So I was driving towards home this evening, baffled by the presence of a white utility vehicle sitting in the middle turn lane of the road, white roof lights flashing. I drove, as I was supposed to, in the right lane. I had my window down. The driver of the utility vehicle leaned out of the window, flashed his hands, and yelled “STOP!”

My first thought was not for polite company. Neither was my second, as I saw the “Oversized Load” sign flapping on the front of a humongous rig coming hurtling towards me at a breakneck speed of 35 mph. The truck was pulling construction machinery, ostensibly towards the industrial facility past which I was driving. I did a quick u-turn into the nearby park, cursing the ridiculous lack of communication. If I’m about to be squashed, I want to know about it ahead of time!

I mean, we, as a society, have protocols for this. In the absence of flaggers, cones and signs are used. The driver of the utility vehicle could have gotten off of his seat and verbally warned passers-by if he didn’t have the necessary orange plastic markers or reversible sign that cautioned drivers to “slow” or “stop.” His screaming only confused me. Then, when I realized why he was so adamant that I STOP, I was angered. Why hadn’t he used any of the accepted devices to notify and protect drivers (me) at that moment? Who knows, but if I had caught the name of the company on the side of the utility vehicle (which was conveniently gone by the time I had managed my three-point turnaround), there would have been, if not a lawsuit, a very angry Ed on the telephone.

What’s the moral of the story? We may not be sued because we don’t communicate correctly, but people can die. Periods say STOP, just like an orange cone, a flagger, or some other clearly marked sign would have caused me to rethink passing the man in the utility vehicle. But as it was, his “STOP!” was more like a semicolon – a pause . . . more like a prelude to what followed. My car, and myself, was almost run over by a gazillion-ton trailer because a guy decided to use a semicolon instead of a period.

Learn and use the accepted rules. Just do it. Don’t argue that it’s your own “style,” your unique manner of expression. We have norms for a reason. Protect your unsuspecting readers. Clear communication that is understood by everyone saves lives!

When you are writing about a celebrity or other person you do not know personally, please use their last name when referring to them in your article.

I have seen an increasingly prevalent trend in submissions for authors to use the first names of people they do not know, especially women. Just as Donald Trump would be referred to as “Mr. Trump,” or simply “Trump,” in a biography about him in Forbes magazine, so should Hillary Clinton be referred to as “Clinton” or “Mrs. Clinton.” Surnames, especially when preceded by a title, are used as a sign of formal respect. Using the first name of a person by an author who does not know a person to a general audience who does not know a person does not extend the formal respect expected from professional writing.

While gossip magazines may refer to the household-name celebrities like Paris Hilton by their first names, these personas have become to be known by these names because their names, and their characters, are so unique they could not be confused with anyone else. However, it would be rare for a magazine like Vogue to refer to Tom Cruise as “Tom.” “Tom” is a common name. In addition, as strange as he is, he is not commonly referred to by his first name, nor does his notoriety make everyone who hears the name “Tom” think of Tom Cruise.

Of course, when individuals have chosen to use their first names or single names as a way of defining themselves (Cher, Madonna), they may be referred to in this way. People who hear the name “Cher” will automatically think of the performer, unless they have a close friend or relative who goes by the same name.

Okay. I am not intentionally trying to make anyone be less productive, but if you’re going to procrastinate, you might as well build vocabulary skills, right? If I’m having a bad bout of writer’s block, or need to warm up before settling in to meet a deadline, I might play one of these word games for awhile.

Scrabulous - Play Scrabble online against other players, yourself, or a robot. Try “blitz” mode for practice against real people without losing permanent points.

SandScript – This is a crossword puzzle-like game without the irritating grid.

Text Twist – See how many words you can make out of one set of letters.

Bookworm – This challenging game becomes more satisfying the better you get at playing it.

Enjoy . . . but don’t enjoy too much!