Then, be sure you let your mouse cursor hover over the cartoon below.

Oh, sure, just blame me! is a post from: Kestrel's Aerie

 

• The interrobang is not a recognized punctuation mark, okay‽ Don’t try to fake it by using exclamation marks and question marks together, okay!? (But if you must, put the ? last, since you are asking a question.)
• Sentence terminators (period, question mark, exclamation mark (or point)) go inside quotation marks.
• Except when they don’t.
• Speaking of “quotation marks,” (btw, see where the comma is?), they are so-named for a reason. If you want to give emphasis or oomph, there are better ways. Gratuitous quote marks hint of cynicism or an attempt to cast doubt. And they’re just “dumb.”
• There is nothing wrong with using the series, serial, or Oxford comma. (If you don’t know what a serial or Oxford comma is, reread the preceding sentence.)
• If you think commas (and capitalization) are overused, examine the following: Mother helped my father, Jack, off the horse.
• Feel free “to boldy go where no one has gone before.” Just don’t expect me to follow you into a dark alley. However, if you want to merrily split infinitives, you have my blessing. And the approval of the University of Chicago Press.¹
• Unless you’re writing in Latin.
• Its important to know when to use an apostrophe, and when it’s use is wrong.
• If your sentence reads the same whether you use a comma or a period then use the period, avoid the comma splice.
• No one will cut your hands off (nor will they cut off your hands) if you insert two spaces after a period or colon. Instead, your editor will search/replace all such occurrences with a single space, and “Track Changes” will be turned off. Don’t ask me how I know this.²
• If you are unsure of the difference in usage for a colon and a semicolon, I have a simple piece of advice for you; avoid both.
• Finally, although a preposition is a part of speech and not a punctuation mark, it’s a perfectly fine thing to end a sentence with.

National Punctuation Day! is a post from: Kestrel's Aerie

 

I was looking at Astropixie’s blog this morning, as I am wont to do whenever she posts anything. Today’s entry is a spectacular animation of what the Earth would look like if it had a ring system similar to Saturn’s (and what those rings might look like from Earth). Definitely worth a look! (And "Ave Maria" as the background music is a perfect choice.) (Disregard the facts that because of our moon and our nearness to the Sun, an Earthen ring system would be an astrophysical impossibility. Still, it’s pretty to look at and imagine Earth with rings.)

HOWEVER…that isn’t why we’re here today, my little snowflakes. No indeed. We’re here because I commented on Astropixie’s blog item, and in doing so, the name of one of her other commenters caught my eye. I don’t know about you, but I very much tend to learn about all kinds of new places and people by following commenters on blogs I follow. So I clicked on Dr. Lemming’s link and followed him over to his blog. I read a couple of his short articles (I don’t envy my Aussie friends for what is shaping up to be a long, hot summer!), then his "Disclaimer" caught my eye. As it was rather long, I wondered what in the world he could be disclaiming. Allow me to share—and I hope you get a kick out of it too.

All opinions, measurements, figures, and facts on this page are the personal opinions of Charles W. Magee, Jr, and do not represent the views of any of his employers: past, present, present-but-about-to-be-past, or future. None of the content herein has been subject to peer review, and should be treated with caution or derision. Any passing mention of OSHA code violations, criminal activities, unethical or unscientific behavior, or the clandestine Australian nuclear weapons program are fictions created to make rhetorical points, and do not represent the reality of my, or anyone else’s, workplace. Do not attempt any scientific protocols described herein at home, with the exception of the chocolate chip cookie recipe. Do not apply the products of that protocol to individuals with heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure or cholesterol, egg, wheat, dairy, or chocolate allergies. Do not view this blog continuously for more than 45 minutes without stretching and taking other precautions to prevent computer-related chronic injury.

A Model Disclaimer is a post from: Kestrel's Aerie