Week 1

Syllabus/Outline Web site Commas Semi-Colons Colons Other punctuation

Commas are used to separate three or more equally ranked elements in a series.

While some situations state you do not need the comma before the conjunction (and or or), it is easier if you ALWAYS use the comma.

While it can sometimes be acceptable to use the word and between each element, it is easier to use ONLY use the conjunction at the end.

Words and phrases of direct address are set off by commas.

Examples: Do you know, Dr. martin, when the results will

be available? We assure you, Ms. Ortiz, that you bill will be

corrected.

Parenthetical words, phrases, and clauses that interrupt the flow of a sentence and are unessential for its grammatical completeness should be set off by commas.

As a matter of fact By the way For example In addition Incidentally In fact In the meantime Needless to say Of course

By the way, have you made your appointment yet?

You did, no doubt, make payment with a credit card.

DO NOT USE commas to offset the expression if it is NOT used parenthetically. We have no doubt that your plan will succeed.

Do NOT confuse short introductory prepositional phrases for parenthetical expressions. Short prepositional phrases should NOT be set off by commas when the answer the questions When, Where, Why, or How. In the spring several companies declared

bankruptcy. Of course we won the case.

When dates contain more than one element, the second and following elements are normally set off by commas. As sales record was set Wednesday,

November 14, 2009. A sales record was set November 14.

Commas set off time zones used with clock times. His flight left at 11:10 a.m., EST, and arrived

in Los Angeles at 1:50 p.m., PST.

When addresses and geographical items contain more than one element, the second and following elements should be set off by commas. We received inquiries from San Antonio,

Texas, and Tampa, Florida.

An appositive that provides information not essential to the identification of its antecedent should be set of by commas. Douglas Johnson, the IBM sales representative,

called. IBM sales representative Douglas Johnson called.

One word appositives do not require commas (it is also not incorrect if you use them). My brother Keith will visit in December. My brother, Keith, will visit in December.

When a coordinating conjunction joins independent clauses, use a comma before the conjunction – unless the clauses are short.

The computer is an efficient tool of management, but it does not eliminate the need for managers.

We have tried many times and we have failed.

Remember the word FANBOYS For And Nor But Or Yet So

Dependent clauses that precede independent clauses are followed by commas. When Mark was hired, his manager outlined

his duties. If Jennifer applies, we will surely hire her.

Use a comma before a dependent clause at the end of a sentence ONLY if the clause adds nonessential information. Information is considered essential if it answers questions such as When, Why, and How. We usually open from 10 to 5, although we

can make special arrangements if necessary. His duties were outlined when he was hired.

Use commas to set off clauses that supply information unneeded for the grammatical completeness of a sentence. Melanie Lipman, who teaches in California,

submitted excellent suggestions.

Two adjectives that equally modify a noun should be separated by a comma How many laborious, inefficient procedures

can we eliminate.

Verbal phrases that precede main clauses should be followed by commas. Hoping to get a seat, James arrived early. To complete the job, we must work overtime.

One or more introductory prepositional phrases totaling five or more words should be followed by a comma. For the past six months, email service has

been erratic. In the spring of next year, we will try a new

systems. Introductory prepositional phrases of

three or fewer words require no commas. By next Monday you will receive your order. In 2010 the new tax will be repealed.

A comma is used to show the omission of understood words. Some employees must arrive by 8:30 a.m.;

others, at 9 a.m.

Commas are used to set off contrasting or opposing expressions Managers are made, not born. The greater the sales, the grater the profits.

Commas are sometimes used to separate words repeated for emphasis and words that may be misread if not separated. We had a long, long meeting to iron out

differences. In short, employees must be more courteous. What it is, is hard work.

A comma is used to separate a short quotation form the rest of the sentence. If the quotation is divided into two parts, two commas are necessary. Tim said, “Classes begin Monday.” “These classes,” he added, “have laboratory

sections.”

Except for Jr. and Sr., degrees, personal titles, and professional designations following individuals’ names are set off by commas. Renee M. Sopkie, MBA Paul Murry, PhD Todd James, MD Jess Cobb, EdD

The abbreviations Inc. and Ltd. Are set off by commas is the company’s legal name includes the comma.

Unrelated figures appearing side by side should be separated by commas. By 2012, 54 franchises will be in operations.

Numerals of more than 3 digits require commas. 4,321 43,210

Calendar years, zip codes, telephone numbers, house numbers, page numbers, serial numbers, account numbers, and identification numbers are exempt from this rule.

P. 259 exercise A P. 260 exercise c P. 261 exercise A P. 263 exercise A

;

Can be used like a period to separate two independent clauses Common stock carries voting rights; preferred

stock does not carry such rights. Use with Conjunctive Adverbs to separate

independent clauses. She needed faster answers; therefore, she

checked the Web.

accordingly, furthermore, moreover, similarly, also, hence, namely, still, anyway, however, nevertheless, then, besides, incidentally, next, thereafter, certainly, indeed, nonetheless, therefore, consequently, instead, now, thus, finally, likewise, otherwise, undoubtedly, further, meanwhile.

Use the semicolon to separate units of a series when one or more of the units contain commas. This conference has people who have come

from Boise, Idaho; Los Angeles, California; and Nashville, Tennessee.

Use the semicolon between two sentences joined by a coordinating conjunction when one or more commas appear in the first sentence. When I finish here, I will be glad to help you;

and that is a promise I will keep.   If she can, she will attempt that feat; and if

her husband is able, he will be there to see her.

When introductory expressions are used immediately following an independent clause, they may be preceded by either a comma or a semi colon. If the words following the introductory expression appear at the end of the sentence and form a series or an independent clause, use a semicolon. If not, use a comma.

Some services must be curtailed; namely, customer service, installation, and training. Here there is a series; therefore, we use a semi

colon. Banking hours will be extended on

weekdays; that is, we will be open until 6 p.m. Here there is an independent clause at the end;

therefore, we use a semi colon. Two superior teachers won acclaim, namely,

Yvonne School and Jaime Escalante. Since there is no series or independent clause at

the end, we use a comma.

:

Use the colon after a complete sentence to introduce a list of items when introductory words such as namely, for example, or that is do not appear. You may be required to bring many items:

sleeping bags, pans, and warm clothing. I want the following items: butter, sugar, and

flour. I want an assistant who can do the following:

(1) input data, (2) write reports, and (3) complete tax forms.

A colon should not precede a list unless it follows a complete sentence; however, the colon is a style choice that some publications allow.

Examples: If a waitress wants to make a good impression on her

customers and boss, she should (a) dress appropriately, (b) calculate the bill carefully, and (c) be courteous to customers.  

There are three ways a waitress can make a good impression on her boss and her customers: (a) Dress appropriately. (b) Calculate the bill carefully. (c) Be courteous to customers. I want an assistant who can (1) input data, (2) write reports, and (3) complete tax forms.

Use the colon to introduce a direct quotation that is more than three lines in length. In this situation, leave a blank line above and below the quoted material. Single space the long quotation. Some style manuals say to indent one-half inch on both the left and right margins; others say to indent only on the left margin. Quotation marks are not used.

The author of Touched, Jane Straus, wrote in the first chapter:

          Georgia went back to her bed and stared at the intricate patterns of burned moth wings in the translucent glass of the overhead light. Her father was in “hyper mode” again where nothing could calm him down.     He’d been talking nonstop for a week about remodeling projects, following her around the house as she tried to escape his chatter. He was just about to crash, she knew.

Use a colon to separate two independent clauses if the second clause explains, illustrates, or supplements the first. Mr. Cohen had only one goal: he wanted to

offer the best product at the lowest possible price.

Place a colon after the salutation of a business letter when mixed punctuation is used. Dear Ms. Vallone: Dear Angelina: To Whom It May Concern:

Use a colon to separate hours from minutes 11:30 11:32 a.m. 6:15 p.m.

Place a colon between titles and subtitles Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Examines

the Hidden Side of Everything. Stupid White Men: And Other Sorry Excuses

for the State of the Union

Place a colon between the place of publication and the name of the publisher when preparing bibliographies and lists of work cited. Guffey, Mary Ellen. Essentials of Business

Communication. Cincinnati: Thomson South-Western, 2007.

P. 277 A P. 279 A P. 281 A

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Use a period to Punctuate statements, commands, and indirect

questions. Punctuate polite requests. Punctuate abbreviations

Use a period for most abbreviations containing capital and lower case letters Dr. (Doctor), Mr. (Mister), No. (number), Fri. (Friday) Exceptions PhD, EdD

For most abbreviations shown in all caps, do no use a period. MBA, MSN, IBM, MIT, EPA, AMA, CEO, RN, HDTV

Geographical Areas use capital letters without periods PA, USA, UK, BC

Punctuate numbers

Punctuate a direct question Punctuate a question added to a

statement

Most overused piece of punctuation ONLY use to show STRONG emotion or

SHOUTING Should be used VERY sparingly in

business and academic writing.

Set off parenthetical elements with internal punctuation Three employees – Ann, Mike, and Ramon – were

honored. To indicate an interruption, abrupt change of

thought, or achieve emphasis. USE SPARINGLY! All assistants – and that includes Tiffany – are invited. You do all the work – she gets all the credit!

To set off a summarizing statement – separate an introductory list from a summarizing statement Addresses, zip codes, and phone numbers – these are

the things we need immediately. To attribute quotation

“A little learning is a dangerous thing.” – Alexander Pope

To sett off nonessential sentence elements Explanations, references, and directions

Assembly of the bookcase (see the instruction manual) is quick and easy.

Our income statement (see Appendix D) shows an increase in revenue.

Our luggage went to St. Louis (can you believe that?) by mistake.

Punctuation marks that would normally occupy the position already occupied by a second parenthesis are placed after the parenthesis. If you attend (April 3), we will vote on the issues. The national deficit is growing at a record pace

(Smith and Jones).

To enclose a direct quote To enclose short expressions, slang,

words used in a special sense, and words following stamped or marked We thought the haircut was “hot.” The mechanic had to “bleed” the brake lines. Your letter is stamped “Confidential.”

To enclose definitions To enclose titles

Periods and commas are always placed inside the closing quotation marks. “I enjoyed your article very much,” said Mr.

Smith. Colons and semicolons are always placed

outside the quotation marks. Our supervisor said, “We are eliminating all

overtime this month”; therefore, employees must be informed.

Question marks and exclamation points may go inside or outside the closing quotation mark, depending on the quotation. Professor Dooly asked, “How many have

completed their paper?” Do you know who first used the expression

“the almighty dollar”?

For titles of books, magazines, pamphlets, newspapers, and other complete published or artistic works that contain subdivisions. America at Work, a new book, was reviewed in

The Wall Street Journal yesterday. For words under discussion in the

sentence or for words used as nouns. Some writers overuse the words awesome and

amazing.

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To insert remarks within quotations “Our current budget deficit [which if you ask

me is getting ridiculously high] prevents declaration of dividends,” commented the CEO.

With sic. Within quotations, brackets enclose the word

sic, which means thus or so. This Latin term is used to emphasize the words quoted actually appear thus in the quoted matter. In the newspaper article, Dr. Sims is quoted as

saying, “I demand payment irregardless [sic] of the outcome.”

P. 297 A P 299 A P 300 A

P. 259-260 Ex. B P. 261-262 ex. B P. 264-265 ex D P. 278-279 B P. 280-281 B P 282 B P 297-298 B P 301 B

Example essay assignment Stereotyping on television

I want you to examine the stereotypes of people that are portrayed on television.

Provide examples of shows that promulgate the stereotypes you have identified.

Discuss the dangers of these stereotypes (i.e. negative self-image of those being portrayed)

Things to remember Examples without a point do NOT help your essay Do not use too few or too many examples (pick the best 3 or 4

examples) Make sure your thesis is clearly stated.

Should be one or two pages long Double spaced 12 point font