Category: Grammar & Punctuation

Redundant Expressions from Absolutely Certain to Advance Warning

A redundant expression is an expression where each word in the expression means basically the same thing. For example: If you attend the opening, you will receive a free gift. Free gift is a redundant expression. Think about that for a moment.  A gift is something that is given to you at no charge. When something is free,…

That Troublesome Apostrophe

What is the purpose of this troublesome and often misused punctuation mark? The apostrophe has two purposes: to show possession and to indicate missing letters. In certain instances, it is also used to clear up confusion when making plurals. The photo to the right made me cringe, and it shows that apostrophe misuse is worldwide.…

Conjunctions and Commas

There are enough rules about when to use a comma and when not to use one to drive any normal person insane. Instead of allowing that punctuation mark to drive me to insanity, I decided to give it a more in-depth look. I’m going to examine the use of commas with coordinating and subordinating conjunctions.…

Adverb Abuse

How can one abuse an adverb?  An adverb isn’t something you can grab hold of and beat up, but you can use them so often in your writing that the person reading your book is traumatized to the point that he wants to throw it across the room.  Seriously?  Adverbs can traumatize? Do an experiment. …