Grammar and Punctuation

[Matthew Villegas]

Everyone here contributes something different when it comes to the courtroom. Whether it's as a court reporter, a scopist, or a proofreader, we all play a significant role in the legal system. We all have our struggles and frustrations, and while some of them cannot be avoided, I believe honing our skills with grammar and punctuation can help to make our jobs easier.

I don't want to come to this site just hoping to land a job or post an ad. I want to learn and contribute something, even if it's something small. With that said, I'll start the conversation.

Ever heard of gerunds? What about past or present participles? Do infinitives give you flashbacks of your senior year in high school English class? Without going ("going" is a gerund here) in to too much detail in a single post, gerunds, participles (past, present, and future), and infinitives are called verbals. They function as nouns (gerunds), adjectives (participles), and adverbs. (To make matters more confusing, infinitives can function as nouns, adjectives, or adverbs).

Knowing how to use and identify verbals will make punctuating a transcript easier.

So what about you? Are there any grammar or punctuation rules you struggle with?

[Karryn Nagel]

Hi Matthew! Great post. :)

I struggle with hyphens often, and sometimes with numbers, but in general, I find it all is just a treasure of knowledge to uncover, or re-discover.