Tag: grammar
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The Oxford Comma
An Oxford comma is quite possibly the most debated bit of grammar. What? Controversy in grammar? Let me explain.The Oxford comma is that last comma in a series of three or more items. Example: I went walking with my dogs, John, and Bob. That comma after John is the Oxford comma. Some people think it’s…
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Yes, Grammar Matters
In today’s San Jose Mercury News, the Sunday Homes section, an article by Erik J. Martin validated my entire DOL program (which often causes major parent complaints for its insistence on details). Martin writes about a study that examined more than 100,000 listings for homes priced at a million dollars or above. Those listings with…
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Poor Me, I’m a Grammar Guru
Part of my new Grammar Monday feature–because who doesn’t want to wake up on Monday morning to grammar? In sixth grade, I learned how to diagram sentences. We cut apart all the independent clauses, identified subjects and predicates, and circled parts of speech. For some reason, this all came very easily to me. I openly…
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Its or It’s?
Whether I’m reading or editing student work or adult work, one of the most common errors is the improper use of its. When teaching possessive, teachers usually say, “To make it possessive, add an apostrophe.” That’s true if you want to say Susie’s book or the dog’s bone. It’s also true if have a plural…
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Apostrophes
Lots of adults I know are as afraid of apostrophes as my students. They are constantly asking, “Does the apostrophe go before the ‘s’ on this one?” Some give up and never write possessively about any noun ending in s. That is hard if your main character is Chris. You’d have to make him own…