Practice Exercises for Punctuation - Butte College. Shortcut Navigation: Practice Exercises for Punctuation [an error occurred while processing this directive] TIP Sheets > Practice Exercises for the Rules of Punctuation Below are some practice exercises for the rules of punctuation in English.
See how well you understand the rules. Conjunctions – Practice Exercises. Punctuation and Capitalization Rules. Punctuation Guide. The Definition and Basic Rules of Punctuation. Punctuation is the set of marks used to regulate texts and clarify their meanings, mainly by separating or linking words, phrases, and clauses.
The word comes from the Latin word punctuare meaning "making a point. " Marks of punctuation include ampersands, apostrophes, asterisks, brackets, bullets, colons, commas, dashes, diacritic marks, ellipsis, exclamation points, hyphens, paragraph breaks, parentheses, periods, question marks, quotation marks, semicolons, slashes, spacing, and strike-throughs. The use (and misuse) of punctuation affects meaning—sometimes dramatically—, as seen in this "Dear John" letter, where the change in punctuation from one to the next drastically alters the meaning. I want a man who knows what love is all about. You are generous, kind, thoughtful. I want a man who knows what love is.
Guide to Punctuation. Welcome to the University of Sussex.
Our site uses cookies. Read our policy. Close Skip to content. Punctuation Rules. Commas and periods are the most frequently used punctuation marks. Commas customarily indicate a brief pause; they're not as final as periods. Rule 1. Use commas to separate words and word groups in a simple series of three or more items. Example: My estate goes to my husband, son, daughter-in-law, and nephew. Note: When the last comma in a series comes before and or or (after daughter-in-law in the above example), it is known as the Oxford comma.
Example: We had coffee, cheese and crackers and grapes. Adding a comma after crackers makes it clear that cheese and crackers represents one dish.
Quizzes on punctuation – Quizzes on the Language Portal of Canada – Resources of the Language Portal of Canada – Languages – Canadian identity and society – Culture, history and sport – Canada.ca. Interactive quiz: Apostrophes. Punctuation Practice. 13 Rules For Using Commas Without Looking Like An Idiot. Introduction to College Composition. Explain common punctuation marks and the rules for their correct usage In this short skit, comedian Victor Borge illustrates just how prevalent punctuation is (or should be) in language.
As you’ve just heard, punctuation saturates our language. Punctuation guides readers through sentences, passages, and books; it lets them know which words and ideas are related (as well as how close that relationship is). The rules of punctuation can seem daunting, but just remember that punctuation is here to help. As we mentioned at the beginning of this module, different style guides have slightly different rules for grammar. What You Will Learn to Do Explain the role of end punctuation: periods, question marks, exclamation pointsExplain the role of commasExplain the role of semicolonsExplain the role of colonsExplain the role of hyphens and dashesExplain the role of apostrophesExplain the role of quotation marksExplain the role of bracketsExplain the role of ellipsesExplain the role of parentheses.
Introduction to Punctuation.
Exclamation point. Punctuation. Three ways to end a sentence. English Punctuation Guide - English Writing Lesson. Academic Writing in English, Lund University. Punctuation site:quickanddirtytips.com at DuckDuckGo. Learning English Grammar. Separating main clauses Main clauses that are joined together with and or but do not normally have a comma before the conjunction unless the two clauses have different subjects.
You go out of the door and turn immediately left. It was cold outside, but we decided to go out for a walk anyway. Separating subordinate clauses from main clauses Commas are normally used if the subordinate clause comes before the main clause. If you have any problems, just call me. Just call me if you have any problems. Sometimes a comma is used even when the main clause comes first, if the clauses are particularly long. We should be able to finish the work by the end of the week, if nothing unexpected turns up between now and then.
Separating relative clauses from main clauses Commas are used to mark off non-defining relative clauses (see Relative clauses). My next-door neighbour, who works from home, is keeping an eye on the house while we’re away. Let’s make sure the money goes to the people who need it most. Punctuation site:bbc.co.uk at DuckDuckGo. Punctuation site:quickanddirtytips.com at DuckDuckGo. Learning English. Punctuation Archives - Copyediting.com. How to Use Colons: A Guide to the Punctuation Mark. BBC World Service. Learning English - Ask about English - Spelling, punctuation and pronunciation. Sentence Correction Punctuation site:kaptest.com at DuckDuckGo. GMAT Sentence Correction: Punctuation. The double-punctuation problem. SAT Writing: Punctuation Rules. Learning English Grammar. Punctuating lists (practice) More Punctuation.
Comma | semicolon | colon | apostrophe | parentheses | dash | italics | quotation marks Use a SEMICOLON Use a COLON 2.
Between two independent clauses when the second explains or expands the first 3. 4. Use an APOSTROPHE 2. 3. Example 4. Do not use an apostrophe to form the possessive case of the personal possessive pronoun its. Do use an apostrophe with its to mean it is or it has. Correct 5. Use PARENTHESES 1. 2. Use a DASH To set off parenthetical matter Notice the different emphasis in each sentence. BBC Learning English - 6 Minute English / Does punctuation matter? <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href=" class="noscriptbanner"><p>For a better experience please enable Javascript in your browser</p></div>
The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation. Three ways to end a sentence. Punctuation: the colon, semicolon, and more. Towson University’s Online Writing Support. Punctuation: the comma and the apostrophe. Punctuation and Capitalization Rules. Punctuation Quizzes. OUP Companion web site:Test Your Punctuation. OUP Companion web site:Top 10 Punctuation Tips. If you have a good grasp of punctuation, your writing will flow well and be easy to understand.
Here are ten easy-to-remember tips to help you to brush up your punctuation. You'll find more detailed advice in the dictionary's centre section, and you could also test yourself with this quick quiz. 1. Apostrophes Apostrophes are used to show belonging. TIP: with a plural noun that already ends in -s, add an apostrophe after the s: 2. Apostrophes are used to show that letters or numbers have been left out: TIP: words like its, hers, yours, and ours (possessive pronouns) are exceptions to the rule about using an apostrophe to show belonging.
The bird preened its feathers. 3. There are a few special plurals that need an apostrophe, usually to make their meaning clear: to show the plurals of letters or numbers, use an apostrophe before the s: There are two p's in appear.