St. Edmund Campion English Department:
Grammar and Punctuation
The Semicolon:
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Use between two independent clauses (complete sentences), if they are closely related in thought
o Example: Alicia likes the see the snow arrive; her parents dread it.
JUST REMEMBER: Complete sentence; complete sentence.
Adjust the punctuation, adding semicolons where necessary:
1. The Corvette was travelling along the highway at great speed it failed to negotiate a turn.
2. Knowledge comes wisdom lingers.
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Use between items in a list if those items already contain commas.
o Example: Marcia went shopping for prom and bought the following items: a gold, glittery
purse; a pair of six-inch, open-toed stilettos; and a tall, dark, handsome man.
JUST REMEMBER: First part of sentence and first item in, the list; item in,
the list; and item in, the list.
Adjust the punctuation, adding semicolons where necessary:
1. To make the most of her new swimming pool, Betty has recently acquired new lawn furniture,
purchased at Canadian Tire a cordless phone, on sale at Best Buy and a string bikini found in the
lingerie department at Target.
2. I remember the best cake I ever ate: it had gooey, chocolate filling colourful crunchy sprinkles
and delicious buttery icing.
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Use to join two independent clauses linked by one of the following conjunctive adverbs:
consequently, accordingly, nevertheless, however, hence, indeed, moreover, therefore, thus, as a
result, and for example. NOTE: When conjunctive words appear in one sentence, only commas
are needed to set it off. For example: “The rain, however, dampened the enthusiasm of the
players.”)
o Example: The rain poured down on the field; however, the fans stayed and the game
continued.
JUST REMEMBER: Complete sentence; conjunctive adverb, complete sentence.
Adjust the punctuation, adding semicolons where necessary:
1. He got his tax rebate today therefore he’s having a party tomorrow.
2. The dogs were left on the front porch however they did not run off.
The Colon:
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Use to introduce a word, a list, a sentence or a quotation
Use to direct the reader’s attention forward to what follows
Remember that there must be a complete sentence before the colon.
o Example: She dedicated the song to a leader she greatly admired: Nelson Mandela.
o Example: Please bring the following to class: shoes, gym mat, and leg warmers.
o Example: I have only one piece of advice for you: don’t eat yellow snow.
JUST REMEMBER: Complete sentence: list/quotation/sentence/word.
Adjust the punctuation, adding colons where necessary:
1. I felt one only one thing when I got home tired.
2. I lost three things on the trip my tent, my boots, and my sanity.
3. Canadians call it an elevator Europeans call it a lift.
Write a sentence using a semicolon, and then rewrite the same sentence without using a semicolon.
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Write a sentence using a colon, and then rewrite the same sentence without using a colon.
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Write three sentences about your trip to school today, using at least two semicolons and one colon.
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Parentheses, Commas, Hyphens/Dashes
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Use these punctuation marks to clarify, set apart or highlight information within a sentence.
o Example: The boy, who failed math class, was a bright student.
o Example: The boy (who failed math class) was a bright student.
o Example: The boy—who failed math class—was a bright student.
Choose the best way to adjust the punctuation, adding parentheses, commas, or hyphens/dashes:
1. Angela upon coming home found that the cake was eaten.
2. Angela starving after a long day of work came home to find that the cake was eaten.
3. Angela who had pigtails in her hair came home to see that the cake was eaten.
APPLYING YOUR KNOWLEDGE:
Adjust the punctuation in the following paragraph:
The islands of Hawaii are a world of their own, each has a distinct flavour yet all share in the
heavenly beauty of the tropics. The most likely spot to begin exploring is Honolulu, Oahu; which is the
island with the famous Waikiki Beach. One special sight here: is the natural puka in the rugged coastline
known as the Blowhole. A geyser effect is created by the action of the waves being forced through the
lava tube and can cause the following problems erosion which affects plant growth flooding which causes
structural damage and eventually destruction of the ecosystem. Also to be found in Oahu is the Iolani
Palace the only house of royalty on American soil which has beautiful views. It is also important to see
USS Arizona Battleship Memorial in Pearl Harbor however that will cost more than the other attractions.
Write a paragraph about a topic of your choice, using one semicolon, one colon, one set of hyphens, one
set of parentheses and one list.
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How to Write a Sentence
The Sentence:
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A sentence expresses a complete thought.
A sentence must contain a subject (who/what the sentence is about) and a verb (what the subject
is doing)
o Example:
The student in the corner raised his hand.
o
Example:
The student in the corner
raised his hand.
Subject: Who/What
Verb: What is being done
Bees fly.
Bees
fly.
Subject
Verb
JUST REMEMBER: Sentence = Somebody doing something
Clauses:
Independent Clause
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An independent clause can stand alone as a sentence. (Remember back to semicolon and colon)
o Example: Michael bought the painting at the auction.
 This is an independent clause because it has a subject (Michael), a verb
(bought), and can stand alone as a complete sentence.
Dependent Clause
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After
A dependent clause may have a subject and a verb but cannot stand by itself.
o Example: After he participated in a bidding war.
 This is a dependent clause because it has a subject (he), a verb
(participated), but cannot stand alone as a complete sentence.
 NOTE: Look at the function of “After” in this clause. If it were not there,
he participated in a bidding war could stand by itself as a sentence. With
the addition of “After”, however, this clause must be attached to an
independent clause to complete the meaning.
o Example: After he participated in a bidding war, Michael
bought the painting at the auction.
 “After” is called a subordinator because it makes the clause a dependent
or subordinate clause. Other words that can act as subordinators are:
how
unless
that
because
although
than
if
until
though
before
As since
JUST REMEMBER: subject + verb + complete thought = independent clause
Sentence Fragments:
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A sentence fragment is a group of related words that does not contain a verb, a subject, or
both, and this is not a complete sentence.
o Example: Drives to school every day.
This is a fragment because it is missing a subject. (Who drives?)
o Example: Bill’s CD collection.
This is a fragment because it is missing a verb. (What about Bill’s CD
collection?)
o Example: Under the sea.
This is a fragment because it is missing a subject (What/who was under
the sea?) and a verb. (What happened under the sea?)
JUST REMEMBER: Sentence Fragment is missing a subject, verb, or both.
Run-on Sentences:
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A run-on sentence is two or more sentences written incorrectly as one.
There are a number of ways to correct it.
o Example: The waiting room was crowded I stood for an hour.
Fix:
The waiting room was crowded. I stood for an hour.
Fix:
The waiting room was crowded and I stood for an hour.
Fix:
The waiting room was crowded; I stood for an hour.
Fix:
The waiting room was crowded; thus, I stood for an hour.
Rewrite the following sentence, correcting it using words and punctuation in a number of
different ways:
1. The store sold out of chocolate bars I walked across the street to another store luckily
they had a fresh shipment of chocolate bars not the kind I was looking for I wasn’t sure
what to spend my money on I ended up going home with nothing I was miserable.
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Comma Splice:
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A comma splice error occurs when two complete sentences are joined by a comma.
There are a number of ways to fix it:
o Example: The house stood empty for months, no one would buy it.
Fix:
The house stood empty for months. No one would buy it.
Fix:
The house stood empty for months and no one would buy it.
Fix:
The house stood empty for months; no one would buy it.
Fix:
The house stood empty for months; therefore, no one would buy it.
Pronoun Agreement:
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In a sentence, nouns and pronouns must agree.
o Example: Molly must bring her pencil to class.
Molly is the noun, and “her” is the pronoun.
Singular nouns include the following: anybody, anyone, each, either, everybody,
everyone, neither, nobody, no one, one, somebody, someone.
A pronoun must agree with the noun it represents in gender, whether feminine or
masculine. If the gender of the noun is unknown, make reference to both genders, using
“his or her”.
o Example: Each choir member should bring his or her pencil to every rehearsal.
All choir members should bring their pencils to every rehearsal.
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A pronoun must agree with the noun it represents in number, whether singular or plural.
o Example: Someone left their bikini in the locker room.
Fix:
Someone left her bikini in the locker room.
Someone is singular, and so the pronoun “her” must be singular too.
JUST REMEMBER: Singular noun = singular pronoun; plural noun = plural pronoun
Complete the sentence using the correct pronoun:
1. Everybody must remember __________ passport when travelling.
2. The reader will see _____________ prejudices disappear as ____________ reads the
book.
3. The boys ate ___________ hamburgers quickly.
Active and Passive Voice:
o
o
When the subject of a sentence performs the action of the verb, the verb is in the active voice.
When the subject of the sentence is being acted upon, the verb is in the passive voice.
Example of the Active Voice: Our teacher cancelled the test again today.
Example of the Passive Voice: The test was cancelled again today by our teacher.
Change the following sentences from the passive to active voice:
The latte will be made by the server in a few minutes.
1. “Irreplaceable” was recorded by Beyonce.
2. For many years, steroids have been used by professional athletes to improve speed and
endurance.
3. The person they most admired was identified recently by Russian women between the ages of 16
and 25 as Madonna.
Misplaced and Dangling Modifiers:
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Make sure modifiers are close to the subject to which they refer.
o Example: Just like animals, my parents knew that children make a lot of noise.
Who is “just like animals”?
Fix:
My parents knew that children, just like animals, make a lot of noise.
Make sure modifiers that describe verbs are close to the verb.
o Example: The students told their instructor that they wanted to learn how to write
badly.
Fix the dangling or misplaced modifiers in the following sentences:
1. Waiting just outside the net, the puck flew past the goalie.
2. They planned to go home at Spring Break to visit their friends in their new car.
3. The suspect was described as a tall man with a mustache weighing about 90kg.
Parallel Structure:
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Use the same pattern of words, phrases, or clauses to show that two or more ideas have
the same level of importance.
Sentences with parallel structure sound balanced and clear.
o Example: I am fond of books, music, and films. (three nouns)
o Example: I am fond of reading books, listening to music, and watching films.
(three phrases)
Correct the errors in parallel structure in the following sentences:
1. The toy is indestructible: you can bend it, twist it, you can step on it...but you can’t break
it.
2. Leonardo da Vinci was an artist, scientist, and an engineer.
3. I’m taking only the essentials: my cell phone, my computer, and I’m also bringing a
change of clothes.
Verb Tense:
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When referring to literature, always write about events in the present tense, because the
story is universal and does not change.
o Example: Othello kills Desdemona.
o Example: While killing Desdemona, Othello says, “Strumpet!”
Using Quotations:
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Quotations may be used for direct citation of another source, for a title, for dialogue in a
narrative, or to emphasize a word or cliche.
o Example: According to Joseph Campbell, “The hero ventures forth from a world
of common day into a region of supernatural wonder” (30).
o Example: “What a gloomy, rainy day,” said Liza.
o Example: I was listening to the Jason Mraz song, “I’m Yours”.
o Example: I noticed that the girl had on her “Sunday best” on a regular day.
Notice the punctuation: for citations, titles and emphasis, the punctuation is place on the
outside of the quotation marks, while in dialogue the punctuation is on the inside.
Created by: Angela Ciufo, Lyndsay Hoekstra and Joe Ruscica
Credit for Sources used to create Grammar Package:
Buckley, Joanne and David Gatis. Put it in Writing Composition and Grammar 2nd Edition. Prentice Hall
Canada Inc: Scarborough, 1991.
Donaldson, Chelsea and Evelyn Maksimovich, eds. Language Power. Gage Learning Group: Toronto, 2002.
O’Grady, Thora, Kathleen Ffoliott and Laura Ellund. Language & Writing 10. Nelson: Scarborough, 2001.