2007-05-16

Spacing and Punctuation

Below are examples of errors made my anmi-eikaiwa students in their original compositions. I have also seen these errors in compositions made my Japanese engineers who submit work to me for checking.

Take a look at the following and see if you can find the errors. Good luck!

Error #1 (Conversational English Student)

A: Did you ski last winter?
B: No,but I skied two winters ago.

Error #2 (Mechanical Engineer)

Test Conditions
Lubrication____:_ECM oil
Speed________:_33 000 rpm
Temperature___:_Ambient temperature

Error #3 (Conversational English Student)

A:How are you doing today?
B:Just fine. And you?
A:Couldn't be better. Thanks.



How did you do? Were you able to find the errors? Let's discuss each error.

Error #1 (Conversational English Student)

A: Did you ski last winter?
B: No,but I skied two winters ago.

Rule: Always add one blank space after a comma.
Hint: Most spelling check software will give you a warning if you make this mistake.

Correct Version:

A: Did you ski last winter?
B: No, but I skied two winters ago.

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Error #2 (Mechanical Engineer)

Test Conditions
Lubrication_______: ECM oil
Speed __________: 33 000 rpm
Temperature ______: Ambient temperature

Rule: No blank space on the left side of a colon. Align all text after the colon at the same tab setting.
Hint: The above error is not an error in a Japanese text. However, when you write in English, you need to follow English rules.

Correct Version:

Test Conditions
Lubrication:.........ECM oil
Speed:...............33 000 rpm
Temperature:.....Ambient temperature

---

Error #3 (Conversational English Student)

A:How are you doing today?
B:Just fine. And you?
A:Couldn't be better. Thanks.

Rule: In the above format or in a typical sentence, there is only one blank space on the right side of a colon.
Hint: Most spelling check software will give you a warning if you make this mistake.

Correct Version:

A:_How are you doing today?
B:_Just fine. And you?
A:_Couldn't be better. Thanks.

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