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Punctuation Rules Unit 3 Language Arts Ms. Ramey-Ford & Ms. Watson
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Why Do We Need Punctuation? Punctuation allows the author’s writing to be easy to read and understandable for the reader.
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Types of Punctuation PERIOD COMMACOLON QUESTION MARK QUOTATION MARKS EXCLAMATION POINT PARENTHESIS APOSTROPHE SEMICOLON HYPHENS DASHESELLIPSIS
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What Are End Marks? A mark of punctuation placed at the end of a sentence -Period (.) -Question Mark (?) -Exclamation Point (!)
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Period Rule 1: Use at the end of a declarative statement. Example: I went to the store to buy groceries.
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Question Mark Rule 1: Use at the end of an interrogative sentence. Example: Did Gordon Parks write The Learning Tree?
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Exclamation Point Rule 1: Use at the end of an exclamatory sentence. Example: That’s the biggest hamburger I’ve ever seen!
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Comma Used to separate words or groups of words so that the meaning of a sentence is clear. Rule 1: Use to separate items in a series. Example-Words in a Series: Always stop, look, and listen before crossing railroad tracks. Example-Phrases in a Series: Clearing the table, washing the dishes, and putting everything away took almost an hour. Example-Clauses in a Series: The lights dimmed, the curtain rose, and the orchestra began to play.
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Comma Rule 2: Use to separate two or more adjectives preceding a noun. Example: Jack Russell terriers are small, energetic dogs. Rule 3: Use before a coordinating conjunction when it joins independent clauses in a compound sentence. Example: I enjoyed The King and I, but Oklahoma! is still my favorite musical.
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Comma Rule 4: Use to set off an expression that interrupts a sentence. Example: Ms. Ramey-Ford, born and raised in Wisconsin, moved to Georgia as an adult. Rule 5: Use after certain introductory words, phrases, and clauses. Example: Well, I think we should ask for help. Example: At night in the desert, the temperature falls rapidly. Example: To keep your bones strong, be sure to get regular exercise and eat foods rich in calcium. Example: Because I had a sore throat, I could not audition for the school play.
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Comma Rule 6: Use to separate items in dates and addresses. Example: The company’s new mailing address is 522 Candler Lane, York, PA 17404. Example: Today’s date is February 7, 2013. Rule 7: Use after the salutation of a letter and after the closing of a letter. Example: Dear Aunt Mary, Example: Sincerely,
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Semicolon Rule 1: Used to join independent clauses that are closely related in meaning. Example: I called Gina; she will be here in ten minutes. Rule 2: Use between independent clauses that are joined by a conjunctive adverb or a transitional expression. Example: Language Arts was Taylor’s hardest subject; therefore, she gave it more time than any other subject.
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Semicolon Rule 3: A semicolon may be needed to separate independent clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction when the clauses contain commas. Example: Our strongest defensive soccer players are Ethan, Marcos, and Bryan; and Vanessa and Sofia are excellent on offense.
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Colon Rule 1: Use before a list of items, especially after words like as follows or the following. Example: Beyond talent lie all the usual words: discipline, love, luck, but, most of all, endurance. Rule 2: Use before a statement that explains or clarifies a preceding statement. Example: Lorenzo felt that he had accomplished something worthwhile: He had written and recorded his first song.
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Colon Rule 3: Use between the hour and the minute. Example: 11:16 A.M. Rule 4: Use after the salutation of a business letter. Example: Dear Ms. Watson: Rule 5: Use between chapter and verse in Biblical references and between titles and subtitles. Example: I Corinthians 13:1-2 or Georgia: In the American Experience
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Quotation Marks Rule 1: Use to enclose a direct quote-a person’s exact words. Example: “Has anyone here eaten at Red Lobster?” asked Erica Perry. Rule 2: Use to enclose titles and subtitles of short works such as short stories, poems, essays, articles, songs, episodes of television series, and chapters and other parts of books. Example: “The Tell-Tale Heart” or “The Star Spangled Banner”
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What Are Apostrophes? It is used to form the possessive case of nouns and some pronouns, to indicate in a contraction where letters or numerals have been omitted, and to form some plurals.
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Apostrophe Rule 1: To form the possessive case of a singular noun, add an apostrophe and a s. Example: a dog’s collar Rule 2: To form the possessive case of a plural noun ending in s, add only the apostrophe. Example: Students’ book bags
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Apostrophe Rule 3: Do not use an apostrophe with possessive personal pronouns. Example: These keys are yours, not mine. Rule 4: To form the possessive case of some indefinite pronouns, add an apostrophe and an s. Example: Someone’s pencil or No one’s fault
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Apostrophe Rule 5: To form contractions, use an apostrophe to show where letters or numerals have been omitted. Examples: I am = I’m or of the clock = o’clock
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Hyphens Rule 1: Use to divide a word at the end of a line. Example: What percentage of U.S. house- holds have subscribed to DIRECTV? Rule 2: Divide a word only between syllables. Example: Marquees wrote is science report on tyra- nnosaurs, a dinosaur. Rule 3: Use with compound numbers from twenty- one to ninety-nine and with fraction used as modifiers. Example: forty-eighth state or one-third
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Hyphens Rule 4: Use with the prefixes all-, ex-, great, and self- and with the suffixes -elect and –free and with all prefixes before a proper noun or proper adjective. Examples: all-star, ex-principal, great-aunt, self- confidence, and sugar-free Rule 5: Hyphenate a compound adjective when it precedes the noun it modifies. Examples: a small-girl or a well-book
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Parentheses Rule 1: Use to enclose material that is added to a sentence, but is not considered of major importance. Example: The American Civil War (1861-1864) was a war between the North and the South.
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Dashes Rule 1: Use to indicate an abrupt break in thought or speech. Example: Felicity began, “The burglar is--but I don’t want to give away the ending.”
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Ellipsis Rule 1: Three dots that are placed in a row, that represent words that have been left out. Example: D’Artangan wondered and wondered... and continued to wonder for a very long time.
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