1ElementaryRulesofUsage1.Formthepossessivesingularofnounsbyadding's.Followthisrulewhateverthefinalconsonant.Thuswrite,Charles'sfriendBurns'spoemsthewitch'smaliceExceptionsarethepossessivesofancientpropernamesendingin-esand-is,thepossessiveJesus',andsuchformsasforconscience'sake,forrighteousness'sake.ButsuchformsasMoses'Laws,Isis'templearecommonlyreplacedbythelawsofMosesthetempleofIsisThepronominalpossessiveshers,its,theirs,yours,andourshavenoapostrophe.Indefinitepronouns,however,usetheapostrophetoshowpossession.one'srightssomebodyelse'sumbrellaAcommonerroristowriteit'sforits,orviceversa.Thefirstisacontraction,meaning"itis."Thesecondisapossessive.It'sawisedogthatscratchesitsownfleas.2.Inaseriesofthreeormoretermswithasingleconjunction,useacommaaftereachtermexceptthelast.Thuswrite,red,white,andbluegold,silver,orcopperHeopenedtheletter,readit,andmadeanoteofitscontents.Thiscommaisoftenreferredtoasthe"serial"comma.Inthenamesofbusinessfirmsthelastcommaisusuallyomitted.Followtheusageoftheindividualfirm.Little,BrownandCompanyDonaldson,Lufkin&Jenrette3.Encloseparentheticexpressionsbetweencommas.Thebestwaytoseeacountry,unlessyouarepressedfortime,istotravelonfoot.2Thisruleisdifficulttoapply;itisfrequentlyhardtodecidewhetherasingleword,suchashowever,orabriefphraseisorisnotparenthetic.Iftheinterruptiontotheflowofthesentenceisbutslight,thecommasmaybesafelyomitted.Butwhethertheinterruptionisslightorconsiderable,neveromitonecommaandleavetheother.ThereisnodefenseforsuchpunctuationasMarjorieshusband,ColonelNelsonpaidusavisityesterday.orMybrotheryouwillbepleasedtohear,isnowinperfecthealth.Datesusuallycontainparentheticwordsorfigures.Punctuateasfollows:FebruarytoJuly,1992April6,1986Wednesday,November14,1990Notethatitiscustomarytoomitthecommain6April1988Thelastformisanexcellentwaytowriteadate;thefiguresareseparatedbyawordandare,forthatreason,quicklygrasped.Anameoratitleindirectaddressisparenthetic.If,Sir,yourefuse,Icannotpredictwhatwillhappen.Well,Susan,thisisafinemessyouarein.Theabbr...
