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Pam Nelson: The Grammar Guide

 

Archive for August 2009

Number of comments in parentheses

17: Word watch: town hall meeting

A reader has an interesting point to make about a phrase that is all over the news these days: "It is sad that Kilpatrick has given up writing his columns on usage. This article was originally posted by the Raleigh News & Observer, a subsidiary of The McClatchy Co.; is posted here to provide continuity; and is copyright © 2011 The News & Observer Publishing Company, which reserves the right to remove this post.

4: Punctuation mystery: Why a comma?

Staff photojournalist Shawn Rocco and staff writer Martha Quillin reported this week on Cary homeowner David Bowden’s very large message to the town of Cary. You can see Rocco’s photo below. The ACLU says the town would be abridging free speech if it used an ordinance to get the sign removed. But, as one of my colleagues points out, the big question for those of us with a copy editor/grammar geek mentality is: Why does the message end with a comma? Your thoughts are welcome.   This article was originally posted by the Raleigh News & Observer, a subsidiary[.....]