ChanteSez Tip of the Day – Page 33

ChanteSez … Either you are or you ain’t

I almost titled this “ChanteSez … Don’t contract a typo.” But there are one too many ways to read that sentence.

So let’s get to it: Contractions are pesky. What’s a contraction? Two words — one abbreviated — joined by an apostrophe.

Here’s an easy way to remember when you really want a contraction, particularly the most pesky one, involving the word “are.”

Better late than never … no matter when on Wednesday the Tip of the Day is posted, it’s always on time! And speaking of time, here’s how to write it.

Always use a.m. and p.m. For example: “The show started at 8 p.m.”
Noon and midnight are preferred over 12 p.m. and 12 a.m.
Don’t use a colon followed by double zeros. This is wrong: “The show started at 8:00 p.m.”
For a time range, use a hyphen. Like this: “The performance is scheduled for 9:30-11 a.m.”
As you may have noticed in the example above, you only have to reference a.m. or p.m. once. If the time range includes a.m. and p.m., use both. For example: “I was in the meeting from 10 a.m.-2 p.m.”
It’s OK to use “o’clock” but it’s best used in prose, or long-form writing. For example: “It was dark and stormy, which was odd for 3 o’clock on a winter afternoon.”