Ms. Gallagher’s ELA Cheat Sheet

Punctuation

Period. -Use a period to end a sentence when the thought is complete.

Example: Sharks are very fast swimmers. -Use a period at the end of an indirect question.

Example: The teacher asked Mary why she was late to ELA class. -Use a period with abbreviations (a shortened form of a word or phrase).

Example: Carlos had to see Dr. Smith for a check-up. N.Y.C. has many good hotdog stands.

Question Mark?-Use a question mark when asking a question.

Example: Do you want to go to the mall later? Exclamation Point!

-Use an exclamation point at the end of an exciting, shocking, or scary sentence. Example: I can’t believe she would say that!

Comma,-Use a comma to separate lists or events or items.

Example: He hit the ball, dropped the bat, and ran to first base. I need to get water, apples, and peanut butter at the grocery store.

-Use a comma plus a conjunction (but, and, yet, for) to connect two independent statements.

Example: He wrote a great paper, but he didn’t put his name at the top. -Use a comma for a parenthetical element (a part of a sentence that can be removed without changing the essential meaning of that sentence).

Example: Margot’s dream, to become a master chef, is within her reach. Elliot, a short girl with blonde hair, is sitting with Katie.

-Use a comma when writing about a city's name and that city's state or country's name. Example: Hartford, Connecticut, is a beautiful place.

*If the state is possessive (has ownership) it does not follow this rule.Example: Hartford, Connecticut’s bread is the best in the country.

-Use a comma to separate adjectives. Example: That tall, distinguished, good looking fellow is here.DO NOT WRITE: The little, old, lady who lives across the street is rude.

* If you can put an “and” or a “but” between the adjectives, a comma will probably belong there. -Use a comma between long numbers and a date.

Example: $1,475 is owed to Mr. Ford whose birthday is on October 4th. -Use commas in dialogue. (See quotation marks section.)

Apostrophes’-Use an apostrophe between the noun (a person, place, or thing) and “s” when the noun is possessive and singular (one).

Example: Jordan’s book is on the desk. -Use an apostrophe after the “s” when the noun is plural (more than one) and possessive.

Example: The three lions’ cage is not opened to the public. -Use an apostrophe when a noun is possessive and ends in an “s.”

Example: The Jones’s parking spot is right next to the Miller’s house.-Use an apostrophe with contractions (a shortened version of a word).

Example: Don’t go in there. Can’t you help a little more?

*In contractions, the apostrophe goes where the letter is taken out. Example: Does not= Doesn’t

*It’s and its are exceptions to the contraction and possessive rule.-It’s means “it is” or “it has.” -Its is possessive.

Example: It’s October 22, 2016. A frog can eat its prey by catching it with its tongue.

Colon:-Use a colon before a list or an explanation after an independent statement.

Example: He asked why I hadn’t said hello: I hadn’t seen him. I brought three items: a pen, a notebook, and an eraser. I was hoping it would be sunny today: I don’t want the rain to ruin our picnic.

-Use a colon to separate the hour and minute for time.Example: It was 7:15PM.

Semi-colon;-Use a semi-colon when separating two independent statements that are closely related.

Example: I like the color green; he likes the color pink. Some people sing well; others dance well.

Hyphen--Use a hyphen to connect two or more adjectives (descriptive words) before a noun.

Example: I love to eat chocolate-covered peanuts. -Use a hyphen to connect compound numbers.

Example: I have thirty-three video games in my room. -Use a hyphen to write about a span from one word to another.

Example: This room can seat 100-150 people comfortably. -Use a hyphen to write double last names.

Example: Marissa Miller-Craig is a famous actress. (Parenthesis)

-Use parenthesis when including additional information. Example: The museum is one of my favorite places (besides school) to learn.

-When there is a complete sentence that can stand alone, include the closing punctuation within the parenthesis.

Example: Thirty-five years after his death, Robert Frost remains America's favorite poet. (We remember him at Kennedy's inauguration.)

-When the information inside of the parenthesis cannot stand alone as a full sentence, the punctuation goes outside of the parenthesis.

Example: After three weeks of practice, the team mates were upset with their

lead coach’s coaching (or, rather, lack of coaching). -Use parenthesis when explaining what an acronym stands for.

Example: I moved to the United States of America (USA) when I was just three years old.

*Explain what the acronym means once, the first time you write it, and after that you can refer to it by only the acronym.

Example: I moved to the United States of America (USA) when I was just three years old. The USA has many different types of food.

Ellipses… -Use an ellipses when you are quoting text but want to leave out some words.

Example: “The ceremony honored twelve brilliant athletes from the Caribbean who were visiting the U.S."

“The ceremony honored twelve brilliant athletes … visiting the U.S.”-Use an ellipses when trailing off thoughts.

Example: If only she had . . . Oh, it doesn’t matter now.-Use an ellipses when creating suspense or hesitation.

Example: I wasn’t really . . . well, what I mean . . . see, the thing is . . . I didn’t mean it.

After watching the mystery for two hours, I braced myself for those annoying words, "To be continued. . . ."

Past, Present, and Future Tense Past tense

-Use past tense when referring (talking about) to something that happened in the past or before.

Example: I saw her yesterday. He smiled for the camera.

Present Tense-Use present tense when referring to something that is happening currently or now.

Example: I eat pasta. I am swimming in the lake right now.

Future Tense

-Use future tense when referring to something that is going to happen in the future.Example: Tomorrow we will be driving to New Jersey.

*Always remember that tenses have to remain consistent! Do Not Write: I walked to my friend’s house yesterday and when I got there

we play video games. Tomorrow, I eat pizza and watched a basketball game. Instead Write: I walked to my friend’s house yesterday and when I got there we played

video games. Tomorrow, I will eat pizza and watch a basketball game.

Helpful Reminders: Numbers are always spelled out unless it is above one hundred.

Incorrect: I have 5 dogs. Correct: I have five dogs.

Capitalization-The word “I” is always capitalized. -The first letter of proper nouns (individual person, place, or organization).

Example: The Boston Red Sox are Jeremy’s favorite team. Titles

-Longer works such as books, magazines, movies are all italicized. Example: The Hunger Games is one of my favorite books.

-Shorter works such as songs, short stories, and poems are all put in quotation marks.Example: I like to listen to “Stiches” by Shawn Mendes.

Capitalizing your own title-When writing your own title on a paper, do not put it in quotation marks or italicize it. -Capitalize the first word, the last word, and all important words in between. Do not capitalize articles (but, the, and, or, that, etc.) unless it is the first or last word.

Example: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

Using “I” or “Me”-When determining whether or not to use “I” or “Me” in a sentence with more than one person, take out the other person and see if it is correct.

Example: Michelle and I went to the movies. -Take out Michelle: I went to the movies or me went to the movies.-I went to the movies is correct.

Commonly Misused Words

Present Past Future

I walk I walked I will walk

I write I wrote I will write

I speak I spoke I will speak

Quotation Marks

How to Use Explanation Example

Quote a phrase Use quotation marks to show the reader the exact phrase being borrowed word-for-word from a source.

The city's mayor explained that the recent tornado "leveled entire neighborhoods but miraculously took no lives in its wake."

Direct quote at the end of a sentence

When a direct quote follows a statement and ends a sentence, it should be preceded by a comma and followed by a period, exclamation mark, or question mark.

Robert exclaimed, “I shouldn’t be punished when I did nothing wrong!”

Direct quote at the beginning of a sentence

If a direct quote starts a sentence or is followed by a phrase, a comma should be placed at the end, before the closing quotation mark.

“Robert didn’t do anything wrong,” his brother calmly explained to their parents.

Partial quote in context

When part of a quote is woven into a sentence as an ordinary phrase, it does not need to be separated with additional punctuation.

The school’s principal states that “fights and other conflicts have decreased since the new disciplinary policies have been in effect.”

Full quote in context

When a full quote is used within a sentence, it must be introduced and is usually preceded or followed by a comma.

When asked about the recent spree of robberies, the police chief stated, “We have several leads on the criminals involved.”

Setting off dialog Dialog in a narrative is identified and set apart by being inserted between a set of quotation marks.

Sally asked her mother, "Can I go to the movies with my friends this weekend?" Her mother answered, "Only if you finish your chores before then."

Periods with quotation marks

When a quoted phrase appears at the end of a sentence, the period always goes inside the quotation marks, not outside.

Julia just finished reading Poe’s “Fall of the House of Usher.”

Commas with quotation marks

When a comma comes at the end of a quotation, it is placed inside the quotation marks, not outside.

Edmund enjoyed reading “Fall of the House of Usher,” and it quickly became one of his favorite short stories.

Question marks with quotation marks

A question mark goes outside of the end quotation mark unless the question mark is part of the quotation.

Has Alex ever read Thomas Paine’s “An Essay on Dream”?versusTrisha asked, “Has Alex ever read that essay?”

Quotes within a quote

When quoting a source or short work inside of a set of double quotation marks, the single quotation mark should be used.

Dr. Smith told his students, “I expect you to finish reading Melville's 'Bartleby, The Scrivener' by class time on Monday."

*Inner Dialogue When using inner dialogue or showing a character’s thoughts or feelings, the thoughts go in italics NOT quotation marks.

Well, at least I’ll be home soon.

It’s him!

Commonly Misspelled Words

MLA Format

Your Name (The first letter of your first and last name are capitalized)

Ms. Gallagher (Your teacher’s name)

Your Class Number

October 17th, 2016 (The due date not written 10/17/16)

(Make sure all of the above information is on the left)

(Skip a line before and after the title)

Title of Paper (centered)

(Articles such as: of, as, by, an, and, are not capitalized in a title unless it is the first word)

Indent to begin your story. Start your story here.

Remember: Papers must be in size 12 font, Arial or Times New Roman font double-spaced!

Below the line is an example of how your heading should look.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Harry Potter

Ms. Gallagher

Class 704

October 17, 2016

A Very Pesky Scar and an Even More Pesky Enemy

Mr and Mrs Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were

perfectly normal, thank you very much. I, however, am not.

It all started on a cold, dark evening in a creaky lighthouse. The lightning flashed through

the weathered windows, illuminating the dirt covered floor.

I wish I could get some sleep! I don’t want to be tired for my birthday.

Helpful Websites for Grammar:

noredink.com

titlecapitalization.com

thepunctuationguide.com