How To Use An Apostrophe. Intermediate Test Prep ELA 8 (Grades7-8) Literary Devices. What is a semi-colon?
A semi-colon is often used in much the same way a comma is used, but it is a slightly stronger mark of punctuation. It can mean a pause that is longer, closer to being a full stop. There are three specific uses for the semi-colon: A semi-colon can be used to join two simple sentences (independent clauses) when there is no conjunction (and, but, or, so , for, yet). Usually a writer chooses to use a semi-colon here because the two sentences being joined are very closely related. A semi-colon can be used to join two simple sentences (independent clauses) connected by a conjunctive adverb (therefore, however, instead, also).
For example: A semi-colon can be used to separate groups of words that already contain commas. Click on the chalkboard to practice working with semi-colons! This site is best viewed with Internet Explorer Copyright © 2001-2011Oswego City School DistrictNew York State Intermediate Test Prep CenterStudyzone.org. Power Proofreading. List of Interactive Quizzes. The quizzes with a magenta marble are also listed within the section or digital handout to which they apply.
The twenty-one quizzes with a green marble and designated "Practice" have been adapted from the instructor's manual and other ancillary materials accompanying Sentence Sense: A Writer's Guide. They are duplicated here with permission of the author, Evelyn Farbman, and the publisher, Houghton Mifflin Inc. The seventeen quizzes with a gold marble were written by the English faculty at an estimable midwestern university and are used here with the permission of that department.
The ten quizzes with a red marble were prepared by students in Professor Karyn Hollis's Tutor Training course at Villanova University. Clicking on the NUMBER immediately before the quiz's name will take you to the section of the Guide pertaining to the grammatical issue(s) addressed in that quiz. Clicking on the Guide's logo at the top of a quiz-page will bring you back to this page. Intermediate Test Prep ELA 8 (Grades7-8) Literary Devices.
Why do we need commas?
Wouldn't writing the English language be much easier without them? Maybe, but reading the English language would be much harder! Commas make the writer's meaning clear. When you speak, your tone of voice and pauses punctuate what you're saying, but when you write, your readers have only the printed page to use to understand your meaning. Punctuation marks, like commas, help the reader get the meaning from your writing. Not convinced? As the sun crept over the horizon the black of night faded to grey and streaks of purple red orange and then finally yellow reached up from the hills and stained the edges of the glassy lake. Not easy is it. For example, what are the colors that light the sky? This is how the passage should be punctuated: As the sun crept over the horizon, the black of night faded to grey, and streaks of purple, red, orange, and then finally yellow reached up from the hills and stained the edges of the glassy lake.
Much easier to read, isn't it!