I know some of our regular readers raise their eyebrows in amazement … and disgust… as I sometimes (all the time?) butcher the English language; I vow to get better, I tells ya! With that being said, I’ve discovered a site that will make you laugh as you learn grammar, spelling and other things you should know — but think I don’t.
But even I can learn from graphics – funny ones at that.
The purpose of this article, disguised as a Cloudeight Site Pick, is twofold:
1. It demonstrates that, even at my advanced age, teetering on the cusp of writing my own funeral dirge, I’m still trying to learn. What my success will be, I don’t know. You’ll have to be the final judge of my grammar skills. Don’t be too harsh – I’m old and feeble!
2. This site can help you with your grammar and spelling; if you have any sense of humor at all, you’ll laugh while learning. If you don’t learn grammar, and you don’t laugh, don’t blame me. I think it’s a great site. And remember: there’s a lot more than grammar there. But since I have been deluged with sneers and howls and snickers about my grammar skills, I hereby choose to feature its grammar section. The Oatmeal has very helpful grammar tips served up via excellent cartoons and graphics. I wish my English teachers would have taught me grammar using cartoons. I might have been a grammar cop like you!
Now, with all my yammering approaching unbearable, I hereby announce to you the site that can teach you and amuse you at the same time. It’s called The Oatmeal. The Oatmeal is much more than just grammar — so feel free to browse the entire site; there’s some funny stuff there. But since I’ve been bashed for my grammar so much I’m getting a complexion about it — I get to choose the pages on Oatmeal I recommend to you.
You are cordially are invited to hone your language skills and learn all about semicolons while exercising your funny bone by visiting The Oatmeal right now. Just think: You might pick up some grammar tips you can use to further excoriate me. It’s OK. I love to be excoriated; I’m used to it. I excoriated an apple once.
EB got her whip out today; she has a big hairy mustache.
Thank you , thank you!!!! I needed something to laugh about and this did the trick. Whomever thought that all up is fantastic. And you are even more so for sharing it. Wish I had had this when I was teaching. Maybe the kids would have learned to use who/whom faster and in a more fun way. I am off to read some more of it and laugh out loud.
“This is great. And the article is appreciated.”
Hi TC & EB,
The English teacher in the British school which I attended was very strict in making students learn the correct use of English and from my point of view the sentence above the initials is incorrect in the use of the period followed by ‘And’.
This has been indicated as being correct by many people who use the English Language in newspapers, books and written reports etc; therefore it is just as easy and looks more acceptable to break the sentence with a comma, then continuing to the sentence ending, indicated .below
“This is great, and the article is appreciated.”
Never, until recent years did I ever see the example as shown in parentheses ( . And) in written items to stop/start what should be a continuous sentence.
It looks ugly, but to some people it is acceptable.
C’est la vie!
😉 another use for a semi-colon.