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Punctuation basics

Punctuation basics. Most common types of punctuation. Sentence enders: period, exclamation point, question mark Comma Semicolon Colon Apostrophe Quotation marks Sentence breakers: dash, parentheses, ellipsis. Sentence enders. Period Exclamation point Question mark.

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Punctuation basics

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  1. Punctuation basics

  2. Most common types of punctuation • Sentence enders: period, exclamation point, question mark • Comma • Semicolon • Colon • Apostrophe • Quotation marks • Sentence breakers: dash, parentheses, ellipsis

  3. Sentence enders • Period • Exclamation point • Question mark

  4. Semicolon • To separate two independent clauses in a compound sentence. • David and Mike are brothers; however, they are very different. • To separate items in a list IF the listed items already contain commas. • I have four cats: Brin, who is the largest; Zelazny, who is Brin’s brother; LeGuin, who is small and black; and Butterscotch, who is the youngest.

  5. Colon • To introduce a list. • Here is what I need to order: dry-erase markers, rubber bands, pens, pencils and printer paper. • To indicate time. 3:45 PM • To start a business letter. Dear Mr. Hirsi: • To introduce a long quote. • In a famous speech, Abraham Lincoln said: “…

  6. Apostrophe • Contractions • It’s probably going to rain tonight. • Possession • Aziza is Adam’s daughter. • NOT used to indicate plurals!!

  7. Quotation marks • Donna said, “I’m going down to the Outer Banks tomorrow to visit my brother. I’ll be there for a week.” • What does “serendipity” mean?

  8. Dash • Oscar came home from work--he was a blacksmith--and turned on the air conditioner. • "Is everyone--," began Olivia, choking with emotion.

  9. Parentheses • The Gettysburg Address (a speech made after the 1863 Battle of Gettysburg) is one of the best-known speeches in American history.

  10. Ellipsis • Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation ... dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

  11. Comma • Where it came from • General use

  12. Comma – most common uses • Separate items in a list • I need milk, bread, cheese and eggs from the store. • Separate APPOSITIVE words, phrases or clauses from the rest of the sentence • Well, Mary, I see what you mean, but the rest of the family won’t be happy about it.

  13. Comma – most common uses • After an initial dependent clause • After I finish this project, I’ll take a vacation day. • To set off a NONRESTRICTIVE adjective clause. (This is another type of APPOSITIVE.) • Our youngest cat is Butterscotch, who is very small.

  14. Restrictive clauses • The information in a RESTRICTIVE adjective clause is necessary in order to clearly specify the noun phrase it modifies. No commas are used to set it off. • The woman who is sitting in the corner reading is Mrs. Wheeler.

  15. Nonrestrictive clauses • The information in a NONRESTRICTIVE adjective clause is additional information modifying a noun phrase that is already specific. Commas are used to set it off. • I had lunch on Wednesday with my mother-in-law, who lives in South Africa.

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