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Since language breathes arbitrariness and novelty, written linguistic devices can sometimes get shady. While words can be polysemic, the symbols that dictate how they should be read may further exacerbate writing issues. Even though punctuation marks occasionally seem intimidating, they do serve some beneficial purposes too. They guide readers not to get derailed from the …

Read More about Commas in Adresses (Street, City, State, etc.): Master Guide

A well-known fact is that language is arbitrary, and there lie the conflicting purposes of information expression. Information can either be affirmative or negative in sense, thereby necessitating words that could express idea affirmation or negation. Similarly, the salience of punctuation marks in the meticulous disambiguation of meaning in written language is indisputable. To proactively …

Read More about Comma before “nor”: The Definitive Guide

Comma placement rules are nonetheless precarious in many cases, particularly in writing people’s names. We may tend to consult Mr. Google before deciding whether or not to separate entities with commas. Being in the digital age has also made us quite dependent on direct messaging tools, which, in turn, exacerbated our complacency on punctuation rules. …

Read More about Comma before or after Names (Direct Address): Ultimate Guide

For native and non-native English users alike, some expressions could get trickier to use. This is especially true with prepositions since they may sometimes have multiple meanings. The preposition with generally functions as an agentive or instrumental indicator for results and end-products. Adding which, a pronoun, after with creates a slightly more complex denotation which …

Read More about English Grammar: “with which” in a Nutshell

Efficacious communication is tantamount to the meticulous analysis of the subtlest linguistic nuances. These nuances may be found in word meaning, pronunciation, sentence structure, and as well as in non-lexical symbols. Punctuation marks, such as commas, are non-lexical signs whose principal role is to facilitate reading, either silently or vocally. Symbols of punctuation serve as …

Read More about Comma before or after “or”: The Definitive Guide

Previous studies have found that the negation of ideas is a more complex process than affirmation. With that being said, it may lead to false retention of information in worst-case scenarios. When information is falsely associated with, counter-productive effects may occur, especially in more serious cases such as legally-related ones. In the crowded community of …

Read More about Comma Before “not”: The Definitive Guide

How often do you have to bear with punctuation marks? They get pretty annoying sometimes, don’t they? Cheer up. Don’t let these sneaky little symbols bite your head off.  This post will help you make sense of the comma after the word first and its other closely-related phrases.     Do we need a comma …

Read More about Comma after “First”: The Definitive Guide

Do you know what Latin abbreviations such as “i.e.”, “et al.”, and “e.g.”, stand for? And, have you been punctuating them properly? If so, then that means you’re saving grammar pedants from having either a stroke or cardiac arrest. So, whether you’re mentally reading e.g. as “exempli gratia” or simply as “egg sample”, as most …

Read More about Comma after “e.g.“: The Definitive Guide