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Court Reporting:Bad Grammar/
Good Punctuation©
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I have already sent it, sir.
It is dated September 22, 2014.
We were on our way to Provo, Utah.
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I have already sent it, sir, to all of the
people that are involved.
It is dated September 22, 2014, and
was mailed that very day.
We were on our way to Provo, Utah,
to visit family.
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Putting commas around an element
simply means, at the most basic
level, that it could be removed from
the sentence and that there would
still be a sentence.
Discussion
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Show that to us, Counsel, so that I
am sure of what you are saying.
He was derelict, in my judgment, in
fulfilling his duty.
She was interested, I believe, in the
truth.
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A pair of commas does not mean
that the element is “nonessential” or
that it is a “parenthetical.” Though
these terms might apply, they are
not the only reason to surround
something with commas.
Discussion
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It took place in Springfield, Illinois,
and not in Springfield, Ohio, on the
15th of last month.
The information was in the July 19,
2012, letter and not in the July 19,
2013, letter.
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Your Honor, I am asking that you
grant us a continuance.
I am asking that you grant us a
continuance, Your Honor.
I am asking that you grant us a
continuance, Your Honor, so that I
might investigate this new evidence.
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However, I had spoken with him
about the incident.
I had spoken with him about the
incident, however.
I had spoken with him about the
incident, however, before I knew the
full story.
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He walked somewhat gingerly, on
his sore leg.
He walked, somewhat gingerly, on his
sore leg.
He walked somewhat gingerly on his
sore leg.
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He walked later in the evening, to
the liquor store to buy a bottle.
He walked, later in the evening, to
the liquor store to buy a bottle.
He walked later in the evening to the
liquor store to buy a bottle.
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They were involved in case you don’t
know, in another accident.
They were involved, in case you don’t
know, in another accident.
They were involved in case you don’t
know in another accident.
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Are you saying nevertheless, that
you intend to file that report?
Are you saying, nevertheless, that
you intend to file that report?
Are you saying nevertheless that you
intend to file that report?
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I did not have the chance to speak
with him when I arrived that night.
When I arrived that night, I did not
have the chance to speak with him.
I did not have the chance, when I
arrived that night, to speak with him.
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She was unemployed at the time of
the incident we are discussing.
At the time of the incident we are
discussing, she was unemployed.
She was, at the time of the incident
we are discussing, unemployed.
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Now I want to talk about the 10th.
Now, I want to talk about the 10th.
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We were therefore very much
disgusted with their attitude.
We were, therefore, very much
disgusted with their attitude.
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It was obviously an error on his part.
It was, obviously, an error on his
part.
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And again I was confronted with a
very difficult choice.
And, again, I was confronted with a
very difficult choice.
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She had to have the test, too.
She had to have the test too.
He was a suspect, also.
He was a suspect also.
Bacteria was found there as well.
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We moved there in June, 2012.
We moved there in June 2012.
September, 2004, is the year the
twins were born.
September 2004 is the year the twins
were born.
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I work for I.B.M.
I work for IBM.
He needs ten CEU’s by June.
She needs ten CEUs by June.
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I spoke with Jack Macdonald, Jr.
I spoke with Jack Macdonald Jr.
Joseph Ray, Sr., spoke to her.
Joseph Ray Sr. spoke to her.
She married Hamilton Brown III.
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Put a period after a grammatically
complete sentence that makes a
statement or issues a command.
Rule
36
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Her plan does not include health
benefits. I could not use it.
I had very little to do with what
happened later. That’s it.
He expected me to finish it. I didn’t.
I cannot be there. I am sorry.
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Leave now. You may still make it for
the last train.
Hand me the piece of paper from
there on the table. It is Exhibit 1.
Send it via email. I will check for it.
Have it delivered. Thank you.
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Definition
A run-on is the combination of two
sentences that do not have a
conjunction between them but that
are punctuated with a comma or
with nothing at all.
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Ray got into the work early in the
day, Joe did not.
Ray got into the work early in the
day. Joe did not.
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I did not hear what you said, I’m
sorry.
I did not hear what you said. I’m
sorry.
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We left with the understanding it
would be handled, that’s it.
We left with the understanding it
would be handled. That’s it.
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We do not need it at this point
thank you.
We do not need it at this point. Thank
you.
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Definition
A “polite request” is a sentence
that asks for action or information.
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A polite request can never be
answered with a simple “yes” or
“no.” These are simply not
responsive to the request.
Discussion
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A polite request correctly begins
with “will” or “would.”
Discussion
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Put a period after a polite request.
Rule
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Q Would you turn to page 5 of the
report that you have there.
Q Will you tell me the names and
ages of your children.
Q Would you please take a seat in
the witness stand.
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Q Would you state your name for
the record, please.
A No. I cannot do that.
Q Would you please hand me the
file that is marked “Debits.”
A No. I am not in the mood.
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Q Will you state your name for the
record, please.
A Okay.
Q Would you please hand me the
file that is marked “Debits.”
A I’d be happy to.
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Q Will you explain how it
happened that you were there.
A She had arrived early and had
called me to come over.
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Q Can you hand the document you
are holding to your counsel.
Q Could you read the first
paragraph there to yourself.
Q Can you put your initials in the
top corner of the page.
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Q Can you give me the names.
A Jim, Robert, and Martin.
Q Can you give me the names?
A I don’t have a clue who those
people were.
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CAN THERE BE A POLITE REQUEST
TO THE JUDGE?
Q May we have this marked for
identification.
Q May we have this marked for
identification?
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Definition
A “indirect question” always occurs
in a dependent clause and does not
use question word order.
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An indirect question has the “feel” of
a question but simply doesn’t have
the “form” of a true question.
Discussion
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Direct Question
What time did you leave?
Indirect Question
I am asking what time you left.
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Direct Question
When did the surgery take place?
Indirect Question
I am wondering when the surgery
took place.
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Direct Question
How far was it to his office?
Indirect Question
I want to know how far it was to
his office.
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Definition
A “fragment” is an element that
does not stand alone as a complete
grammatical thought.
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…because she is not here…
…on the corner…
…that he was there alone…
…near the base of the skull…
…very late yesterday afternoon…
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Punctuate a fragment that stands
for a complete thought the same
way you would punctuate the
complete thought.
Rule
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Not with him in that car. I was alone.
Eight. There were only eight.
In the back. That’s absolutely true.
I intended to give that to you this
morning. Sorry.
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Q What time was it?
A Around 10:00. We were late.
Q Who was driving?
A Bob. Joe had been drinking.
Q How far away were you standing?
A About 50 feet. I was close.
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Q What day did this happen?
A Friday. I think it was the 5th.
Q Where did you see her?
A At the beach. She was alone.
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Q Were you involved at all?
A Minimally. I did little on that.
Q When did you enter into that?
A The 16th. Maybe it was the 17th.
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Q How far did you travel that day?
A Only a couple of hundred miles.
I was really tired.
Q Where did you stop?
A At a little motel. We were out in
the middle of nowhere.
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Would this be a good time for a
semicolon?
NO!
Discussion
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Q How near to you was it?
A It was no more than ten feet.
Q No more than ten feet.
Did you have a clear view?
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Q Who told you that?
A It was Joe Ross.
Q Joe Ross.
Did you trust him?
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Q What did she indicate?
A She indicated it would be no
later than the 24th.
Q The 24th.
Was that a guaranteed date?
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Q When did you pay the final?
A I think it was in May.
Q In May.
In your mind, was that it?
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Q What about John? Was he there?
Q How about your sister? Did she
help?
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What does the attorney mean when
he uses one of these words?
Q Okay. Did you go to…?
And should we paragraph after
these?
Discussion
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Q Was surgery inevitable?
A It was a definite.
Q Okay. When did you tell him?
Q Were you alone in this?
A I felt alone.
Q All right. Fine. Did you reach…?
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Q I asked you about that Tuesday.
A It was finalized on that Tuesday.
Q Great. Okay. Fine. Were you...?
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Q Who led in sales?
A Mark Johnson. He was always
first.
Q Mark Johnson. Okay. Great.
Did he work from your branch?
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Put a period in front of “okay”
when it comes at the end of a
sentence. Use an interrog or
period after it, depending upon
the intonation used.
Rule
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You say you insisted the doctor run
additional tests. Okay.
I am going to show you several
exhibits that were all marked at the
same time yesterday. Okay?
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Surround “okay” with dashes in
the middle of the sentence if it is
asking a “legitimate” question.
Otherwise, treat it as a
throwaway.
Rule
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You can speak with your attorney --
is that okay? -- before we go on.
She was standing, okay, next to me
and was, okay, acting weird, okay,
and proceeded to start screaming.
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Objection. Asked and answered;
compound, unintelligible.
Objection -- asked and answered,
compound, unintelligible.
Objection: Asked and answered;
compound; unintelligible.
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Objection. Asked and answered;
Compound. Unintelligible.
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When what follows “yes” and “no”
echoes the words of the question,
use a comma.
Rule
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Q Did she call you that night?
A Yes, she did.
A Yes, she called.
Q Was he agitated?
A No, he was not agitated.
A No, he wasn’t.
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When what follows “yes” and “no”
does not echo the words of the
question, use a period.
Rule
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Q Did she call you that night?
A Yes. She asked about the loan.
A Yes. She asked about my mom.
Q Was he agitated?
A No. He was amazingly calm.
A No. He was in control.
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Q Was she in attendance?
A No. But she sent a colleague.
A Yes. Because she was in charge.
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Is this a time when a semicolon
might work?
NO.
Discussion
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Q Did she react well to the news?
A Yes, she did. She embraced her
new position.
A No, she didn’t. She broke down
right away.
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Q Did you see her after she quit?
A We met several times, yes.
A I did not see her at all, no.
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Q Was he visibly upset?
A He reacted rather violently,
yes, and seemed to be over the edge.
A I couldn’t tell, no, that he was
upset in any way.
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Q Did you send the form in?
A I did not have it initially; but,
yes, I did send it eventually.
A She did not give it to me;
and, no, I had no way to send it in
otherwise.
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Rules for “uh-huh” and “huh-uh”
and “yep” and “nope” and any
others are exactly the same as for
“yes” and “no.”
Rule
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Yep, I did accompany her.
She was in surgery by the time I gotthere, uh-huh.
I made every effort; but, unh-unh, we
weren’t able to make that contact.
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Put the question mark where the
question is first asked.
Rule
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Q How many? Do you know?
Q Who helped you? Your brother?
Q How long was it? More than a
month?
Q What did you tell her? The truth
or the lie you had been spreading?
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Q Whom did you see? I am talking
about when you first got there.
Q How long was the surgery? I am
referring to the surgery on the 4th.
Q How much more did you spend?
On your sister, I mean?(.)
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Q Whom did you see? Do you
recall?
Q How long was the surgery? Do
you have an estimate?
Q How much more did you spend?
Do you know?
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Q Whom did you see? Where were
you?
Q How long was the surgery? Did
you follow up?
Q How much more did you spend?
Did you buy everything for her?
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Q Whom did you see? Your
brother?
Q How long was the surgery?
Several hours?
Q How much more did you spend?
More than $100?
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Q Did you eat strawberries?
Q Did you eat blueberries?
Q Did you eat kiwi?
Q Did you eat papaya?
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Q Did you eat strawberries?
blueberries?
kiwi?
papaya?
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Q Did you eat strawberries?
blueberries? kiwi? papaya?
Q Did you eat strawberries?
Blueberries? Kiwi? Papaya?
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Q Was the car you saw red? blue?
gray? brown?
Q What color was the car you saw?
Red? Blue? Gray? Brown?
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Q Did you call 9-1-1? your doctor?
the hospital?
Q Which one did you consider
purchasing? The large one? The small
one? One of the others?
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Q Who did that work for you? Your
admin assistant? Your clerk? Your
bookkeeper?
Q How did you find out? Who told
you? The doctor?
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Definition
A “tag clause” is added to a
sentence that is a statement in
order to turn it into a question.
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The only reason to use a tag clause
is to turn a sentence expressed as a
statement into a question.
Discussion
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There are two kinds of tag clauses:
those that echo the original
statement
those that use “right,” “true,” or
“correct”
Discussion
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When the tag clause echoes the
statement, use commas.
Rule
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He was with the company ten years,
wasn’t he?
Her leg was not broken, was it?
They had signed the papers for the
loan, had they not?
I am correct, am I not?
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He was with the company ten years,
wasn’t he, when you discovered the
second set of books?
Her leg was not broken, was it, at the
time you examined her?
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When the tag clause has its own
subject and verb and comes at the
end of the sentence, use a
semicolon in front of it.
Rule
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He was with the company ten years;
is that correct?
Her leg was not broken; is that right?
They had signed the papers for the
loan; isn’t that true?
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You testified last Friday in your
deposition that the man you saw was
wearing a brown winter coat that
seemed to be oversized and that he
had his hands in the pockets and that
there was a bulge in the right-side
pocket. Is that correct?
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When the tag clause has its own
subject and verb and comes in the
middle of the sentence, use a pair
of dashes around it.
Rule
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He was with the company ten years --
is that correct? -- when you
discovered the second set of books?
Her leg was not broken -- is that
right? -- when you examined her?
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Punctuate a fragment the same
way that you would punctuate the
grammatically complete sentence
that it stands for.
Rule
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He was with the company ten years;
correct?
Her leg was not broken; right?
They had signed the papers for the
loan; true?
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Put a period in front of the other
comments that come at the end of
the sentence. Let them stand as
their own question.
Rule
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She regularly exceeded 40 hours a
week. Is that fair?
You lived just a block from the beach.
Is that what you are saying?
There were nine children. Is that
what I am to understand?
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One Prepositional Phrase
That Just Modifies
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When there is one short
prepositional phrase that is a
simple modifier at the
beginning of the sentence, do
not use punctuation after it.
Rule
152
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After our lunch we intended to
inquire about it.
At noon she called to tell us.
During May he left on vacation.
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It was set to go into effect on Friday.
On Friday it was set to go into effect.
It was set on Friday to go into effect.
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We were at the crucial point in June.
In June we were at the crucial point.
We were in June at the crucial point.
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Count the number of words?
I don’t think so.
Discussion
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…on a hot day…
…during those preliminary
discussions…
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When It Does NOT Just Modify
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In 2012, 450,000 cartons were
delivered to the company.
In general, elections were held on
Tuesdays.
For Arthur, Joseph would do
anything.
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According to her, there was no one
qualified for the job.
In my opinion, he should be court
martialed.
To his recollection, the money was
not enough.
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At any rate, it did not make a
difference.
By the way, how much did they
charge?
On the other hand, it was not a great
fit for me.
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Definition
A “parenthetical” is an element
(word, phrase, clause)
that does not impact
the meaning of the sentence.
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She was, by the way, also a jerk.
Gee, I haven’t seen her in years.
He just didn’t listen, in my judgment.
Clearly, this is a case of not caring.
It didn’t, however, seem to matter.
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A parenthetical can be
moved around within
the sentence.
Discussion
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Of course, I intended to speak up.
I, of course, intended to speak up.
I intended, of course, to speak up.
I intended to speak up, of course.
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A parenthetical can be dropped
anywhere
into any sentence that we use.
Discussion
167
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Of course, his office was a mess.
Of course, my foot took the hit.
Of course, his attorney called me.
Of course, I applied for the job.
168
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ALWAYS surround a parenthetical
with punctuation.
Rule
169
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She was, by the way, also a jerk.
And, gee, I haven’t seen her in years.
He just didn’t listen, in my judgment.
Clearly, this is a case of not caring.
It didn’t, however, seem to matter.
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He was, like, about 15.
They walked, like, you know,
together for, like, three blocks.
He, like, really, you know, was alone.
Therefore, she, you know, was, like,
gee, getting, you know, near, say, 50.
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There was really nothing else to do,
secondly.
It was, first, the thing she felt she
had to do.
174
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These were the reasons for the
sequence of events: First, we had to
go there; second, we had…
These were the reasons for the
sequence of events: first, the need to
go there; second, the need to…
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She resigned because, one, she was
pregnant and because, two, she was
sick and because, three, she was
going to the doctor.
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She resigned because, one, she was
pregnant and, two, she was sick and,
three she was going to the doctor.
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…these: Initially, we had to go…
…because, next, she didn’t want to…
…plan; and, lastly, it was not…
…nothing else to do, finally.
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that is
i.e.
for example
e.g.
namely
to wit
for instance
in other words
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…that day, that is, Friday…
…no one; in other words, she was
alone…
…the office? For example, at work?
…with them -- i.e., Mary, Mark, and
Teresa -- on that Friday…
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At the end
with a FRAGMENT after it,
use a pair of commas
around the parenthetical.
Rule
182
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…that month, that is, August…
…her sister, in other words, Jan…
…my company, i.e., Microsoft...
…for that car, for example, for that
Toyota…
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At the end
with a SENTENCE after it,
use a semicolon in front of
the parenthetical and
a comma after it.
Rule
184
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…that month; that is, it was August
that we were there.
…her sister; in other words, we saw
Jan that night.
…my company; i.e., Microsoft has
joined in the effort.
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At the end
with a LIST after it,
use a colon in front of
the parenthetical and
a comma after it.
Rule
186
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…several months: for example, June,
September, and November.
…her siblings: in other words, Joan,
Jeanine, Jack, and Jerry.
…all three bases: that is, first,
second, and third.
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After a question,
use a question mark
in front of the parenthetical
and a comma after it.
Rule
188
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Did you talk to him when he arrived?
That is, when he came in from the
trip.(?)
Who helped with the work? In other
words, did the financials.(?)
Who was standing there? For
instance, your boss.(?)
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At the end,
when the sentence has concluded
and the parenthetical renames the
subject,
use a dash in front of the
parenthetical
and a comma after it.
Rule
190
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The CEO of the company had
responsibilities beyond what the rest
of us had -- that is, Ronald Harris.
The surgeon rendered an opinion that
was different from Dr. Ross’s -- that
is, Dr. Mencher.
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In the middle
of the sentence,
use a pair of dashes
around the parenthetical.
Rule
192
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The accountant we had -- that is,
Reynaldo Martin -- was charged with
a felony in the case.
We owned two cars -- that is, a VW
and a Ford -- before this incident.
Similar surgeries -- e.g., tonsils,
appendix -- are common.
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This follows the rule that says, any
time an element in the middle needs
commas around it but also has
punctuation inside it, replace the
commas around it with dashes.
Discussion
194
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…and a half… vs. …and one half…
…3:00 vs. …3:00 o’clock…
…J, as in “John”; my last name;
the numbers “766”; at yahoo dot
com vs. [email protected]
Discussion
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THE STANDARD RULE
For words ending in -s, -x, -z, -ch,
and -sh, add -es to make the
word plural.
Rule
199
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fox
mass
church
wish
fez
foxes
masses
churches
wishes
fezes
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Remember
Do NOT use an apostrophe for the
plural of a regular word.
witness becomeswitnesses,
NOT witness’ orwitness’s
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witness
class
pass
fox
perch
witnesses
classes
passes
foxes
perches
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For all other words, add only -s.
Rule
203
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girl
head
storm
vacation
iPhone
girls
heads
storms
vacations
iPhones
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Remember
Do NOT use an apostrophe for the
plural of a regular word.
class becomes classes,
NOT class’s or classes’
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Proper Names
Follow these same standard rules
to make proper names plural.,
BUT
do not change the spelling of a
proper name.
Rule
206
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Mario
Hindry
Burns
Rogers
Hodges
Marios
Hindrys
Burnses
Rogerses
Hodgeses
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Remember
Do NOT use an apostrophe for the
plural of a regular word.
Wells becomes Wellses,
NOT Wells’ or Wells’s or Wellses’
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Pronunciation does not affect the
way the plural of a proper name is
spelled.
Discussion
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Q Did you see Mr. Hughes’ car?
A I did not see Mr. Hughes’s car.
210
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When the word the is in front of a
surname, always make the name
plural.
Rule
211
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I was with the Wellses.
I was with the Rosses.
I was with the Sanchezes.
I was with the Hodgkines.
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The plural of the word money has
two acceptable spellings:
monies financial issues
moneys different kinds
Discussion
213
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English is such fun:
Fish in the plural when you are
counting the number.
Fishes in the plural when you
are looking at types.
Discussion
214
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If a compound noun has more
than one word, make the main
noun plural.
Rule
215
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sister-in-law
attorney
general
court martial
sisters-in-law
attorneys
general
courts martial
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For every word that you want to
make SINGULAR possessive, add
an apostrophe s to the singular
form of the word -- no
exceptions.
Rule
218
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boy
woman
person
child
teenager
boy’s
woman’s
person’s
child’s
teenager’s
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class
witness
boss
bass
fox
class’s
witness’s
boss’s
bass’s
fox’s
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Mr. Ross
Ms. Sanchez
Mrs. Wells
Mr. Hodges
Ms. Hopkins
Mr. Ross’s
Ms. Sanchez’s
Mrs. Wells’s
Mr. Hodges’s
Ms. Hopkins’s
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For the plural possessive of words
that end in s, add only the
apostrophe -- (most plurals do
end in s).
Rule
222
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girls
friends
sisters
witnesses
classes
girls’
friends’
sisters’
witnesses’
classes’
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the Rosses
the Wellses
the Burnes
the Hodges
the Hopkins
the Rosses’
the Wellses’
the Burneses’
the Hodgeses’
the Hopkinses’
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For the plural possessive of words
that do not end in s,
add apostrophe s.
Rule
225
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children
men
oxen
women
children’s
men’s
oxen’s
women’s
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Add all possessive apostrophes
onto the end of the word.
Rule
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singular brother-in-law
sing. poss. brother-in-law’s
plural brothers-in-law
pl. poss. brothers-in-law’s
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singular aide-de-camp
sing. poss. aide-de-camp’s
plural aides-de-camp
pl. poss. aides-de-camp’s
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Be sure you have the correct form
of the base word -- that is,
singular or plural -- before you
make it possessive.
Discussion
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…to the boy…
…to the boy’s friends…
…to the boys…
…to the boys’ friends…
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…at Ms. Chung…
…at Ms. Chung’s neighbor…
…at the Chungs…
…at the Chungs’ neighbor…
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…to the witness…
…to the witness’s testimony…
…to the witnesses…
…to the witnesses’ testimony…
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…with Mr. Ross…
…with Mr. Ross’s son…
…with the Rosses…
…with the Rosses’ son…
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…to Ms. Jones…
…to Ms. Jones’s house…
…to the Joneses…
…to the Joneses’ house…
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These forms are really just
homophones where you are
picking out the correct form.
Discussion
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boy
boy’s
boys
boys’
class
class’s
classes
classes’
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Hess
Mr. Hess’s
the Hesses
the Hesses’
Hodges
Ms. Hodges’s
the Hodgeses
the Hodgeses’
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Be sure to use the correct
singular or plural form for the
context of the sentence.
Discussion
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…my manager’s assistants…
…all the managers’ assistants…
…one witness’s statements…
…two witnesses’ statements…
…my son’s birthday…
…my sons’ birthdays…
240
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Don’t use the possessive when
you just want the plural.
Rule
241
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…a card from the Oliver’s…
…a card from the Olivers’…
…a card from the Olivers☺…
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We went with the Rays last night.
(the people, the family)
We were at the Rays’ last night.
(their house, their apartment)
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…one week’s pay…
…three days’ duration…
…a stone’s throw…
245
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When an adjective that is right in
front of the noun has an s on it
AND it denotes a time, distance,
amount, or value,
use an apostrophe.
Rule
246
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Use apostrophe “s” when the
amount is singular and an
“s” apostrophe when the
amount is plural.
Rule
247
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…one year’s time…
…a week’s vacation…
…an hour’s wait…
…three weeks’ duration…
…20 minutes’ delay…
…a few dollars’ worth…
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If there is no “s,” the combination
is hyphenated.
Rule
249
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…one week’s vacation…
…one-week vacation…
…15 minutes’ delay…
…15-minute delay…
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