ChanteSez Tip of the Day – Page 34

ChanteSez … The Internet has rules, too

Posted by onthelookoutatlantaon May 9, 2012May 9, 2012in ChanteSez Tip of the DayLeave a comment

Just because you’re blogging (or uploading YouTube videos, or sharing Pinterest photos) doesn’t mean rules regarding capitalization are null and void. Here’s a short list of online terms — some capitalized, others not:

Internet
the Net
the Web
website (no space or hyphen)
Web page
e-mail (always lower-case; Associated Press says it’s always hyphenated, but ChanteSez you can go either way, especially online)

ChanteSez … If you’re semi-sure, don’t use a semicolon

Posted by onthelookoutatlantaon May 2, 2012May 1, 2012in ChanteSez Tip of the DayLeave a comment

The semicolon is probably the most misunderstood piece of punctuation ever. ChanteSez don’t use it unless you’re 100 percent sure on its proper placement.

The most appropriate use for a semicolon is to group items within a list, and the list should follow a colon. For example:

I went grocery shopping today and picked up several things: from Kroger, deli meat, bread, mayonnaise, baby spinach and tomatoes; from Trader Joe’s, some wine, cheese, and chocolate-covered almonds; and from Aldi, graham crackers, bread crumbs and garlic bread.

The other most common use for a semicolon is as a “link” in a sentence when “and,” “but” or “for” are absent. An example:

You could tell that the vocalist practices her instrument as much as any lauded pianist; the audience’s response proved it.