Semicolons, Colons, Quotations, Italics, Apostrophes, Hyphens,

Dashes, Parenthesis, Abbreviations, Numbers

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.

Semicolons and Colons

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 2

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 3

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 4

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 5

Use a colon after the salutation of a business letter

Dear Sir or Madam: Dear Mrs. Ngai:

Rule 6

Complete odd numbers in exercise 7 Complete, in entirety, exercise 8

Turn to page 608

Rule 1 Use quotation marks before and after a

direct quotation

“ A nomad is a person who wanders,” said Bob.

Quotation Marks and Italics

Use quotation marks with both parts of a divided quotation

“Most nomads,” said Ali, “travel by animal or on foot.”

Rule 2

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 3

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 4-6

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 7

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 8

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 9

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”.

RULE 10

Exercise 9: all Exercise 10: odd only

Turn to page 610

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

Apostrophes

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 2

Use an apostrophe alone to form the possessive of a plural noun that ends in s

Girls = girls’ Johnsons = Johnsons’

Rule 3

Use an apostrophe and an s (‘s) to form the possessive of an indefinite pronoun

Anyone anyone’s Somebodysomebody’s

DO NOT use an apostrophe in a possessive pronoun

That map is theirs. Is this mark mine?

Rule 4

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 5

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 6

Use an apostrophe to show missing numbers in a date

The class of ’87

Rule 7

Odd only Exercise 11

Odd only Exercise 12

Turn to page 612

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.

Hyphens, Dashes, Parentheses

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 2 and 3

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.

Rules 4 and 5

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 6

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 7

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.

Rule 8

Exercise 13 EVEN Exercise 14 EVEN

Turn to page 614

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.

Abbreviations

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 2

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.

Rule 3

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

Rules 4 and 5

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 Cheesehead Ln. Norfolk, VA 81728

◦ BUT:◦ We still live on Chelsea Avenue in Norfolk, Virginia.

Rule 6

Odd numbers for exercises 15 and 16

TURN to page 616

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

Writing Numbers

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.

Rule 3

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 4 and 5

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.

Rules 6 and 7

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, 1987 65 Oak Drive Room 303 98 percent

Rule 8

Exercise 17 odd Exercise 18 all

Turn to page 618

Exercises 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10 ODD

Review Unit 20