A dash is a dash is a dash. And hyphens and dashes are one and the same (cliché there). Right? Wrong. Unless you’ve done some proofreading or have had some experience with publishing, you probably wouldn’t have heard of em and en dashes (its not-so-popular sibling). After all, if a hyphen would suffice, why use... Continue Reading →
A Writer’s Dilemma
Q. When referring to a zombie, should I use the relative pronoun who (which would refer to a person) or that (since, technically, the zombie is no longer living)? Essentially, does a zombie cease to become a “person” in the grammatical sense? A. Let’s assume this is a serious question, in which case you, as the writer,... Continue Reading →
My Life as a Writer: Its Ups and Downs
Ever since I was a kid, I seldom find my mind inside my head. I would always find it floating somewhere else: in the past, the future, in the present but at some other places or in some parallel universes where I am a prince, a warrior, a savior, or whatever—but of course I have super... Continue Reading →
“If I Will Be a Girl . . . ” Is Just Wrong
“If I will be a girl, I think I will be a slut.” Okay. So the sentence above is wrong in so many levels, especially in grammatical sense. The sentence above is an example of a conditional. Conditionals are sentences expressing factual implications or hypothetical situations and their consequences. They are so called because the... Continue Reading →
A Blog Response to Military Bride’s Grammar Post
It hasn’t been long since I started writing grammar posts, but I have been studying grammar since 2006, and I have even taught basic, intermediate, and advance grammar both in ESL and university settings. I am not saying that I have mastered grammar; I still make occasional mistakes. But I am quite confident to make... Continue Reading →
The American Pepper
I am going to share one of the favorite stories that I used when I was still in the ESL teaching profession. The author of this work is unknown, but it is safe to assume that he or she is Indian. Some say that this is an urban legend going around India, and not a... Continue Reading →
The Ten Comma-ndements
One of the most used, misused, and abused punctuation is the comma. We use them in almost every sentence we write. We can also see them in almost every sentence we read. And a lot of them have scattered around the Internet—often, in the most inappropriate way of using them. I have seen so many... Continue Reading →
Avoiding Grammar Nazis: A Grammar Jew’s Survival Guide Volume 2
One of my followers posted this comment on the article about word usage I posted yesterday: How about “He was sat on a bench” or “She was stood at the bus stop”? These are mistakes that are creeping into the language. I’ve even seen them written in daily newspaper columns. Shocking! In response to her... Continue Reading →
Avoiding Grammar Nazis: A Grammar Jew’s Survival Guide
Grammar Nazis. They are people who believe it is their duty to amend any grammar and/or spelling mistakes made by others in conversation. And sadly, I am one of them. Yes, I am a full-time book publicist, a part-time writer, and a part-time Grammar Nazi. But not by choice; it is simply in my system.... Continue Reading →
How Does a Semicolon Sound Like?
A few weeks ago, one of my friends asked me, “Hey, Kirbz, how does a semicolon sound like?” I was, at first, confused with his question. I thought he was asking how to pronounce the word semicolon, but it turns out that he was actually asking if semicolon has a specific accent or pause when... Continue Reading →
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