Directions for Direct Address

Directions for Direct Address Directions for Direct Address Directions for Direct Address By Mark Nichol This post, dear reader, describes proper punctuation and capitalization associated with writing in which one or more people are being addressed by name or role. Confusion abounds about how or whether to set off a proper or common noun that serves as a label for one or more people from a statement directed at that audience, and when to capitalize the first letter of an otherwise lowercased word that serves that function. One of the outcomes of the trend toward less formal correspondence is the tendency of writers to omit punctuation from salutations, as in â€Å"Hi Buffy!† Technically, the greeting should read, â€Å"Hi, Buffy!† I can’t police Muffy’s every missive to Buffy, but at the risk of sounding stuffy and making Muffy huffy I’ll remind her (and everyone else) of that fact in this public forum. (However, because dear in â€Å"Dear Buffy† is a modifier, not an interjection, that phrase receives no punctuation.) Another locution that, by the ubiquity of erroneous usage, increases such errors virally is the incorrectly comma-free truncation of â€Å"May I have your attention, shoppers† and the like: â€Å"Attention shoppers.† The word shoppers is a form of direct address and must therefore be set off from the preceding interjection by a comma. A comma should, likewise, be inserted after the direct address in â€Å"Ladies and gentlemen start your engines,† which otherwise reads as if the statement means that well-bred women and men provide the service of turning the readers’ ignition keys. Whenever a sentence communicates that one or more people are being spoken to, a comma (or two) is part of the process. When the term of address precedes the statement, insert a comma after the term of address: â€Å"Sir, please follow me.† When the term of address follows the statement, insert a comma before the term of address: â€Å"Good job, everybody.† When the term of address is inserted into the statement, brace it with two commas: â€Å"Please, miss, can you tell me the time?† But note that these terms of address do not begin with uppercase letters. When are such terms capitalized? This emphasis is generally provided only when the term is a substitution for a known name: â€Å"What do you suggest, Doctor?† â€Å"Please tell us, Senator, how you came to that conclusion.† This rule applies to designations of family relationships, too: â€Å"Can I go see a movie, Mom?† (Or â€Å"I asked Mom if I could go see a movie.† But â€Å"I asked my mom if I could go see a movie,† because, in this case, you’re merely describing the person â€Å"my mom† not naming her.) Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Style category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Congratulations on or for?Running Amok or Running Amuck?Charles's Pen and Jesus' Name

Sociology Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Sociology Report - Essay Example erm solution. The cause for separation and divorce is now not only marital discord which may be the initial spark, but it is also fuelled by many other factors in a society riven with exclusive commercialism, cut-throat competition, demanding lifestyles, insecure job situations, infidelity, declining moral standards, and so forth. The basic reason could be as frivolous as intolerance towards the way one eats an apple or snores while asleep, or serious ones such as physical abuse. Whatever the reason, there is no denying the fact that it leaves a trail of sadness, insecurity, and lifelong scars. Traditionally, divorce was considered taboo and was almost unheard of. If it did occur, it was talked about in hushed tones, equivalent to any disaster of very high portentous proportion. One would be willing to go to any length to achieve its prevention. Nowadays, divorce is considered even at the drop of a hat! It has become so fashionable! Globalization, business priorities, long separations in view of offshore employments, infidelity, same sex marriage, irreverence to time proven, healthy traditional values, disregard for moral and religious precepts, total subjugation to temporal, materialistic gains, have heavily eroded the sanctity and strength the family unit once observed and nourished as a rule. The discord between the couple is an excuse which allows these monstrous social and economic factors to hit the final nails into the coffin. The unceremonious example of the Prince of Wales and his glamorous wife, the late Princess Diana, and the prince's blended marriage with Camilla, is a mere reflection of the delusions and dilemmas prevalent in society today as a result of the stormy winds of unprecedented social and economic changes that have ascended like the tsunami, taking a heavy toll of family ties and values. The stigma of separation and divorce on the whole does not stop with the immediate couple involved, but it goes on to influence the whole society with the unhealthy trend serving as a case study or trend setter to others considering divorce instead of allowing a chance for an edifying shot at patching up. Also significant are cases of couples who live together before marriage. Evidence exist that show couples who live together before marriage do not understand the importance and usefulness of a planned marriage, and are more likely to get divorced before long. And even if married, the chances of their cheating on their spouses are considerably high, given their casual approach to the subject of marriage. Furthermore, the consequence begins to impact and influence their children at an early age. In real, the prevalence of sexually transmitted