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Overview
Who cares about commas, semicolons, dashes, and hyphens? Well, you should. A misplaced punctuation mark can confuse physicians and surgeons, cause thousands of dollars in legal fees, misinform judges, puzzle bankers, misguide stockbrokers, and even ruin a recipe.
Luckily, you don’t need a teacher with a mouthful of jargon to show you how to make yourself clearly understood, whether it’s in a text or a term paper. Better Punctuation in 30 Minutes a Day lets you teach yourself. This small step-by-step handbook is an indispensable guide if you need to:
• Compose high school or college papers
• Apply to college or for a job
• Write a resume
• Communicate your thoughts to anyone, from your landlord to your loved one
You can work on your own, at your own speed, and within your own time frame—and the rules of punctuation, often confusing and hazy, will finally become clear.
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781601636249 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Red Wheel/Weiser |
| Publication date: | 06/23/2023 |
| Series: | Better English |
| Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
| Format: | eBook |
| Pages: | 226 |
| File size: | 17 MB |
| Note: | This product may take a few minutes to download. |
About the Author
Read an Excerpt
CHAPTER 1
Commas
Yet what is so often used, and so rarely recalled, as the comma — unless it be breath itself?
— Pico Iyer, Writer
1.1 Comma Problems/Common Problems
Comma problems are common problems among student writers. Five of the most frequently made errors in college writing involve that little period with a tail — the comma.
Review comma use, and then after you have read about how this book works — that is, about Programmed Instruction — work on the comma exercises to help you diagnose your strengths and weaknesses in this area.
1.2 Compound Sentences
Simply put, a compound sentence is one sentence compounded — which, of course, means at least two sentences. (Remember: that will be two subjects andtwo verbs, or action words, in one complete thought.) Two or more sentences held together by and, but, or, nor, for, so, or yet form a compound sentence. Put a comma before these little words that connect the sentences. These words are called conjunctions, because they conjoin the two sentences.
Examples:
• I am going to bed now, and I plan to read this book.
• She did not eat the cookies, nor did she eat the candy.
• Paul is going to the movie, but John is not going, so I will pick Paul up.
• Did Mom come to the ball game, or did Dad come alone?
• Deborah was upset, for she wanted to go on that trip, but she got sick.
• Melissa was tired, so she left the party early, and Cathy left with her.
• It was midnight, yet it did not seem late, so we stayed out a little longer.
Trial Exercises: Compound Sentences
In the following compound sentences, underline the two complete thoughts (independent clauses that contain one subject and one verb). Then, separate them with a comma.
1. Cathy caught the heel of on of her expensive new shoes in a crack on the sidewalk and the heel of her shoe broke off.
2. Deborah thought the drink was good yet it didn't taste like lemonade.
3. Michael threw a fit for he was upset with the dog that had eaten Cathy's shoe.
4. Did Paul go to the movie with Michael or did Michael ask John to go?
5. Melissa had forgotten to set her alarm so she was late for work.
(See key on page 32.)
1.3 Complex Sentences
These sentences contain one complete sentence and at least one fragment — or part — of a sentence. Do not separate these parts with a comma.
Examples:
• She did not eat the cookies or the candy that Deborah made for her.
• I am going to bed to read the book that Elizabeth wrote.
• Paul is going to the movie and may not come home until late.
• Did Mom come to the ball game along with Dad?
• Deborah was upset that she couldn't take the trip to London.
• Melissa was tired and left the party early.
• It was midnight and very dark outside my window.
Trial Exercises: Complex Sentences
Underline the complete sentence and then underline the sentence fragment. Remember that you do not separate these parts with a comma.
1. George couldn't find his son's ball or his bat.
2. Julia ate half her sandwich and left the other half on the plate.
3. I was sick of doing my homework and put it off until tomorrow.
4. The crowd booed the umpire and shouted loudly.
5. Did the men bring their tennis racquets or leave them in the car?
(See key on page 32.)
1.4 Compound-Complex Sentences
These sentences contain two or more complete thoughts (independent clauses) and at least one sentence fragment (part of a sentence).
Examples:
• I told her not to eat the cookies before dinner, and she heard me, but then ate them anyway.
• She wanted to go to bed and read the book that Elizabeth wrote, but she couldn't find the book, which had fallen under the chair.
• Paul is going to see the movie about the couple who disappeared, so he may come home late, because it lasts three hours.
• Deborah was upset that she couldn't go on the trip to London, but she did get to travel to Italy the following year and had a great time.
Trial Exercises: Compound/Complex Sentences
Underline the complete sentence and then underline the fragment. Place an S after the sentences and an F after the fragments. Punctuate the sentences.
1. Chris tried to find her puppy but it had run behind the neighbor's house and dug a hole.
2. His father told Mark that he was proud of him for having brought all his grades up last semester and Mark beamed and shook Dad's hand.
3. Robert found a part-time job with a computer company which was just around the corner from his home so it was easy for him to get to work.
4. I am planning to take the children on a picnic tomorrow unless it rains and possibly their father can go along too.
5. We took warm clothes on the field trip because it was cool outside but we didn't even have to take them out of the suitcase.
(See key on page 32.)
1.5 Introductory Elements
If a sentence does not begin with the subject (as the previous sentences do), it may open with an introductory element that tells when, where, how, or why the main action of the sentence occurs. Separate that introductory element from the main part of the sentence with a comma.
Examples:
• Discovering the book under the chair, she went to bed to read it.
• When I couldn't find the cookies, I ate the candy.
• Driving home from the party, Paul lost his way.
• Feeling frustrated, Deborah complained about not getting to take the trip.
• Bored at the party, Melissa got tired and left.
• Before Mom's cousin came from Chicago, Mom went to the ball game with Dad.
Trial Exercises: Introductory Elements
Underline each introductory element and punctuate the sentence.
1. When the weather grew warm Agnes got out her old shorts and put her sweat pants away.
2. Unless Tim comes home for dinner I think I will go to a movie.
3. After they had finished their breakfast they took the dog for a walk.
4. When I looked through the magazine I couldn't find the piece that Nick called me about.
5. Because the glass was glazed with ice the crowd inside could not see out the windows.
(See Key on page 33.)
If the introductory element is short and the sentence cannot be misread if the comma is omitted, you can omit the comma. (Example: Finally Deborah returned from her trip.) It would also be correct to treat it this way: Finally, Deborah returned from her trip.
Necessary Elements
Some elements — clauses and phrases — limit the meaning of words they refer to in a sentence. Because they are necessary to the meaning of the sentence, you should not set them off with a pair of commas. For example:
People who have been convicted of driving drunk should lose their licenses.
Here, the clause, who have been convicted of driving drunk, is necessary to the meaning of the sentence. It points out exactly which people should lose their licenses. Think of it this way: All people who have been convicted of driving drunk should lose their licenses.
Compare to this example:
The people involved in the accident, who have been convicted of driving drunk, should lose their licenses.
Here, the element beginning with who is not necessary to the meaning of the sentence; it simply adds more information about the drivers. Therefore, you should set it off with commas. Think of it this way: Only the people involved in this particular accident should lose their licenses. The fact that these people have been convicted of driving drunk adds weight to the statement, but it is not essential to the sentence.
When you use elements beginning with which, who, whom, whose, when, orwhere, decide whether the sentence would be unclear if you left that part out. If omitting that part would make the sentence unclear or change its meaning, then that part is necessary to the sense of the sentence. Do not set it off with commas.
Examples:
• My cousin, who has red hair, came late.
The color of the cousin's hair is not necessary to the sense of the sentence.
• The man who kidnapped the child went to jail.
Who kidnapped the child points out which man and is necessary.
• The horse whose saddle was loose lost the race.
Whose saddle was loose points out which horse and is necessary.
• The snow, which had fallen all night, froze this morning.
Which had fallen all night simply tells more about the snow and is not necessary.
• The ball, which had rolled under the house, was found later.
Which had rolled under the house simply tells more about the ball and is not necessary.
Notice the differences between these three sentences:
• The train running through Virginia headed South.
All words are necessary words.
• The train, which runs through Virginia, headed South.
It may be helpful to know that this train runs through Virginia, but the sentence basically means to convey that the train is headed South. Therefore the which phrase is unnecessary.
• The train that runs through Virginia headed South.
Here, the train that runs through Virginia — as opposed to the train that runs through another state — headed South. These are necessary words.
The words that and which are often used interchangeably in a sentence. That introduces a part that is almost always necessary in the sentence, and which introduces a part that is often not necessary. (That often points out a specific subject, and whichoften adds more information about a subject.) A good general rule is to place a comma before which, but do not place a comma before that.
Examples:
• The car that was brand new when I bought it has broken down.
The that phrase is a necessary of the sentence; it points out the specific car — the one that was brand new.
However
• The car, which was brand new when I bought it, has broken down.
The which phrase simply tells more about the car that has broken down. The basic sentence is: The car has broken down. So the which phrase is not necessary to the sense of the sentence. Therefore, it should be set off with commas.
Appositives
The word "appositive" means a "renaming" of a noun or a pronoun that has already been named. For example: Michael, my very best friend, lied to me. (My very best friend is an appositive, which renames Michael, and should be set off with commas.)
Examples:
• Pride and Prejudice, a book by Jane Austen, is my favorite novel.
• Houston, the largest city in Texas, was named for Sam Houston.
Trial Exercises: Necessary Elements
Draw a line under the unnecessary words introduced by which, who, whom, when, or where in the sentences below.
1. The speaker who had risen from his chair to begin his talk fell off the dais.
2. The athletes for whom the party was given broke into singing the school song.
3. The dog that ran under the chair was the one who had eaten her shoe.
4. The truck that chugged around the corner finally broke down across the street.
(See key on page 33.)
Trial Exercises: More Necessary Elements
Try another set. Underline the unnecessary element in each sentence.
1. The clock which had been ticking very loudly burst a spring and flew off the wall.
2. Down in the valley where the grass is greener than it is anywhere else you can see the men at work on tractors and other equipment.
3. My friends Hannah and Rebecca whom I haven't seen for six years are coming to visit me this week.
4. The old car that sat in the driveway all winter was finally hauled away.
5. The man who broke into our house while we were away was arrested.
(See key on page 34.)
1.6 Parenthetical Comments
Related to necessary and unnecessary elements in a sentence are parenthetical comments. These are comments that can be left out — little asides the writer throws in to add color, or personality, or to give his writing a special style. We call these "parenthetical comments" because they could very well be put in parentheses in the sentence, but parentheses can sometimes clutter up your writing style, keeping it from flowing gracefully. Sometimes you may want to use them; sometimes you may want to use a pair of commas instead because they are less intrusive.
Example:
Melissa carried her gloves everywhere she went (in her pocket, in her handbag) because she thought they brought her good luck.
The words in parentheses are not necessary to the meaning of the sentence, but they add color and personality to the writing style. In this example, parentheses work quite well because the parenthetical comment follows a complete thought, and that unnecessary element calls for a comma itself. Adding another could clutter the sentence. In the following sentence, however, commas work better to offset the parenthetical comment.
"Oh, I forgot, Deborah wants you to call her."
"Oh, I forgot," is a parenthetical comment. The main thing the writer wants to say is that Deborah wants you to call her. It would look awkward at the beginning of a sentence to use parentheses, so it is more graceful to set these words off in a pair of commas instead.
Trial Exercises: Parenthetical Elements
Underline the parenthetical elements in these sentences; then punctuate the sentences.
1. Believe it or not I haven't been home a single night this week.
2. I know Susan was at the party I spoke with her myself but she may have left early.
3. Then I thought oh dear I've lost my wallet.
4. I have an idea let's call Robert and Jill and take them out for dinner.
5. Your mother called and oh yes she said you left your history book at home.
(See key on page 34.)
1.7 Items in a Series
When you use three or more words in a series, put a comma after each word in the series. (I know, I know, your last teacher told you to put a comma after all words in a series except the last. But we're making this simple, right? You will never be wrong if you put a comma after every word in a series, and you might sometimes be wrong if you left the final comma out. So do it this way, okay?)
Examples:
• The vendor sells hot dogs, pretzels, hamburgers, and soft drinks.
• For my birthday I got a sweater, a pair of gloves, a hat, and several other items.
• It makes me wild, mad, crazy, and frustrated when teachers give contradictory instructions on where to place commas!
Trial Exercises: Items in a Series
Let's do something easy. Place commas where they are needed in these sentences.
This is a no-brainer. When you're finished, go back and do all the punctuation exercises again. Do them over and over until they become a part of you.
1. Your brother dropped by with your suitcase blanket lamp books and box of junk.
2. The corn beans squash tomatoes and various things I don't recognize are coming up the garden.
3. If you're going upstairs please carry this basket of clothes that pile of mail and whatever those things are over there in the corner.
4. She'd tried her hair long she'd tried her hair short and this time she thought she might try a buzz cut.
5. He collected stamps from Great Britain Ireland Spain France Italy Switzerland and Germany.
(See key on page 35.)
1.8 Key to Trial Exercises
Compound Sentences
1. Cathy caught the heel of one of her expensive new shoes in a crack on the sidewalk, and the heel of her shoe broke off.
2. Deborah thought the drink was good, yet it didn't taste like lemonade.
3. Michael threw a fit, for he was upset with the dog that had eaten Cathy's shoe.
4. Did Paul go to the movie with Michael, or did Michael ask John to go?
5. Melissa had forgotten to set her alarm, so she was late for work.
Complex Sentences
1. George couldn't find his son's ball or his bat.
2. Julia ate half her sandwich and left the other half on the plate.
3. I was sick of doing my homework and put it off until tomorrow.
4. The crowd booed the umpire and shouted loudly.
5. Did the men bring their tennis racquets or leave them in the car?
Compound/Complex Sentences
1. Chris tried to find her puppy, (S) but it had run behind the neighbor's house (S) and dug a hole. (F)
2. His father told Mark that he was proud of him for having brought all his grades up last semester, (S) and Mark beamed, (S) and shook Dad's hand. (F)
3. Robert found a part-time job with a computer company, (S) which was just around the corner from his home, (F) so it was easy for him to get to work. (S)
4. I am planning to take the children on a picnic tomorrow, (S) unless it rains, (F) and possibly their father can go along too. (S)
5. We took warm clothes on the field trip, (S) because it was cool outside, (F) but we didn't even have to take them out of the suitcase. (S)
Introductory Elements
1. When the weather grew warm, Agnes got out her old shorts and put her sweat pants away.
2. Unless Tim comes home for dinner, I think I will go to a movie.
3. After they had finished their breakfast, they took the dog for a walk.
4. When I looked through the magazine, I couldn't find the piece that Nick called me about.
5. Because the glass was glazed with ice, the crowd inside could not see out the window.
(Continues…)
Excerpted from "Better Punctuation In 30 Minutes A Day"
by .
Copyright © 2002 Ceil Cleveland.
Excerpted by permission of Red Wheel/Weiser, LLC.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
Table of Contents
| Introduction | 11 | |
| Chapter 1 | Commas | 19 |
| 1.1 | Comma Problems/Common Problems | 19 |
| 1.2 | Compound Sentences | 19 |
| Trial Exercises | 20 | |
| 1.3 | Complex Sentences | 21 |
| Trial Exercises | 21 | |
| 1.4 | Compound-Complex Sentences | 22 |
| Trial Exercises | 23 | |
| 1.5 | Introductory Elements | 23 |
| Trial Exercises | 24 | |
| Necessary Elements | 25 | |
| Apposotives | 27 | |
| Trial Exercises | 28 | |
| 1.6 | Parenthetical Comments | 29 |
| Trial Exercises | 30 | |
| 1.7 | Items in a Series | 30 |
| Trial Exercises | 31 | |
| 1.8 | Key to Trial Exercises | 32 |
| 1.9 | Programmed Instruction | 35 |
| 1.10 | Diagnostic Exercises | 35 |
| 1.11 | Key to Diagnostic Exercises | 38 |
| 1.12 | Review: Your Toolbox | 42 |
| Chapter 2 | End Punctuation | 45 |
| 2.1 | Periods | 45 |
| 2.2 | Question Marks | 48 |
| 2.3 | Exclamation Points | 49 |
| 2.4 | Exercises | 51 |
| 2.5 | Key to Exercises | 53 |
| Chapter 3 | Semicolons and Colons | 57 |
| 3.1 | Joining Independent Clauses or Sentences | 57 |
| 3.2 | Making Transitions | 58 |
| 3.3 | Linking Lists After a Colon | 60 |
| 3.4 | Linking a Series | 61 |
| 3.5 | Exercises | 62 |
| 3.6 | Key to Exercises | 65 |
| 3.7 | Colons | 71 |
| 3.8 | Exercises | 74 |
| 3.9 | Key to Exercises | 77 |
| Chapter 4 | Apostrophes | 81 |
| 4.1 | Contractions | 82 |
| 4.2 | Possessives | 83 |
| 4.3 | Plurals | 84 |
| 4.4 | The Exceptional Apostrophe | 86 |
| 4.5 | Exercises | 87 |
| 4.6 | Key to Exercises | 96 |
| Chapter 5 | Quotation Marks | 101 |
| 5.1 | Direct Quotations | 101 |
| 5.2 | Titles of Short Works | 103 |
| 5.3 | Definitions and Words as Words | 104 |
| 5.4 | Ironic Distance | 104 |
| 5.5 | Block Quotations | 105 |
| 5.6 | Quoting Poetry | 106 |
| 5.7 | Big Don'ts | 107 |
| 5.8 | Punctuation With Quotation Marks | 109 |
| 5.9 | Single Quotation Marks | 110 |
| 5.10 | Exercises | 111 |
| 5.11 | Key to Exercises | 117 |
| Chapter 6 | Hyphens and Dashes | 121 |
| 6.1 | Hyphens | 121 |
| 6.2 | Hyphenated Numbers | 123 |
| 6.3 | Exercises | 125 |
| 6.4 | Key to Exercises | 128 |
| 5.5 | Dashes | 131 |
| 6.6 | Exercises | 134 |
| 6.7 | Key to Exercises | 137 |
| Chapter 7 | Capitalization | 141 |
| 7.1 | First Words | 141 |
| 7.2 | Proper Names and Titles | 142 |
| 7.3 | Adjectives Formed by Proper Nouns | 144 |
| 7.4 | Geographic Regions | 144 |
| 7.5 | Exercises | 145 |
| 7.6 | Key to Exercises | 149 |
| Chapter 8 | Abbreviations, Numbers, and Italics | 153 |
| 8.1 | Proper Names | 153 |
| 8.2 | Numbers | 155 |
| 8.3 | Italics | 156 |
| 8.4 | Exercises | 160 |
| 8.5 | Key to Exercises | 163 |
| Chapter 9 | Parentheses and Brackets | 167 |
| 9.1 | Parentheses | 167 |
| 9.2 | Brackets | 169 |
| 9.3 | Exercises | 171 |
| 9.4 | Key to Exercises | 176 |
| Chapter 10 | Slashes and Ellipses | 183 |
| 10.1 | Slashes | 183 |
| 10.2 | Ellipses | 185 |
| 10.3 | Exercises | 187 |
| 10.4 | Key to Exercises | 206 |
| Postscript | 211 | |
| Works Cited | 213 | |
| Works Consulted | 215 | |
| Index | 217 | |
| About the Author | 223 |