Good Day
Everyone! Yet another fabulously snowy
gray day in Wisconsin. I have thoroughly
enjoyed hearing of Spring in everyone else’s back yard though. I am simply pea-green with envy. (Snarl.)
Lovely
bloggers! Please check your gravatars
and make sure there is within them a direct link to your blog. As of late I have had many wonderful new
followers sign on but whenst (?) upon clicking your avatar to go and visit your
own fabulous blog, I get a dead end or merely links to the blogs that you follow. I believe it would just take a trip to your
Google profile (or similar ilk) and affixing your blog address under "links”. Caveat: The blog link will sometimes work when you
leave comments, but not when you are listed as followers. Anyway, since it is all about networking I
thought I would bring it up. Does anyone
else have comments or similar experiences with this?
Okay. That was tres boring, but I’ve been meaning
to bring it up forever, but didn’t because of its tedious nature.
“Eats, Shoots and Leaves” by Lynne Truss is a fabulous read and a joyful romp into
the land of punctuation and its misuse at the hands of the uninformed
multitudes. (Of which I must admit to
being a previous soldier in the ranks, though an unwitting one. The worst kind of soldier!)
I struggle with
punctuation quite a bit while writing, especially dialogue. I love the colon
and semi-colon, and the much-used, beloved dash. I have long wished to use them with grace and
aplomb but have never sought help. I
try them out, but then—unsure, change everything around so I only have to use
the period. And those grammar and
punctuation websites are so…yawn.
Stretch. Where was I? Oh, yes—cookies! (You get the picture.)
My overuse
of the comma has been shameful to the point of gluttony. The little buggers are like potato
chips. Why have just one when a whole
bag is SO much more gratifying? Why
indeed! Don’t even get me started on the
ellipsis…
With chapters
entitled “The Tractable Apostrophe”, “That’ll Do, Comma” and “Cutting a Dash” this book delivers the
goods
in an amusing, entertaining way and will have you guffawing out loud and finding grammatical errors everywhere you look.
If you get through the preface and find beating in your heart a newfound zeal to master the art of punctuation, this book is for you. (And it does make one feel so good to know one is perfecting an art so few care to learn—like hurling. (The kind with a broom. And ice.)
Its’ never
too late to learn something new. (I did
that on purpose.)in an amusing, entertaining way and will have you guffawing out loud and finding grammatical errors everywhere you look.
If you get through the preface and find beating in your heart a newfound zeal to master the art of punctuation, this book is for you. (And it does make one feel so good to know one is perfecting an art so few care to learn—like hurling. (The kind with a broom. And ice.)
I’ll close with an observation: Has anyone noticed the new sandwich McDonalds is touting on their billboards everywhere? The McWrap. Seriously? Say it with me people.
And what does one sandwich in between those two buns?
(Extra points for anyone who can tell me where the title of my blog came from...)
I love comparing commas to potato chips. And I need a grammar book that will actually help me learn grammar. I've studied and studied but it never sticks. So thanks for the recommendation.
ReplyDeleteI hope you enjoy the read! THanks for stopping by Sara.
Delete~Just Jill
Excited for Hart!
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, it's frustrating when the icon doesn't link to a blog.
Hi Cap'n!
DeleteThanks for popping by and a big "Woot" for Hart!
~Just Jill
Hi Jill. I go back and forth. Too many commas...too little, and it's so easy to add one more. Love the potato chip comparison.
ReplyDeleteI've also noticed avatars (even comments) are sometimes hard to follow. I hope I'm not one of them. Please let me know if I am!! I plan to follow you in the the a-z. http://shells-tales-sails.blogspot.com/
Hi Sharon,
DeleteThanks for stopping by and no--your gravatar is not an offender. It takes me to your profile page and then on to your blog. Yay.
~Just Jill
What is more annoying than to be in a place that 'blocks' bloggers, seeing a perfectly enjoyable post, and being unable (a) to read it, and (b) to respond to it? I love Truss' first book. Not keen on the second. But she does have a delicious way of putting things! Thank you for an enjoyable, smile-making (and handy) post!
ReplyDeleteOf course you have read it, Dear. I shouldn't wonder. What is her second book, pray tell? (I must Google.) And I must visit your blog! I have, as of late, been buried up to my arse in the home-stretch of "Gia".
DeleteThanks for your sparkling presence Diana. Always a welcome sight.
~Just Jill
Commas do instill quite a pause in my soul...but... I am more of an ellipses-tortured girl.
ReplyDeleteThe only way to say McWrap is to roll those R's avoiding the McCrap issue. It's probably only pronounced correctly in Scotland.
High-larious. I think they put haggis in those wrrraps.
ReplyDelete~Just Jill
I feel such guilt when I can't find a link to follow someone back! With some who don't have their blog listed in their profile, they must leave a comment or there is no way to find them.
ReplyDeleteAnd I still haven't picked up that Eats, Shoots, and Leaves book, but I've heard it's great. Commas matter, as do titles. McWrap = Mc Crap. LOL.
Hey there! I can relate to the guilt! I also can relate to taking far too long trying to track down someone's blog! (They are all worth it, of course!)
DeleteAlways nice to hear from you,
~Just Jill
I used to accuse my students of using a comma sprinkler when they were done with their writing, just to be sure there were enough commas. Where they were placed seemed to have no rhyme or reason and there were far too many. But maybe that's what editors are for.
ReplyDeleteOh! Is THAT what editors are for...
Delete(I knew there had to be a reason.)
Thanks for stopping by Rosi. Your blog is awesome and I enjoyed it today.
~Just Jill
I must confess. I'm slightly addicted to ellipses. But they're SUCH delightful little tools...
ReplyDeleteJust for you, I added a link to my icon. (Gravatar? Um, whatever ya call it.)
Commas and potato chips are a classic combination! Very clever! I too am addicted to punctuation and even wrote about it for one of my A to Z posts! Jill, I tried coming here a few times, and for some reason my comments wouldn't take. I even wrote about how much I liked Justified which is based on an Elmore Leonard story, but I didn't agree with his writing tips ( Debbie Downer).
ReplyDeleteSorry, I haven't seen you in a while.
Julie
Thanks for the persistence Julie. I have no idea why your comments wouldn't take except that this is BLOGGER and rife with problems. (Oops. I apologize mighty blog-gods...)
DeleteNice to hear from you!
~Just Jill
Thanks so much for your day-brightening comment on my blog and for featuring it as your Blog du Jour.
ReplyDeleteI also thank you for having a Google+ profile that links to your delightful blog--love all the great paintings. I second the plea to people to please put your blog link in your profile--whether you used Google+ or Gravatar. It's also good to list an email address. When you leave a comment on a blog, it should be like leaving a business card. Sometimes a commenter says something great and I want to interview them or invite them to guest blog. I can't do that if I can't find you!
The "nut tree" nursery rhyme has always been one of my favorites. It full of such joy and a glorious sense of abundance.
Oh, man... I so share your comma fetish! And THANK YOU for sharing Begonia Bribe!!! I just added you to my list of sharers!!!
ReplyDeleteYou are SO welcome. Lovely to have you here.
Delete~Just Jill
I too have struggled to locate a few people's blogs, especially this month while I'm doing the Blogging from A to Z challenge.
ReplyDeleteI bet I'd blush with guilt while reading that punctuation book. I'm guilty of so many things- I use periods a lot like this....and I'm also a dash-aholic.
O.E. Rolvaag only used elipsis...and when I was young and impressionable I thought it was cool to only use them too...
DeleteGuess what my writing instructor had to say...
~Just Jill
Hi, I have heard so much about Eats, Shoots and Leaves, that I really must get it. I have a real problem with commas, among other punctuation problems.
ReplyDeleteI have also had the experience you opened this post with. Often I want to click on a follower's avatar and go straight to their blog, but sometimes I go to a dead end instead.
Oh yeah, this makes me really frustrated. I'm really serious about visiting back, but sometimes, I have to give up because I just can't find the blog I'm looking for.
ReplyDelete