Proofed and Polished
Do You Know The Apostrophe Basics?
In elementary school, I distinctly remember doing numerous worksheets on the possessive -s. There would be a list of…
August 22, 2021-
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Proofed and Polished
A Quintessential Quick Guide to Quotation Marks to Quell Your Quotation Qualms
Recently, I edited a PhD dissertation for a literature major which mostly meant that I had to wade through…
April 10, 2021 -
The Picky PenPunctuation Series: How to Edit Commas with Clauses
In light of the holiday season, here’s a final fun topic in our Punctuation Series: editing commas within independent…
December 22, 2019 -
History in the MakingNotes from a Contest Judge
Have you ever entered your work in a writing contest? These contests are organized by organizations like the American…
December 20, 2019 -
The Picky Pen
Punctuation Series: How to Edit Foreign Quotation Marks
Have you ever tried to read a book in a foreign language? Perhaps some of you have. I’ve tried…
November 22, 2019 -
The Picky Pen
Punctuation Series: How to Edit Slashes
We’re toward the end of our self-editing blog post punctuation series, but it certainly is not the end of…
October 22, 2019 -
A Lighter Look at the Writer's LifeA Comma Here, A Comma There
I spent the better part of yesterday evening, into the night, grading analysis essays. As I marked up the…
October 6, 2019 -
The Picky Pen
Punctuation Series: How to Edit Hyphens
In the world of grammar and punctuation, there are three types of dash (hyphen, en dash, and em dash).…
August 22, 2019 -
The Picky Pen
Punctuation Series: How to Edit the Em Dash
In the world of grammar and punctuation, there are three types of dash (hyphen, en dash, and em dash).…
July 22, 2019 -
The Picky Pen
Punctuation Series: How to Edit Lists
Presentation is everything, especially when it comes to the publishing world. And your presentation of punctuation is crucial to…
May 22, 2019 -
The Picky Pen
Punctuation Series: How to Edit Modifiers
Presentation is everything, especially when it comes to the publishing world. And your presentation of punctuation is crucial to…
March 22, 2019 -
The Picky Pen
Punctuation Series: How to Capitalize Tricky Words
Presentation is everything, especially when it comes to the publishing world. And your presentation of punctuation is crucial to…
February 22, 2019 -
The Picky Pen
Punctuation Series: Four Ways to Edit Commas
Presentation is everything, especially when it comes to the publishing world. And your presentation of punctuation is crucial to…
January 22, 2019 -
The Picky Pen
Editing Dialogue
Many writers are introverts and don’t prefer to talk a lot. Some writers are extroverts and love to talk.…
June 22, 2018 -
Grammar and GraceChoose the Correct Pronoun by Hope Toler Dougherty
Please stop using pronouns wrong! Between you and I, I’m sick of people using the wrong pronoun. Wrong. Wrong. Wrong!…
February 19, 2018 -
Grammar and GraceIntroducing the Eight Parts of Speech
For 2017, let’s understand the basics of English grammar by learning the eight parts of speech. They are the…
February 17, 2017 -
Grammar and Grace
Presents for the Writer
For this post, I’m suggesting some books that you may want on your bookshelves or your may want to…
January 17, 2017 -
Write JustifiedThe Common Comma
Plenty of ink has been spilled and battles fought over the necessity and superiority of the Oxford or serial…
December 26, 2016 -
Write JustifiedMind Those Apostrophes
When editors are asked to name their pet peeves, misuse of apostrophes ranks at or near the top of…
May 17, 2016 -
Grammar and GraceHow to Pluralize Names for Christmas Cards
I love Christmas. I especially love sending and receiving Christmas cards. We send out a lot from our house,…
November 24, 2015 -
Grammar and GraceGrammar and Grace
Hello, I’m Hope. A long, long time ago I used to teach English on the college level. I taught…
July 29, 2015
