Punctuation:
Period
[.]: Use a period
at the end of a sentence (The dog ran fast.), command (Hand in your homework by
Friday.), indirect question (The teacher asked why Frank was late to school.),
or for abbreviations (Mr. Smith went to Texas.).
Question Mark
[?]: Use a
question mark at the end of a question. (What are you doing?)
*Question words: Who, what, where,
when, how, whom, whose, and which
Exclamation Point
[!]: Use an exclamation point at the end of an empathic declaration,
interjection, or command. (Do it now! or What are you doing! Stop!)
Quotation Marks
[“ ”]: Use
quotation marks to set off material that represents quoted or spoken language.
Quotation marks also set off the titles of things that do not normally stand by
themselves: short stories, poems, and articles. Use quotation marks to enclose
direct quotations. (My mother always said “Be careful what you wish for”)
Hyphen
[-]: Use a
hyphen to join two or more words serving as a single adjective before a noun (a
one-way street), with compound numbers (sixty-three), to divide words at the end
of a line if necessary, and with the prefixes (ex-husband).
Semicolon
[;]:
Use semicolon to
separate items in a list, when some of those items already contain
commas.
Example: I bought apples, grapes, and pears.
Use a semicolon between closely related independent clauses
joined by a coordinating conjunction if the clauses are already punctuated with
commas or if the clauses are lengthy.
Example:
Some people write
with a word processor, typewriter, or a computer; but others, for different reasons, choose to write with a
pen or pencil
Using a semicolon between independent clauses linked with a
transitional expression.
Example: The five nations respects
the abilities of all its people; therefore, both women and men participate in
making tribal decisions.
Use To announce,
introduce, or direct attention to a list, a noun or noun phrase, a quotation, or
an example/explanation.
Lists example: We covered many of the fundamentals in our
writing class: grammar, punctuation, style, and voice.
Noun/noun phrase
example: My roommate gave me the things I needed most: companionship and
quiet.
Quotation example:
Shakespeare said it best: “To thine own self be true.”
Colon [:]: Use
a colon to separate titles and subtitles, to express time, to cite a law or
biblical passage, to end a salutation, to separate the place of publication and
the publisher in a bibliographic entry.
Example:
Richard Nixon: The Tarnished President
4:00 p.m.
Dear Rachel:
West, Gerald. How to Write Best
Sellers. New York: Henry James Publishing, 1973.
The point of final game was
104:97
Use a colon to connect two sentences when the second sentence
summarizes, sharpens, or explains the first.
Example: Religion and politics can be sensitive subjects: many people hold
opinionated views and are easily offended by other peoples' remarks.
Reference:
Apostrophe
What is the apostrophe? "The apostrophe indicates that a number
or letter has been omitted. Moreover, apostrophes are also used to show
possession or ownership".
There are some examples how to use
them.
He is= he’s
Does not= doesn’t
There are
some singular (not ending with –s)
Owner
|
Thing Owned
|
Correct Form
|
a child
|
shoes
|
a child’s shoes
|
anyone
|
idea
|
anyone’s idea
|
a person
|
incoming
|
a person’s income
|
Singular
Nouns (ending with –s)
Owner
|
Thing Owned
|
Correct form
|
Chris Jones
|
dog
|
Chris Jones’ dog
|
James
|
room
|
James’ room
|
Plural Nouns
(not ending with –s)
Owner
|
Thing Owner
|
Correct Form
|
people
|
beliefs
|
people’s belief
|
children
|
songs
|
Children’s songs
|
Plural Nouns
(ending with –s)
Owner
|
Thing Owned
|
Correct Form
|
Two weeks
|
vacation
|
two weeks’ vacation
|
ten dollars
|
worth
|
Ten dollars’ worth
|
students
|
addresses
|
Students’ addersses
|
Commas
What is the
comma? "A comma is a punctuation mark used to indicate separation that in
spoken English is proved by a brief pause (or breathing space)".
There are
six rules for using commas.
1. "Use a comma before
a coordinating conjunction (and, or, but, nor, yet, for, so) that separates two
independent clauses". For example: One of our teachers gave us a lot of homework for
next week, but he changes his mind and moves the due date.
2. "Use a comma after
an introductory word, phrase, or clause that comes before a main clause. For
example: Strangely, no one has suggested that Watergate gave
us a" "new Nixon."
3. "Use commas around
words, phrases, and clauses in the middle of a sentence when they aren't
essential to the meaning of the sentence. For example, this was not, in other
words, an
invisible 56 percent of the population".
4. "Use commas between
items in a series. For example: Three reasons for the closing were insufficient
enrollment, poor instructional materials, and inadequate
funds".
5. "Use commas before
and after a quotation within a sentence. For example: The band leader said," "Once the
simple marching drill is learned, we will work on more maneuvers."
6. "Use a comma before an afterthought or
contrasting element. For example: To understand a particular culture, we must
consider the society as a whole, not its individual
parts".
