I STARTED WRITING when I was in grade school. Recently, a classmate of my brother’s found a copy of a “newspaper” that Chester Street Elementary School published in 1964. In it was a one paragraph article by my brother followed by a three paragraph “article” by me. It summed up oh so briefly the Philadelphia Phillies’ phenomenal rookie, Richie Allen.
I continued writing throughout my life, although I did not publish anything until 1985. But that’s another story that will be covered in “The Avid Collector” section of this blog.
During my brief stab at college, a professor introduced me to The Elements Of Style by William Strunk Jr. and E. B. White. I have been a devotee of the book and a stickler for rules concerning grammar and punctuation ever since. (Oddly, I follow each rule except one, their first listed rule. If you want to know what that rule is, go out and purchase a copy of the book. It is a tiny thing—won’t cost you much—but you will refer to it for years . . .)
So. this section of my blog will be devoted to the misuse of words and their ever-important but often misunderstood punctuation, primarily in major print media bit also in advertising, where, as I said, I am a stickler for rules.
