Common Writing Problems: Usage and Punctuation
Lesson 5 Usage and Punctuation
Don’t Confuse Similar Words
It is easy to make mistakes with word pairs that have similar
meanings or spellings. Make sure you understand when the words in
the following pairs should be used.
accept—a verb meaning “receive”: accept my apology
except—a preposition meaning “other than”: everyone except me
advice—a noun: good advice
advise—a verb: advise me what to do
less—used with items that cannot be counted: less sugar
fewer—used with items that can be counted: fewer people
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Common Writing Problems: Usage and Punctuation
Lesson 5 Usage and Punctuation
good—an adjective that modifies nouns: good food
well—an adverb that modifies verbs: did the job well
loose—an adjective meaning “not tight”: a loose sweater
lose—a verb meaning “misplace” or “fail to win”: lose the game;
lose your keys
principal—an adjective meaning “main” and a noun: his principal
goal; the principal of the school
principle—always a noun meaning “value”: the guiding principle of
the organization
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Common Writing Problems: Usage and Punctuation
Its
It’s
would of > would’ve > would have
could of > could’ve > could have
There
Their
They’re
to
too
two
Here
Hear
Through
Threw
Where
Wear
Who’s > Who is
Whose
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Common Writing Problems: Usage and Punctuation
Lesson 5 Usage and Punctuation
Don’t Use Double Negatives
Be careful not to use more than one negative word in expressing a
negative thought. The following are negative words or word forms:
no, not, n’t, no one, nobody, neither, never, none, nothing,
nowhere, hardly, and scarcely.
Faulty: I don’t never want to see him again.
Revision: I don’t ever want to see him again. OR I never want to see
him again.
Faulty: Hardly nobody was on the bus.
Revision: Hardly anybody was on the bus.
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Common Writing Problems: Usage and Punctuation
Titles:
Do I underline, italicize, or use quotation marks?
Italicized: Titles of novels, epic (long) poems, Television shows,
movies, plays, and album titles all need to be italicized when typing.
***Since we can’t really italicize clearly in writing, we will underline
those titles.
Quotation Marks: Titles of short stories, songs, episodes of a
television show, chapter titles, short poems.
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Common Writing Problems: Usage and Punctuation
Using Quotations- Some tips for using Quotes
•Your quotes will support your argument in reference to your
thesis
•Ask yourself, “If I had to show someone a line in the book that
proves my point, what would it be?”
•Think of the point you’re trying to make. For instance, if the main
argument of a paper is that women have unfair expectations laid
upon them, find two quotes from the story that exemplify that
point and make note of them in your graphic organizer.
•Unfair: Calypso- “You are cruel, you gods, and quickest to envy,
since you are jealous if any goddess openly mates with a man…”
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Common Writing Problems: Usage and Punctuation
Quote Formatting for an Epic Poem
Whenever possible, include quotations from plays within your own sentences, and end your
paragraphs with your own thoughts not a quotation. Italicize the title of the work, as in the
Odyssey.
Example:
The Odyssey begins, “Sing in me, Muse, and through me tell the story / of the man skilled in
all ways of contending” (1.1-2), referring to the epic theme of Odysseus’ journeys in search of
home.
***Note: Book 1. Lines 1-2.
• In the case of The Iliad and The Odyssey, if the title were not used in the paragraph, it would
have appeared in the parenthetical citation rather than the author’s name (Homer). Example:
(Odyssey 1.1-2)
•Since we are only writing about the Odyssey, you only need to put the book and line number
inside the parenthesis. ie. (I. 1-3).
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Common Writing Problems: Usage and Punctuation
• When using part or all of a single line, put it in quotation marks inside your text. Two or three
lines may be incorporated this way with a slash (/) to separate them.
Another Example
Calypso displays her anger when she says, “You gods are the most jealous bastards in the
universe-/ Persecuting any goddess who every openly takes/ a mortal lover to her bed” (5.
119-120).
• Notice how the period goes AFTER the parentheses, and NOT in the actual quotation. Also, /
signals the next line in poetry.
• Exception: If there is a punctuation mark that is not a period in the original quote, it stays.
Calypso displays her anger when she says, “You gods are the most jealous bastards in the
universe-/ Persecuting any goddess who every openly takes/ a mortal lover to her bed!” (5.
119-120).
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Common Writing Problems: Usage and Punctuation
Blending Quotes
When you quote something, make sure you
A. Lead into the quote
B. Explain the importance of that quote after you write it.
Example:
Calypso is a nymph in Greek mythology that desperately wanted Odysseus to stay with her.
When Zeus ordered her to release him, she argued that they are “cruel, [the] gods, and
quickest to envy, since [they] are jealous if any goddess openly mates with a man” (5. 135136). Calypso is angry because there is a double standard for male gods versus female
goddesses. When a male god has an affair with a mortal female, but a female goddess is
punished.
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Common Writing Problems: Usage and Punctuation
Integrated Quotes
•One thing that can propel your writing from good to great is using the most important points
of a quote.
•Say you wanted to use Calypso’s speech to Hermes. You would not want to plop in the entire
paragraph.
•Using a portion of that quote can make your paper flow more smoothly.
Calypso argues with Hermes that she should not have to give up
Odysseus. She claims that Zeus is jealous because he heard that she
“befriend a man, one [she] saved” after the gods sent a storm that
destroyed his ships. The men were lost, but she “welcomed him
generously and fed him, and promised to make him immortal and unaging” (5. 130 -135).
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