In Semicolons^x, Grammar^x

Dear JTT, I don't agree, IHNN. Why is a colon mandatory? If anything there is one too many commas. An appeals court ordered the money returned, however the IRS didn't comply. While you can discuss wether, the comma before "however" is to weak, and therefore should be replaced by a semicolon or...

Hi Mercy, Try going here to learn more about semi-colons: http://webster.commnet.edu/grammar/marks/semicolon.htm. Note, both links (here and link) go to the same spot. MountainHiker

I should probably start a new thread on this, but it's a short question. General question to all: When it's a matter of where a comma goes (or not), is it correct to ask if a sentence is "grammatically correct"? I always thought that a sentence was grammatically correct because of the words...

Hi Catalyst, First step, be more concise? As a general rule, less is more. Try to focus on your topic like a laser beam and write the essentials. Obviously, you can take this too far. Read a few novels occasionally, magazines on a regular basis, newspapers and whatever else. You will find...

Which is correctly punctuated? Did the novelist, Ernest Hemingway once live here? Did the novelist, Ernest Hemingway, once live here? Did the novelist, Ernest Hemingway once live here. Did the novelist Ernest Hemingway once live here? What needs to be done to the following sentence? Just what...

I need to know if the subjunctive ‘though’ creates a dependant clause. Is the clause, “Though the car always starts for her,” a sentence or is it a fragment? In other words, which of the following are correct? a. Most people consider Jill’s car unreliable. Though the car always starts for...

Why do you use semicolon in “Who is most important; a fireman, a policeman or a garbage man?”? ( ?”? seems strange) I think my grammar book will put colon instead. From my grammar book: “The colon follows an independent clause and introduces one of three things, an example, a list, or a...

It's not a question of grammar, it's a question of style. To me, it looks funny. Your publisher or your audience may have a different opinion.

Hi, If my child was marked down because she used a capital letter for words in a spelling test, I’d be angry with the teacher. When I went to school, my spelling exercises tested for spelling not style. However, if your child is a high school student and if the teacher was marking hard, then...

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