Punctuation Pointers

Do commas go inside quotation marks?  Well, when it comes to quotation marks, double or single, and where to put punctuation marks in relation to quotes, outside or inside, there are two systems: the British and the American. In the British system, primary quotation marks… continue reading

Updated 15 September, 2022: Do you struggle with deciding whether to use a comma every time you write but in a sentence? Well, let’s end the hesitation once and for all: When Should You Put a Comma Before But? This issue can be addressed with a… continue reading

Over the past 24 hours, news outlets have featured a story about the closing of the Apostrophe Protection Society, whose founder, John Richards, wrote, “We, and our many supporters worldwide, have done our best but the ignorance and laziness present in modern times have won!”… continue reading

Hyphens are among the most challenging punctuation marks. In two phrases that seem very much alike, one will have a hyphen and one will not. Consider an example. Would you add hyphens to the following sentence? Syntax Training is celebrating its 30th anniversary in Seattle… continue reading

Today I read “Ask Amy” in The Seattle Times. Amy was giving advice to someone who could not set boundaries for herself. I liked Amy’s advice, but her punctuation–or lack of it–grabbed my attention. Which punctuation mark would you add to the sentence below? After you decide,… continue reading