Author Archives: suzanne.obszanski

Faulty parallelism or a false series messes with the syntax of your sentences. Parallelism is often misused in lists, but many types of phrases and clauses are also affected by this error that creates jilted and sometimes awkward prose. Think of the following quote by Benjamin Franklin: “Early to bed and early to rise makes [...]

Commas are insidious. They sneak into some writers work with little thought. Some writers pepper commas throughout sentences in some random pattern known only to them. What they don’t realize is that commas are a bad thing when too many are used. Overusing commas creates a slow, painful death to the coherent thought and readability [...]

Interjections are vital parts of developing dialogue that is realistic, interesting and emotionally charged. They find a home in both fiction writing and nonfiction writing because they are used in everyday speaking. Think of how many times you’ve used them just today. Wait, you’re not sure what an interjection is?

The little punctuation mark known as the apostrophe creates a big stir when it’s misused. Throughout history, writers, grammarians and others have debated over the necessity of the apostrophe. Its misuse and abuse is rampant in writing.

Imagine you are a waiting in the dentist’s office glancing at the random wall postings around the receptionist’s area to pass the time. You see a sign that reads, “To assure your appointment goes smoothly, please arrive 15 minutes early.”

The semicolon has gained popularity with the use of it increasing more recently. Many American writers and grammar gurus have historically held this punctuation mark in disdain, and its use has a storied history of fueling an emotional debate. In fact, two Paris law professors even dueled with swords over its use.

The language used in texting is in some ways a language of its own. Abbreviations, letter and number combinations, words without vowels and symbols take on new meanings. Throughout history, other abbreviated forms of language have proved effective as a way to communicate in a particular situation, yet telegraphs and shorthand are mostly a thing [...]

Prefixes are important for changing the meaning of words without requiring the use of additional words. You see them so frequently that you probably do not even consciously think of them. From words like “unacceptable,” “semiconscious” and “recover” to those words with suffixes that require hyphens, the use of prefixes allows you to write more [...]