Fun With Punctuation by Andy Scheer

Check this infographic and smile.

I compare punctuation marks to the yellow and black signs along a twisting highway. They alert you that you’ll soon need to turn. If you ignore the sign, you may end up in the ditch.

Like the samples from a recent infographic, “Punctuation Matters.”

You’ll find ten sometimes-comical illustrations of why commas, colons, hyphens, apostrophes, quotation marks, semicolons, and Oxford commas matter.

For example:

 Twenty five-dollar bills

vs.

Twenty-five dollar bills

I find inspiration in cooking my family and my dog.

vs.

I find inspiration in cooking, my family, and my dog.

I’m sorry I love you.

vs.

I’m sorry; I love you.

Check the infographic. Click, smile, and learn.

Grammar Fraud by Andy Scheer

Somehow this email, with the subject line "service@visa.usa," got through my spam filter.

Evidently in determining which incoming emails contain links for phishing schemes, the spam filter failed to check for errors in spelling, spacing, punctuation, capitalization, and grammar.

Hello Guest visa card

Your credit card is suspended, because we've noticed a problem on your card . 

We determine that someone may be using your card without your permission . For your protection, we've suspended your credit card . To lift this suspention,

http://visa.mastercard.verification.fakecompanyname.com 

Note: If not completed sep 22, 2012, we will be forced to suspend your card indfiniment because it can be used for fraudulent 

We appreciate your cooperation in this matter . 

Thank you , 

Customer Support Service.

Here's hoping that spammers and other purveyors of email fraud never realize the need to hire accomplished writers and editors.

For those who stayed alert in English class, take encouragement: Even if your skills never earn you big money in sales, at least they can keep you from being defrauded.