Punctuation (Jess)

I like to think that I am good with grammar, punctuation and spelling. After taking the spelling test last week, I realized how many words I was unsure about. The punctuation section was also difficult, and I found myself over thinking about whether a comma was necessary or if a semi colon was appropriate. 

Without practice, it is easy to forget these rules we grew up learning in school. My point is that no matter where you are in life, or school, it is never a bad idea to prime your skills. We can always keep learning new things, or refreshing old ones. 

I struggle the most with semicolons, so I chose that as my punctuation rule. The semicolon is most commonly used to clarify a series or link independent clauses. A good way to determine if using a semicolon is acceptable is to separate the two clauses, and if they can stand on their own a semicolon can be used. If they cannot then you should most likely stick with a comma. 

I didn't run into any punctuation mistakes throughout the week. I do, however, see a lot of grammar mistakes that I can point out. The words "to" and "too" are misused a lot. As well as "there", "their" and "they're".  In conversation over social media, I see these words used incorrectly. A few others that are commonly misused are "then" and "than", and "your" and "you're". I will keep an eye out for punctuation mistakes as the semester continues.