1. Narrative Writing Prep
Basic Skills Review

2. Capitalization
Capitalize the first word of a sentence and each line of poetry.
Capitalize all proper nouns.
Capitalize the first word of a quotation.
Capitalize the first, last, and all important words in titles.
Capitalize all proper adjectives.
Capitalize a person’s title when it comes before a name.
Capitalize abbreviations of days and months, parts of addresses, all letters in postal codes, and province abbreviations.

3. Correct the following:
Uncle john (also known as dr. John Grey, owner of grey Family Pharmacy) sat reading a copy of The Dog who wouldn’t Be as I was vigorously studying poetry for my english Exam.
All of a sudden, my sister Lisa said, “everyone should learn a poem!”
she began reciting, “One cold, starry night...”

4. End Punctuation Use a period at the end of a declarative sentence.
Use a question mark at the end of an interrogative sentence.
Use a exclamation point at the end of an exclamatory sentence or after an interjection that shows strong feeling.

5. Add end punctuation
I plan on going to London next summer__ Do you happen to know what time it is__ Can you please shut the door__ Call the police__ This man is having a heart attack__

6. Commas
Commas are used between words or groups of words in a list or series:
Sally, Stacey, Sandra, Suzie and Stan sat in a circle.
Commas are used after a subordinate clause when it begins a sentence:
Later on, I went to my grandma’s house.

7. Commas
Commas are used to set off a quotation from the rest of a sentence:
“We will eat at noon,” said my mom.
John replied, “Fantastic idea!”
“I’m hungry now,” said Jane, “and want a snack.”
Commas are used to set off a name of a person who is being addressed:
Everyone was thinking: Jane, you`re such a whiner.

8. Commas
Finally, commas are used to set off appositives and extra phrases of information.
Josh, my little brother, finally bought a house of his own. It is a nice house, except for the shag carpet, and I think he will enjoy living like a grown-up. Mom is happy that she has less laundry to do, finally.

9. Quotation Marks Quotation marks surround the exact words of a speaker.
Use a comma to separate the dialogue from the rest of the sentence.
Always begin dialogue with a capital letter.
Be sure to include all the speaker`s words within the quotation marks.

10. Correct the following
Hi John, said Katherine. Oh! I didn`t see you there replied John as he whipped back around. Katherine`s face blushed bright red as she smiled back at her former boyfriend but all she said was Oh. Sorry to bother you. John instantly felt awful, and tried to reply, but she was already walking away.

11. Apostrophes
An apostrophe is used to show where a letter or letters have been taken out of contractions.
Cannot – Can’t Have not – Haven’t
Should not – Shouldn’t
Use an apostrophe to form a possessive noun (to show ownership).
Sally’s novel the girls’ bathroom
the team’s water bottles

12. Colons and Semicolons
Colons are used after the greeting in a business letter (Dear Mrs. Brunner:), between the hour and minutes when writing time (3:15) and to introduce a list (I wanted to grab the following items from the store: bread, apples and milk).
Semicolons are used to create a compound sentence by linking two related ideas.
Trevor is a student at Churchill; too bad his best friend attends CCH.

13. Add punctuation to the following
When the bell rings I need to rush to my locker__ my mom is probably already waiting outside.
Troy decided he needed two things for football success__ faster legs and better hands.
Basketball tryouts are this week__ the girls team will be extremely competitive.

14. Other punctuation
Hyphens are used between the parts of some compound words: mother-in-law, step-parent, half-time
Dashes are used to set off words that interrupt the main thought of a sentence or to show sudden change of thought:
I was exhausted at the end of the day – probably from staying up to watch that movie – and rushed home to nap on the couch.
Underline the titles of books, plays, magazines, films, and television series:
My favourite show – Suits – is on later tonight!