Punctuation Lesson One, Topic Two Use the arrows below or click the Slide Show button at lower right to view presentation In slide show view, click anywhere onscreen to advance to the next slide.

Importance of Punctuation Missing or incorrect punctuation can change the meaning of a sentence. Read the example on the next slide. See if you can figure out how changing the punctuation would change the meaning of the incorrect sentence.

Eats, Shoots and Leaves A panda enters a cafe, orders and devours a sandwich, draws a pistol, fires a few shots and then heads for the door. "Why?" asks the bewildered waiter. The panda tosses him a badly punctuated wildlife manual and says: "I'm a panda. Look it up." The waiter reads the relevant entry: "Panda: Large black and white bear-like mammal, native to China. Eats, shoots and leaves." From Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation. Lynne Truss, Gotham Books, 2004

Comma - Lists Use commas to separate a series of items. Health care workers need to be reliable, conscientious, competent, and courteous. The receptionist, office manager, and billing specialist met on Monday.

Comma - Phrases Use commas to separate introductory phrases As a result, the exam was rescheduled. Use commas to offset extra information The patient, who arrived late, complained about having to wait.

Comma - Link Clauses Insert a comma before a coordinating conjunction used to link independent clauses The acronym FANBOYS will help you remember the coordinating conjunctions for, and, nor, but or, yet, and so. The patient is diabetic, so she takes insulin. The sky is overcast, yet the weather is very warm.

Comma - Quotation Marks When a quote is at the beginning of a sentence, place the comma inside the quotation marks. “I am cold,” the patient said. When a quote is at the end of a sentence, place the comma before the quotation marks. The patient said, “I am cold.” Note that in the last example, the period is placed inside the quotation marks.

Apostrophe - Omission The apostrophe is used to replace missing letters or numbers. Letters it’s = it is don’t = do not she’ll = she will Numbers ’01 = 2001

Apostrophe - Possession The apostrophe can also be used to indicate possession or ownership Singular nouns the boy’s bicycle Plural nouns employees’ benefits Note: Do not use apostrophes with personal pronouns—your, his, her, their, its.

Capitalization Capitalize the: First word of a sentence Proper names Nationalities, races, and languages Names of places Months and days of the week

Practice Quizzes Visit the websites below to hone your punctuation skills. To return to this page, close the windows that open with the quizzes in them. Click here to access a comma placement quiz. Click here to access an apostrophe placement quiz. Click here to access a quiz on capitalization.

Summary Punctuation can change the meaning of a sentence Commas link clauses, separate items in a list, or set off phrases Apostrophes can replace omitted words or show possession Capitalize the first word of a sentence and all proper nouns

Next Steps The assessment will test your understanding of the parts of speech and punctuation. Read textbook pages: 199-202, 207-223, and 226-242 (ninth edition) 221-225, 229-245, and 248-264 (eighth edition) and then click Assessment.