One of my roles at Atlantic Webworks is to proofread staff blog posts and the content of our websites before they are launched. Since I am not a walking book of knowledge about punctuation and grammar, I try to apply a quote from that great 18th century writer, Samuel Johnson, who said, “The next best thing to knowing something is knowing where to find it.”

I think that we have trouble deciding on the right choices for punctuation and grammar in our writing because there is not just one set standard of grammar rules and style that apply in every circumstance. Some usages are style choices rather than set rules, and those choices depend upon whether you are writing for a newspaper, magazine, or other entity where a specific style guide may be the “required” standard. So what's a blogger to do when uncertain about a particular grammar or punctuation scenario? Here are three options to try:

First Stop? Check Online

There are many great resources online to provide answers to questions about punctuation, grammar, or style. Some are free, and some require a subscription (or purchase in book form). My favorites among those available are The Chicago Manual of Style, MLA Handbook (used most commonly for writers of research papers), The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation (grammarbook.com), The Elements of Style by Strunk and White, The Associated Press Stylebook (mainly for writers who work for newspapers or news magazines), and What’s the Rule? (reference guide for busy professionals), among others. You can also check out grammar-monster.com, grammar-girl and grammarly.com.

Stop Two? The Reference Folder

When I have a grammar question, I Google it and also go to one or more of the resources listed above to get an answer. I've created my own handy reference by saving what I find in a (digital) punctuation and grammar folder. I make it easy to refer to by making the title of my saved document the words in question, such as ensure vs. insure, who vs. whom, lie vs. lay, it’s vs. its, etc.  Often, we tend to make the same mistakes over and over, so keeping a personal reference works well, and over time, the correct usage is finally learned.

Practice On The Go - Apps Aplenty!

If you truly want to improve your grammar skills, you can purchase inexpensive smartphone apps. Online proofreading service provider, goproofreading.com, released its top ten smartphone apps for improving grammar and punctuation skills as follows:

•    Word Wit (designed to teach users the differences between misused words)
•    Grammar Up (features multiple-choice quizzes with thousands of questions over 20 grammar categories)
•    Grammar 1 (for improving your grammar skills and your grammatical syntax)
•    The Free Dictionary (free app makes it easy to look up words)
•    Wurdle (word game that forces you to identify as many words as possible by connecting letters on a grid)
•    Words with Friends (word game with rules similar to Scrabble)
•    English Idioms Illustrated (explores the meanings of popular idioms)
•    Grammar Express (helps learners master all the parts of speech)
•    Practice English Grammar (gives you the practice you need to master grammar)
•    Grammar Express: Tenses (helps you learn the correct tense)