We'll be toasting a new decade in a few short days, which makes this the final spoonful of 2019. Given that a whole new year is on the horizon, what better time to ask you, my dear readers, what burning grammar, vocabulary, or punctuation questions you would love for me to address in 2020. I truly appreciate your input to make sure my spoonfuls stay relevant and helpful!!

I promise to address any and all questions, in a future post or right away. You can comment below or if you prefer, email me privately at cooperlaura@yahoo.com. I pledge that I'll never list any names unless you wish for me to do so. 

Thank you for reading and sharing A Spoonful of Grammar. If you're interested in revisiting or catching up on previous spoonfuls, the easiest way is to click on "All Summaries" in the Categories section to the right. Or, feel free to peruse posts under any of the Category headings. 

Happy New Year to you and your families. I'm grateful for each and every one of you and wish you all the best. 

Sincerely,
Laura Fineberg Cooper

​As a special holiday treat, here's a sweet/salty recipe for HOLIDAY PRETZEL HUGS & KISSES. As easy as they are to make, they look lovely, taste incredible, and make excellent gifts. And best of all: children of any age can help!

THE SIMPLE LIST OF INGREDIENTS:
 -Large bag of Pretzel Snaps (square)
 -Large bags of Hershey's Kisses and Hershey's Hugs (one of each)
 -Large bag of M&Ms - red and green or multicolor
- Wax/Parchment paper to line the cookie sheets

(Photo from cookingclassy.com)

PRETZEL HUGS & KISSES RECIPE:
1) Preheat oven to 170 degrees.
2) Lay wax paper on two cookie sheets, one for HUGS and one for KISSES. Trim to fit. 
3) Place pretzels in rows on each cookie sheet.
4) Unwrap Hugs and Kisses (a great step for little fingers) and place one on the center of each pretzel. 

​5) Bake on an upper rack.
              For PRETZEL KISSES: 5-6 minutes
              For PRETZEL HUGS: 4 minutes - HUGS melt much faster!
 
6) Remove each cookie sheet from the oven. Immediately press one M&M onto the center of each HUG and KISS, until they are mostly flat.  
7) If the Kisses aren't soft enough to be pressed flat, return the cookie sheet to the oven for 1-2 minutes more. 
8) After M&Ms are pressed onto all treats, your HOLIDAY PRETZEL HUG & KISS TREATS need to cool and set. Place tray in the fridge or any cold, protected location for ~ 1 hour.  

SPECIAL NOTES: 
--- The pressing part for both Kisses and Hugs requires focus and dexterity.
--- Think about how/where you'll cool these before baking so you won't need to transfer treats to a different container to cool. Transferring the treats when soft is a delicate operation. If you're short on fridge space, you might opt for two smaller baking pans instead of one large cookie sheet for each type of treat. 

PRESENTATION:
--- WRAP in individual gift bags or containers, or place in a large bowl. Everyone gobbles these up when I make them, so give them a whirl! Feel free to experiment with different variations of Kisses, too. 

I wish you all a wondrous Holiday season filled with light, laughter, and love. And of course, sweet treats galore!

Sincerely,
Laura Fineberg Cooper

All good things must come to an end: 2019, a plate of brownies, and my transitions miniseries! To fittingly finish my miniseries, here are TRANSITIONS THAT SIGNAL CONCLUSIONS. 

Here's the list (cue the drum roll): in conclusion, to conclude, in summary, to summarize, to sum up, thus, then, to wrap up, wrapping up, that's a wrap, to top it off, the icing (on the cake), finally, ultimately, in closing

SENTENCE EXAMPLES:

• After much deliberation, the committee was ultimately forced to compromise before the deadline. 
  
  
• School now starts earlier and ends later, so students have to get up earlier and miss some after school activities. To summarize, it’s no wonder students and parents are upset!
  
  
• "That's a wrap!" the director called after the cast and crew finally managed to get the scene right. 
  
  
• The lead actor slipped on the stage, causing a chain reaction of falling actors. To top it off, the curtain wouldn't stay open. 
  
  
• To conclude my post, I wish one and all a very happy holiday!!

Stay warm and safe this holiday season, and remember to treat yourself as well as others. Your readership means the world to me, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart. 

Sincerely,
Laura Fineberg Cooper

When we write or speak formally, examples help to provide clarity. That's when TRANSITIONS THAT INTRODUCE EXAMPLES are particularly useful. 

THE LIST: for example, as an example, for instance, to illustrate, illustrates, shows, demonstrates, such as, in particular

SENTENCE EXAMPLES:

• Not all birds eat berries. For example, vultures eat dead animals. This might sound yucky, but it sure beats seeing roadkill everywhere!

 

• The following illustrates one of Shakespeare's most famous quotes: "Be not afraid of greatness: some are born great, some achieve greatness and some have greatness thrust upon them." 
  
  
• To illustrate his point, Benjamin provided five different examples. 
  
  
• There are many ways we can straighten up this messy office. For instance, we can begin by organizing the files.

 

• I have a few things to take care of before leaving for vacation, such as paying bills, getting a dog sitter, and going to the post office.
  
  
• Mallika shares her homemade desserts every Friday, which demonstrates both how generous she is and how much she enjoys baking. 
  
  
• Stefano took his driver's test five times before passing, which showed just how much he wanted to get his license. 
  
  
• Kevin is always eating candy. In particular, he enjoys ones with caramel the most. 

Special note: I've found other lists that don't distinguish transitions quite as finely as I do. For example, more than one includes AND and ALSO in this list. Personally, I believe those belong in TRANSITIONS THAT ADD NEW INFORMATION, which you can view in Spoonful #36. 

My transitions miniseries will come to a fitting conclusion next Sunday with TRANSITIONS THAT SIGNAL CONCLUSIONS. I wish you all a wonderful week ahead. 

Sincerely,
Laura Fineberg Cooper

This category of transitions helps make your essays and other documents structured and orderly. It's about TIME we covered these very useful TRANSITIONS THAT INDICATE TIME.

Brace yourself, because there are a huge number of transitions in this category. In fact, I'm sure I might have missed a few!

First, firstly, at first, second, third, fourth, etc., then, initial, before, after, afterward, beginning, end, ending, earlier, later, whenever, since, following, from then on, from, to, last, later, meanwhile, near, next, now, hour, soon, still, while, when, during, finally, started, finished, suddenly, until, eventually, for a brief time, and any hour, day, or month of the year. Phew!

EXAMPLE SENTENCES:

• The pizza should be delivered soon. I hope the driver didn’t get lost!
  
  
• I finally figured out the correct answer after staring at the problem for an hour.
  
  
• The beginning of the movie was sadder than the ending.
  
  
• The show started an hour earlier, so you missed the first half.
  
  
• The show is not over until the actors take their final bows at the end.
  
  
• While Missy was driving to work, she saw a deer by the roadside. She slowed down to watch the deer for a brief time, then continued on her way to work.
  
  
• Following Sally's initial view of a solar eclipse, she made the decision to become an astronomer.
  
  
• You’re up next, so get ready to play. 
  
  
• Bobby's broken ankle should heal in time for the last soccer game of the season.
  
  
• Eventually, my dog learned how to bark when she wants to go outside. Of course, she also barks when she wants a cookie or just wants to play!
  
  ​

So many transitions categories, so little TIME. There are a few more transitions to cover, so stay tuned. 

Sincerely,
​Laura Fineberg Cooper