punctuation

Writing Tip 163: Asterisks & Footnote Symbols

Asterisk is one of those words that you just can’t say ten times fast. Try it. I’ll wait…

How’d it go? Turn any heads? Get any “bless you”s?

There are risks to the asterisk*—and not only in saying it correctly with any amount of speed. Asterisks muffle curses, and they are often followed by daggers. And if that doesn’t sound like the start of a really bad grammarian murder mystery, I don’t know what is.

When to use an asterisk

When replacing letters in words (such as curse words) or names you don’t want to spell out (e.g., “wow, what a grammar b**** that Kris is” or “From your secret crush, K***”)
When pointing a reader to further information, as in a footnote.
When showing the passage of time in the case of a section break in a story.
I’m sure there’s a good kissing emoticon out there with an asterisk, right?

punctuation around "wonder" statements — This seal wonders why there’s a camera pointing at him. Maybe he would wonder at this shape we call a question mark.

Punctuation around the word “wonder” seems to commonly baffle writers. I wonder what the source of this is? (See what I just did there? It’s wrong. Did you catch it?)

Reminder: just because something raises a question does not mean that it is a question. Think long and hard about that question mark.

Statements that begin “I/she/he wonders…” are most commonly just that. Statements. There is no question about whether or not the subject wonders.

For example:

Writing Tip 109: Who’s vs. Whose

Who’s on first? Whose shoes are those? Who’s that girl? Whose cupcake is that? Can I have it?

Wait, before I get distracted by my sweet tooth, let’s dive into the differences between “who’s” and “whose” today. Logic doesn’t always apply easily to grammar. This one—like “its” and “it’s”—is another exception to the rule that possessives have the apostrophe “s.”

“Who’s” is a contraction—just like can’t, you’re, or y’all—short for “who is” or sometimes “who was” or “who has.”

“Whose” is the possessive form.

Yes, it’s true. Every time you’ve assumed “who’s” was possessive, you’ve been wrong. Hopefully, those were just emails to your friends, not your boss’s boss’s boss. My fingers are crossed for you.

We’ve talked “who” vs. “whom,” but this simpler distinction is sometimes equally as confused. Or perhaps it’s less confused and just typed quickly without thinking about it. Either way, it’s time to pause and get it right, don’t you think?

Writing Tip 104: Parentheses vs. Brackets (and Braces too!)

parentheses vs brackets vs braces — Some see shapes in the clouds; I see punctuation marks in rock formations.

We all know (and love) parentheses, but I wonder if you know when to use related punctuation. Brackets, for example, are handier for more than just playoffs. And what about braces? Where do they fit into the equation? Bonus question: do you know where brackets and braces are found on your keyboard? How many of you just looked down?

Parentheses: Parentheses are used within sentences to include non-mandatory information that adds to the sentence. So in other words, if you took that information out, nothing would be lost from the sentence. The difference between when to use parentheses versus commas or dashes is a matter for another tip (perhaps next week).

single vs. double quotation marks - sad dog — Sigh. So much to teach, so little time.

Sometimes, we are so clever we invent grammar rules that don’t actually exit. Then wonderful **insert sarcasm here** sites like YahooAnswers allow readers to vote on correct answers where the winner isn’t necessarily correct just popular. When uninformed Wikipedia writers also jump on the popular-but-not-actually-correct bandwagon, we’re in trouble.

This week, I was asked about the use of single vs. double quotation marks, a question that comes up fairly often and a rule that is often confused. But you know what? This answer is easy—so easy in fact that I can write it in nine words:

Always use double quotes unless inside of another quote.

Writing Tip 86: Dear Abby: Where to Put Commas with Greetings

Commas, colons, the vocative case… Who knew a simple hello was so complicated?

It’s not actually. How to punctuate a greeting is really quite easy to remember–never mind if your email inbox argues otherwise.

Remember “dear” is not a greeting like “hello.” Dear is an adjective, a modifier of the name that follows. “Dear Abby” is no different from “My dearest Abby,” “Darling Clementine,” or some similarly old fashioned but enchantingly romantic greeting that has faded out of favor. (Who wants to bring it back with me? Anyone? … Anyone?…)

If you’re beginning a message with “Hi,” “Hello,” “Good morning,” “Hola,” or any other greeting, however, you should include a comma before the name of the message’s recipient. We learned about the vocative case in middle school (maybe), which directs writers to use a comma before a person’s name when they are being talked to.

Throw me the ball, Peyton.

Hi, Mr. Manning.

It’s the same form.

Lazy punctuation has become pretty widespread on this one, though. Do you use commas correctly in your greetings?

Writing Tip 85: Avoid the Blackout Comma

I’ll admit it: I’m an Oxford comma groupie. But there’s a methodology to my comma zealotry. There’s a difference between correctly comma-ing and looking like you may have had too much to drink. (And yes, “comma-ing” is a word. I just made it up, but I’m claiming artistic license.)

In my book (i.e., my opinion, not my actual book), there is pocket dialing, drunk texting, and what I dub “the blackout comma.” Why are they there? What is the logic? It’s a mystery that only the writer once knew. And they may not remember now.

Comma reminders:

Do not use commas with lists of two.
Do not use commas between subject and predicate
Do not use commas around “essential people”
Do not use commas between adjectives of size and/or color

Sure, we all slip and have one comma too many on occasion. It happens to the best of us. I just feel like I’ve seen a lot of intoxication lately. Maybe it’s just the season for beers at backyard barbecues and tropical drinks at the beach. Consider me your punctuation sponsor. It’s all about moderation, people.

Writing Tip 83: Where to Use Semicolons (a.k.a. “This Semi-colon Kind of Life”)

I want something else
To get me through this
Semicolon kinda life
Baby, Baby…

I’m thinking my version works—a “Schoolhouse Rocks” for ‘90s kids or the ‘90s nostalgic. I figure we need something new. No one seems to know how to use semicolons. They’re the misused and abused punctuation mark, thrown down without much thought. But they should have some dignity.

Semicolons should only be used in three situations:

Separating complete sentences. Always make sure that you have complete sentences on both sides of the semicolon here. You can combine two or more complete sentences in this way; there’s no real limit. (e.g., Third Eye Blind was a ‘90s standard; I never realized that song talked about doing meth; you’re looking up the lyrics now, aren’t you?)
Separating items in a complicated list. The definition of a complicated list is any list that has commas within it. (e.g., Some of the biggest Third Eye Blind songs that come to mind include Semi-charmed Kind of Life, released in 1997; Jumper, released in 1997; and How’s It Going To Be, also released in 1997.)
Winky faces 😉

Please stop using them where dashes or simply commas make more sense.

Doo doo doo, doo doo-doo doo…

Darn it, now that song’s in my head. Anyone else?

Writing Tip 72: The em dash vs. the en dash (a.k.a. “Dashing through the… no”)

Back by popular demand, let’s continue our conversation about hyphens and dashes. Oh, you know you’re excited. I was, anyhow, when last week’s blog prompted multiple requests for more.

Did you know that there are multiple lengths of dashes and different uses for these lengths? There are three basic marks to be aware of:

The hyphen (-),
The en dash (–), and
The em dash (—)

I know, I just blew your mind.

Writing Tip 71: “#-year-old” vs. “# year old” (a.k.a. “What’s up with the hyphens?”)

Remembering how old you are is one thing. Remembering where to put (or not put) the hyphens when you describe your age is another.

A thirty-one-year-old woman should be able to write grammatically. I am thirty-one years old. A thirty-one-year-old is old enough to know better.

Did you see those hyphens (or lack thereof)? They’re all correct. Do you know why?

Here’s the reminder: if the age is being used as an adjective or as a noun (as it is in my first and third examples), use hyphens; if the age is part of the adjective phrase following the noun (as it is in my second example), don’t use hyphens. Got it?

When a child is two years old, he or she doesn’t care about grammar. Maybe a ninety-year-old still doesn’t. Either way, knowing the rule doesn’t hurt, right?