Pet
      Peeves
      &
      Punctual
      Punctuation
     
    
   
   
    
     
        
     
    
   
   
    
     
      s
      a
      tutor,
      I
      have
      seen
      many
     
     
      errors
      in
      grammar,
      spelling,
      and
     
     
      punctuation
      that
      have
      made
      me
     
     
      laugh,
      and
      even
      made
      me
      cry.
      The
     
     
      ones
      that
      have
      made
      me
      cry
      are
      the
     
     
      most
      common
      errors,
      such
      as
     
     
      comma
      usage,
      semi-colon
      usage,
      the
     
     
      misuse
      of
      'affect'
      and
      ‘effect,’
      and
     
    

    
     
      the
      all
      too
      often
      misuse
      of
      ‘your,’
     
     
      'you're,'
      and
      'there,'
      they're,’
      and
     
     
      'their.'
      And
      let's
      not
      for-
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      each
      sentence,
      and
      where
      there
      was
     
     
      a
      pause
      to
      put
      inacomma.Asa
      _
     
     
      general
      rule
      this
      could
      work,
      but
      as
     
     
      a
      result,
      I
      find
      I
      put
      in
      too
      many
     
    
   
   
    
     
      »
      commas.
      I
      have
      to
      go
      back
      over
      my
     
    
   
   
    
     
      work
      and
      check
      for
      unnecessary
     
     
      comma
      usage.
      As
      a
      solid
      rule,
      gen-
     
     
      eral
      rules
      don't
      always
      work.
     
     
      There
      is
      an
      excellent
      website
      for
     
     
      punctuation
      and
      grammar
      called
     
     
      "The
      Blue
      Book
      of
      Grammar
      and
     
     
      Punctuation"
      by
      Jane
      Straus.
      You
     
    
   
   
    
     
      equally
      convey
      the
      same
      meaning
      if
     
     
      you
      said
      When
      we
      were
      at
      the
      lake
     
     
      hardly
      anyone
      was
      there.
      In
      the
     
     
      instance
      of
      this
      sentence,
      it
      would
     
     
      depend
      upon
      who
      our
      listener
      was.
     
     
      If
      it
      was
      someone
      who
      had
      never
     
     
      been
      to
      that
      lake,
      they
      would
      not
     
     
      realize
      that
      it
      was
      usually
      crowded
     
     
      if
      you
      omitted
      that
      particular
      piece
     
     
      of
      information.
     
    

    
     
      Last,
      but
      certainly
      not
      least,
     
     
      using
      a
      comma
      to
      separate
      two
      sen-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      semi-colon
      can
      be
      used
      in
      a
      sen-
     
     
      tence
      in
      place
      of
      a
      comma
      when
      the
     
     
      conjunction
      is
      left
      out.
      For
      example,
     
     
      I
      went
      for
      a
      hike
      around
      the
      lake;
      it
     
     
      was
      not
      as
      crowded
      as
      I
      had
     
     
      thought
      it
      would
      be.
      Notice
      that
      in
     
     
      this
      example
      taken
      from
      above,
      that
     
     
      I
      have
      removed
      the
      comma
      and
      the
     
     
      but
      and
      replaced
      it
      with
      a
      semi-
     
     
      colon.
     
     
      A
      semi-colon
      can
      also
      be
      used
      when
     
     
      listing
      items
      that
      already
      have
      a
     
     
      comma
      in
      them
      to
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      get
      the
      infamous
      ‘its’
     
     
      and
      'it's.'
      These
      are
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ‘These
      are
      mistakes
      that
      are
      so
      common,
      I
      have
      found
      them
      in
      magazines,
     
    
   
   
    
     
      newspapers,
      books,
      and
      even
      in
      my
      own
      writing.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      help
      avoid
      confu-
     
     
      sion.
      For
      example,
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      mistakes
      that
      are
      so
      common,
      I
      have
     
     
      found
      them
      in
      magazines,
      newspa-
     
     
      pers,
      books,
      and
      even
      in
      my
      own
     
     
      writing,
      so
      don't
      feel
      bad
      if
      you
      are
     
     
      someone
      who
      makes
      these
      same
     
     
      errors.
     
    

    
     
      These
      are
      all
      errors
      that
      a
     
    
   
   
    
     
      spell-checker
      won't
      pick
      up
      on,
     
    
   
   
    
     
      which
      is
      why
      we
      have
      to
      read
      over
     
    
   
   
    
     
      our
      essays
      before
      we
      hand
      them
      in.
      —
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Just
      because
      the
      essay
      on
      the
      com-
     
     
      puter
      screen
      doesn't
      have
      any
      red
      or
     
     
      green
      underlined
      words,
      doesn't
     
     
      mean
      that
      it
      is
      grammatically
      and
     
     
      spelling
      perfect.
      A
      basic
      understand-
     
     
      ing
      of
      these
      errors
      will
      help
      you
      to
     
     
      avoid
      making
      them
      again
      in
      the
     
     
      future.
      We'll
      start
      with
      punctuation.
     
     
      Commas
      are
      so
      often
      over-
     
     
      used
      and/or
      underused,
      because
      the
     
     
      writer
      does
      not
      how
      to
      properly
      use
     
     
      them
      in
      the
      written
      sentence.
      When
     
     
      I
      was
      in
      elementary
      school,
      I
      can
     
     
      temember
      being
      told
      to
      listen
      to
     
     
      how
      we
      form
      our
      spoken
      sentences
     
     
      and
      to
      think
      about
      the
      pauses
      in
     
    
   
   
    
     
        
     
    
   
   
    
     
      can
      also
      buy
      the
      book
      by
      the
      same
      -
     
     
      name,
      but
      everything
      you
      need
      is
     
     
      online
      at
      www.bluebook.com.
      She
     
     
      has
      listed
      eighteen
      rules
      just
      for
     
     
      commas.
      I
      will
      only
      go
      through
     
     
      three
      of
      the
      most
      important
      ones.
      If
     
     
      you
      feel
      you
      are
      having
      a
      lot
      of
     
     
      trouble
      with
      comma
      use,
      I
      suggest
     
     
      checking
      out
      this
      great
      website.
     
    

    
     
      When
      you
      are
      listing
      three
     
     
      or
      more
      items
      in
      a
      sentence,
      com-
     
     
      mas
      should
      be
      used
      to
      separate
     
     
      them.
      For
      example,
      J
      saw
      a
      bear,
      a
     
     
      coyote,
      and
      a
      squirrel
      today
      while
     
     
      on
      the
      hike.
      Notice,
      however,
      that
      if
     
     
      you
      only
      have
      two
      items
      listed,
     
     
      commas
      are
      not
      necessary.
     
    

    
     
      When
      you
      place
      an
      ‘aside'
      in
     
     
      your
      sentence
      that
      is
      not
      necessary
     
     
      to
      convey
      the
      full
      meaning
      of
      the
     
     
      sentence,
      surround
      this
      ‘aside’
      with
     
     
      commas,
      For
      example,
      When
      we
     
     
      were
      at
      the
      lake,
      which
      is
      normally
     
     
      crowded,
      hardly
      anyone
      was
      there.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      -
      Notice
      that
      this
      sentence
      could
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      tences
      joined
      by
      a
      conjunction,
      and,
     
     
      but,
      or,
      for,
      &
      nor,
      is
      optional.
      For
     
     
      example,
      J
      went
      for
      a
      hike
      around
     
    

    
     
      _
      the
      lake,
      but
      it
      was
      not
      as
      crowded
     
     
      as
      I
      had
      thought
      it
      would
      be.
      Or,
      I
     
     
      went
      for
      a
      hike
      around
      the
      lake
      but
     
     
      it
      was
      not
      as
      crowded
      as
      I
      had
     
     
      thought
      it
      would
      be.
      Either
      way
      is
     
     
      acceptable,
      and
      is
      more
      a
      matter
      of
     
     
      personal
      preference.
      Check
      out
      the
     
     
      other
      rules
      at
      the
      Blue
      Book
      website
     
     
      to
      learn
      more.
     
     
      Semi-colons
      are
      another
      punctua-
     
     
      tion
      that
      are
      commonly
      misused.
      I
     
     
      think
      this
      is
      because
      they
      are
      so
     
     
      complicated
      to
      explain
      that
      in
      ele-
     
     
      mentary
      and
      high
      school,
      teachers
     
     
      tend
      to
      avoid
      them
      as
      much
      as
      pos-
     
     
      sible.
      Therefore
      people
      don't
      use
     
     
      them.
      People
      are
      afraid
      of
      them.
      It's
     
     
      true.
     
    

    
     
      Again,
      the
      Blue
      Book
      web-
     
    

    
     
      site
      has
      several
      rules
      for
      this
      misun-
     
    

    
     
      -
      derstood
      part
      of
      punctuation;
      here
     
     
      we
      will
      only
      go
      through
      a
      couple.
      A
     
    
   
   
    
     
      2004
      page
      11
     
    
   
   
    
     
      This
      summer,
      I
      vis-
     
     
      ited
      Craigellachie,
      British
     
     
      Columbia;
      Regina,
      Saskatchewan;
     
     
      and
      Halifax,
      Nova
      Scotia.
      Notice
     
     
      that
      if
      I
      had
      placed
      another
      comma
     
     
      after
      British
      Columbia
      instead
      of
      a
     
     
      semi-colon,
      people
      who
      had
      never
     
     
      heard
      of
      Craigellachie
      would
      not
     
     
      distinguish
      it
      as
      being
      in
      British
     
     
      Columbia.
     
    

    
     
      I
      hope
      that
      this
      article
      helps
     
     
      you
      better
      understand
      a
      largely
      mis-
     
     
      understood
      part
      of
      punctuation.
      In
     
     
      part
      2
      of
      this
      article,
      I
      will
      explain
     
     
      the
      differences
      between
      the
      words
      I
     
     
      mentioned
      earlier
      in
      the
      article
      that
     
     
      are
      commonly
      misused.
     
    

    
     
      If
      you
      have
      a
      question
      for
      a
     
     
      qualified
      tutor
      in
      the
      area
      of
      writing,
     
     
      time
      management,
      grammar,
      and
     
     
      punctuation,
      write
      to
      Rebecca
      at
     
     
      questions_for_a_tutor@yahoo.ca.
      I
     
     
      will
      try
      to
      answer
      as
      many
      questions
     
     
      as
      possible
      in
      this
      column,
      but
      every
     
     
      email
      will
      receive
      an
      answer
      to
      the
     
     
      best
      of
      my
      abilities.