Category: Grammar

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Abrams’ Guide to Grammar: Third Edition

We are proud to announce that our newest book, Abrams' Guide to Grammar: Third Edition, is now available on Amazon.com.
 
About The Book
 
Using IconLogic’s proven “skills & drills” training approach, this user-friendly, concise grammar reference is designed for word people—writers, editors, proofreaders, managers, administrative staff, and students.
 
Abrams’ Guide to Grammar: Third Edition covers problems of grammar and punctuation. If you communicate by letter, memo, report, or email, you’ll benefit from this lively collection of tutorials. 
Abrams’ Guide to Grammar demystifies the rules—it provides practical experiences to reinforce learning and to help you build confidence with your daily writing. Each exercise offers a thorough explanation in the answer key.
 
If any of the following topics intimidate you or if you need a refresher on grammar and punctuation rules, this is the book for you:
  • Parts of Speech
  • Phrases (Prepositional and Verbal)
  • Sentence Fragments
  • Run-on Sentences
  • Commas with Independent and Dependent Clauses
  • Commas with Which and That
  • Commas after Introductory Constructions
  • Commas with Nonrestrictive Phrases
  • Commas in a Series
  • Verb Tense and Mood
  • Active vs. Passive Voice
  • Subject-Verb Agreement
  • Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement
  • Pronoun Case
  • The Pronouns Who and Whom
  • Parallelism
  • Misplaced and
  • Dangling Modifiers
About The Author
 
Ellie Abrams, president of ESA Editorial and Training Services Inc., has conducted training seminars for a wide spectrum of clients. Writers, editors, secretaries, managers, administrative staff, proofreaders, lawyers, educators, scientists, and students have benefited from her expertise. Ellie co-authored The New York Public Library Writer’s Guide to Style and Usage and STET Again!
 
The book comes in two flavors: Print and eBook for the Kindle.
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Writing & Grammar: Further discussion of Comma after And

by Jennie Ruby View our profile on LinkedIn
 
During one of my challenges a few weeks ago, I asked if there should be a semicolon, comma, or nothing before however. Many respondents added a comma after the word and in one of the examples. Here is the problem sentence, punctuated as recommended:

The roadside was sprinkled with breadcrumbs, and however you look at it, that bird's luck had finally turned.

As you all determined, the comma after breadcrumbs is required. Placing another comma after and is optional, but according to the late William Sabin, of the Gregg Reference Manual, the preferred usage is to omit that extra comma. His reasoning is that a comma after and makes the following introductory element appear as though it is nonessential, when actually it is essential.

If you read the sentence aloud, you will find that your voice does not drop on the clause however you look at it, as it would if this were a truly nonessential interruption in the sentence.

Read this aloud: The roadside was sprinkled with breadcrumbs, and, however you look at it, that bird's luck had finally turned.  

Compare it with this truly nonessential interruption:

Read this aloud: The bird, by the way, was a chickadee.

I'm guessing you found that your voice definitely dropped in pitch and loudness on "by the way" but did not drop on "however you look at it." Having commas both before and after the clause indicates that your voice should drop because the part surrounded by commas is parenthetical, or nonessential. Here, we have just experienced that the clause is not parenthetical.

"But I want a pause there!" I can hear you thinking. Well, I sympathize. I have previously discussed the tendency in training videos for the speaker to pause gratuitously but meaningfully after the word and, like this:

Spoken: "Select the text you wish to format, and [pause] choose 14 from the Font Size drop-down menu."

The pause in speaking draws the learner's attention to the next instruction, "choose." However, putting a comma after and to indicate that pause is ungrammatical. What to do? What to do? Perhaps it is time to make the leap to "literary" punctuation, where the commas indicate pauses rather than grammatical structures. If I accept literary punctuation, with that extra comma, I need to add the following names to the list of winners: Alicia Grimes, Michelle Duran, Alisha Sauer, Gail Kelleher, Joanne Chantelau, and Vera Sytch.

Correct answers to the Puppies challenge on Apostrophes are brought to you by Kay Honaker.

  1. The black and tan puppy ran right into the children's room.
  2. All three puppies' noses were white from the milk in the cereal bowl.
  3. The kids' faces brightened as soon as they saw the puppies.
  4. The cat guarded the kittens from the rambunctious dogs.
  5. The biggest dog's paws were up on the table.
  6. The children pulled the puppies' and the momma dog's ears.
  7. There was little doubt about the puppies' affection.