Comma, Semicolon, colons _ Joon

dash, apostrophes, Quotation Marks _ Elijah

Active & Passive voice _ Vaiputasi

01. The game was over, but the crowd refused to leave.

The student explained her question, yet the instructor still didn't seem to understand.

Yesterday was her brother's birthday, so she took him out to dinner.

02. My $10 million estate is to be split among my husband, daughter, son, and nephew.

03. He is a strong, healthy man.

04. Felix was a lonely, young boy.

05. Will you, Aisha, do that assignment for me?

Yes, Doctor, I will.

06. Kathleen met her husband on December 5, 2003, in Mill Valley, California.

07. I lived in San Francisco, California, for 20 years.

08. I am, as you have probably noticed, very nervous about this.

09. He actually said, "I do not care."

"Why," I asked, "do you always forget to do it?"

10. I can go, can't I?

11. That is my money, not yours.

12. Yes, I do need that report.

Well, I never thought I'd live to see the day . . .

13. I would, therefore, like a response.

I would be happy, however, to volunteer for the Red Cross.

14. You may be required to bring many items, e.g., sleeping bags, pans, and warm clothing. 

OR

You may be required to bring many items; e.g., sleeping bags, pans, and warm clothing.

1. Choose the wrong sentence.

A) Time flies when we are having fun; we are always having fun.

B) Time flies when we are having fun, and we are always having fun.

C) Time flies when we are having fun. We are always having fun.

D) Time flies when we are having fun, we are always having fun.

D) Time flies when we are having fun, we are always having fun.

2. Choose the sentence with the correct comma placement.

A) I took Angie, the one with the freckles to the movie last night.

B) I took Angie, the one with the freckles, to the movie last night. 

C) I took Angie the one with the freckles, to the movie last night. 

D) I took Angie, the one with the freckles, to the movie, last night.

B) I took Angie, the one with the freckles, to the movie last night.

 

01. You may be required to bring many items: sleeping bags, pans, and warm clothing.

  I want the following items: butter, sugar, and flour.

02. I want an assistant who can do the following: (a) input data, (b) write reports, and (c) complete tax forms. 

The following are requested: (a) Wool sweaters for possible cold weather. (b) Wet suits for snorkeling. (c) Introductions to the local dignitaries.

03. I enjoy reading: novels by Kurt Vonnegut are among my favorites.

Garlic is used in Italian cooking: It greatly enhances the flavor of pasta dishes. It also enhances the flavor of eggplant.

04. 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.

05. Dear Ms. Rodriguez:

01. Call me tomorrow; I will give you my answer then.

I have paid my dues; therefore, I expect all the privileges listed in the contract.

02. You will want to bring many backpacking items; for example, sleeping bags, pans, and warm clothing will make the trip better.

As we discussed, you will bring two items; i.e., a sleeping bag and a tent are not optional.

03. You will want to bring many backpacking items; for example, sleeping bags, pans, and warm clothing.

You will want to bring many backpacking items, for example, sleeping bags, pans, and warm clothing.

04.This conference has people who have come from Boise, Idaho; Los Angeles, California; and Nashville, Tennessee.

05. When I finish here, I will be glad to help you; and that is a promise I will keep.

1. Choose the sentence with the correct punctuation.

A) We ask; therefore, that you keep this matter confidential. 

B) We ask, therefore; that you keep this matter confidential. 

C) We ask, therefore, that you keep this matter confidential. 

D) We ask: therefore, that you keep this matter confidential.

 

C) We ask, therefore, that you keep this matter confidential.

2. Choose the sentence with the correct punctuation.

A) The American flag has three colors: namely, red, white, and blue. B) The American flag has three colors, namely; red, white, and blue. C) The American flag has three colors namely, red, white, and blue. 

D) The American flag has three colors; namely, red, white, and blue.

D) The American flag has three colors; namely, red, white, and blue.

3. Choose the sentence with the correct punctuation.

A) I wanted a cup of coffee; not a glass of milk. 

B) I wanted a cup of coffee, not a glass of milk. 

C) I wanted a cup of coffee: not a glass of milk. 

D) I wanted a cup of coffee not a glass of milk.

 

B) I wanted a cup of coffee, not a glass of milk. 

The primary function of quotation marks is to set off and represent exact language (either spoken or written) that has come from somebody else. The quotation mark is also used to designate speech acts in fiction and sometimes poetry. Since you will most often use them when working with outside sources, successful use of quotation marks is a practical defense against accidental plagiarism and an excellent practice in academic honesty. The following rules of quotation mark use are the standard in the United States, although it may be of interest that usage rules for this punctuation do vary in other countries.

Direct quotations involve incorporating another person's exact words into your own writing.

1. Quotation marks always come in pairs. Do not open a quotation and fail to close it at the end of the quoted material.

2. Capitalize the first letter of a direct quote when the quoted material is a complete sentence.

Mr. Johnson, who was working in his field that morning, said, "The alien spaceship appeared right before my own two eyes.”

3. Do not use a capital letter when the quoted material is a fragment or only a piece of the original material's complete sentence.

Although Mr. Johnson has seen odd happenings on the farm, he stated that the spaceship "certainly takes the cake" when it comes to unexplainable activity.

4. If a direct quotation is interrupted mid-sentence, do not capitalize the second part of the quotation.

"I didn't see an actual alien being," Mr. Johnson said, "but I sure wish I had."

5. In all the examples above, note how the period or comma punctuation always comes before the final quotation mark. It is important to also realize that when you are using MLA or some other form of documentation, this punctuation rule may change.

When quoting text with a spelling or grammar error, you should transcribe the error exactly in your own text. However, also insert the term sic in italics directly after the mistake, and enclose it in brackets. Sic is from the Latin, and translates to "thus," "so," or "just as that." The word tells the reader that your quote is an exact reproduction of what you found, and the error is not your own. Mr. Johnson says of the experience, "it's made me reconsider the existence of extraterestials [sic]."

Indirect quotations are not exact wordings but rather rephrasings or summaries of another person's words. In this case, it is not necessary to use quotation marks. However, indirect quotations still require proper citations, and you will be commiting plagiarism if you fail to do so.

Mr. Johnson, a local farmer, reported last night that he saw an alien spaceship on his own property.

Many writers struggle with when to use direct quotations versus indirect quotations. Use the following tips to guide you in your choice.

.

Use direct quotations when the source material uses language that is particularly striking or notable. Do not rob such language of its power by altering it.

Martin Luther King Jr. believed that the end of slavery was important and of great hope to millions of slaves done horribly wrong.

The above should never stand in for:

Martin Luther King Jr. said of the Emancipation Proclamation, "This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice."

.

Use an indirect quotation (or paraphrase) when you merely need to summarize key incidents or details of the text.

Use direct quotations when the author you are quoting has coined a term unique to their research and relevant within your own paper.

When to use direct quotes versus indirect quotes is ultimately a choice you'll learn a feeling for with experience. However, always try to have a sense for why you've chosen your quote. In other words, never put quotes in your paper simply because your teacher says, "You must use quotes."

6. Quotations are most effective if you use them sparingly and keep them relatively short. Too many quotations in a research paper will get you accused of not producing original thought or material (they may also bore a reader who wants to know primarily what YOU have to say on the subject).

1) Do you know Billy Collins's poem On Turning Ten she asked. 2) Of all the poems in his latest book she said this is my

favorite. It's really very funny she added 3) Turning towards her brother, she cried Help!  There were

tears in her eyes and clearly she was anxious about something.

4) What's the matter he asked. I can't find our little sister she answered.

 5) In Collins's poem, the line If you cut me I would shine

suggests a child's belief in his own immortality. 

1) "Do you know Billy Collins's poem 'On Turning Ten'?" she asked.

 2) "Of all the poems in his latest book," she said, "this is my

favorite. It's really very funny," she added.

3)   Turning towards her brother, she cried, "Help!" There were tears in her eyes and clearly she was anxious about something.

4) "What's the matter?" he asked.   "I can't find our little sister," she answered

5) In Collins's poem, the line "If you cut me I would shine" suggests a child's belief in his own immortality.

The apostrophe has three uses:

to form possessives of nouns to show the omission of letters to indicate certain plurals of

lowercase letters

Forming Possessives of Nouns

To see if you need to make a possessive, turn the phrase around and make it an "of the..." phrase. For example:

the boy's hat = the hat of the boy three days' journey = journey of three days

If the noun after "of" is a building, an object, or a piece of furniture, then no apostrophe is needed!

room of the hotel = hotel room door of the car = car door leg of the table = table leg

Once you've determined whether you need to make a possessive, follow these rules to create one.

add 's to the singular form of the word (even if it ends in -s):

the owner's car James's hat (James' hat is also acceptable. For plural, proper nouns that are possessive, use an apostrophe after the 's': "The Eggles' presentation was good." The Eggles are a husband and wife consultant team.)

add 's to the plural forms that do not end in -s: the children's game

the geese's honking

add ' to the end of plural nouns that end in -s: houses' roofs

three friends' letters

add 's to the end of compound words: my brother-in-law's money

add 's to the last noun to show joint possession of an object:

Todd and Anne's apartment

The news said that ___ going to rain tomorrow.  it

it‘sits

   He always carries ___ of his family. pictures

pictures'picture's

Simon, Johnny, Paul and Peter were playing. Lisa came and kicked the ___ ball away.

boys’boy'sboys

 

The news said that ___ going to rain tomorrow.  it

it‘sits

   He always carries ___ of his family. pictures

pictures'picture's

Simon, Johnny, Paul and Peter were playing. Lisa came and kicked the ___ ball away.

boys’boy'sboys

 

I've never seen ___ before. it

itsit's

  Where did you leave ___ bike? you're

your you

  I ___ see anything from where I was sitting. couldn't

could'ntcouldnt

I've never seen ___ before. it

itsit's

  Where did you leave ___ bike? you're

your you

  I ___ see anything from where I was sitting. couldn't

could'ntcouldnt

Hyphens (-) are used to connect two or more words (and numbers) into a single concept, especially for building adjectives.  Likewise, some married women use hyphens to combine their maiden name with their spouse’s name:

There are fewer Italian-American communities these days. 

The family’s money-saving measures have been helping them to build their savings.

She has stopped buying 2-liter bottles and has started buying 0.5-liter bottles, instead.

I had a conversation with Mrs. Skinner-Kcrycek this morning.

They are also a necessary component of the numbers 21 through 99:

Before the exam, Tomas studied for thirty-three hours without sleep.

Although they can be used as substitutes for the word “to” when discussing value ranges and scores in games, it is better to use the word in formal writing situations than the punctuation:

The high temperature will be 87-89 degrees.

Hyphens are also used in syllable breaks when words cannot fit completely on a line, and must be continued on the following line.  With word processors and the ability to automatically move whole words, though, this has become less common:

This opinion is based on sales figures for the past few months, and con-

versations I have had with customers. 

Dashes (—) can be used to indicate an interruption, particularly in transcribed speech: The chemistry student began to say, “An organic solvent will only work with—” when her cell phone rang. 

They can also be used as a substitute for “it is, “they are,” or similar expressions.  In this way they function like colons, but are not used for lists of multiple items, and are used less frequently in formal writing situations:

There was only one person suited to the job—Mr. Lee. 

  They can also be used as substitutes for parentheses:

Mr. Lee is suited to the job—he has more experience than everybody else in the department—but he has been having some difficulties at home recently, and would probably not be available. 

Note that dashes are double the length of hyphens.  When you type two hyphens together (--), most word processors automatically combine them into a single dash. The Purdue OWL maintains a number of resources on punctuation you can visit to learn more:

Q 1: He ate a half-baked potato.

hyphen is correcthyphen is incorrect

Q 2: At that moment I was interested in just one thing-namely, my lunch.

hyphen is correct hyphen is incorrect

Q 1: He ate a half-baked potato.

hyphen is correcthyphen is incorrect — should use a dash instead

Q 2: At that moment I was interested in just one thing-namely, my lunch.

hyphen is correcthyphen is incorrect — should use a dash instead

In a sentence using active voice, the subject of the sentence performs the action expressed in the verb.  

 Example 1: Steve loves Amy.  -Steve is the subject, and he is doing the action: he

loves Amy, the object.  

Example 2: I heard it through the Grapevine.  -I is the subject, the one who is doing the action. I

is hearing it, the object of the sentence.  

In a sentence using passive voice, the subject is acted upon; he or she receives the action expressed by the verb. The agent performing the action may appear in a "by the.." phrase or may be omitted.  

 Example 1: Amy is loved by Steve.  - The subject of the sentence becomes Amy, but

she isn't doing anything. Rather, she is just the recipient of Steve's love.