READING UPDATE: The Bedford Handbook #3- Part VI – Part VIII

I can’t lie- I lost some steam through this latest section. Maybe there was too many chapters about familiar topics, or maybe I’m just rowing tired of reading reference books. Whatever the cause(s), progress is slowing down and that doesn’t bode well for the next oversized chunk I get to read next.

Part VI of this book contained three chapters about things that trip up people who do not speak or write primarily in English. My wife is an elementary school teacher, so I have heard many stories about ESL students (and parents for that matter) and the difficulties they have in a school setting. Overall, this section was a nice reminder that we all need to keep a broad perspective when communicating with other people. Otherwise, there wasn’t much there that intrigued me.

Part VII focused on standard punctuation. I was pleased to learn that I already follow all the rules for when to use a comma. The chapter on when not to use a comma, however, showed me that I’ve still got some things to work on. The same goes for when to use question marks or italics for emphasis. Those, along with using dashes, parentheses, and/or commas to separate sidebar supplemental information, seem more flexible than the rules for commas. The chapter covering end punctuation cast shade on almost any use of exclamation points, yet it failed to even mention an amusing punctuation mark I discovered while reading the dictionary- the interrobang.

Part VIII covered mechanics- the first component of my rating system for books. The rules put forth regarding abbreviations, numbers, and spelling were all obvious to me already, as were most of the rules for capital letters. The guidelines on hyphens were a nice refresher and showed me a few things I either never learned or just forgot about. I will have to come back to the chapter on italics as I go forward on my reading journey. The rules may have changed since 2002, but I found a few things I wasn’t aware that should be italicized.

While it may be a little disheartening at times to find that my writing skills have a few rough edges, I’d rather be shown where to improve than let pride make me think I’m better than I am. This is the very reason I chose to read something like this so early on in Project Bookshelf. All these chapters that highlight trouble spots and areas of potential confusion for me will be worth revisiting as I write these entries, future book reviews, and other blog posts. Correcting those problems during these practice sessions will better prepare me for actually trying to write some of the stories that swarm around inside my brain.

The next section is a doozy, so you might not see another post for quite some time. One big reason I lost momentum, which I did not mention earlier, is that it’s Stanley Cup playoffs time. Unless hockey action gets boring, I’ll be less inclined to read as much until the Cup has been claimed.

Page Count: 522/928 (56.25%)
Countdown to my next update: 288 pages