Margie began teaching in 1964 and joined the court reporting world twelve years later. She taught the machine and all aspects of English for traditional programs before establishing her own online school in 2015. She is the author of English-related books that present practical solutions for applying standard English rules to the spoken word. Through Margie Holds Court, she teaches classes, presents for state and national organizations, authors a blog on all things English, and runs a subscription service to answer daily questions.
I Know You've Been Wondering Where I Am
That Pesky Word SO and Other DilemmasThe word “so” is popping up in all sorts of language patterns. In this class, we will discuss the two ways the word legitimately functions and how it is punctuated in those two places. Then we will talk about trailing off with “so” and starting a sentence with “so.” We will then discuss independent comments, parentheticals, and transitional elements and how to punctuate them. May 31, 10:30 AM PDT, 0.1 CEU
The Dependent ClausePossibly the most important concept to understand in order to punctuate easily – we will define a dependent clause, discuss the three types, and move on to how to punctuate each one. As time permits, we will talk about what happens when one dependent clause is inside another and also what it means to “understand” an introductory word for a clause. June 7, 9:00 AM PDT, 0.2 CEUs
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Margie Wakeman Wells
Margie began teaching in 1964 and joined the court reporting world twelve years later. She taught the machine and all aspects of English for traditional programs before establishing her own online school in 2015. She is the author of English-related books that present practical solutions for applying standard English rules to the spoken word. Through Margie Holds Court, she teaches classes, presents for state and national organizations, authors a blog on all things English, and runs a subscription service to answer daily questions.
Terminal Punctuation: A Look at Periods and Question MarksSaturday, June 20, 2026, 9:30 AM PDT This course covers the two marks of punctuation that come at the end of the thought. It is obvious that the vast majority of sentences end in a period; however, there are a couple of special places where it is the not-so-obvious choice. As reporting deals with the question-and-answer format, we will look at partial, elliptical, indirect, and compound questions -- all those places where a punctuation...
June 2026 I told you earlier that I was going to do a series of short classes this summer. So I did a one-hour class on apostrophes last month. (It is now on my website for your listening pleasure and can earn .1 CEU if you apply for it.) I am checking in now with a quick announcement about the next class on terminal punctuation – in just a few days from now! You don’t want to miss it. (Scroll down to read more about it!) Be on the lookout for QUOTES! Coming soon!! Summer is here. I hope it...
This Saturday, May 16: New Class My plan is to teach a series of short classes throughout the rest of the year. On the docket are sessions on quotes, periods, question marks, maybe number form, and probably one on that heinous hyphen!! I am starting gently: a one-hour class on apostrophes—not just for making words plural but in all those other sneaky places that need that little mark. See below to sign up. The Amazing ApostropheSaturday, May 16, 202610:00 AM Pacific Time Course Content: The...