Today Bonnie Mills helps us talk about three punctuation marks: one you undoubtedly know how to use, another you possibly misuse, and yet another you’ve likely never used. If you’ve ever wondered when to favor parentheses over square brackets and when to stick in a pair of curly braces, read on. Parentheses You’re probably well versed in the basics of how to use those sideways eyebrow thingies, better known as parentheses, but the details can get tricky. First, remember that a pair of them is called “parentheses,” but a single one is a “parenthesis.” For now, let’s just say that parentheses mainly…

Should you start a sentence with “there is” or “there are”? Have you ever heard it’s bad to start sentences with “there are,” “there is,” and “it is”? These phrases can be part of what are called expletive sentences. And no! I’m not talking about swearing! Swearing and expletives The word “expletive” comes from Latin that means “to fill,” and in English, it’s come to mean something that takes up space without adding anything. The swear-word meaning goes back to the 1600s and may have been popularized by Sir Walter Scott in the early 1800s. And it was definitely…

Today I’m going to beg the question. When I do radio interviews, callers often ask me about the phrase “begs the question.” They often hear “begs the question” used to mean “raises the question,” and if they took a formal logic class in college or had a particularly diligent English teacher, they think the “raises the question” meaning is wrong. But it’s much more complicated than that. The right way to use ‘begs the question’ “Begs the question” is a term that originally comes from formal logic. It’s a translation of the Latin phrase “petitio principii,” which Merriam-Webster says is…

The human brain is wired to look for patterns. Patterns like the golden ratio found in art and nature are pleasing to the eye, and patterns in writing can make your words more pleasing and memorable to your readers. Speech writers know all about patterns because many common rhetorical devices rely on patterns. Some of the most famous pieces of writing use patterns, and that’s probably one of the reasons we remember them. From Julius Caesar’s “I came, I saw, I conquered,” to Martin Luther King Junior’s “I have a dream” speech, patterns have helped speakers deliver a strong message.…

Ever been chided for doing something that you know isn’t wrong? Your brother-in-law insists that guacamole is made only with lemon—never lime—and that you’ve ruined it with your tiny green citrus. His mama taught him to make it with lemon, and he doesn’t care how much you cite Alton Brown. The same goes when you’re writing at work. Although modern grammarians and reference books firmly assert that all five of the “rules” I’m going to give you are actually baseless, they’ve been taught as hard and fast in many schools—especially to people old enough to be your boss. So read up.…

Holly Hutchings and I made this extra special, multiple-interview episode about the classic children’s cartoon “Schoolhouse Rock” five years ago, but we never released it on the podcast feed because of copyright concerns about the music. But when I heard last week it was the 50th anniversary of the show, I knew you had to hear it — especially since we have an interview with one of the creators, George Newall, who died back in October. So Holly stripped out the music and remastered the show. I’m delighted so many of you can now hear the story. In this Grammar…

Should you put a comma before Jr. or not? You see it both ways. Using a comma is an older style. Most modern style guides say it’s better to leave it out. In the United States, we celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day on the third Monday in January—at least that’s the common name for the occasion. According to the US Government Printing Office Style Manual, the official name of the holiday is “Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr.” Writers have to contend with that tricky “Jr.” on the end of the name either way. Should you put a comma…

The Brothers  Grimm are known for their fairy tales. They also wrote a German dictionary and grammar books. Jacob Grimm described “Grimm’s Law,” which explains why related words have p- and f-sounds, such as fire and pyro. When I talk about the Grimm brothers, you probably think of “Grimm’s Fairy Tales” such as “Snow White,” “Rapunzel,” “Rumpelstiltskin,” “Sleeping Beauty,” and “Cinderella”; or maybe you think of the TV show “Grimm.” (As a complete aside, I recently read the original Cinderella, and it’s a lot darker than the Disney version.) German grammar The brothers’ names were Wilhelm and Jacob. Together, they…

Teddy Roosevelt refused to shoot a bear on a hunting trip. A Brooklyn, NY, company heard the story and made stuffed “Teddy’s bears.” A German company also made stuffed bears that were imported by another company as Teddy bears. Teddy bears became a craze. Teddy bears got their name from a story about Theodore Roosevelt and a failed bear-hunting trip. See the 1902 Washington Post cartoon that started a teddy bear craze. Have you ever wondered how teddy bears got their name? The story goes that in 1902, the US president, Teddy Roosevelt, went to the South to settle a border dispute…

Can you believe it’s already 2023? I feel like I hadn’t even gotten used to calling it 2022 yet. But another year is gone. Since a new year gets people thinking about the date, I’ll answer a few date-related questions. Pronouncing numbers Here’s a question from a long time ago from a listener named Michael to get us started. (It will seem as if he’s getting a little off track, but it will all make sense in a minute.) “Grammar Girl , I have some concerns regarding the correct grammar for wedding invitations and wedding announcements. My fiance and I…