Maree’s musings
It’s PUNCTUATION PERIL: CONFUSING COMMAS, and the APOSTROPHE’S PLACE.
A question to mark: do you have fond memories of learning the confusing convolutions of English punctuation? You may recall prepositions, (a)’postrophes (sorry, couldn’t resist!), and propositions for placing punctuation marks in proper positions. ‘It’s in its proper place, isn’t it?’ you probably pondered.
Consider the comma. Or when it’s in its promoted position, the apostrophe. Positioning these little (pen)pricks pose premonitions of possible peril.
A familiar three-word sentence illustrates this. “Lets eat Grandma.” It’s got a problem or two. But positioning a comma (and an apostrophe) prevents any probable confusing conclusion (and saves Granny’s bacon!) When it – the comma, that is – is in its proper position, it’s an easy one. Here it is in all its correctness: “Let’s eat, Grandma.” Much better for everyone concerned.
Here’s another example. It’s probably much more of a poser, in that it needs plenty of commas, a couple of full stops and two or three capital letters. … Continue Reading
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