Today’s grammar tips:
- When you need to indicate that something has been left out of quoted material, use an ellipsis. It consists of three spaced periods. Here’s an example: “Fourscore and seven years ago, our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation . . . dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.”
- If you’re at the end of a sentence, and you’re leaving out part of the next sentence or one or more sentences that follow, you need both an ellipsis and a period to signal the end of the sentence. Butt the period against the last word of the sentence: “Fourscore and seven years ago, our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. . . . From these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion. . . .”
- The past tense of “drag” is “dragged,” not “drug.” Use the word “drug” only when referring to a medicinal substance.
Thanks for visiting. While you’re here, please look around the site. You can subscribe via e-mail or RSS feed. The tools to do so are at the top of the right-hand column. To share or retweet the entry, use the buttons below. You can follow me on Twitter: @peterfaur