Grammar and Punctuation

What's your recommendation for a reliable source when you're stuck for grammar or punctuation? (Looking for guidelines for paragraphing dialogue.)

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Permalink Reply by Mac Campbell on August 28, 2011 at 8:08pm

I just google the grammatical question and the answer pops up. Every university now has an online guide to style and grammar; 'how to write an essay', etc. If only I had that when I was in school!

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Permalink Reply by Jeff Mariotte on August 29, 2011 at 11:37am

Every writer should keep a copy of Strunk and White's The Elements of Style around for everyday reference. For anything that can't be found in that handy little book, I love Grammar Girl at http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com. Her advice is always right on and entertaining to boot.

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Permalink Reply by Jeff Mariotte on August 29, 2011 at 12:43pm

You are correct, that can all be a single paragraph. It is, however, a pretty long and unwieldy paragraph, and that many sets of quotation marks looks a little strange. You could get away with breaking it up a bit, though it may not be strictly required. Something like this:

My old shoes had gone flat, but I hadn’t realized just how worn down they were until I slipped my feet into a new pair at a downtown mall in Denver. Nike Airs were true to their name. I took a few steps and laughed aloud, directing a grin to the two salespeople who had never, I was sure – they were both about seventeen years old—shod a more appreciative customer. “Feels like I’m on a trampoline!” I said. "I can’t wait to test them out on the road." I told the clerks I was walking across America for nuclear disarmament.

They seemed cautiously interested, so I continued the conversation. When I mentioned that my old shoes had walked me all the way from California, something clicked. Still, they seemed reluctant to get too friendly with an overenthusiastic customer. “Unfortunately," I lamented, looking over the old, worn pair, "my storage space is limited, so I can’t keep the old ones. Do you think I should send them to the Smithsonian?”

They both chuckled. So, I thought, they know the Smithsonian. These kids had promise. “I guess they wouldn’t be interested,” I sighed. The young man respectfully held out the trash can. They were both part of a ritual now and didn’t think it odd, or didn’t let on if they did, when I paused before placing the shoes inside. “Bye, old shoes,” I said. “Thanks for bringing me this far.”