Sentence Mistakes and Punctuation Mrs. Hernandez Intermediate English 091 Lesson 4 Sentence Mistakes and Punctuation

Review: Sentences There are four types of sentences. Simple Compound Complex Compound-Complex To create a sentence, you must have A subject A verb A complete point Ending Punctuation

What happens when you don’t have these things? If you do not have all the makings for a sentence, you run the risk of creating sentence mistakes. The three types of sentence mistakes are Fragments (Frag) Run-ons (RO) Comma Splices (CS)

What is a fragment? A fragment is a group of words that does not form a complete thought. Something is missing to keep it from being a sentence. Subject Verb Complete thought Fragments can also be made by writing a complete clause but putting a subordinating conjunction in front of it.

How to Fix Fragments To fix fragments, add the missing piece (or take something out). Gone. Are hatched in sand? Jamal at the movies. Because Jenny wanted to dance. Anderson is gone. Turtle eggs are hatched in the sand. Jamal is at the movies. Jenny wanted to dance.

What is a run on? A run-on sentence is a sentence that has no punctuation or not enough punctuation. It is very difficult to get through, and it does not make a lot of sense. Jamal went to the movies but Amy decided to stay home because she didn’t want to see the same movie Jamal was going to so she read a book about Samurai and ate some bonbons but they weren’t very good and she got bored she ended up going to the movie later and found out it wasn’t half bad. Just because you have ending punctuation does not mean you have punctuated correctly throughout.

How to Fix Run-Ons Run on sentences require punctuation. Jamal went to the movies, but Amy decided to stay home because she didn’t want to see the same movie he was going to. She read a book about Samurai and ate some bonbons, but they weren’t very good. She eventually got bored, so she went to the movie later and found out it wasn’t half bad.

What is a comma splice? A comma splice happens when you put a comma in the wrong place. Jack, will go to the store. A comma splice also happens when you have two thoughts put together. Remember, a comma alone is not strong enough to hold two thoughts together. Jan went to the movies, Jack went to the concert. Jack will go to the store. (The comma is unnecessary.) Jan went to the movies; Jack went to the concert. (The comma isn’t strong enough.)

How to Fix Comma Splices To fix a comma splice, you either take the punctuation out if it is unnecessary or you exchange it for another that is correct. You may also have to add a word. Jan went to the market, Carl stayed home. Jan went to the market, and Carl stayed home. Jan went to the market; Carl stayed home. Jan went to the market. Carl stayed home. I love English, however, I always wondered about teaching history. I love English; however, I always wondered about teaching history. I love English. However, I always wondered about teaching history.

Remember! Fragments are fixed by adding information. Comma splices and run-ons are fixed by changing or adding punctuation. Is punctuation that important? YES. It tells the reader just exactly how to read the sentence.

What is punctuation? Punctuation marks are indicators to the reader about how he or she is supposed to read the sentence. There are different punctuation marks, and they all have a job. They are not often interchangeable. What are some of the hardest punctuation marks to use and understand?

Ending Punctuation Ending punctuation is something we are all familiar with. There are only three: Period Question Mark Exclamation Mark Periods are used to end statements or give commands. Jenna went to the store. Go to the store. Question marks indicate questions. Did Jenna go to the store? Exclamation marks are used to show excitement. Jenna went to the store!

Commas One of the most difficult punctuations to use. Use a comma when you have a compound sentence. Amber went to the market, and Donald stayed home. Use a comma when you have a series (Oxford Comma). I ate apples, oranges, and bananas. Use a comma when you have a dependent clause at the beginning of a sentence. When Jack met Ruby, time stopped.

Commas Use a comma to separate quotations from the signal phrase. “Are you feeling lucky,” the killer asked menacingly. Use commas with everyday things, like addresses, names, city-state/country, or echo questions. I have been to Des Moines, Iowa, before. Jennifer, have you seen my handbag? Use commas to separate nonessential information. That girl, who is new to school, fell down the stairs earlier.

Semicolons Semicolons are a halfway between a period and a comma. A semicolon does not signal a full stop. A semicolon can punctuate a compound sentence. June wants to see the movie; Jimmy does not care to go. A semicolon can help in confusing situations. I have been to Des Moines, Iowa; Juno, Alaska; Denver, Colorado; and Montgomery, Alabama. A semicolon and a comma are NOT interchangeable.

Apostrophes Apostrophes are used to show possession. That is Margaret’s cat. The boys’ car is in the shop. Apostrophes are used to create contractions. Do + not = don’t A weird use of apostrophes is to use an apostrophe when making certain things plural (letters and numbers). 2’s, A’s, etc. Do not use apostrophes with years (1990s). Remember! Do not use contractions in your essays.

Colons Colons point ahead to additional information. Colons warn that a list is coming. I need you to bring the following things: pens, pencils, and notepads. Colons may come before a formal question. The judge had only one question: Why did I do it? Remember! Never use a colon after something grammatical necessary to the sentence, like a verb. The things I need you to bring are: pens, pencils, and notepads. (Incorrect)