“The editor told me on Thursday I have a book signing.”

This sentence is unclear. Did the editor say this on Thursday, or do you have a book signing on Thursday? Better to reword to something like the following:

     “On Thursday, the editor told me I have a book signing.” Or:
     “The editor told me I have a book signing on Thursday.”

For more about misplaced modifiers, as well as other PUGS Pointers, read on.

As a writer, words and punctuation marks are the tools of your trade.

Do you see anything wrong with that sentence? If not, you may have dangling modifiers in your manuscripts.

The subject of that sentence is “words and punctuation marks.” The introductory phrase, “as a writer,” does not modify the subject of the sentence. Words and punctuation marks aren’t a writer.

How about this: Hugging the postman, Delilah ripped open the box containing her new novel. Delilah cannot simultaneously hug the postman and rip open a box.

For more about dangling modifiers, as well as other PUGS Pointers, read on.

How many times have you read that someone wrote "over twenty novels" or sold "over a million copies" of their books? Did you realize that's not proper grammar?

Below are more "PUGS Pointers"--tips on Punctuation, Usage, Grammar, and Spelling--along with yet another reason it's important to polish those PUGS. (And if you make it to the bottom of this blog post, you'll get a free bonus: a Punctuation Chuckle!)

Here are more tips on polishing your Punctuation, Usage, Grammar, and Spelling--including using quotation marks with other punctuation--and yet another reason it's important to polish those PUGS!