by Sharon Ernst | Jun 11, 2021 | Punctuation
(Updated January 2026) Why do people struggle so with commas? It seems we either tend to over-do it or under-do it, and using commas correctly eludes us. Maybe that’s because the comma is so easy to use and so easy to leave out. It’s just a little bit of punctuation, lacking the hardness or a period after all, right? What harm can it do to guess? Well, in my opinion, it can do plenty of harm if it: Gets in the way of clarity Makes you look dumb Or does both 1 and 2 So let’s talk about an easy way to know whether or not you need to...
by Sharon Ernst | May 3, 2021 | Punctuation
This post relates to our new Guide to Punctuation, but also to the ever-important rule to choose clarity! Here’s the sentence that caught my eye–and my ire: “The digital front-end (website, app, store, etc.) and the back-end (like customer relationship management (CRM), enterprise resources planning (ERP) and billing systems) need to sync with each other.” Do you see a problem with it? I do: confusion. Technically, the writer used parentheses correctly, but they lost the clarity. The poor reader has to work to get...
by Sharon Ernst | Apr 30, 2021 | Punctuation
Does punctuation matter? Yes! How you use punctuation can change the meaning of your writing—in ways you might dread! Punctuation exists for a reason: to help us communicate clearly. Consider the beginning of this blog post without punctuation: Does punctuation matter yes how you use punctuation can change the meaning of your writing in ways you might dread punctuation exists for a reason to help us communicate clearly Or consider this classic example of a sentence with two very different meanings, depending on the punctuation:...
by Sharon Ernst | Dec 4, 2019 | Punctuation
Last week we went to Hamburg, New York for the Thanksgiving holidays. (It’s my husband’s hometown.) And it seems I can’t escape the absurd use of apostrophes even when on vacation because I had to stare at this sign while trying to enjoy my beer: We were at a cute neighborhood pub and I was drinking a tasty local brew called Frosty the IPA and eating Buffalo wings, of course, yet still. That sign annoyed me the whole time. Why do so many people get it wrong? Sadly, it seems the incorrect use of the apostrophe is the new normal. In...
by Sharon Ernst | Feb 26, 2018 | Punctuation
I spent this past weekend with women I’ve been friends with for 40 years. It was long overdue and delightful, and I laughed until my stomach hurt. But my eyes also hurt because while driving through the countryside to get to the beachfront rental, I’d repeatedly see people’s last names on signs in front of their properties with an incorrect apostrophe. You’ve seen these signs, I’m sure. They are usually carved or painted wood, with a small “The” in the upper left corner above the family...
by Sharon Ernst | Dec 12, 2017 | Punctuation
Use of the ampersand, the symbol at the top of your 7 key that looks like & (yes, that’s called an ampersand), has long been a pet peeve of mine. In my opinion, it should only be used when you’re typing *&^% instead of an actual swear word, or in a name like the Harry & David logo. It should most definitely not be used in place of “and” in your business writing…as in never. Ampersand as speed bump In business writing, our goal is to communicate clearly and quickly so we can be more productive, and help our readers to be...
