In the following sentence, a vital comma is missing. Where do you think it should go… and why? If you come over on Friday evening we’ll have a roast dinner. That sentence is composed of two elements that we need to be aware of. … [Read more...] about A tiny comma edit guaranteed to make a massive improvement
What’s an Oxford comma? How do I use it correctly? And do I need one at all?
I’ve got a book on my shelf printed by the Oxford University Press and another printed by the Cambridge University Press. The Oxford University book uses the Oxford comma. Not surprising. However, in the Cambridge University book, I noticed something that made me chuckle. There … [Read more...] about What’s an Oxford comma? How do I use it correctly? And do I need one at all?
Glimpses. Your free book of short stories.
In late-19th-century Boston, one lonely figure strides past closed curtains and shuttered windows, hurrying to catch the earliest train to New York City. Hers is a life defined by death and hell-bent on revenge. Two years and eight drafts into writing his novel, a frustrated … [Read more...] about Glimpses. Your free book of short stories.
Your Free Grammar Edit
COULD I HELP YOU PERSONALLY? Instead of reciting abstract rules and principles, or using examples that look nothing like anything you’d ever write yourself, couldn’t we figure this grammar and punctuation business out with your own words? JUST SEND ME TWO OF YOUR OWN … [Read more...] about Your Free Grammar Edit
Sentence cadence. Uncovering this secret of great prose in “The Pillars of the Earth”
Ken Follett opens The Pillars of the Earth with a stark and unsettling line. The small boys came early to the hanging. I was gripped and repulsed at once. Shocked and intrigued. And I read on, hooked. I knew Ken Follett had done something right. And I wondered what. … [Read more...] about Sentence cadence. Uncovering this secret of great prose in “The Pillars of the Earth”
