Knowledge Commons | Erika Suffern | Activity https://hcommons.org/members/esuffern/activity/ Activity feed for Erika Suffern. Sat, 04 Apr 2026 12:57:48 -0400 https://buddypress.org/?v=10.6.0 en-US 30 hourly 2 2888a5869b7760a2cf6673648c2e1a75 Erika Suffern's profile was updated https://mla.hcommons.org/activity/p/1671282/ Tue, 03 Dec 2019 16:12:51 -0500 0 42cc9f713f773294cf3a77fabee98eb7 Erika Suffern posted a new activity comment https://mla.hcommons.org/activity/p/1582284/#acomment-1642158 Mon, 10 Jun 2019 12:57:01 -0400 One space.

In reply to - Jennifer A. Rappaport wrote a new post, Connected Academics at MLA 2017, on the site The MLA Style Center Like a semicolon, a colon can connect two independent clauses, but it has several other uses as well. […] ]]> 7bb06490efb2badb500bcc489dd7b273 Erika Suffern posted a new activity comment https://mla.hcommons.org/activity/p/1574160/#acomment-1636964 Mon, 01 Apr 2019 14:00:37 -0400 Thanks for your comment. A writer or publishing style should use or omit the serial comma consistently, which aids in clarity. In cases where using a serial comma may introduce ambiguity, we prefer to recast the sentence.

In reply to - MLA Style wrote a new post, Serial Commas and Serial Semicolons, on the site The MLA Style Center Serial Commas Perhaps no mark of punctuation ruffles feathers more than the serial comma (also called series […] ]]> 5854fca61af642ee693cb03edb88ebd1 Erika Suffern posted a new activity comment https://mla.hcommons.org/activity/p/1574160/#acomment-1634297 Thu, 07 Mar 2019 16:23:55 -0500 Great question! When only the last item in a series contains commas, you do not need to use serial semicolons, as long as no ambiguity results.

In reply to - MLA Style wrote a new post, Serial Commas and Serial Semicolons, on the site The MLA Style Center Serial Commas Perhaps no mark of punctuation ruffles feathers more than the serial comma (also called series […] ]]> fe6da85e748f803d5e4cab2612dc545a Erika Suffern posted a new activity comment https://mla.hcommons.org/activity/p/1574160/#acomment-1630499 Mon, 28 Jan 2019 14:43:02 -0500 Allison, you can find information about serial semicolons on p. 70 (3.2.3b) of the 7th edition (2009) of the MLA Handbook. It is not in the 8th edition. You might also point your adviser to this post (this is the official, authorized Web site of MLA style, written and edited by the same team that publishes the Handbook.)

In reply to - MLA Style wrote a new post, Serial Commas and Serial Semicolons, on the site The MLA Style Center Serial Commas Perhaps no mark of punctuation ruffles feathers more than the serial comma (also called series […] ]]> 8f824a01a44c56d17d55fc92e9886d88 Erika Suffern posted a new activity comment https://mla.hcommons.org/activity/p/1574160/#acomment-1630497 Mon, 28 Jan 2019 14:35:44 -0500 The semicolon is not correct. Consider recasting your sentence: "We sell spirits and various kinds of wine, including Cabernet, Merlot, Zinfandel, and Pinot Noir.”

In reply to - MLA Style wrote a new post, Serial Commas and Serial Semicolons, on the site The MLA Style Center Serial Commas Perhaps no mark of punctuation ruffles feathers more than the serial comma (also called series […] ]]> 855e89177e6b6f0e82ae6ff5fb26babd Erika Suffern posted a new activity comment https://mla.hcommons.org/activity/p/1574160/#acomment-1630056 Mon, 28 Jan 2019 14:32:58 -0500 Two items do not constitute a series. In most cases you would connect two items with and or or, not with punctuation.

In reply to - MLA Style wrote a new post, Serial Commas and Serial Semicolons, on the site The MLA Style Center Serial Commas Perhaps no mark of punctuation ruffles feathers more than the serial comma (also called series […] ]]> 9d17adb946c9b921180d1bab866c3f65 Erika Suffern posted a new activity comment https://mla.hcommons.org/activity/p/1582284/#acomment-1629149 Wed, 16 Jan 2019 15:22:17 -0500 A superscripted note reference belongs after a colon. The first preference should be to place the note reference at the end of a sentence; place it after a colon only when it refers specifically to what precedes preceding the colon and not to what follows it.

In reply to - Jennifer A. Rappaport wrote a new post, Connected Academics at MLA 2017, on the site The MLA Style Center Like a semicolon, a colon can connect two independent clauses, but it has several other uses as well. […] ]]> 333ebc9e0908bc74e2a0652c97e6e61f Erika Suffern posted a new activity comment https://mla.hcommons.org/activity/p/1574160/#acomment-1627345 Fri, 28 Dec 2018 14:28:03 -0500 Your instinct is correct. Omit a serial comma when using an ampersand. But, generally speaking, use a serial comma in titles.

In reply to - MLA Style wrote a new post, Serial Commas and Serial Semicolons, on the site The MLA Style Center Serial Commas Perhaps no mark of punctuation ruffles feathers more than the serial comma (also called series […] ]]> 7dae386eda168df5eb9e3770a4de6a3a Erika Suffern posted a new activity comment https://mla.hcommons.org/activity/p/1582284/#acomment-1624170 Tue, 20 Nov 2018 15:36:29 -0500 No punctuation is needed before "The Big Bang Theory" in your sentence.

In reply to - Jennifer A. Rappaport wrote a new post, Connected Academics at MLA 2017, on the site The MLA Style Center Like a semicolon, a colon can connect two independent clauses, but it has several other uses as well. […] ]]> cc70f425743e194f9bda3a3b158718c8 Erika Suffern posted a new activity comment https://mla.hcommons.org/activity/p/1574160/#acomment-1619419 Fri, 28 Sep 2018 19:36:23 -0400 A comma.

In reply to - MLA Style wrote a new post, Serial Commas and Serial Semicolons, on the site The MLA Style Center Serial Commas Perhaps no mark of punctuation ruffles feathers more than the serial comma (also called series […] ]]> 29c318ba25e0203c7bf00eb99198a3b4 Erika Suffern posted a new activity comment https://mla.hcommons.org/activity/p/1574160/#acomment-1619272 Wed, 26 Sep 2018 13:28:42 -0400 Lily,
In a series that requires semicolons, use the semicolons wherever you'd normally put serial commas. There's no reason to treat the last semicolon differently from the others.

In reply to - MLA Style wrote a new post, Serial Commas and Serial Semicolons, on the site The MLA Style Center Serial Commas Perhaps no mark of punctuation ruffles feathers more than the serial comma (also called series […] ]]> b4be0615464869170accd30cc5a22f09 Erika Suffern posted a new activity comment https://mla.hcommons.org/activity/p/1574160/#acomment-1618776 Thu, 20 Sep 2018 13:38:46 -0400 A colon may be used to introduce a list. You may be interested in another post we published, on using colons: https://style.mla.org/colons-how-to-use-them/.

In reply to - MLA Style wrote a new post, Serial Commas and Serial Semicolons, on the site The MLA Style Center Serial Commas Perhaps no mark of punctuation ruffles feathers more than the serial comma (also called series […] ]]> bf12169ef4b424d5a132d5b20de536d0 Erika Suffern posted a new activity comment https://mla.hcommons.org/activity/p/1574160/#acomment-1616099 Wed, 22 Aug 2018 13:15:44 -0400 The eighth edition of the MLA Handbook, published by the MLA, uses serial commas.

In reply to - MLA Style wrote a new post, Serial Commas and Serial Semicolons, on the site The MLA Style Center Serial Commas Perhaps no mark of punctuation ruffles feathers more than the serial comma (also called series […] ]]> 852558d43cce3593cdbef73f9fe38ce0 Erika Suffern posted a new activity comment https://mla.hcommons.org/activity/p/1574160/#acomment-1614743 Tue, 07 Aug 2018 14:08:50 -0400 That is correct. A serial comma belongs before the last item in a series but not after the last item.

In reply to - MLA Style wrote a new post, Serial Commas and Serial Semicolons, on the site The MLA Style Center Serial Commas Perhaps no mark of punctuation ruffles feathers more than the serial comma (also called series […] ]]> e295600d8dcaef219b9d50590e7a49be Erika Suffern's profile was updated https://mla.hcommons.org/activity/p/1614047/ Fri, 27 Jul 2018 01:45:46 -0400 0 d13ffac185764b7af836d92bd663ca8e Erika Suffern posted a new activity comment https://mla.hcommons.org/activity/p/1582284/#acomment-1599855 Tue, 06 Feb 2018 21:49:43 -0500 Hi, Ros. Do not use a colon because "The three stages are" is not a complete sentence. The items do not need to be capitalized.

In reply to - Jennifer A. Rappaport wrote a new post, Connected Academics at MLA 2017, on the site The MLA Style Center Like a semicolon, a colon can connect two independent clauses, but it has several other uses as well. […] ]]> a6053beae6ee7caad4d5f072fb5f9cf8 Erika Suffern posted a new activity comment https://mla.hcommons.org/activity/p/1582284/#acomment-1594205 Tue, 02 Jan 2018 14:14:24 -0500 Thanks for your question, Linda. No, you would not use a colon in that example: "written by Linda" would be correct.

In reply to - Jennifer A. Rappaport wrote a new post, Connected Academics at MLA 2017, on the site The MLA Style Center Like a semicolon, a colon can connect two independent clauses, but it has several other uses as well. […] ]]> 2db2e3da1239a549a5228cbb28c5702b Erika Suffern posted a new activity comment https://mla.hcommons.org/activity/p/1574160/#acomment-1586326 Thu, 02 Nov 2017 13:44:20 -0400 Bob, thanks for your question. In the example, "the annual budget" is the first item in the series. Using a colon after that item would make the items that follow subordinate to "the annual budget" (parts or aspects of the annual budget), which is not the intention.

In reply to - MLA Style wrote a new post, Serial Commas and Serial Semicolons, on the site The MLA Style Center Serial Commas Perhaps no mark of punctuation ruffles feathers more than the serial comma (also called series […] ]]> adaf99da240e7dc32ac73e2155d4be0a Erika Suffern posted a new activity comment https://mla.hcommons.org/activity/p/1582284/#acomment-1582770 Mon, 25 Sep 2017 15:26:09 -0400 Brenda,
Thanks for noticing that! It was a typo, which we fixed. The post now instructs writers to use a capital letter in those instances.

In reply to - Jennifer A. Rappaport wrote a new post, Connected Academics at MLA 2017, on the site The MLA Style Center Like a semicolon, a colon can connect two independent clauses, but it has several other uses as well. […] ]]> c36e04ae5c50dfc4996d876acaa8a568 Erika Suffern's profile was updated https://hcommons.org/activity/p/1578541/ Fri, 11 Aug 2017 17:15:40 -0400 0 100f9b76ca15205e1846c703c4311047 Erika Suffern wrote a new post, on the occasion of Bob Dylan's Nobel Prize in literature, on the site The MLA Style Center https://style.mla.org/?p=8670 Fri, 11 Aug 2017 16:15:12 -0400 It is customary to use the present tense when discussing a literary work:
Othello is a play by Shakespeare. It begins on a street in Venice, where Roderigo and Iago are arguing.
Some of the themes of Othello are […]

]]> 9788e9b4b0711890874081d6815263c0 Erika Suffern wrote a new post, How do I cite a source that has no author?, on the site The MLA Style Center https://style.mla.org/?p=8565 Wed, 09 Aug 2017 16:10:33 -0400 When a work is published without an author’s name, begin the works-cited-list entry with the title of the work. Do not use “Anonymous” in place of an author’s name:

“English Language Arts Standards […]

]]> bc07e046e3a393cbe110f76616d3d442 Erika Suffern commented on the post, A Problem with Problematize, on the site The MLA Style Center https://style.mla.org/2017/06/08/problematize/#comment-441 Tue, 08 Aug 2017 13:19:39 -0400 Thanks for your comment. Yes, it sounds like that is indeed sound usage, if the intention is to ask big, challenging questions about education. I understand what you mean, though, about it seeming like education […]

]]> fe75706054cae5e51c1115d6e0b3c2a5 Erika Suffern wrote a new post, Quotes When Nothing Is Being Quoted, on the site The MLA Style Center https://style.mla.org/?p=6467 Thu, 23 Mar 2017 09:45:01 -0400 A lede is the most newsworthy part of a news story. Journalists are taught to keep it front and center: a story should lead with the lede. A writer “buries the lede” when the newsworthy part of a story fails to […]

]]> 3eaaf7199cf3d8c3ec4e7d14820a6221 Erika Suffern wrote a new post, Quotes When Nothing Is Being Quoted, on the site The MLA Style Center https://style.mla.org/?p=6474 Wed, 22 Mar 2017 09:24:48 -0400 If you were taught to avoid using adverbs in your writing, the title of this piece might be making you nervous. True, in many cases you can eliminate an adverb by choosing a more apt verb—why walk slowly if you c […]

]]> 91ab877bbe83a73b74354974b89d2c78 Erika Suffern wrote a new post, How do I cite a quotation that I’ve altered?, on the site The MLA Style Center https://style.mla.org/?p=6167 Wed, 01 Mar 2017 19:52:27 -0500 In almost all cases you should transcribe a quotation exactly as it appears in the source. However, you may occasionally want to italicize words in a quotation to call special attention to them. If you add italics […]

]]> 5df8014e9ff00242bebc1111e86b45f2 Erika Suffern wrote a new post, When should I include an access date for an online work?, on the site The MLA Style Center https://style.mla.org/?p=5115 Thu, 29 Dec 2016 14:19:57 -0500 The eighth edition of the MLA Handbook does not require that you include a date of access—the date on which you consulted a work—when you cite an online work from a reliable, stable source. However, you may inc […]

]]> 9e9ca9f8a3c3d34289195b6c234489cb Erika Suffern wrote a new post, How do I cite a résumé or a curriculum vitae?, on the site The MLA Style Center https://style.mla.org/?p=4226 Fri, 11 Nov 2016 21:01:41 -0500 A résumé or a curriculum vitae is a unique type of source that is usually untitled and often undated. You may include the word résumé or curriculum vitae in place of a title as a description of the source. If the […]

]]> c1c66c687803b9bc1cc3d8b84806591f Erika Suffern's profile was updated https://mla.hcommons.org/activity/p/548991/ Wed, 06 Jul 2016 20:09:03 -0400 0 aa4a9deba899c440f7bf4e6afe5158e5 Erika Suffern became a registered member https://mla.hcommons.org/activity/p/548988/ Wed, 06 Jul 2016 19:50:57 -0400 0