Monthly Archives: March 2017

Dairy company could pay $10 million for want of a comma and a misused gerund…

Posted on March 20, 2017 by The dutty is "the ground," the foundation, the earth--just like words are part of the foundation on which I build my life.

A recent lawsuit ruling [https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/16/us/oxford-comma-lawsuit.html]  cost a Maine dairy company millions, and granted company truck drivers payment due for overtime work, because of negligence in using a comma and a gerund. This is a current example of the importance of going through … Continue reading →

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5 Rules for Using Hyphens in Compound Adjectives

Posted on March 14, 2017 by The dutty is "the ground," the foundation, the earth--just like words are part of the foundation on which I build my life.

A compound adjective is a modifier made up of two or more words. The general practice in writing is to use a hyphen if the compound adjective can be misread. There are several exceptions to this rule. The best reference … Continue reading →

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