Punctuation Survival Guide

Transcription

1 Apostrophes Apostrophes help us Make singular and plural nouns show ownership Make compound nouns show ownership Show joint ownership and multiple possessives Show where letters are missing in contractions (cannot can t) Make numbers, lowercase letters, and symbols plural (a s) Is it possible all this sounds like Charlie Brown s teacher talking it did to me, what about you? - Plural and singular nouns what? - Compound nouns huh? - Joint ownership and multiple possessives you have to be kidding me! - I think I got the last two Objectives: Grade 8: use hyphens to break words at the end of lines, and to make a new word from two related words in own writing identify semicolons, dashes and hyphens when reading, and use them to assist comprehension use parentheses appropriately in own writing Review: end punctuation, quotation marks, comma, colon, apostrophe, ellipsis End Punctuation: Periods, Question Marks, Exclamation Points EVERY SENTENCE NEEDS A PUNCTUATION MARK AT THE END. Periods help us by Showing us where a statement sentence ends Showing where a mild command ends Punctuating abbreviations and initials Question marks help us by Identifying a question and showing where it ends Emphasizing an unbelievable declarative statement Exclamation points help us by Signaling strong interjections, commands, or emotions An interjection is a word or group of words expressing emotions (usually at the beginning of a sentence. Example: Oh, no! I just dropped my cell phone in the toilet! THE ANSWERS Singular Nouns The ant s antennas There is only one ant. FYI: If a singular noun with two or more syllables ends in s, you may choose to form the possessive by adding just an apostrophe or s. Example: Delores s Doberman or Dolores Doberman Plural Nouns If a noun is plural and ends in an s, just add an apostrophe at the end of the word. the ants antennas (more than one ant) If a noun is plural and does not end in s, add s at the end of the word the mice s whiskers, the children s candy More APOSTROPHE answers on the next page

2 Joint Ownership and Multiple Possessions What? When two or more people (or things, or whatever) own the same thing, the last name mentioned is in possessive form. However, if two or more people (or things, or whatever) own different things, both names are in possessive form. Example: FYI: If you want to make a compound noun possessive add s to the last word. Example: My sister-in-law s facial mole is growing rapidly. Quotation Marks Quotation marks go around words to make them stand out from the rest of the sentence. Quotations marks help us by Enclosing someone s exact words at the beginning, middle, or end of a sentence (direct quote) Enclosing people s exact words when their words are split up Identifying the titles of songs, poems, chapter titles, articles in newspapers or magazines, etc. Pointing out words that are used in unexpected ways (The so-called food they serve in the cafeteria tastes like cardboard and rubber.) Enclosing definitions and explanations in a sentence A few other points to remember about quotation marks: - Place single quotation marks around a quote inside a quote - In dialogue, begin a new paragraph every time the speaker changes - The titles of books, newspapers, magazines, movies, and TV shows should be underlined (when written by hand) or italicized (when typed on a computer.) CHECK OUT THE PUNCTUATION IN THESE SENTENCE Sometimes I like to enhance my eyebrows with fuzzy caterpillars, declared Blake. (direct quote) Blake declared that sometimes he likes to enhance his eyebrows with fuzzy caterpillars. (indirect quote this sentence doesn t include Blake s exact words, so no quotation marks are needed) I consider myself very lucky, said Mr. Letsay, that I have good hair every day. Ellipsis Ellipses help us by Replacing words that have been left out (Always make sure the quote makes sense after you ve left some of it out. ) Allowing us to show hesitation or deliberation An ellipsis should consist of four dots when the omission ends a sentence or falls between sentences.

3 Comma Commas are like little road signs that say pause for a second. Commas help us by Separating words in a list or series (three or more things) Sarah bought cookies, tofu, tortillas, and a kumquat to snack on during the movie. Setting off a mild interjection from the rest of the sentence (Yes, I will have another spam milkshake.) Separating clauses at the beginning of sentences (including a prepositional phrase at the beginning of a sentence) In the bug-filled flower bed, Doug dug up a hyperactive slug. Preventing confusion when certain words are together (After you read the book report on it to the class seems confusing After you read the book, report on it to the class) Setting off the greeting and closing of a friendly letter (Dear Mr. Bieber,) Separating street, town, province, and country (Swift Current, Saskatchewan) Showing who s being spoken to Separating multiple adjectives for the same noun (Ms. Rumer s fierce, ferocious, and furious cat licked my face.) Grouping clauses together (The hamburger was delicious, the hot dog was tasty, and the dessert was great.) Separating nouns from their appositives (appositives are words that give information about the noun they follow.) Mr. Hagel, vice-principal of Lakie, cheers for the Saskatchewan Roughriders. Setting off words that are not important to the meaning of the sentence (A giraffe, which can stand as tall as feet, cleans its ears with its tongue.) Punctuating dates and addresses correctly Setting off quotations (people s exact words) from the rest of the sentence. Colon A colon is a period on top of another period (:). Colons help by Introducing lists, summaries, and explanations Punctuating the greeting in a business letter; addressing people in bulletins, warnings, instructions, and so on. Separating hours from minutes in time and characters from dialogue in scripts. The most important function of the comma is to indicate a natural pause. Commas are meant make readers pause and collect themselves a little before the move on. That s their purpose in life, and that s what they re doing every single time you ever see one. So, when in doubt about a sentence, read it aloud. Notice where you naturally find yourself pausing where, in effect, you must pause. Chances are that ll be a good place for a comma. Richard Lederer and John Shore (in Comma Sense)

4 Semi-Colon A semi-colon is a period on top of a comma (;). Semicolons help us by Connecting closely related sentences o Mrs. Hudson, who is in a constant state of denial, refuses to believe her tire is flat; she insists that the other three are bloated. Separating groups of words in a series (that already has commas) o Mrs. Babki brushed her teeth on January 7, 2006; March 5, 2007; and February 10, Connect sentences with transitional expressions such as however, nevertheless, moreover, in addition, furthermore, consequently, for instance, for example, on the other hand, therefore, thus, hence, as a result, etc. o Ted is too pudgy to play football; nevertheless, he is the cow-throwing champion of his school. Parentheses Use parentheses to set off side comments, or information that s not closely related to the sentence. Parentheses help us by Giving the reader extra information Providing the abbreviation or acronym of an organization or company after you ve written its full name If the shoe fits wear it (but make sure the other one fits too because sometimes two sizes get mixed up in the box). How do you decide whether to put the period inside or outside of a closing parenthesis? Gertrude runs every race with her lucky rabbit s foot (but for some reason she always comes in last). Since the material in parentheses belongs to the sentence, a period follows the closing parenthesis. Hyphens Hyphens help us by Joining some compound words Dividing a word at the end of a line of text o Divide words ONLY between syllables o Never divide a onesyllable word o Never have one letter hanging out there all by itself o Divide hyphenated words only at the hyphens o Don t divide capitalized words Use a hyphen when writing out numbers twenty-one to ninety-nine. Dash Dashes and commas have a lot in common. They both show pauses, but a dash shows a greater pause. Dashes help us by Emphasizing words, phrases, or clauses Showing a change of thought Oh, my! Look what the cat dragged in a seventy-pound rat! An intimidating guard animal for example, the snaggle-toothed gopher required months of training. Punctuation as Traffic Signals Period = Stop Sign Comma = Flashing Yellow Light Semi-Colon = Flashing Red Light Colon = Arrow or Road Sign Parentheses and Dashes = Detour Information for this guide was taken from the following resources: Punctuation and Capitalization by Harold Jarnicki Professor Grammar s Punctuation Packets by Marvin Terban The Giggly Guide to Grammar by Cathy Campbell Comma Sense by Richard Lederer and John Shore

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