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Then what? Editor's Notes #151 October 16, 2013 |
| Hello, as tears are for a certain degree of pain. -- Rene Daumal In this issue: 1. Then what? 2. Tickled my funnybone 3. Interesting Web site 4. Letters to the editor ========== 1. Then what? Recently, the word then has turned up on my computer screen in myriad misuses. It's time to set the record straight on this adverbial conjunction, also called a conjuctive adverb. I'm going to deal here only with the word then being used to join two independent clauses. The errors I see most often are 1. He turned around, then he spoke to the crowd. 2. He turned around then he spoke to the crowd. Error #1 is a comma splice, two sentences joined with a comma. Writers who make this error are treating the word then as a coordinating conjunction, which it is not. The coordinating conjunctions are and, but, for, nor, or, so, and yet. When they join independent clauses (clauses that can stand alone as sentences) they are preceded by a comma. If a writer wants to link the two clauses as closely as possible using the word then, there are two correct methods. a. He turned around, and then he spoke to the crowd. b. He turned around; then he spoke to the crowd. Error #2 is a run-on sentence, two or more sentences joined together without proper punctuation or conjunctions. An alternative is to show that these are two separate independent clauses. He turned around. Then he spoke to the crowd. All three solutions are correct. =========== 2.Tickled my funnybone He often broke into song because he couldn't find the key. =========== 3. Interesting Web site Here is a good place to begin a study of parts of speech... http://www.english-grammar-revolution.com/parts-of-speech.html =========== Join Writer's Helper Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/WritersHelperEditor Follow me on Twitter @AudreytheEditor =========== If you know a writer who would appreciate receiving Editor's Notes, forward this issue. If someone has passed this on to you, you can get your own free subscription by signing up at https://www.writershelper.com/newsletter.html |
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