A Basic Spelling &
Punctuation Review
http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/quizzes/punct2_quiz.htm
Why is it important to pay
attention to spelling or
punctuation usage?
• To write clear Standard American English
(SAE) messages.
• To meet proofreading expectations of
and communication demands on college
writers.
• To meet your personal writing standards
or your need to write well in your
academic, business and personal lives.
• To teach you to assess and evaluate your
own writing strengths or deficits.
General Spelling Rules
For
Numbers
Spell small numbers out in sentences.
Small numbers, such as whole numbers
smaller than ten, should be spelled out.
Examples and Exceptions:
1.Ten students passed the exam.
2.Only 1000 students passed the exam.
3.One thousand students took the exam. (Spell out any
number if it starts a sentence.)
4.Of the 1000 students that took the exam, only 25
passed it with at least a grade of D and only 9 students
scored a grade of C or better on it. (Be as consistent as
possible.)
Slides info source: http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/ppt
Graphics: Microsoft
PROPER PUNCTUATION
A Presentation to Help
Student Support Services
(SSS) Participants Learn
Proper Punctuation
Placement and Avoid
Punctuation Pitfalls
Relevance & Purposes

Relevance: * “Some people write well, yet allow
themselves to be disabled by a fear of punctuation
and grammar. They know how to pre-write,
organize, and revise, but proofreading for
punctuation and grammar causes them difficulties.
There’s no need to fear these conventions of
standard written English. In fact, these
conventions can help you become a more effective
communicator.” – Gary A. Olson

Purpose: This PowerPoint Presentation is to
provide you with a review of proper punctuation
usage.
*Quote retrieved at: http://lilt.ilstu.edu/golson/punctuation/intro.html
Commonly-applied Punctuation Marks
•Period (.)
•Question Mark (?)
•Exclamation Point (!)
• Apostrophe ( ’ )
•Comma (,)
• Parentheses ( )
• Brackets [ ]
• Semicolon (;)
• Colon :
•Hyphen • Dash -• Quotation Marks “”
Note: Periods,
Question Marks,
and Exclamation
Points are END
MARKS.
Slides info source: http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/ppt
Graphics: Microsoft
What is an end mark
An end mark is punctuation that
comes at the end of a sentence to let
you know when the sentence ends.
Punctuation supports reading by
helping readers know when the writer
has fully expressed an idea or point.
Slides info source: http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/ppt
Graphics: Microsoft
The period is the most famous end mark. It comes
at the end of statements and commands.
It is raining today.
Do not interrupt while I am talking.
A question mark means something is being asked.
Are you going to lunch?
An exclamation mark shows excitement or strong
Feeling.
That is a huge dog!
Source: http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/ppt
The period is also used as more than just an end mark.
It is used in abbreviations, too:
.
 1290 College Rd



. .
Ms. White
Dr. Atchley
E B White
Slides info source: http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/ppt
The Colon
Not This one . . .

The colon is made with two periods.
It is used for time, and it comes before a list.
Example: 11:35pm
Example:
I will need the following items from the store:
bananas, grapes, watermelon, and lemons.
The Semi-colon
The semi-colon is made with a period over a comma. It is
a punctuation mark (;) used to separate parts of a sentence or list and
indicating a pause longer than a comma, but shorter than a period. In a
sentence, a transition word may follow the semi-colon.
Example: Latte is strong; however, he is no match
for the heroic energy of the sun.
;
-- THE DASH
A dash is a punctuation mark that writers use to
denote a sudden break or shift in thought.
(One dash = Two hyphens)
I can -- no,
I must -- I
must dash
toward the
finish line.
Use the dash:
(1) to indicate a break or shift in thought: For example:
Example: Do we -- can we--dare we ask for more money?
(2) to introduce a word or group of words which you wish to
emphasize. Example: What he needed most he never
got—love.
3) to set off strongly distinguished parenthetical material:
Example: I think--no, I am positive -- you should go.
4) to indicate omission of letters and words: For Example:
Senator S-- was from my hometown.
--
- THE HYPHEN
Mark Of Separation Used Between Parts Of A Word.
USE A HYPHEN:
1) To Separate (Join) The Parts Of Compound Words: Examples: fast-moving;
sister-in-law; half-asleep; X-ray; know-it-all; forty-seven; three-fourths
2) To Indicate The Division Of A Word Broken At The End Of A Line:
Examples: know-ledge, ste-no-gra-pher
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
f)
g)
Never divide a monosyllable: Example: strength, laughed
Do not divide a syllable with a silent vowel: Example: climbed, yelled
Do not divide a word with only 4 letters: Example: also, only, open
Divide two consonants standing between vowels: Example: struc-ture, alternative, exis-ten-tialism
Do not divide sums of money.
Do not divide initials in a name or in proper names.
Do not divide units of time.
USE QUOTATION MARKS
1)
To enclose every direct quotation and each part of an interrupted quotation:
Example: “What will my starting salary be?” I asked the manager. “Well,”
he replied, “I’m not sure.”
2) in a dialogue. Use a separate paragraph for each change of speaker. Example:
“Dad,” cried Neil.
“There, there, everything will be just fine,” his dad said.
3) to enclose words with a widely different level of usage: Example: The person
who has “had it” so far is his mother.
4) to enclose chapter headings and the titles of articles:
Example: Grant wood’s famed painting, “American Gothic,” was recently
reproduced in American Gothic Journal.
USE SINGLE QUOTATION MARKS (‘) to enclose a quotation within a quotation.
Example: The coach said, ”when you say, ‘I’ll be there on time,’ I expect
you to mean what you say.”
Slides info source: http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/ppt
THE APOSTROPHE’
. . . looks like a single quotation mark, but is used for a different purpose.
USES FOR AN APOSTROPHE:
1)
2)
3)
4)
To form a possessive. EX: Joe’s
mother’s brother
To indicate a contraction. EX: It’s,
which translates to It is.
To indicate omission of a letter from
words or a figure from numerals. EX:
Yes, ma’am.
To indicate the plurals of letters,
numerals, symbols, abbreviations.
EX: Only A’s, B’s and C’s are
considered passing grades at the Art
institute.
Slides info source: http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/ppt
Graphics: Microsoft
The Comma
,
The comma is used to separate a list.
Example: My favorite animals are giraffes, dogs, cats, and birds.
It is also used between the date and the year.
Example: Today is March 6, 2007, and I plan to enjoy today.
A comma can also tell you where to pause in a sentence.
Example: All is well, but not necessarily forgotten.
THE APOSTROPHE’
(cont.)
USE THE APOSTROPHE
1) And s to form the possessive case of a noun not ending in s:
Ex: Children’s; town’s
2) To form the possessive case of a plural noun ending in s:
Ex: Boys’ and ladies’ classrooms
3) Alone or with s to form the possessive of nouns ending is s:
Ex: Robert Burns’ or Burns’s (rule: words of one syllable)
4) and s in the last element of compound nouns:
Ex: My son-in-law’s boat; King Henry IV’s funeral; somebody
else’s ticket
5) To show that letters of figures have been omitted:
Ex: Aren’t; shouldn’t; the civil war was fought 1861-’65.
6) And s to indicate the plurals of numerals, letters, etc. Ex: Uncrossed
t’s look like 1’s. He uses too many and’s and but’s in speaking.
Slides info source: http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/ppt
Graphics: Microsoft
Parenthesis
Parenthesis -- One of a pair of shallow, curved signs
(, ) used to enclose an additional inserted word or
comment and distinguish it from the sentence in
which it is found. Parentheses (plural) – [Definition from
Microsoft version of Encarta Dictionary: English (North America)]
Parentheses are round brackets: ( )
Example:
Riva (Her name means “one who captivates or
possesses an “ensnaring beauty.”) wandered off into
the forest and was lost for three days and two
nights.
Bracket
Bracket – (1) one of a pair of symbols, often [ ], used in
keying or printing to indicate the insertion of special
commentary, such as that made by an editor; (2) an
alternative to parentheses. Brackets (plural)
[Definition from Microsoft version of Encarta Dictionary: English (North America)]
Example:
Riva [Her name means “one who captivates or
possesses an “ensnaring beauty.”] wandered off into
the forest and was lost for three days and two
nights.