Perfect Punctuation 1

Transcription

1 Perfect Punctuation 1 Apostrophe Rules 1. Contractions: Apostrophes are used to indicate letters are missing when two words are condensed into one. Do not = Don t They have = They ve Can not = Can t I am = I m She will = She ll You would = you d 2. Possession: Apostrophes are used to demonstrate possession, which indicates ownership. Rules: Possession with nouns (N) Generally, possession = N + s The thief s gloves or The inmate s glasses N ending with s = N + s or N + The mob boss s suit or James watch Be careful of possessive pronoun exceptions and similar words and contractions: Their = possessive Its = possessive Whose = possessive They re = They are (contraction) It s = It is (contraction) Who s = Who is (contraction) There = location, dummy subject APOSTROPHE EXERCISES 1. The victims parents were thrilled when they heard her mugger had been caught. 2. Boys kept interrupting the girls diabolical plans. 3. Chris wont admit that he cheated on the test, but the teacher doesnt believe him. 4. Who s getaway car is this? Its blocking the fire hydrant! Rules

2 Perfect Punctuation 2 Comma Rules 1. Use a comma to set off most introductory elements (stuff at the beginning of a sentence that comes before the main clause or the real point of the sentence). A. For Jeff, it all started when his beloved Guinea pig mysteriously died. B. After determining that the murderer had to be one of his roommates, Jeff plotted his revenge. C. Once he had acquired some arsenic, he offered to make dinner. D. While Lola, Ralph, and Esteban slurped their soup, Jeff started laughing maniacally. E. In fact, disturbingly, he was still cackling when the police found him two days later. The elements modify the main clause of the sentence and can be prepositional phrases (starting with words like to, for, in), phrases that indicate when or how (starting with words like if, when, after, by), or other types of phrases that give us more information about one or more of the word(s) in the main clause. Single transitional words at the beginning of a sentence (e.g. Furthermore, Next, Nonetheless) also take commas after them. Some words that often signal (or are) introductory elements: (Feel free to add others to the list as you find them) For, To, In, By, Once, While, After, If..., When, First, Next, Then, Last, Furthermore, In addition, However, Nonetheless, Of course, Sentences that start with ing words (or gerunds) also frequently signal dependent introductory elements: Walking to school yesterday, she witnessed a hit-and-run car incident.

3 Perfect Punctuation 3 Comma Rules 2. Use commas to separate nonessential (extra) information from essential information in a sentence. A. Serial killers, on the other hand, are more frequently men. B. The car, a beautiful red Porsche, begged to be car-jacked. C. Steve, who is my neighbor, didn t come home last night. D. The bag, which I love, was stolen during the party. Two words that almost always signal nonessential information are which and who: I was selected as a juror for the mobster s trial, which was not how I d hoped to spend the next several weeks. A sinister reputation accompanied the mobster, who had been initially charged only with drug possession. Some kinds of phrases that can be considered extra information explain or rename something in the main clause (as in examples B and C), or they can sound like extra comments or interjections from the writer (as in examples A and D). Notice that in all of the above examples, you can take out the underlined information, and the sentence still sounds complete (makes sense). 3. Use commas to distinguish the different parts in a list or series of three or more items. A. Before breaking into the house, George checked that he had his rope, gloves, and mask. B. She snuck the lipstick, sunglasses, and gum into her purse. C. The dog barked loudly, ran down the burglar, and bit him in the calf. D. Going to the gym, cooking a casserole, and taking over the world are on my to-do list tonight. E. Crime is similar to the real estate industry because it s all about location, location, location! Separating list items with a comma helps to keep each item distinct, clarifying for readers that there is a series or sequence. This is especially helpful for compound or multi-word list items like examples C and D. Note that there is debate about whether writers should use the Oxford comma or serial comma (the comma before the and and last list item). In some cases, using this comma or not can change the meaning of a sentence as in the examples below. The most important thing is to be consistent; either always use or leave off a serial comma. The cops chased the two vandals, Bob and Tom. [Here, the cops are chasing two vandals who are named Bob and Tom.] The cops chased the two vandals, Bob, and Tom. [Here, the cops are chasing four people: two vandals as well as Bob and Tom.]

4 Perfect Punctuation 4 Comma Rules 4. Use a comma to distinguish two complete sentences (main or independent clauses) linked by a coordinating conjunction. A. People overreact really easily, but it s just a severed foot on the sidewalk. B. The prisons were simply too overcrowded, so they released minor offenders on parole. C. The pirates conquered our yacht, and they made us all jump overboard. D. The cafeteria lunch lady wouldn t give Greg any dessert, for he cut in line. The conjunctions join two complete sentences, which means the two joined sentences must each have their own subjects and verbs to require the use of a comma. Some coordinating conjunctions to look for (FANBOYS):, for (when it means because), and, nor, but, or, yet, so Note that the conjunction is necessary with the comma to avoid creating a comma splice!

5 Perfect Punctuation 5 COMMA EXERCISES 1. Industrialists no longer depended on the power of waters in rivers so they built factories in urban areas. 2. While I was eating my salad he asked how school was going. 3. With my notebook pencil and calculator in hand I m prepared for my algebra class. 4. Eggplant I might add is my favorite vegetable. 5. Furthermore writing can be stressful if the writer waits until the last minute to write his or her essay. 6. Doris couldn t possibly imagine traveling without clean underwear a book and at least fifty dollars in cash. 7. Coffee drinkers may suffer sleeplessness for the drug acts as a stimulant to the nervous system. 8. Sheila s favorite sport is golf which I detest.

6 Perfect Punctuation 6 Run-on Sentence Rules Run-on sentences are made up of two or more sentences that are run or fused together with no conjunction (and, or, because, furthermore) and/or no punctuation (comma[s], period, semicolon). For example: The mad scientist carefully measured the fuel for the freeze ray he is scheming to take control of Earth. There are several ways to fix a run-on, depending on the context of the sentence and how you want it to sound, stylistically. The basic ways are given below. 1. Join independent clauses (complete sentences) with a comma and a coordinating conjunction. The mad scientist carefully measured the fuel for the freeze ray, for he is scheming to take control of Earth. 2. Separate independent clauses (complete sentences) with a period. The mad scientist carefully measured the fuel for the freeze ray. He is scheming to take control of Earth. 3. Subordinate one clause to the other. While scheming to take control of Earth, the mad scientist carefully measured the fuel for the freeze ray. 4. Reduce one of the independent clauses to a phrase or even a word. The mad scientist, bent on controlling Earth, carefully measured the fuel for the freeze ray. 5. Join the two clauses by a semicolon, with or without a transitional/conjunctive adverb (e.g., however, nonetheless, furthermore). The mad scientist carefully measured the fuel for the freeze ray; moreover, he is scheming to take control of Earth. OR The mad scientist carefully measured the fuel for the freeze ray; he is scheming to take control of Earth.

7 Perfect Punctuation 7 RUN-ON EXERCISES (Apply each run-on rule once) 1. We read our papers aloud first then we discussed them. 2. Almost all languages change in one way or another the written form of Icelandic is a rare exception. 3. In the second picture the man leans on the woman s body he is obviously in pain. 4. Keiko carefully measured the chemicals for the experiment she made sure all weights were exact. 5. She chastised me for eating lunch before my visit her cooking makes me nauseous.