Semicolons and Colons

Semicolons, Colons, Quotations, Italics, Apostrophes, Hyphens, Dashes, Parenthesis, Abbreviations, Numbers

Semicolons and Colons • Rule 1: • Use a semicolon to join parts of a compound sentence that are similar (places where one could use a comma and coordinating conjunction) • Many people in Africa farm small pieces of land; these farmers raise food for their families.

Rule 2 • Use a semicolon to join parts of a compound sentence when the main clauses are long and are subdivided by commas. Use a semicolon even if these clauses are already joined by a coordinating conjunction. • Herding is an important job for the Dinka, Masai, and Turkana; but plowing, planning, and harvesting are also crucial tasks.

Rule 3 • Use a semicolon to separate main clauses joined by a conjunctive adverb such as consequently, furthermore, however, moreover, nevertheless, or therefore. Be sure to place a comma after the conjunctive adverb. • I didn’t want to go to work; nevertheless, I was there on time.

Rule 4 • Use a colon to introduce a list of items that ends a sentence. Use a phrase such as these, the following, or as follows to signal that a list is coming. • African farmers grow the following: corn, millet, and sorghum. • DO NOT use a colon after a VERB OR PREPOSITION • Some farmers work with hoes, knives, and sticks.

Rule 5 • Use a colon to separate the hour and the minute when you write the time of day. • Many farmers start working at 5:15 in the morning.

Rule 6 • Use a colon after the salutation of a business letter • Dear Sir or Madam: • Dear Mrs. Ngai:

Turn to page 608 • Complete odd numbers in exercise 7 • Complete, in entirety, exercise 8

Quotation Marks and Italics • Rule 1 • Use quotation marks before and after a direct quotation • “ A nomad is a person who wanders,” said Bob.

Rule 2 • Use quotation marks with both parts of a divided quotation • “Most nomads,” said Ali, “travel by animal or on foot.”

Rule 3 • Use a comma or commas to separate a phrase such as he said from the quotation itself. Place the comma inside closing quotation marks. • “Most nomads,” Betsy explained, “raise animals.”

Rule 4-6 • Place a period or end punctuation inside closing quotation marks. • Bev said, “I want to go also.” • Gregory shouted, “It isn’t fair!” • Alice asked, “What is going on?”

Rule 7 • Use quotation marks for the title of a short story, essay, poem, song, magazine or newspaper article, or book chapter. • “Dusk” short story • “Mending Wall” poem • “Freebird” song

Rule 8 • Use italics (underline if writing by hand) for the title of books, plays, long poems, film, tv series, magazines, newspapers, or works of art • The Fellowship of the Ring • Romeo and Juliet • Newsweek

Rule 9 • If you are using quotation marks, and talk about what someone else said, or a title inside the quotations marks, instead of a double “” you use ‘ ‘ on the inside. • “I was surprised when mom said, ‘You can eat ice cream for breakfast,’” said Dante. • Did she say “No parrots for dinner”? • “I was wondering,” stated David, “if we could sing ‘Jingle Bells’?”

RULE 10 • If you are writing a title name, you must place your comma or punctuation OUTSIDE the quotation marks... • Otherwise, it acts like part of the title! • “I was wondering,” stated David, “if we could sing ‘Jingle Bells’?” • David asked if we could sing “Into the Night”.

Turn to page 610 • Exercise 9: all • Exercise 10: odd only

Apostrophes • Rule 1: use an apostrophe and an s (‘s) to form the possessive of a singular noun • Girl + ’s = girl’s • Francis + ’s= Francis’s

Rule 2 • Use an apostrophe and an s (‘s) to form the possessive of a plural noun that does not end in S. • Women women’s • Mice mice’s

Rule 3 • Use an apostrophe alone to form the possessive of a plural noun that ends in s • Girls = girls’ • Johnsons = Johnsons’

Rule 4 • Use an apostrophe and an s (‘s) to form the possessive of an indefinite pronoun • Anyone anyone’s • Somebody somebody’s • DO NOT use an apostrophe in a possessive pronoun • That map is theirs. Is this mark mine?

Rule 5 • Use an apostrophe to replace letters that have been omitted in a contraction • It + is = it’s • There + is = there’s • You + are = you’re

Rule 6 • Use an apostrophe to form the plural of letters, figures, and words when they are used as themselves • Three t’s five 6’s no and’s, if’s, or but’s

Rule 7 • Use an apostrophe to show missing numbers in a date • The class of ’87

Turn to page 612 • Odd only Exercise 11 • Odd only Exercise 12

Hyphens, Dashes, Parentheses • Rule 1: • Use a hyphen to show the division of a word at the end of a line. ALWAYS divide between syllables.. Most people do not understand that the cater- pillar in the story is the voice of an adult.

Rules 2 and 3 • RULE 2 • Use a hyphen in compound numbers • Eighty-seven thirty-nine • RULE 3 • Use a hyphen in a fraction that is spelled out • Forest rangers receive one-half pay upon retirement. • One-half of the tree diseases are caused by fungi.

Rules 4 and 5 • Rule 4 • Use a hyphen or hyphens in certain compound nouns • Mother-in-law, attorney-at-law, great-grandfather • Rule 5 • Hyphenate a compound modifier only when it precedes the word it modifies • It’s a well-maintained park. • It is well maintained.

Rule 6 • Use a hyphen after the prefixes all-, ex-, and self-. Use a hyphen to separate any prefix from a word that begins with a capital letter. • all-powerful, ex-wife, self-educated • pre-Columbian

Rule 7 • Use a dash or dashes to show a sudden break or change in thought or speech. • Mrs. Poulos –she lives nearby– helps the park attendants.

Rule 8 • Use parentheses to set off words that define or helpfully explain a word in a sentence • In tropical rains forests, dowses of species of plants may grow in one square mile (2.6 kilometers) of land.

Turn to page 614 • Exercise 13 EVEN • Exercise 14 EVEN

Abbreviations • Rule 1 • Abbreviate the titles Mr., Mrs., Ms., and Dr. before a person’s name. Abbreviate any professional or academic degree that follows a name along with the titles of Jr. and Sr. • Mr. Roy Sims Jr. • Rita Mendez, M.D.

Rule 2 • Use capital letters and NO periods with abbreviations that are pronounced letter by letter or as words. • Exceptions: U.S. and Washington, D.C., which do use periods • WHO: World Health Organization • ROTC: Reserve Officers’ Training Corps • JV: junior varsity

Rule 3 • With exact times, use A.M. (ante meridiem, before noon) and P.M. (post meridiem, after noon). For years use B.C. and A.D. or B.C. and B.C.E. • 7:15 A.M. 9:30 P.M. • 400 B.C.

Rules 4 and 5 • Rule 4 • Abbreviate days and months only in charts and lists. • Sun. Mon. Tues. Etc • Rule 5 • In scientific writing, abbreviate units of measure. Use periods with English units but not with metric units. • Inch in. Pound lb. gallon gal. • Kilometer km liter l millimeter mm

Rule 6 • On envelopes only, abbreviate street names and state names. In general text, spell lout street names and state names. • Street St. Road Rd. • Arizona AZ • On an envelope: Mrs. Emily Anderson • 3117 CheeseheadLn. Norfolk, VA 81728 • BUT: • We still live on Chelsea Avenue in Norfolk, Virginia.

TURN to page 616 • Odd numbers for exercises 15 and 16

Writing Numbers • Rule 1 • Spell out all numbers up to 99 (actually you can get away with only spelling numbers up to 10) • Rule 2 • Use numerals for numbers of more than two words. • Ex: two hundred and fifty = 250

Rule 3 • Spell out any number that begins a sentence. • If you have a large number, you may want to reorganize the sentence so you don’t have to spell it out. • Nine thousand two hundred people now live in my dad’s hometown.

Rules 4 and 5 • Rule 4 • Write very large numbers if in millions, billions, etc • The population of the U.S. was 263 million. • Rule 5 • If related numbers appear in the same sentence, use all numerals. • Of the 435 graduates, 30 have received a scholarship to college.

Rules 6 and 7 • Rule 6 • Spell out ordinal numbers (first, second, third) • Jan is the sixth person to use the new library. • Rule 7 • Use words to express the time of day unless you are writing an exact time. • It is 2:45 P.M. • Classes begin at nine o’clock.

Rule 8 • Use numerals to express • dates • house and street numbers • apartment and room numbers • telephone numbers • page numbers • amounts of money that are more than two words • percentages. Write out the word percent. • May 24, 198765 Oak Drive • Room 303 98 percent

Turn to page 618 • Exercise 17 odd • Exercise 18 all

Review Unit 20 • Exercises 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10 ODD

Semicolons and Colons