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Review Questions: 
1. On March 14, 1981, they celebrated her first birthday.
Correct! Always put a comma before and after the year.

2. In business, machines become redundant after a few years.
Correct! The comma is needed to avoid a misread.

3. The Grammar Central thread is a popular forum, isn’t it?
Correct! Add a comma before a contrast at the end of a sentence.

4. The superheroes' capes billowed out behind them.
Correct! A plural noun generally just needs the apostrophe.

5. Claudia quietly asked her daddy where the cookies were.
"daddy" should be lowercased since it's not being used in direct address.

6. My instructor talks to me like a novice, not a professional.
A comma is needed when there is a contrast at the end of a sentence.

7. Those berries, which I picked myself, were delicious.
Correct! "which I picked myself" is non-essential/parenthetical info, so it can be set off with a pair of commas.

8. The business trip went well, and I made good contacts. Before I wrote up my review, however, I was called away to a family emergency.
Correct! A comma is needed in between two independent clauses joined by a conjunction. A comma is also needed to set apart words/phrases that act as explanations.

9. “Where are the cookies, Daddy?” she asked quietly.
"Daddy" should be capitalized since it is being used in correct address; a comma isn't needed after a closed dialogue tag.

10. Bewildered, she couldn’t think of what Kansas's capital city was.
A singular noun usually requires apostrophe + s to indicate possessive.

11. AJ has two sisters. His sister Lindy has made quite a splash in the synchronized swimming world. 
AJ's sister's name is essential info since there are two of them, so her name shouldn't be set apart with commas.

Please define the following (active, passive, past progressive, present progressive):

Perfect!

 1. The publisher gave the author a hefty advance. (actice)
2. The vampire is waiting for nightfall.(present progressive)
3. The milkmaid was given a sweet kiss by the shepherd. (Passive)
4. The lighthouse operator was watching the seas. (past progressive)

Hi, all!

Using Dee's answers as a starting point, let's go over the questions:

1. On March 14, 1981, they celebrated her first birthday.
(Correct! Commas are used before and after the year.)
2. In business, machines become redundant after a few years.
(Correct! The comma is needed to avoid a misread.)
3. The Grammar Central thread is a popular forum, isn't it?
(Correct! Add a comma before a contrast at the end of a sentence.)
4. The superheroes' capes billowed out behind them.
(Remember to use just the apostrophe when dealing with plural possessives.)
5. Claudia quietly asked her daddy where the cookies were.
(Since Claudia is not directly addressing her father, lowercase "daddy.")
6. My instructor talks to me like a novice, not a professional.
(Correct! Add a comma before a contrast at the end of a sentence.)
7. Those berries—which I picked myself—were delicious.
(Correct! Parenthetical/non-essential info should always be set apart with commas or em dashes.)
8. The business trip went well, and I made good contacts. Before I wrote up my review, however, I was called away to a family emergency.
(For the first sentence, a comma is needed when two independent clauses are joined by a conjunction. Place commas around words or phrases that act as explanations. In this case it's "however.")
9. "Where are the cookies, Daddy?" she asked quietly.
(Since this is a direct address, capitalize "Daddy.")
10. Bewildered, she couldn't think of what Kansas's capital city was.
(With singular nouns, possessives are expressed using an apostrophe + s.)
11. AJ has two sisters. His sister Lindy has made quite a splash in the synchronized swimming world.
(Since AJ has two sisters, their names are not parenthetical, so shouldn't be set apart by commas.)


Let me know if there are questions regarding the sentences.


Naomi

Hi, Carolanne!

 Yup, post your answers here, and we'll go through them together.

 Thanks!

Naomi

Hi, Carolanne,

 Here are the questions:

 Naomi

Hi, everyone!

Hope everyone is keeping warm and cozy these days—it's freezing here in Toronto! Since the end of February is nigh, I'd thought it'd be good to review some of the grammar issues that have come up in the past two months.

Queries can sometimes get lost in the flurry of postings, so please click on the links below for an overview on commas, and for some review questions. Please post any questions here, and I'll be more than happy to answer them. (I won't post the answers just yet...see if you can understand the rules on your own first!)

Comma Overview
Jan/Feb Review

Thanks!
Naomi

Hey, guys!

I just listened to a really interesting podcast on the shortcuts we use in language, and one of the interviewees brought up some really fascinating points.

Naomi Baron, a linguistics prof at American University and author of Always On: Language in an Online and Mobile World states that our use of coded language (i.e. shorthand) has an important role in modern culture: it tells us what you want the other person to know by saying more than the words used. (Think of the effect of using "Hey" vs. "Hello.")

So what do we gain by communicating in shortcuts? One big thing is being able to say things we wouldn't be able to.

Baron uses the example of text messages. If someone wanted to text "I like you," the words aren't usually written outright. For people who are deeply entrenched in new media (like cell phones), texts are usually packaged in coded language that presents the self and message as "in-group"-like as possible (to avoid rejection!).

In the future, it's hard to say what the effect of shorthand use will have on language (though we've been using shortcuts for millenia), especially since we live in an age of accelerated communication. Apparently there are ebbs and flows in language...periods where standards/spelling are highly valued, and times where they aren't. Unfortunately, it seems like we're in a period of neglect.

Also, this age of accelerated communication, which is fostering more and more shortcuts is, according to Baron, wearing us out because we feel like we always have to be available, and always on. It's also making us become control freaks! With things like Caller ID, texts, etc., we control when and how we communicate with people, and thus, making us more manipulative. (Don't tell me you guys have never timed email/text responses on purpose!) The upside to all of this is that we have the chance to be incredibly creative in the face of brevity.

Phew! Lots of info, but I think it's all very interesting.

Finally, welcome to the thread, Misty!  Hope you find the discussions insightful and helpful.

Have a great night, everyone.
Naomi

Hi, ila!

Like the Spice Girls' history, change is inevitable.  

English, and for that matter all language, is constantly evolving, and with the amount of information and opinions out there it's hard to know what is still in use and what isn't.

For example, writing is slowly shifting to "down" style, which is a more minimal use of capitalization without taking away from a noun's importance. Though this is related to writing, it also addresses graphic trends, as you see more lowercased lettering in signs, images etc. probably because fewer capitals makes for a less jagged appearance. But then you'll have organizations that capitalize the heck out of everything!

We actually had a situation here at work where one of our online marketing managers asked if we were changing our house style spelling of "e-mail" to "email" since the latter was being endorsed by a national marketing association. In the end we stuck to our house style since "email" hasn't been officially recognized by Merriam-Webster's, our in-house dictionary of choice.

So in general, I think it's good to be an old-school stickler—dictionaries and style guides like Chicago are quite up-to-date; if in doubt, you can rely on their rulings and exceptions. It's just like being a good copy editor: pick a style or rules to abide by, but be flexible enough to incorporate the changing nature of language.

Dee, that's a really interesting fact about the central o's—I had no idea! Aesthetically, I would hate to see words lose their central o's—it'd be like losing mini-anchors in words.

Naomi

Hi, ladies,

OK, I know the subject heading hasn't been proven (yet), but I saw the Spice Girls in concert last night, and they were so fantastic, I'm positive they love commas as much as we do!

Cole, to address your question, you don't need to insert a comma after "Sarcastically" unless you want to insert a pause for the reader. Usually with single introductory words (as well as very short intro phrases), you don't need a comma except to prevent misreading.

So:

1. Before changing, the dancers hoisted Ginger Spice onto their shoulders. (Can you see how it would be confusing at first without the comma?)
2. On Sunday the Spice Girls lit up the stage in their costumes designed by Cavalli.

Katherine, those were some awesome suggestions regarding reordering of word order. It's cool that English is such a flexible language (sometimes) that we can shape our writing in so many different ways.

Commas are tricky, yet awesome, so I'm sure we'll definitely do more work on them soon. (Yo, I tell you what I want, what I really really want...more questions on commas!)

Viva Forever! Thanks, Dee et al. for addressing Cole's concern.

Hi, ladies,

Don't worry! There are only a few exceptions, and I know they won't be a problem for you guys.

Ready?

Here we go!

1. Nouns plural in form, singular in meaning: when a noun's singular and plural forms both end in s, use just the apostrophe.
So:
politics' true intent
economics' hidden intricacy
the United States' reputation
Strawberry Hills' new motto

2. Names that end in an eez: just use an apostrophe to form the possessive.
So:
Xerxes' tattoos
Euripides' tragedies

3. Proper nouns that end with a silent s: Use a single apostrophe for words you are sure that end with an unpronounced s—but only if you're sure!
So:
Descartes' theories
Francois' dreamy accent

Any questions or can you think of examples for the above exceptions? There are additional rules for the particularities of the possessive, so let me know if you want to get into those.

Hope that helps (and eases the pain a bit!).
Naomi