Lay or lie | Jane’s grammar nugget
You will impress your family and friends with your grammar skills if you can distinguish between lie and lay. Practice to build your confidence.
Posted March 13, 2017
Punctuating titles | Jane’s grammar nugget
Confused about punctuating titles? Find out when to use quotations, italics, or underlining.
Posted February 27, 2017
It’s vs. its: What’s the difference?
Don’t let your kids appear ignorant and uneducated. Teach them the difference between it’s and its!
Posted March 23, 2015
Stumbling block #2 – Weak writing skills and tools
Welcome back to our series on 10 Stumbling Blocks to Writing! Last week we looked at Stumbling Block #1 and ways to increase your student’s confidence. What’s...
Posted November 9, 2009
Capitalizing titles of high-ranking officials
Should the title of a high-ranking official be capitalized? Depends on who you ask! But since we use, recommend, and carry The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation, that’s...
Posted March 5, 2009
Apostrophes made to order
Another (book) case of apostrophe abuse. I just don’t get it. What is so hard about adding an “s” to the end of a word to make it plural?...
Posted February 18, 2009
Grammar in a nutshell
From geography jingles my children learned over 17 years ago, I can still remember, among other facts, the states that comprise the eastern border of the U.S...
Posted November 12, 2008
Answers to Friday’s grammar quiz
As promised, here are the answers to Friday’s grammar quiz. I’m sure you’ll find differing opinions as to the exact number of punctuation marks...
Posted November 3, 2008
Grammar quiz: What do you know?
OK, here’s a quick little grammar quiz. Yes, there will be differing opinions on the exact number of some of these, but this is just for fun! I’ll post the...
Posted October 31, 2008
Aaack! I’ve been tagged!
I know this is a writing blog and, for the most part, not a personal blog. But what can I do? I’ve been TAGGED by my daughter Karah! So if you want to learn a few...
Posted October 28, 2008
Notable confusables
Last week we talked about some Notable Confusables, and you and your kids had fun with a bunch of online grammar quizzes. How’d you do? Clearing Up Confusing Combos ...
Posted September 30, 2008
How’s you’re grammar?
Okay, okay! Before you start giving me a hard time about this blog title, yes, I KNOW it should be “your.” And if you didn’t catch it, well, this...
Posted September 23, 2008
Plurals, possessives, and apostrophes | Jane’s grammar nugget
Jane Straus, late author of The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation, has helped thousands of readers make sense of grammar. Today, we’re sharing some of her tips...
Posted June 25, 2008
Not your grandma’s grammar! | Jane’s grammar nugget
Jane Straus, late author of The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation, can help us modernize Grandma’s grammar! Jane says: As if it isn’t enough that computers have...
Posted June 11, 2008
Grammar tips: Is it I or me?
I or me? Teach your kids the difference between these commonly misused pronouns.
Posted June 2, 2008
Writing more effectively | Jane’s grammar nugget
Tips for effective writing include using active voice, parallelism, and concrete language.
Posted May 14, 2008