
Grammar Tip of the Week! Week Four Periods are Not Commas (and Vice Versa) (from Strunk and White’s Elements of Style)
Do Not Break Sentences in Two • In other words, do not use periods for commas. • I met them on an airplane many years ago. Coming home from Liverpool to New York. • He was an interesting talker. A man who had traveled all over the world and lived in half a dozen countries • In both examples, the first period should be replaced by a comma and the following word begun with a small letter.
Correct Sentences • Here is the proper punctuation: • I met them on an airplane many years ago, coming home from Liverpool to New York. • He was an interesting talker, aman who had traveled all over the world and lived in half a dozen countries • Let’s give it a shot…
What’s Wrong w/ These Examples? • Miguel Cabrera won the Triple Crown in baseball. An award given to a player who leads in three important statistical categories. • The boy left the girl alone on the bleachers. Wondering what went wrong. • The student studied all night for the vocabulary quiz, she was confident she would do well.