One rule that I found really interesting as I studied this weeks PowerPoint and readings regards the serial comma. In all my English classes thus far at the University and in my High School classes I was taught that the serial comma is to be used. However, as I studied the AP Stylebook I learned that the serial comma isn't the proper way to write. I plan to remember this rule in a rather interesting way. Serial Killers are bad and should not be in jail, therefore, a serial comma is also bad and shouldn't be used in my writing.
I have always struggled with the proper way to use a semicolon. During my studies this week I focused heavily on the proper usage of the semicolon. A semicolon is used to clarify a series. It is used to clarify when a series have long items or when the individual list items also need to be identified by commas.
Editing Mistake:
Below is a screen shot of an article taken from Good 4 Utah. If you notice the first sentence in the article it states that the "Ogden police are searching for a suspect they shot and killed a man Monday evening." The editors of Good 4 Utah made the mistake of suggesting that it was the police that killed the man because they is plural while suspect is singular.
That's an excellent example of an editing mistake. This kind of mistake seem to happen often, unfortunately. It's very important to clearly state who one is mentioning, especially in a news update like this one. Good eye for catching it. Hopefully they updated the article!
ReplyDeleteThat mistake is funny. The PowerPoint belongs to this week. The semicolon is something I have struggled with for the longest time. I also focused heavily on the semicolon and I learned a lot.
ReplyDelete