Despite the nuns’
training, I don’t always get punctuation right, but I try. I’m sorry to say
some authors don’t try too hard. I’ve read many books lately, both indie and
from major publishers, with glaring punctuation errors, mostly comma errors. One
thing that really bothers me is when there isn’t a comma before a person’s proper
name: as in, “Hi Mary.” Correct punctuation is “Hi, Mary.” I’ve been seeing
this a lot.
Punctuation can
change the meaning of a sentence. I scoured the internet for examples of how
punctuation can change meanings. Here are some humorous ones.
This first one is
correct:
Dear John:
I want a man who knows what love is all about. You are
generous, kind, thoughtful. People who are not like you admit to being useless
and inferior. You have ruined me for other men. I yearn for you. I have no
feelings whatsoever when we’re apart. I can be forever happy–will you let me be
yours?
This is what happens to the same
statement when it’s not punctuated correctly:
Dear John,
I want a man who knows what love is. All about you are
generous, kind, thoughtful people, who are not like you. Admit to being useless
and inferior. You have ruined me. For other men, I yearn. For you, I have no
feelings whatsoever. When we’re apart, I can be forever happy. Will you let me
be?
More examples:
Woman without her man is nothing.
Woman, without her, man is nothing.
Let’s eat Grandpa.
Let’s eat, Grandpa.
All those out there who like to cook and eat my wife made
a new blog.
All those out there who like to cook and eat, my wife
made a new blog.
Can you figure out where the commas go in this one?
Attention: Toilet only for disabled elderly pregnant
children.
This magazine cover with Rachel Ray says it all.
Or this one:
Hunters please use caution when hunting pedestrians using
walk trails.
See how a comma can change these two below?
Most of the time, travelers worry about their luggage.
Most of the time travelers worry about their luggage.
Are there any punctuation errors that bother you? I’d
love to hear them.
New Releases,
now available for pre-order on Amazon, iBooks, and Kobo.
I’ve got a new
series, Gambling on Love, and all
three stories are available for pre-order, release date for all, October 15.
I’ve tried very hard to avoid punctuation errors. Don’t be too hard on me if
you find some.
Wedded in
Vegas:
A reluctant bride
A hot Hollywood actor
What happens in Vegas…
Bartending
in Las Vegas is the means to an end for Analisa Barbero. As soon as she
finishes school she can get her dream job as a teacher. With her hard-working
single mom temporarily disabled, money is tight and the hours are long. Who has
time for dating? But when a sexy nerd asks her out, Analisa does what everyone
else in Las Vegas does: she takes a chance and says yes.
Some
people come to Sin City to gamble. Some come to start over. And some come to
hide out. Cole Lassiter is Hollywood’s hottest property. Fed up with phoniness
and paparazzi parasites, he just wants to be an ordinary nobody for a while.
But when his deception causes a pretty bartender to lose her job, he makes her
the kind of offer that can only happen in the city of make-believe: Marry him
for one year in exchange for a house, money, and all-expenses-paid tuition for
school. If she agrees, maybe the tabloids will finally give him a break.
Neither
Analisa nor Cole thought love was in the cards for them. But what happens in
Vegas doesn’t always stay in Vegas. Is Analisa willing to gamble her future on
a man who already deceived her once? Everyone in Las Vegas knows one thing: You
have to roll the dice if you want to hit the jackpot. And love is worth the
risk.
Love by Chance:
An accident-prone
woman
A hotshot radio star
What happens in Vegas…
In Sin City, a
couple unlucky in love gamble on each other. Win or lose?
Holidays have never brought Las Vegas
hotel concierge Laney Sikora anything but bad luck in the romance department.
The worst was her fiancé dumping her on Valentine’s Day. Via text. She’s
determined to spend New Year's Eve alone with no romantic entanglements. But
when her hunky new neighbor locks himself out of his apartment, she can’t leave
him standing in the hallway. What's a girl to do?
Las Vegas is just a pit stop for Chicago native and radio personality Chance Carlisle while he waits for his agent to land him something bigger in L.A. But in the meantime, he keeps bumping into—literally—his adorable, but accident-prone, neighbor. Their private New Year’s Eve celebration leads to a plan: they’ll become the Bad Luck Partners, dating only on holidays and special events, avoiding holiday heartbreaks and matchmaking mamas.
But Fate might have something else in mind for the klutzy cutie and the hotshot talk show host. Can their temporary partnership become a forever deal?
A Very Vegas Christmas:
An
overworked event planner
A
man with a secret
What
happens in Vegas…
A
Las Vegas event planner in need of luck meets a mysterious guy who might be her
winning ticket. Will his secret split them apart?
Can
things get any worse for Las Vegas event planner Amanda Moreau? Her boyfriend
dumped her for a stripper; she’s arranging a Christmas wedding for a
Bridezilla; and her mother is playing matchmaker from 2000 miles away. When she
meets hunky and ever-so-sweet Erik, who’s in town for a conference, she begins
to hope her luck is changing. But Erik has a secret that threatens to split
them apart.
Such a fun post. I love the covers for your Vegas books! You've been busy!!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Melissa!
ReplyDeleteI loved your blog about punctuation. I, also, come from the old school which taught punctuation. I tend to over-punctuate, rather than leave it up to the reader to figure out. The trend today seems to be less-is-more (where the more = confusing).Ann
ReplyDeleteThanks, Ann.I think you're right about the less-is-more philosophy. Years ago I heard editors don't like commas. I believe that led a lot of authors to not use commas.
ReplyDeleteHi, Cara! I love good punctuation. Leaving out commas after introductory clauses drives me crazy. Commas give the reader a tiny rest. Nothing wrong with that.
ReplyDeleteGreat post! I think I remember when commas became taboo with editors. When e-readers came out, the punctuation was very hard to read, so I think they adopted a less is better philosophy. Your Vegas books look wonderful!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Vicki. Leaving out commas after introductory clauses drives me crazy too.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Paris. I think some of the problem with poor punctuation is all the texting and emails we do now.
Great post. What bothers me most is misspelled words.
ReplyDelete