Wednesday, March 4, 2015

Grammar Day Thoughts

Happy 
Grammar Day!
The stories in this book will introduce you to a side of police work you’’re never seen, and a group of heroes you’ve never met. EYES puts the reader in the front seat of a police unit, lets us experience some of the drama, the danger and the joy of volunteers helping law enforcement in all kinds of situations.

TODAY IS GRAMMAR DAY!
Use our Language to 
Give Yourself JOY!

Help us celebrate by remembering that Grammar and Punctuation are important, even in these days of Voice-activated software and often misspelled and/or mis-used words. 

The following is a Miss-erable list of quotations I have collected recently from books I am currently editing or reading for pleasure:

 “So our little lady is growing up.” She said, placing her hands on my shoulders and looked me up and down.
   A comma should follow so, and it needs another comma after up, followed by a lower Case S on she.

"That's a God-Damned Shame!" He screamed.
   God never gets a cap when it's used as slang, Damned shouldn't get a cap either, or Shame, and there should be no cap on He.

The doctor said we were alright.
   All right is always two words, even in dialogue unless your character comes from New Jersey and works for Tony Soprano.

After we finished singing "Amazing Grace," a song that men once sang in prayer to be released from chains...
I have seen "Amazing Grace" used in movies and TV shows that were set before the copyright date, though I don’t recall now what year it was right now. Any song lyrics that are not in the public domain need the music publisher's permission to print them or you will infringe their copyright.

“Where do you think,” he faded into the crowd of students heading into the school.
A question mark is needed after think, and a cap on the following He, as that is an action, not a speech, and actions always get a separate sentence.

I turned to my Grandmother.
Should be grandmother, without a cap, the my before grandmother makes it a pronoun.

He grabbed a pear of scissors.
Should be a pair of scissors, a pear is a fruit.

"You know better then that!"
Than is a different thing, Then is a different time.

"I brought all my old Paul Anka CD’s.
CDs gets no apostrophe.

“Why you and not me,” accusingly she asked.
Should get a question mark after me, not a comma, and the speechtag should be reversed to "she asked, accusingly."

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