Please be sure to use the correct pronoun when referring to something. Many writers substitute "they" for the more appropriate "it" when referring to companies, websites, or animal breeds.

A Company - Bloomers, Co. sells underwear for the modern man or woman, but its return policy is very strict.

A Website - Bloomers.com is a website that sells underwear. It is easily navigable and has high-resolution photos of products.

Dog Breed - The poodle breed is famous for its coat.

Please be sure to use the most appropriate pronoun, or your article could be rejected for grammar issues. Thanks.

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There has been a rash (and yes, they literally make me itch) of articles lately that have contained run-on sentences. Run-on sentences are characterized by the omission of punctuation to separate clauses or complete sentences from one another. Run-on sentences have no place in professional writing and are easy to avoid.

If you're in doubt about whether or not the group of words you have written is a run-on sentence, simply break it up into two sentences if each part can stand on its own.

Incorrect:

You may find it difficult to house train your small dog, they have small bladders.

When you go to a mortgage broker keep in mind that he or she will run a credit report and be sure to ask him or her about how that will affect your loan.

Correct:

You may find it difficult to house train your small dog. Small dogs have small bladders.

When you go to a mortgage broker, keep in mind that he or she will run a credit report. Be sure to ask him or her how that will affect your loan.

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Subtitles are still a part of titles, and must be capitalized. They should also be separated from the main title with a colon or a dash. Commas, periods, or, (gasp) NO punctuation is not acceptable.

Correct:

• Student Loans: Getting Your Money's Worth
• Natural Disasters - Protecting Yourself

Incorrect:

• Student Loans, Getting Your Money's Worth
• Student Loans: Getting your money's worth
• Natural Disasters Protecting Yourself

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If you're a single freelancer, chances are good that you don't have health insurance. And, if you do have health insurance, chances are also good that your premiums are going up, your coverage is fluctuating, and you're overall displeased with how the insurance company jerks you around. So here's your weekend writing idea. Write about the health insurance industry.

• How does one find a good health insurance company?
• What does a person who does not have health insurance do when they get sick?
• What are some ways to save on health care?
• How does a person find doctors in their health insurance network?
• How can a person object to a health insurance company's decision?
• What do you do if you have a "pre-existing condition"?
• What are lawmakers trying to do to change the health insurance system? (Are they really doing anything?)
• What can individuals do to take a stand against the corrupt health insurance system?
• How is health care different for the insured vs. the uninsured?

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Reposted from forum "sticky."
Modern standards favor the Oxford comma. The Oxford comma is that last comma before the "and" in the end of a series of things.

For example - the Oxford comma appears in these sentences:
We serve coffee, tea, and lemonade.
I can make scarves in blue and yellow, green and white, red and black, violet, and gold.

In the first sentence, while the comma is preferred, foregoing the use of this comma will probably not cause ambiguity (that is, I know of no culture that serves coffee, or tea&lemonade--though you can see where I'm going with this). However, in the second sentence, the subtraction of the final comma would cause confusion:
I can make scarves in blue and yellow, green and white, red and black, violet and gold. The reader may mistake the colors "violet and gold" to be a color combination like those mentioned formerly.

However, an Oxford comma can also cause ambiguity when used incorrectly. It is important to remember to group items that should be grouped together (as in the scarves example above) and to separate those which need separated, up until the very end of the series.

This is probably my favorite explanation of the Oxford comma:

Although either style may cause ambiguity (in "We considered Miss Roberts for the roles of Marjorie, David's mother, and Louise", are there two roles or three?), the style that omits the comma is more likely to do so: "Tom, Peter, and I went swimming." (Without the comma, one might think that the sentence was addressed to Tom.) "I ordered sandwiches today. I ordered turkey, salami, peanut butter and jelly, and roast beef." Without that last comma, one would have a MIGHTY weird sandwich! -- Gabe Wiener. James Pierce reports that an author whose custom it was to omit the comma dedicated a novel: "To my parents, Ayn Rand and God."

(From http://alt-usage-english.org/excerpts/fxabandc.html)

However, you can find an equally amusing explanation of the Oxford comma here:
http://www.siue.edu/IS/WRITING/NewsletterC/Issue%208/page3.html

So please use the Oxford comma where appropriate and make sure your commas don't give, er, unnecessary pause.

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