Punctuation

Semicolons Use a semicolon between independent clauses

that are closely related in thought and are not joined by and, but, for, nor, or so, or yet. Terrence is a musician; he plays four instruments.

If there is not a close relationship between the clauses, do not join them with a semicolon. Write the sentences as separate sentences. Nantucket is an island; it has an airport. (wrong) Nantucket is an island. It has an airport.

Semicolons Use a semicolon between clauses joined by a

conjunctive adverb or a transitional expression. Use a comma after the conjunctive adverb or transitional expression. Conjunctive: I was full; however, I ate more. Transitional: I am annoyed; in fact, I’m angry.

Use a semicolon between items in a series if the items contain commas. I want to visit Paris, France; Venice, Italy; and

Vienna, Austria.

Daily Practice One Some of the sentences contain closely

related ideas that should be combined with a semicolon…others should remain as two separate. Either combine the sentences, or label them as correct. 1. The soup is gone. Should I make more? 2. Many events have been scheduled. For

example, there are two concerts coming up. 3. Jules is the yearbook editor. His father

works for a newspaper.

Colons Use a colon to mean “note what follows.” For

example, use a colon before a list of items, especially after such expressions as as follows and the following. Examples of plays by Eugene O’Neill are as follows:

The Hairy Ape, Desire Under the Elms, and Long Day’s Journey into Night.

Do not use a colon before a list that serves as a direct object or an object of a preposition. We served fish, a salad, and yams. --(Direct obj) I have lived in Peru, New York, and Tyler, Texas.-- (object of a preposition).

Colons Use a colon between independent clauses when

the second clause explains or restates the idea of the first clause. The weather was perfect for sailing: The sky was

clear, and the wind was strong. Use a colon between the hour and the minute

(4:20), between chapter and verse of Biblical references (Exodus 1:2), between a title and subtitle(Charles Drew: Surgeon and Teacher), and after the salutation of a business letter (Dear Mr. DeSoto:).

Daily Practice 2 Insert colons where they are needed in

the following sentences. 1. Hikers need the following sturdy boots,

light clothing, and a waterproof jacket. 2. My paper was entitled “The Rain Forest

Harvest of Shame.” 3. The actor gave me advice Learn your

lines, be on time, and don’t get emotional.

Italics and Underlining Italics are printed characters that slant to the

right. When you are writing or typing, indicate italics

by underlining. When you are using a computer, you can use italics.

Use italics (underlining) for titles of books, plays, long poems, films, periodicals, works of art, record albums, long musical compositions, television series, ships, and aircraft. The words a, an, and the before a title are italicized only when they are part of the title.

Italics and Underlining Use italics (underlining) for words,

letters, and figures referred to as such and for foreign words that have not been adopted into the English language. In French, and enfant terrible is a person

whose unruliness causes embarrassment.

Daily Practice 3 Write down which words should be

underlined or italicized. 1. The Titanic was supposedly

“unsinkable”; yet, the ship sank in 1912. 2. Rodgers and Hammerstein wrote the

musicals South Pacific and Carousel. 3. I often have difficulty keeping the

words affect and effect straight in my mind.

Ellipsis Points Use ellipsis points (…) to mark omissions

from quoted material and pauses in a written passage. If the quoted material that comes before the omission is not a complete sentence, use three points with a space before the first point. Original: Winning isn’t everything; it’s the

only thing. With Omission: Winning…is the only thing.

Ellipsis Points To show that a full line or more of poetry

has been omitted, use an entire line of spaced periods.

To indicate a pause in a written passage, use three ellipsis points with a space before the first point. “Let’s see, …where was I?” Alexis said,

trying to find her place.

Daily Practice 4 Rewrite these quoted passages, omitting the

parts that appear in italics. Use ellipsis points to indicate where the material has been omitted.

1. Open your eyes to the opportunities around you. Never give up and never say “I can’t.”

2. “Donnie came over. He has a ticket for you. He left a note on the door.”

3. Wishes, even those that seem impossible, can come true.

Hyphens Use a hyphen to divide a word at the

end of a line. Do not divide a one-syllable word.

Divide a word only between syllables. Divide a word that is already

hyphenated only at the hyphen. Do not divide a word so that one letter

stands alone.

Hyphens Use a hyphen with compound numbers

from twenty-one to ninety-nine and with fractions used as modifiers. Forty-eight actors two-thirds full

Use a hyphen with the prefixes ex-, self-, and all-; with the suffix –elect; and with all prefixes that precede a proper noun or a proper adjective. Ex-president self-conscious all-pro Governor-elect pro-American

Hyphens Hyphenate a compound adjective when

it precedes the noun it modifies. Do not use a hyphen if one of the modifiers is an adverb ending in –ly. A well-written poem a thoroughly enjoyable play

Daily Practice 5 In each phrase below, hyphenate the

appropriate word.

1. a wooded island in the mid Pacific 2. a self fulfilling prophecy 3 a fully lined jacket 4. twenty senators elect

Apostrophes The possessive case of a noun or a

pronoun shows ownership or relationship. TO form the possessive case of a singular non or an indefinite pronoun, add an apostrophe and an s. To form the possessive of a plural noun ending in s, add only the apostrophe. Bird’s nest The birds’ nest A year’s pay two years’ pay

Apostrophes Plural nouns that do not end in s form the

possessive by adding an apostrophe and an s. Children’s book the geese’s nest

Form the possessive of only the last word in a hyphenated word, in the name of an organization or business firm, or in a word group showing joint possession. My mother-in-law’s car Al and Bob’s dog Johnson and Johnson’s ad

Apostrophes However when a possessive pronoun is

part of a word group showing join possession, each noun in the word group is also possessive. Al’s and my dog….his and Anica’s cousin

Use an apostrophe to show where letters or numbers have been omitted in a contraction. Do not confuse contractions with possessive pronouns. Who’s calling It’s hot outside.

Daily Practice 6 Rewrite the following phrases using

possessive nouns and pronouns

1. A vacation of two weeks.2. The home of Rosa and Lucas3. A dance by her and Jiro4. The nest of the mice5. The teacher of her children6. Trophies of amateurs

SURVEY Go to the following web address and

complete the survey once you have started your computer…

http://tinyurl.com/cghsgrad

http://foxtwin.com/inferno/

Dashes Use a dash to indicate an abrupt break

in thought. This book-perhaps you’ve already read it-

is excellent. Also, use a dash to mean namely, in

other words, that is, and similar expressions that come before an explanation. Five dollars-the exact price of a ticket-is

missing from my bag.

Parentheses Use parentheses to enclose material of

minor importance in a sentence. Be sure that the material could be omitted without losing important information or changing the basic meaning or structure of the sentence. Tom Cruise (my favorite actor) was on

television last night. Lana (she married my brother) has offered

me a summer job.

As shown in the example, punctuation marks are used within parentheses when they belong with the parenthetical matter. However, a punctuation mark is not placed within parentheses if the mark belongs to the sentence as a whole. Dan brought my ticket. (What a nice guy!)

Brackets Use brackets to enclose and explanation

within quoted or parenthetical material. The actor exclaimed, “This [award] means

a lot to me!” Lou Gehrig (baseball player [1903-

1941])was a courageous man.

Daily Practice 7 Write D if the italicized words should be set off by

dashes. Write P if they should be set off by parentheses. Write B if they should be set off by brackets. 1. Kirk Douglas born Issur Danielovitch has been a

popular movie star for years. 2. W. C. Fields don’t you love his movies? was born in

Philadelphia. 3. Harry Lillis Crosby (commonly called “Bing” 1903-

1977) was a baritone. 4. Diana Ross a former member of the Supremes

starred in a film version of Billie Holiday’s life.

SURVEY Go to the following web address and

complete the survey once you have started your computer…

http://tinyurl.com/cghsgrad

http://foxtwin.com/inferno/

Quotation Marks Use quotation marks to enclose a direct

quotation-a person’s exact words. Place quotation marks at both the beginning and the end of a direct quotation. Begin the direct quotation with a capital letter unless it is only part of a sentence. He jumped in to the taxi and said, “Follow

the car!”

Quotation Marks When the expression identifying the speaker

interrupts a quoted sentence, the second part begins with a small letter. “I’m confident,” Luis said, “that we will win the

championship.” A direct quotation is set off from the rest of the

sentence by a comma, a question mark, or an exclamation point. It is never set off by a period. Gloria said, “There’s a special exhibit at the

museum.” “What is it?” I asked.

Quotation Marks Commas and periods are always placed inside the

closing quotation marks, and colons and semicolons are always placed outside the closing quotation marks. He said, “No, I won’t”; I, on the other hand, said, “Yes,

I will.” Question marks and exclamation points are placed

inside the closing quotation marks if the quotation is a question or an exclamation. Otherwise they are placed outside the closing quotation marks. Hank asked, “Where are you going?” What kind of an answer is “I don’t care”?

Daily Practice 8 Add quotation marks as needed to the

following sentences. Many will also require the insertion of end marks. 1. She ran down the street yelling, Wait for me 2. Plain women, said Katherine Hepburn, know

more about men than beautiful ones do 3. Who said, Beauty seen is never lost 4. I describe my aunt Luna by saying, Her

words are candy, but her actions are cod liver oil.

Quotation Marks When writing dialogue, enclose each

speaker’s words in quotation marks and begin a new paragraph every time the speaker changes.

When a quoted passage consists of more than one paragraph, put quotation marks at the beginning of each paragraph and at the end of only the last paragraph in the passage.

Quotation Marks Use single quotation marks to enclose a

quotation within a quotation. “Why would you say, ‘Might makes right’?” the

former boxer asked. Enclose titles of articles, short stories, essays,

short poems, songs, episodes of television series, and chapters of books with quotation marks.

Use quotation marks to enclose slang words, technical terms, and dictionary definitions. In Philadelphia, a submarine sandwich is called a

“hoagie”.

Daily Practice 9 Add quotation marks as needed to the

following dialogue. Additionally, begin a new paragraph if one is needed.

Greek philosopher Diogenes the Cynic lived in a huge barrel. One day, Alexander the Great peered in to see the great philosopher. Is there anything that I can do for you? Alexander asked. Yes, answered Diogenes. I’d like you to stop blocking my light.

Commas to Separate Items Use commas to separate items in a

series. He recycled the newspapers, washed his

car, and cut the grass. Do not place a comma before the first

item or after the final item in a series. He enjoys Billy Joel, Elton John, and Stevie

Wonder.

Commas to Separate Items When the last two items in a series are

joined by and, or, or nor, you may omit the comma before the conjunction if the comma isn’t needed to make the meaning clear. Clear without: I’m taking algebra, biology and

French. Unclear without: Eula, Luis, and Don are

outside. (is Eula outside or being addressed?) Clear with: Eula, Luis, and Don are outside.

Commas to Separate If all the items in a series are linked by and, or,

or nor, do not use commas to separate them. Use a comma to separate two or more

adjectives preceding a noun. However, if the last adjective before the noun is part of the noun, as in the compound noun white cedar, do not place a comma before that adjective. Use a comma: I had a long, quiet talk with Aunt

Bea. Omit: We sat on her big front porch.

Daily Practice10 Add commas to the following sentences.

If the sentence is correct write C. 1. In early spring, flower bloom birds build

nests and people’s spirits rise. 2. Either Bob or Rafael or Bart will start as

quarterback after the half. 3. I like Renee because she is such a

dependable sensitive person.

Commas to Join Clauses Use a comma before and, but, or, nor, for,

so, and yet when they join independent clauses to form a compound sentence. We wanted to buy tickets, but the concert is

sold out. Don’t confuse a compound sentence with a

simple sentence that has a compound with a simple sentence that has a compound verb. I enjoyed the concert and decided to buy his

record.

Commas to Join Clauses Like Compound verbs, compound

subjects and compound objects are not separated by commas. Compound subject: The band and the

crowd joined in on the chorus. Compound object: The lead singer plays

the piano and the synthesizer.

Commas with Introductory Elements Use a comma after certain introductory elements,

including the words yes and no and such mild exclamations as well and why at the beginning of a sentence. Yes, I want to be an opera singer.

Use a comma after an introductory participial phrase or a series of two or more introductory prepositional phrases. A single prepositional phrase does not usually require a comma. Hoping for a role, she auditioned for the director. (participial

phrase) From a seat in the back of the room, he listened.

(prepositional phrases) After her song the director applauded. (single phrase)

Introductory Elements Do not confuse an introductory participial phrase

with a gerund phrase used as the subject of a sentence. Such a gerund phrase is not set off by commas. Participial phrase: Singing well, Susana impressed

him. Singing well was hard because of her edgy nerves.

(gerund phrase) Use a comma after and introductory adverb clause.

As soon as the audition was over, Susana felt confident.

Daily Practice 11 Join the clauses

We planned a picnic. It rained. Shandra practiced her speech. She felt

confident.Add commas where they are necessary.

Often confused with Mel Gibson my uncle Pierre is really handsome.

Walking as fast as possible we reached the store just before closing.

Commas with Nonessential Elements Use commas to set off nonessential (or

nonrestrictive) clauses and participial phrases. The term nonessential means that this type of clause or participial phrase contains information that isn’t needed to understand the meaning of the sentence. Nonessential: Behruz, who is a track star,

was accepted at Yale. Nonessential phrase: Millicent, hoping for a

scholarship, works hard.

Nonessential clauses In contrast, an essential (or restrictive) clause

or participial phrase is one that can’t be left out without changing the meaning of the sentence. Because they are so important to the meaning of a sentence, essential clauses and phrases are NOT set off by commas. Essential Clause: Everyone who believes that

story is foolish. Essential phrase: All students competing in the

race are excellent runners.

Daily Practice 12 Rewrite the sentence with a comma if it is

needed…write correct if it is not needed. 1. All people who are found guilty will be

fined or sent to jail. 2. Theseus who was a figure in Greek

myths battled the Minotaur. 3. All students who want to be in the play

must come to rehearsal. 4. Kevin Kline who is an accomplished

actor won an Academy Award.

Commas with Elements that Interrupt Use commas to set off elements that

interrupt a sentence. One such element is an appositive or appositive phrase. It follows a noun or pronoun and usually identifies or explains it. When you use commas to set off an appositive phrase, be sure to include all the words contained in it. Paul Tsongas, a former senator, grew up

in Lowell, Massachusetts.

Elements that interrupt Sometimes an appositive is so closely

related to the word(s) preceding it that it is not set off by commas. Such an appositive is called a restrictive appositive. My cousin Lurleen grew up in Eureka

Springs, Arkansas. Words used in direct address are set off by

commas. Eubie, you are a terrific tennis player,. Thank

you, Mallory.

Elements that Interrupt Parenthetical expressions, which are

remarks that add incidental information or relate ideas to each other, are set off by commas. After all, we did win the championship. Generals who won the presidency include,

for example, U.S. Grant. Audrey Hepburn, not Katherine

Hepburn, stars in this old movie.

Daily Practice 13 Add necessary commas to these

sentences. If it is correct…write C. 1. Michael Jordan will be remembered I am

sure as a great basketball player. 2. The poet Carl Sandburg lived in Chicago. 3. Alfred Nobel the man who established

the Nobel Prize was a scientist. 4.Have you Nikki got any ideas that you’d

like to share with us?

Conventional Uses of Commas Use commas to separate items in dates and addresses.

My sister graduated form college on Sunday, June 14, 1993.

In date if the day is given before the month or if only the month and the year are given, no comma is used. Jake was born on 12 July 1975.

No commas are used before any prepositions that occur in dates or addresses. I moved here on June 12 in 1984.

Use a comma after the salutation of a friendly letter and after the closing of any letter. Dear Sam, Yours Truly,

Conventional Uses Use a comma after a name that is

followed by an abbreviation such as Jr., Sr., or M.D. Martin Luther King, Jr. Luisa D. Eduardo, M.D.

Within a sentence, these abbreviations are followed by commas as well. Joseph Vitali, Jr. will speak on August 3,

1993, at the annual meeting.

Daily Practice 14Add commas as necessary to the following sentences. If a sentence is punctuated correctly write C.

1. Marissa Valdez Ph.D. will be our guest on the fifth of October.

2. Harold P. Levinson Jr. opened a law office at 5 Dale Street in Ames Iowa.

3. The town of Boxford celebrated its bicentennial on 6 June 1966.