Punctuation – Chapter 26

Hyphens – used to combine some numbers, word parts, some words, and to show a connection between syllables of words that are broken at the ends of lines.

Hyphens with Numbers

Page # 618 Key Concept – use when writing out numbers from twenty-one through ninety-nine.

Example – I have forty-four dollars in my wallet.

Page #618 Key Concept – use when writing fractions that are used as adjectives.

Example – A two-thirds vote of approval is required for a bill to pass.

Hyphens with Word Parts

Page #619 Key Concept – use after a prefix that is followed by a proper noun or adjective.

Example – The baseball season is going strong in mid-July.

Page #619 Key Concept – use in words with the prefixes all-, ex-, and self-, and in words ending in –elect.

Example – My father was self-employed.

Hyphens with Compound Words

Page #619 Key Concept – use when connecting two or more nouns that are used as a compound word.

Example – My great-grandmother is no longer alive.

Page #620 Key Concept – use to connect a compound modifier that comes before a noun.

Example – The never-ending lesson was boring the class.

Page #620 Key Concept – do not use with a compound modifier that includes a word ending in –ly, or in a compound proper adjective or compound proper noun acting as an adjective.

Example – The poorly written letter was from a North American tourist.

Hyphens with line breaks

Page #621 Key Concept – divide a word between syllables with the hyphen placed at the end of the first line.

Example – To make the calcu-

lator work, expose it to sunlight.

Page #622 Key Concept – one syllable words should never be divided.

Incorrect example – stra-ight

Page #622 Key Concept – avoid dividing a word so that a single letter stands alone.

Incorrect example – a-lone

Page #622 Key Concept – avoid dividing proper nouns or proper adjectives.

Incorrect example – Flor-ida

Page #622 Key Concept – divide a hyphenated word only immediately following the existing hyphen.

Incorrect example - all-in-clusive.

Apostrophes – (‘) used to show possession in nouns and pronouns or to indicate missing letters in contractions.

Apostrophes to Form Possessives of Nouns

Page #623 Key Concept – add an apostrophe and s to show the possessive case of most singular nouns. Even when the noun ends in s, the additional s after the apostrophe should usually be added.

Example – The player’s bat was metal. Tomas’s desk was broken.

Page #623 Key Concept – add just the apostrophe (no s) to show the possessive case of plural nouns ending in s or es.

Example – The bees’ buzzing was loud enough to hear one block away!

Example – The strawberries’ flavor was sweet and juicy.

Page #624 Key Concept – add an apostrophe and s to show the possessive case of plural nouns that do not end in s or es.

Example – The men’s championship game was this Friday.

Apostrophes with Pronouns

Page #625 Key Concept – use an apostrophe and s with indefinite pronouns to show possession.

Example – Somebody’s book was found outside of class.

Page #625 Key Concept – do not use an apostrophe with possessive personal pronouns. They already show possession.

Example – your(s), her(s), his, mine

Apostrophes with Contractions

Page #626 Key Concept – use an apostrophe in a contraction to indicate the position of a missing letter or letters.

Example – I didn’t finish the book yet.

*Note: In formal speaking and writing, never use contractions!

Quotation Marks and Underlining – used to identify the exact spoken or written words of others that you include in your writing; used to identify titles of works.

Using Quotation Marks with Direct Quotations

Page 606 Key Concept – use when you cite a direct quotation that represents a person’s exact speech or thoughts.

Example – Mrs. Dilling said, “I love teaching grammar.”

Page 606 Key Concept – do not use when referring to an indirect quotation that only reports the general meaning of what someone said.

Example – Mrs. Dilling told us that she loves to teach grammar.

Page 607 Key Concept – when an introductory expression precedes a direct quotation, place a comma after the introductory expression and write the quotation as a full sentence.

Example – Alice told Tom, “I studied for the test last night.”

Page 608 Key Concept – when a concluding expression follows a direct quotation, write the quote as a full sentence ending with a comma, question mark, or exclamation mark inside the closing quotation mark. Then write the concluding expression.

Example – “I thought the test was easy,” said Melissa.

“What did you get on the test?” asked Juan.

“I hate tests!” exclaimed Tomas.

Page 608 Key Concept – When a one-sentence direct quote is separated by an interrupting expression, end the first part of the direct quote with a comma and quotation mark. Place a comma after the interrupting expression. Then use another quote mark to enclose the rest of the quote.

Example – “Since you knew about the test in advance,” Mrs. Dilling announced, “you should have studied for it.”

Page 609 Key Concept – When two complete sentences in a direct quote are separated by an interrupting expression, end the first quoted sentence with a comma, question mark, or exclamation mark and a quote mark. Next, place a period after the interrupter. Then, write the second quote as a full quote.

Example – “We have a grammar test once a quarter,” said Mrs. Dilling. “The next test will be in two weeks.”

Page 611 Key Concept – Always place a comma or period inside the final quotation mark.

Example – “We don’t have homework,” said Alex.

Page 611 Key Concept – Place a question mark or an exclamation mark inside the final quotation mark if the end mark is part of the quotation.

Example – She asked, “Can I use that textbook?”

He shouted, “Give me that football!”

Page 611 Key Concept – Place a question mark or an exclamation mark outside the final quotation mark if the end mark is part of the entire sentence and not part of the quotation.

Example – Why did you say, “I dislike Mrs. Dilling’s class”?

Don’t ever say, “I give up”!

Page 613 Key Concept – when writing dialogue, begin a new paragraph with each change of speaker.

Example –

“I think we should take the path through the forest to get to Grandmother’s house,” said Hansel.

“What if we run into an evil witch on the way and she tries to boil and eat us?” asked Gretel.

Underlining and Other Uses of Quotation Marks

Page 614 Key Concept – underline titles of long written works (books, plays, magazines, and newspapers) and titles of publications that are published as a single work (long poems).

Example – Copper Sun is the novel we will be reading next quarter.

I always buy the Sun-Sentinel on Saturdays.

Page 614 Key Concept – Underline titles of movies, television, radio series, and works of art and music.

The Need for Speed debuted at the box office last weekend.

Naked and Afraid premiered season two last night.

Stand Up is an album by the Dave Matthews Band.

The Mona Lisa is a very famous painting by da Vinci.

Page 615 Key Concept – Underline the names of individual air, sea, space, and land craft (like trains, shuttles, or ships).

Example – Apollo 13 journeyed to the moon.

Page 616 Key Concept – Use quotation marks around the titles of short written works, like short stories, poems, chapters from books, or articles.

Example – “Seventh Grade” is a story we read twice this year.

“Oranges” is a poem written by Gary Soto.

Page 616 Key Concept – Use quotation marks around the titles of episodes in a series, songs, and parts of a long musical composition.

Example – “The Star Spangled Banner” is our national anthem.

Semicolons and Colons – semicolons (;) are used to join complete ideas within sentences and to avoid confusion in sentences that already contain several commas. Colons (:) are used to introduce lists of items and in other special situations.

Using Semicolons to join independent clauses

Page 600 Key Concept – Use a semicolon to join independent clauses that are not already joined by the conjunctions for, and, not, but,

or, yet, so. Only use when the two clauses are closely related; otherwise, write as two separate sentences.

Example: I love baking cookies; chocolate chip cookies are my favorite to make and eat.

NOT: I love baking cookies; and chocolate chip cookies are my favorite to make and eat. (uses the conjunction and)

NOT: I love baking cookies; I want to run a race tomorrow. (these ideas are not closely related to each other)

Using semicolons to avoid confusion

Page 602 Key Concept – if a sentence already has items in a series using commas, consider using semicolons instead to make the sentence easier to read. In this case, semicolons are placed at the end of all but the last complete item in the series.

Example: The babies on board, crying loudly; the stuffiness of the air, suffocating me slowly; and the turbulence, bumping violently, caused the flight to be quite unpleasant.

Using colons as introductory devices

Page 603 Key Concept – use a colon before a list of items following an independent clause. Never use a colon directly after a verb or preposition.

Example – My son’s hat collection included hats from many different baseball teams: the Detroit Tigers, the St. Louis Cardinals, the Chicago White Sox, the Tampa Bay Rays, and the San Francisco Giants.

NOT – My son’s hat collection included: a hat from Detroit, a hat from St. Louis, a hat from Chicago, a hat from Tampa Bay, and a hat from San Francisco.

Using Colons in special situations

Page 604 Key Concept – use colons to show time with numerals, to end salutations in business letters, and to signal important ideas.

Example – 4:05 P.M.

Example – To Whom It May Concern:

Example – Caution: High voltage

Commas (,) signal brief pauses. It may be used to separate basic elements in a sentence or to set off elements added to a sentence.

Using commas to separate basic elements

Commas with compound sentences – a compound sentence consists of two or more independent clauses joined by one of the coordinating conjunctions (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so)

Page 585 Key Concept – use a comma before the conjunction to separate two independent clauses in a compound sentence. Do NOT use a comma with a conjunction if there is not a complete thought after the conjunction.

Example – I have been running since I was ten years old, and I have actually run two marathons so far.

NOT – I have been running, and swimming since I was ten years old.

Commas between items in a series

Page 587 Key Concept – use commas to separate three or more words, phrases, or clauses in a series.

Example – I love cake, ice cream, and cookies.

Example – I went through the door, down the hall, and into the room.

Example – I want to know who studied, I want to know who forgot to study, and I want to know who didn’t even know there was a test scheduled.

Commas between adjectives

Page 588 Key Concept – use commas to separate adjectives of equal rank.

Example – He was a handsome, intelligent man.

Page 588 Key Concept – do not use commas to separate adjectives that must stay in a specific order.

Example – Several ancient castles were on our tour of Ireland.

NOTE: A comma should never be used to separate the last adjective in a series from the noun it modifies. NOT: An outgoing, helpful, waiter served our dinner to us.

Page 599 – Exercise 25

1. For Chinese children, school begins at the age of seven, but many children participate in day care earlier in life.

2. A fast-paced, active time opens their days at school.3. Children have the opportunity to play sports such as Ping Pong,

swimming, or basketball.4. They participate in many exciting, challenging festivals such as the

Lantern Festival, the Qing Ming Festival, and Liberation Day.5. Children enjoy listening to a talented, animated storyteller, and

they are encouraged to make up stories of their own.

Using commas to set off added elements – commas are not only used to separate similar kinds of words or groups of words, they are also used to set off (set apart) certain parts of a sentence from the rest of the sentence.

Commas after introductory material

Page 590 Key Concept – use a comma after an introductory word, phrase, or clause.

Example – Well, I don’t know if I should give your old desk away.

Example – In the evening, I enjoy dinner with my family.

Example – When you don’t study for a test, you tend not to score as high of a grade.

Commas with parenthetical expressions (a word or phrase that is not essential to the rest of the sentence, parenthetical expressions generally add extra information to a basic sentence)

Page 592 Key Concept – use commas to set off parenthetical expressions. Types of expressions include names, certain adverbs, or common expressions.

Example – I am talking to you, Ian and Rebecca.

Example – You are, therefore, supposed to listen to me.

Using commas in special situations

Commas with dates and geographical names

Page 594 Key Concept – when a date is made up of two or more parts, use a comma after each item except in the case of a month followed by a day.

Example – On July 18, 1974, my husband was born.

NOT – July 18, is my husband’s birthday.

NOTE – Use a comma when the month and date are used to rename a day of the week.

Example – Thursday, June 5, is the last day of school.

NOTE – When a date contains only a month and a year, commas are unnecessary.

Example – I graduated high school in May 1991.

Page 594 Key Concept – When a geographical name is made up of two or more parts, use a comma after each item.

Example – I lived in Granger, Indiana, for most of my life before moving to Weston, Florida.

Commas in addresses, letters, numbers, and quotations

Page 595 Key Concept – use a comma after each item in an address that is made up of two or more parts (except before a zip code).

Example – Growing up, I lived at 1735 Linden Avenue, Mishawaka, Indiana 46544.

NOTE – When an address is written on three lines, most commas are unnecessary.

Example:

1735 Linden Avenue

Mishawaka, IN 46544

Page 596 Key Concept – use a comma after the salutation in a personal letter and after the closing in all letters.

Example – Dear Mom,

Example – Sincerely, Jessica

Page 596 Key Concept – With numbers of more than three digits, add a comma before every third digit, counting to the right.

Example – 5,932 stones

NOTE – No commas should be used with zip codes, telephone numbers, page numbers, or serial numbers

Zip Code – 33332

Phone Number – 255-4093

Page Number – on page 3782

Serial Number – 307 11 2335

Page 596 Key Concept – Use commas to set off a direct quotation from the rest of the sentence.

Example – Ian informed John, “I have no homework tonight.”

Page 599 – Exercise 26

1. Much of China’s ancient art contains jade, a very valuable gem.2. Because jade is very durable, it can be used for detailed carving

without breaking.3. Nephrite, which is one of the minerals that jade comes from, is

difficult to find.4. Jade’s rarity, of course, increases its value.5. Did you know, Stephen, that if a jade piece is made from dark

green stone, it is more prized by collectors of Chinese art?

Page 599 – Exercise 27

1. I wrote to the Chinese National Tourist Office, 333 West Broadway, Suite 201, Glendale, California 91204.

2. On Thursday, October 14, 2000, I received a response to my letter.3. Enclosed was a videotape about Tianjin, China’s third-largest city,

which has a population of 12,000,000.4. An announcer said, “Tianjin’s history dates back over 4,000

years.”5. “Even though it is a very large city,” the announcer added,

“Tianjin has a small-town feel about it.”

Sentence Formulas (which create sentence fluency!)

A sentence has a subject and a verb and expresses a complete thought.

Another term for a sentence is an independent clause. A compound sentence is when two independent clauses are joined

together. You can join them using a semicolon (s;s). You can join them using a comma and a coordinating conjunction

(s, conj. s). Coordinating conjunctions are represented through the acronym

FANBOYS (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so).

Example – School is almost over; we only have a few weeks left.

Example – School is almost over, for we only have a few weeks left.