Possession Use the apostrophe to indicate possession: The surgeon’s scalpel shook so badly that Brad’s soft and succulent brain ended up looking like vanilla ice cream smothered in ketchup. Jessica’s saucy blue eyes were more perilous than a Venus Flytrap–Dirk, poor devil, was the fly. Add ‘s to nouns that do not end in s. [...]

Quotations and quotations marks. Distinguish between indirect and direct quotations. Bad: She asked her husband “if he suffered from extravagant expectations and did he wish he had married someone else?” Two solutions: She asked her husband if he suffered from extravagant expectations and did he wish he had married someone else. Or “Do you suffer [...]

The Semicolon When two related main clauses are not joined by a coordinating conjunction, use a semi-colon She tells me her flip-flops are a fashion statement; I doubt it. The bride kissed the bridegroom; that’s when I knew I could never marry Brad. When two main clauses are linked by a conjunctive adverb (an adverb [...]

The Comma Commas are vixens. You court them, buy them chocolates, and just when you fall in love, they break your heart. As with the rules of love, comma rules are not set in stone. 1. Use the comma to be clear. When Angelina looked over, Brad Pitt closed his eyes. When Angelina looked over [...]