Eye am knot the strongest speller. And when it comes to grammar Laura is a googolplex of light years ahead of me. But I try. And I make an effort to punctuate words correctly. 

Since the internet has taken over the world lets peek at two of the more common words of the age: “Web site” and “e-mail.” I was reading the latest issue of Reader’s Digest when I noticed an article discussing the internet that said:

“…a popular website dedicated to …”

Is “website” right? Or “Web site”?

Most style gurus say “Web site”.

But not so fast.

The Chicago Manual of Style says “website” is probably fine if you’re writing informally. But if you want your particular piece to sit in a more formal/professional vein go with “Web site.”

Email? It’s clear. The correct usage is “e-mail.” Get the hyphen in there.

Now have some fun today and count how many articles and friends use “email.”

I bet you’ll get to twenty before noon.

Did any of you Sharpies out there notice I punctuated “Internet” incorrectly two times above?

I knew you would.

Note: The Chicago Manual of Style, 15th Edition, is not cheap, but it’s worth it if you work with words on a regular basis. The best price we’ve found is at Amazon: $37.80 for the CD-ROM version, or $34.65 for the 984-page, 2.1-inch thick hardcover version.