RULE 1: Form the possessive
singular of nouns by adding (‘s)
 What does it mean to POSSESS something?
 What does SINGULAR mean?
 Possessive singular example:
Charles’s friend
the witch’s cauldron
 Exception: Ancient Names like Jesus= Jesus’ bread
 Exception: Moses’ laws=the laws of Moses
 hers, its, theirs, ours, and yours have no apostrophe
 Indefinite pronouns (ex: one, somebody else) use
apostrophe
 somebody else’s umbrella
It’s and Its are different!!
It’s= a contraction meaning it is
It’s a cold day outside.
Its= possessive form of it
(objects like dog, car, or cat)
Its food is in a container in
the garage.
RULE 2: In a series with three or
more items and one
CONJUNCTION (and, or, but…)
use a comma after each item
except the last item.
 Red, white, and blue are the colors of the American flag.
 I went to the store and bought bread, milk, and eggs.
 I went to the store and bought bread and milk.
 EXCEPTION: In names of businesses the last comma is
usually omitted.
 Smith, Brown and Company represented his case.
RULE 3: Enclose parenthetic
expressions with commas.
 The best way to see the country, unless pressed for
time, is to travel by foot.
 NEVER omit one comma and leave the other.
 The best way to see the country unless pressed for time, is
to travel by foot.
 Standard form for dates:
 April 6, 1986
 Or omit the comma: 6 April 1986
Rule 3 continued…
 A name or title in a direct address is parenthetic.
 If, Sir, you refuse, I cannot predict what will happen.
 Well, Susan, this is a mess you are in.
 Abbreviations etc., i.e., and e.g., abbreviations for
academic degrees, and titles following names are
parenthetic.
 Letters, packages, etc., should go there.
 John Smith, Ph.D., entered the room.
 Rachel Simonds, Attorney
 EXCEPTION: Don’t use a comma for Jr.
 James Smith Jr. NOT James Smith, Jr.
 Don’t separate a noun with a restrictive term of
identification.
 Billy the Kid
RULE 4: Place a comma before a
conjunction introducing an
independent clause.
 What’s an independent clause?
 We started school at 7:19, but Billy didn’t arrive
until 8:00.
 When the subject is the same for both clauses of
the sentence use a comma for but, not and.
 I have heard your argument, but I am unsure.
 I have heard your argument and am unsure.
RULE 5:Don’t join two independent
clauses with just a comma
 If you break the above rule you create a comma splice
(another word for a run-on).
 Fix a run-on by:
 Inserting a semi-colon (;)
 Mary Shelley’s works are engaging; they are full
of wonderful ideas.
 Breaking it into two separate sentences
 Mary Shelley’s works are engaging. They are full
of wonderful ideas.
 Adding an appropriate conjunction
 Mary Shelley’s works are engaging, for they are
full of wonderful ideas.
RULE 5 continued…
 Note: if the second clause is preceded by an
adverb (accordingly, besides, therefore, then, or
thus), and not by a conjunction, the semicolon is
still necessary .
 I had never been in that place before; besides,
it was dark as a tomb.
 Exception to semi-colon rule in Strunk and White
pg. 6,7
RULE 6: Do not use periods
where commas should be.
 Breaking the above rule will create a fragment. A
fragment doesn’t make sense on its own and is
missing a critical part of speech, usually a verb or
noun.
 I met him at the airport. Going home from New
York.
 She was an interesting talker. A woman who
had traveled all over the world.
 EXCEPTION: Usually seen in dialogue, a sentence
can be clipped if it fits with the tone of the work.
 Again and again he called out. No reply.