The Oxford comma is the comma before the final item in a list, which led Gabrielle’s third grader to a fine question: if Oxford is a famous school in England, is the comma its mascot? Oxford University doesn’t really have one, but the family’s...
E.B. White knew a thing or two about artfully declining an invitation. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Declining an Invitation” Grant, you and I both get a lot of requests to do things, whether it’s blurbing a book or appearing...
How do you decide when to use a comma? One strategy is to read your writing aloud and decide what sounds best. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “When to Use Commas” Hello, you have A Way with Words. Hi, this is Bubby Valentino...
Here’s another tweeted haiku from Liz Morrison in San Diego: “Serial comma/ Chicago yes, AP no/ You bewilder me.” This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Serial Comma Haiku” Grant, here is another awesome tweeted haiku on the subject of...
Would you prefer a low, six-figure salary or a low six-figure salary? With the comma, there are two independent modifiers for the salary; it’s six figures and by the speaker’s standards, it’s low. Without the comma, it’s simply less than $500,000...
A listener asks: “Does the phrase ‘snap, crackle, and pop’ need a cereal comma?” This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Snap, Crackle, Pop” Digging through the email bag here, Grant, we got something from Mark J. Drodowski in Templeton...