1. Commas, Colons, Semi-Colons Most common comma rules: Serial (list commas) I like eggs, bacon, toast, cereal, and orange juice. Coordinating Conjunctions: And, but, so, or, nor, for, yet Comma comes BEFORE conjunction: Some people think that school is boring, but I do not. I needed some ice cream, so I went to the store.

2. Renaming Use commas around “renaming” phrases: James, my best friend, likes his dog, Trixie, more than he likes me. The pear tree, my favorite in the yard, blooms every spring.

3. Commas, again Introductory words and phrases: Use commas after your transition words/phrases: Obviously, they are wrong. . . First and foremost, dogs are the best. Furthermore, cats rank below turtles. All in all, the end of the day can’t come soon enough. Without a doubt, people who own dogs are fantastic.

4. Commas, still more Introductory phrases: “When phrases” After he cooked lasagna, Tony cleaned the dishes. During my 5th period, we had a fire drill. Whenever I feel lonely, I cuddle my teddy bear.

5. Semi-Colons Semi-Colons: You must have a complete sentence on either side of the semi-colon: Report cards come out tomorrow; I will be grounded Friday. It is supposed to snow all night; they are predicting five inches.

6. Colons Use a COLON after a complete sentence to introduce a list. When I go to Europe, I will visit the following countries: France, Spain, England, Germany, and Switzerland.

7. Punctuating Quotations The punctuation always goes before the quotation mark: “We are going to celebrate when we graduate,” Frank said. Frank said, “We are going to celebrate when we graduate.” “We are going to celebrate,” Frank said, “when we graduate.”

8. Little Things DO NOT: Capitalize the word after a comma First and foremost, cell phones are a life-line. Use words that are not words: wanna, gonna , theirself, alot, cause (when you mean because) Use numerals and other abbreviations. WRITE OUT THE WORD—Two, Four, and. . .

9. Remember Punctuation in Transitions First and foremost, Furthermore, Obviously, AND IN YOUR THESIS—REMEMBER “Comma but”: Some people say that schools should adopt a year-round schedule, but I disagree because. . .

10. There is a right way to spell their. Their: Shows possession. It is their dog. There: Shows place. They live over there. They’re: The are. They’re going to move to the other side of town.

11. You’re going to learn to spell your. Your: Shows possession. Please give me all your money. You’re: You are. You are going to be broke if you do that.

12. THEN vs. THAN Then: Means time. We are going to write an essay, then read a book. Than: Comparison. I am way more beautiful than she is.

13. Learn to spell two, too. Two: A number one more than one. I have two arms. Too: Also, more I like eggs, and I like spaghetti too. To: I am going to the parade.

14. DO NOT USE CONTRACTIONS Do not use words like don’t, can’t, won’t, it’s, wouldn’t, couldn’t. WHY? Because you WILL forget the apostrophe!!!!

15. THESE ARE NOT WORDS: Wanna Gonna Theirselves i U Ur Alot (it is 2 words! A lot!)

16. Proofreading Tips Read your paper from the bottom up. Read “out loud” to yourself--SLOWLY Check the beginning of each sentence for a capital letter, and the end for a period. Check every use of the word “I” Check every word that ends in “S”—make sure you haven’t put in an unnecessary apostrophe, or left out a necessary one.