ENG098 PUNCTUATION REVIEW
FOCUS TEXTBOOK CH. 26-28
CH. 26: USING COMMAS
There are seven main uses of commas:
1. To separate items in a series (list)
Dan, Tim, and John all work at the Tutoring Lab.
2. After introductory clauses or phrases, and after transitional words and phrases
After class, I did my homework.
3. To set off an appositive (a word/phrase that describes a noun/pronoun)
Todd, a freshman at Salem Community College, wants to be a physical
therapist.
4. To set off nonrestrictive clauses (clauses that are not essential to the sentence’s
meaning)
Credit card fraud, which costs consumers billions of dollars each year, is
a top concern of the government.
The paper, after it was revised and edited, received a higher grade.
CH. 26: USING COMMAS (CONT.)
5. With everyday material like dates, addresses and numbers
My sister lives at 22 Vesper Avenue, Anywhere, New Jersey.
The surprise party will be on January 23, 2013.
She has a total of $88,000 in her bank account.
6. Between two complete thoughts joined by a conjunction
I have moved six times since the seventh grade, but I have
maintained many friendships.
7. With direct quotes
“If you don’t have anything nice to say,” Sara said, “don’t say
anything at all.”
CH. 27: USING APOSTROPHES
Apostrophes are used for two reasons:
1.
To indicate the omission of one or more letters in a word (contractions)
•
•
•
2.
doesn’t
can’t
Note: “it’s” indicates a contraction of “it is,” whereas “its” indicates possession “its roof”
To show ownership or possession
•
•
•
My mom’s iPhone
Aretha’s best friend
The dog’s ball
CH. 28: USING CORRECT CAPITALIZATION
Capitalize the first word in every sentence
• Prewriting is useful.
Capitalize the first word in a direct quote
• Sarah commented, “That exam was difficult.”
Capitalize proper nouns
• Capitalize races, ethnic groups, nationalities, languages, and religions.
Practice 28-1
• African American; English; Hinduism; God, the Bible
• Capitalize the names of specifc people, including the pronoun “I”
• Mr. Thomas Smith; President Nelson Mandela; Aunt Patricia and Uncle Joe
• Capitalize the names of specific places, cities, states, and geographic areas
• Carneys Point, New Jersey; Paris, France
• Capitalize government and public offices and buildings and names of organizations
• House of Representatives; the White House; Boy Scouts
• Capitalize the names of months, days of the week, holidays, and major historical events
• Tuesday, January 23rd; Thanksgiving; World War II
• Capitalize the names of brand name products
• Pampers; Pepperidge Farm Goldfish
• Capitalize specific course titles
• English Composition I
• In titles, capitalize the first letter of each word except articles, prepositions and conjunctions
• Biology: The Study of Life
CH. 28: USING QUOTATION MARKS
A direct quotation shows the exact words of a speaker/writer. Direct quotations
should always be placed in quotation marks.
Quotation marks (“Hello”) are always used in pairs to separate a direct quotation
from the sentence that contains it. A tag is also often included to show who said
the quoted material.
• “I’m going to fail this test,” Kyle admitted, “because I didn’t study.”
Note, punctuation goes inside of quotation marks, with the only exception being
question marks and exclamation points when they are not part of the quoted
material.
• What did Kyle mean when he said, “I didn’t study”?
• Complete Practice 28-2 to practice using quotation marks correctly
Quotation marks are also used to indicate titles of songs, short stories, articles,
reports, and essays.
• Amy Tan wrote a terrific essay titled, “Mother Tongue.”
CH. 28: SETTING OFF TITLES
When to use italics
When to use quotations
• Book titles: A Farewell to Arms
• Book chapters: “Understanding the
Active Reading Process”
• Newspaper titles: The South Jersey Times
• Short stories: “The Tell-Tale Heart”
• Magazine titles: Newsweek
• Essays and articles: “Do You Code• Titles of plays: Phantom of the Opera
Switch?”
• Titles of films: Forest Gump
• Songs and speeches: “Take Me To
Church” by Hozier
• Television or radio series: Breaking Bad
• Paintings and sculptures: American Gothic • Individual episodes of television or
radio series: “Face-Off” (episode of
• Video game titles: Call of Duty: Black Ops
AMC series Breaking Bad)
Practice 28-3
CH. 28: USING ABBREVIATIONS
WHEN TO ABBREVIATE:
You can abbreviate some titles
before and after people’s
names
• Mr. Ling
• Samantha Smith, M.D.
You can abbreviate time
references
• 7:30 a.m.
You can abbreviate acronyms
of organizations
• CIA, FBI, NRA
WHEN NOT TO ABBREVIATE:
Do not abbreviate geographic or other place
names in a sentence.
•
•
•
•
Write: I went to New York.
Not: I went to N.Y.
Write: Hollywood Avenue
Not: Hollywood Ave.
Do not abbreviate parts of written works in a
sentence.
• Write: I read chapter three.
• Not: I read ch. 3.
Do not abbreviate days, months or holidays.
• Tuesday not Tues.
Do not abbreviate or use symbols for
common words like “and,” “at,” and
“etcetera.”
• Do not use: & @ etc.
Practice 28-6
CH. 28: USING NUMBERS
NUMBERS CAN BE WRITTEN AS NUMERALS (600) OR WORDS (SIX HUNDRED).
HERE ARE THE GUIDELINES FOR WHEN TO USE NUMERALS AND WHEN TO USE WORDS:
USE NUMERALS:
USE WORDS:
For numbers 11 and higher
For numbers ten and
under
• 547 students
For days and years
• January 23, 2014
For decimals, percentages and fractions
• 57 percent
• 1 2/3 cups
For exact times and exact amounts of
money
• 9:27 a.m.
• $5.60
• Nine students
When numbers begin a
sentence
• Fifteen students ate lunch.
For pages, chapters, volumes
• Chapter 12
For addresses
• 460 Hollywood Avenue
Scores and statistics
• 23—33
Practice 28-7
CH. 28: USING SEMICOLONS
Use a semicolon (;) to separate two closely related independent clauses that are
not connected by a coordinating conjunction.
Tia had a 98 average in English; she earned an A.
You can also use a semicolon to separate two independent clauses joined by a
conjunctive adverb.
Edgar earned an A on his last math test; consequently, he was exempt from taking the
final exam.
CH. 28: USING COLONS
Use a colon to introduce a quotation that follows an introductory
independent clause.
• My brother made his point clear: “Never borrow my car without asking me
first!”
Use a colon to introduce an explanation or an example.
• Mathematics is enjoyable: it requires a high degree of accuracy and peak
concentration.
Use a colon (:) to introduce items in a series after an independent clause.
• I am wearing three popular colors: lime green, hot pink, and neon purple.
Use a colon to signal a list or a statement introduced by an independent
clause ending with “the following” or “as follows.”
• The directions are as follows: take Main Street to Oak Avenue and then turn
left.
Use a colon to separate titles and subtitles.
• Biology: The Study of Life
CH. 28: USING OTHER PUNCTUATION
DASHES AND PARENTHESES
The dash (—) is used to separate nonessential elements from the main part of a
sentence and can be used to emphasize an idea or create a dramatic effect.
• My sister—the friendliest person I know—will visit me this weekend.
• My brother had a high paying job—or so I thought until I heard of his bankruptcy.
Parentheses ( ) are used in pairs to separate extra or nonessential information that
often clarifies or acts as an aside to the main point. Unlike dashes, parentheses
de-emphasize information.
• Some large breeds of dogs (golden retrievers and Newfoundlands) are susceptible
to hip deformities.
• The prize was dinner for two (maximum value $50).
Practice with
semicolons, colons,
dashes, and
parentheses in
Practice 28-8