairs,” says Marty Richard, English teacher at Writemyx and Britstudent.

Team gap fill

This is a short game where the students can revise their lessons. Write sentences with gaps on the board. Divide the classroom into teams and give each a different color marker, create a scoreboard, and start the competition. Each team should give an answer —  you can create gaps for this as well. Allow them to discuss their answers amongst themselves, but don’t allow them to discuss this for too long. The game should progress fairly quickly, with some time to reflect on why something is correct or incorrect. Let them write their answers at the same time. Give two points for a perfect answer and one for being close to the solution.

Learning grammar doesn’t have to be that hard. It can be a fun activity for you and your students. Use some of these techniques to make your lessons easy to remember and fun for the entire classroom.

 

Joel Syder works as an online English tutor and education writer at Academic Brits and Origin Writings . He enjoys helping people learn English language online as well as creating articles about things that excite him for Australia2write , academic service.

 

 

 

 

 

From the Grammar Diva

Having taught 7th grade English for 11 years, I completely agree with this post. Grammar is dry, but if you spice it up with some games nd competition, kids can enjoy it. I don’t remember quite how I figured this out, but I started using games early on….I never thought of them being good until my student teacher suggested I put them all in a book. So I did. I have an e-book of about 25 games I used for grammar. It hasn’t done much on Amazon, but it has done well on a site called Teachers Pay Teachers, where it has many great reviews.  Here are a few more suggestions for games:

I used to play Parts of Speech Jeopardy with the class, divided into two big teams. All my stuff was low tech, so I made the game on my whiteboard. Students took turns choosing a lettered column and a dollar value. The bigger the value, the harder the question. I had all the questions, so I read the question, and if the student to it right, the team got that dollar value.  If a person on neither team got it right, the team who had the question originally could work together to come up with the answer. They loved this game.

To get ready for Greek and Latin roots test, I would play bingo. I would hand out the boards and put the list of the 25 roots on the whiteboard. They filled in their boards however they wanted to. One by one, I would read the definition of the root. They would find where it was on their boards and X it out. When they got bingo, the first several would get candy. And there was NO free space!

Like the games in the post, I worked on sentence structure-type things too. I used index cards. I might put a dependent clause on some cards and an independent clause on another and hand them all out randomly. The students had to search for a clause that made a sentence that made sense. This one got them moving around the room too!

 

 

 

 

 

You Can Quote Me on This Too: Quotation Marks, Part 2

Last week’s post was about using quotation marks in dialogue and direct quotations. There are several other uses for quotation marks, and we will talk about those in this post.

Words from Another Source: Use quotation marks if you are using a word or phrase that comes directly from another person or source:

She said she had a “surefire strategy” for getting the job.

The article said that if I used this product my house would be “cleaner than clean.”

Sarcasm:  You can use quotation marks to indicate sarcasm.

Don’t you think she looks like the “belle of the ball” in that ugly dress?

Slang Words and Expressions:  You can use quotation marks for slang words and expressions that are not the usual part of someone’s speech. 

He told me he didn’t have enough “bandwidth” to think about all the projects I was talking about. 

Words intentionally spelled incorrectly: If words are spelled incorrectly in dialogue to imitate the way someone said the word or phrase, do not use quotation marks (which would be single quotes if you used them).

She told me she was finally going to get a “liberry” card.

“I think I will finally go get a liberry card,” she told me. 

Titles: Some titles are put in quotation marks; other are put in italics (or underlined if you are writing by hand). You never use both quotes and italics for the same title. Generally speaking, pieces of larger things are quoted, while the larger thing is in italics. Book titles, movie titles, names of newspapers and magazines, television series titles, music CD titles are in italics. Use quotation marks for chapter titles, TV episode titles, song titles, article titles. 

Unusual Use in a Sentence: Use quotation marks for words and phrases that have an unusual use or abnormal placement in a sentence.

I didn’t like her “I-am-better-than-you” attitude. 

Definition of a Word in a Sentence: Put quotation marks around the definition of a word in a sentence. The word itself should be in italics.

She informed me that the word enervate means “to weaken” even though it sounds as if it might mean the opposite of that. 

Jargon: Jargon is language used and understood by a specific group of people, for example, teenagers, doctors, lawyers, computer programmers. If you are writing to an audience familiar with the jargon, you need no quotation marks. If you are writing to an audience that may be unfamiliar with the word, put it in quotation marks the first time you use it in a piece of writing.

The computer expert told the novice that she was going to be backing up to the “cloud.”

After Labeled or Marked: Use quotation marks around words that follow labeled or marked.

Be careful with the big box that is labeled “Fragile. This side up.”

There are also some places where you might think you need quotation marks, but you do not.

1. You don’t need quotation marks around yes or no unless they are part of a direct quote. 

Answer yes to any of the questions below if they are true.

When I asked her if she was married, she replied, “yes.”

2. You do not need quotation marks around common and familiar expressions and idioms.

Wow, it is raining cats and dogs this morning.

I was just pulling your leg when I told you I had a gift for you!

3. Do not use quotation marks around indirect quotes.

When you asked me ten minutes, ago, I said that it was not raining.

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Find these punctuation standards as well as standards for all other punctuation marks in my latest book!

You Can Quote Me on This: Quotation Marks

People always have questions about using quotation marks.  This post will talk about using quotation marks in actual dialogue. But quotations marks are used for other things besides direct quotes from people speaking. Next week’s post will talk about those other uses for quotation marks.

Single quotes. Single quotation marks ( ‘ ) have only one use: quotes inside of other quotes. If you are quoting someone and you need to put something in quotes inside that quote, use single quotation marks:

She said, “There must be a million songs with the title ‘I Love You,’ so I will call my song something else.”

He replied, “I haven’t actually heard any songs that are called ‘I Love You.'” (There is no space needed between the single and double quotes when they come right after one another. )

Quotation marks used with other punctuation. Simple rules apply here for American English. British English is different.

Periods and commas ALWAYS go inside the quotation marks, no matter what. No exceptions. 
It isn’t that common to find semicolons and colons used with quotations marks, but if they are, they go outside the quotation marks, no matter what. 

                      She announced, “I am so tired”; about 10 seconds later she was asleep.

Question marks (and exclamation points) can go either inside or outside, depending. 

                      I heard Suzie ask, “Are we there yet?” (Quote is a question, but  the entire sentence is not. But use no period at the end.)

                      Was that Suzie who said, “I hope we are there soon”? (Entire sentence is a question, but not the quoted part.)

                       Did Suzie ask, “Are we there yet?” (Both the whole sentence and the quote are questions. Use only one question mark. Inside.)

Examples of dialogue. Quotation marks are most commonly used for direct quotes and dialogue. A few authors have given up using quotation marks for dialogue and use dashes instead, for example, Cormac McCarthy. I would think it would be difficult to read unless the dialogue consisted of one liners, back and forth between two people.

— Give me that book!

–It’s mine, and I am not giving it to you.

–I just want to see the cover.

–No! I don’t want you to see it.

–Why? What is the big deal?

But most people still use quotation marks. Here are some examples of punctuating and capitalizing dialogue (or just direct quotes).

She said, “I expect you to be home by midnight.”

“I will try,” he replied, “but I am not sure I can get a ride that early.”

“Make sure you can before you go,” she said. “You will be grounded if you are any later!”

“I will try my best—”

“That isn’t good enough!” his mother interrupted. 

Multi-paragraph quotations. Sometimes the same character will speak for more than one paragraph, or you will be quoting a speech that is multiple paragraphs long. How you do punctuate? Use opening quotation marks for every paragraph. Use closing quotation marks for the final quoted paragraph only.

NEXT WEEK: Other uses for quotation marks other than dialogue (or the exact words someone speaks).

 

 

 

 

 

What’s Going on with Amazon? and Other Complaints

This is NOT a post about grammar — or punctuation. It’s a post about complaints. Mine. Now maybe I have simply become a whiny old lady who complains about everything. Or maybe I am just whining so you don’t have to!

In any case, because of a reader request, next week I will be writing about quotation marks and their mysteries. And I would like to thank the people who wrote to me with blog post suggestions: Some said to repeat some old posts for newbie (or forgetful) readers. Okay. Some offered to write guest posts. Okay. And some offered suggestions for blog topics. Okay. Thank you all!

Now back to Amazon. There are really two Amazons: First, there is the Amazon that we (most of us) buy things from. For us writers, there is also the Amazon that publishes our books and pays us. I will deal with each separately.

Amazon, until a few months ago, had a publishing arm called CreateSpace, which published (and offered other services such as book design) print books. Kindle has always taken care of the e-books. CreateSpace had great customer service. Enter your phone number, and they would immediately call you, 24/7. Bye, bye, CreateSpace. Why? Who knows? I believe the reason given was better customer service (HA!). So we all had to migrate our books over to Kindle — before they had debugged everything. Customer service? Not 24/7. You have to wait until 6 a.m., and then they close around 5 p.m.

Then, there is this thing called AMS, Amazon Marketing Services. That is how one advertises books on Amazon. There used to be two kinds of ads: Display ads showed the book cover when someone was reading on a Kindle. I think the minimum cost for one of those ads was $100, and I don’t think they were effective. They are now being canceled. Then there are the “sponsored ads.” What the author does is choose keywords someone may use to find his or her book. Or any keywords that might apply to someone interested in a book like yours. So for me, grammar, grammar book, grammar workbook, commas, punctuation, etc., might be good keywords. But they say to have hundreds of keywords to improve your sales: titles and author names of competitor books, for example. For each ad (one book per ad), you pick the dates you want the ad to run and the maximum amount you want to spend each day. Then, you give each keyword a monetary bid amount. The more competition for that keyword, the higher your bid has to be for your book to be shown when someone types in that keyword. Well, this is all fine, but they just changed the reporting system. You used to be easily able to see how many times each keyword was shown, and how many people clicked on your book when they saw it. This would tell you which keywords were not working or which keywords might need a  higher bid. And it was easy to press a button and pause a keyword, which meant it was out of the ad campaign until you pressed a button to put it back in. Well, with the new program, you need four or five clicks and the knowledge to figure out what to click before you can see how your specific keywords are doing. A definite minus for us writers. Then, they have come up with a recommended bid amount that is generally higher than you would give a keyword. I think AMS is likely becoming very popular, and Amazon is now raking in the dough from it. More people using it, higher bids necessary. Want help? You can e-mail. Or, you pick your issue from a drop-down menu and then you apparently can put in your phone number for that immediate call. But no matter which issue you choose, you get a message that phone help isn’t available for that issue. Why hire more help? Bezos must not have enough money.

I haven’t as much to say about the buying end of Amazon. It is pretty good. It is very good. However, they have raised the price of Amazon Prime — and sometimes it takes longer than the promised two days, which is why you got Prime in the first place. And if it is late — I am not talking about items that you know beforehand take longer to get, but the ones that just don’t arrive in time — you get nothing for waiting.

Now, in defense of Amazon, I love Amazon! I buy all kinds of things from Amazon. More important, if it were not for Amazon selling my books, I would be living in a cardboard box on the side of the river.  So I am very grateful to Amazon (they pay on time too) for getting my books out there.

More complaints? Oh, little ones. 

I was in the grocery store the other day. One of the big ones I rarely go to, but I needed a few things the other stores I go to (Target and Trader Joe’s) don’t have. There were a few lines open with very long lines. There was no express line. There were, however, two Self-Service lines that were completely empty because NO ONE WANTS TO USE THEM!!!!! Doesn’t the store get it? Their clientele doesn’t want to use the self serve. I waited; the woman in back of me put her stuff down and left. I mentioned this to the checkout clerk and surprisingly he said, “I know. I have talked to my boss about it, but they don’t do anything.”

But before you even go into the store, you have to park your car. Some years ago, cars got smaller. Then, in response to the glut of smaller cars, many of the parking lots repainted the spaces and made them small. Now, everyone and his or her mother has an SUV or a pickup truck. The spaces are still, however, the same size. Annoying.

I promise this is my last complaint: Target. I am in Target a lot. It started many years ago, when I would go twice a month for toiletries, cleaning things, food — most everything. Then, it seems I started going weekly.  Now, I am sure I am there multiple times a week. I have spent untold thousands of dollars at Target. And ever since a new Target was built in my city, things have changed at all the Targets. At first they told me there was a distribution issue at my Target. But it is everywhere: Why are the shelves bare? Why do they never have, week after week, something I am looking for? Oh, they still carry it, but the shelf is empty. I have also had to return things there. The protein bars I buy there apparently are fragile in hot weather. I have had to return them for the chocolate covering being all white and disgusting. Last time, they simply tasted really bad, and I feared I had given myself food poisoning from them. And I just had to return a mascara that was so old and sticky, I couldn’t get the brush back into the container once I took it out. Thankfully, they are very good about taking returns!

I think I am now done complaining. Next week: quotation marks

And thank you to the Rotary Club in San Rafael I spoke to this past week. Great audience for my “Fun with Words” talk!