How to use a semicolon. Grammar and Punctuation: Using Semicolons. Semicolons help you connect closely related ideas when a style mark stronger than a comma is needed.
By using semicolons effectively, you can make your writing sound more sophisticated. Connect closely related ideas Rules for Using Semicolons Avoid using a comma when a semicolon is needed: Incorrect: The cow is brown, it is also old. Incorrect: I like cows, however, I hate the way they smell. Punctuation Rules. Capitalization and punctuation are optional when using single words or phrases in bulleted form.
If each bullet or numbered point is a complete sentence, capitalize the first word and end each sentence with proper ending punctuation. The rule of thumb is to be consistent. I want an assistant who can do the following: (a) input data, (b) write reports, and (c) complete tax forms. The following are requested: (a) Wool sweaters for possible cold weather. (b) Wet suits for snorkeling. With lists, you may use periods after numbers and letters instead of parentheses. Commas. What this handout is about This handout offers seven easy steps to becoming a comma superhero.
Commas, commas, and more commas Commas help your reader figure out which words go together in a sentence and which parts of your sentences are most important. Using commas incorrectly may confuse the reader, signal ignorance of writing rules, or indicate carelessness. Rules for Comma Usage. Use a comma to separate the elements in a series (three or more things), including the last two.
"He hit the ball, dropped the bat, and ran to first base. " You may have learned that the comma before the "and" is unnecessary, which is fine if you're in control of things. However, there are situations in which, if you don't use this comma (especially when the list is complex or lengthy), these last two items in the list will try to glom together (like macaroni and cheese). Using a comma between all the items in a series, including the last two, avoids this problem. This last comma—the one between the word "and" and the preceding word—is often called the serial comma or the Oxford comma.
Use a comma + a little conjunction (and, but, for, nor, yet, or, so) to connect two independent clauses, as in "He hit the ball well, but he ran toward third base. " Commas in lists. 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. Ten Quick Tips to Improve Your Writing - Better Words, Sentences, and Paragraphs - Writing Tips. By Richard Nordquist Whether we're composing a blog or a business letter, an email or an essay, our usual goal is to respond clearly and directly to the needs and interests of our readers.
These 10 tips should help us sharpen our writing whenever we set out to inform or persuade. Lead with your main idea.As a general rule, state the main idea of a paragraph in the first sentence--the topic sentence. Don't keep your readers guessing.See Practice in Composing Topic Sentences.Vary the length of your sentences.In general, use short sentences to emphasize ideas. Use longer sentences to explain, define, or illustrate ideas.See Sentence Variety. Continue reading below our video. Handwriting tips. You’ve decided you want to improve your handwriting and you’re probably hoping a fountain pen will do the trick -- maybe a friend told you it would.
Maybe you’re just adventurous and you want to try your hand at calligraphy (or you might, once your handwriting improves). Good for you! A fountain pen may make your writing look a bit better, but if your writing looks as if frenzied chickens got loose on the page, chances are this won’t be enough. Most likely, you’ll need to retrain your arm and hand. After coaching handwriting and teaching calligraphy over the years, I’ve learned to see the characteristics of those who’ll be able to pick up the necessary motions quickly from those who’ll have to work a bit harder.
Crampy, uneven letters are often the result of drawing the letters with the fingers rather than using the whole arm to write. People who inevitably have trouble with handwriting and calligraphy write with their fingers. How to Improve Your Writing. Fragments and Run-ons. What this handout is about If instructors have ever returned your papers with “frag”, “S.F.”, “R.O.”, or “run-on” written in the margin, you may find this handout useful.
20 Common Grammar Mistakes That (Almost) Everyone Makes. I’ve edited a monthly magazine for more than six years, and it’s a job that’s come with more frustration than reward.
If there’s one thing I am grateful for — and it sure isn’t the pay — it’s that my work has allowed endless time to hone my craft to Louis Skolnick levels of grammar geekery. As someone who slings red ink for a living, let me tell you: grammar is an ultra-micro component in the larger picture; it lies somewhere in the final steps of the editing trail; and as such it’s an overrated quasi-irrelevancy in the creative process, perpetuated into importance primarily by bitter nerds who accumulate tweed jackets and crippling inferiority complexes. But experience has also taught me that readers, for better or worse, will approach your work with a jaundiced eye and an itch to judge.
While your grammar shouldn’t be a reflection of your creative powers or writing abilities, let’s face it — it usually is. Who and Whom. Avoiding Common Grammar Mistakes. Introduction By this point you're done composing your essay.
You've written an introduction and conclusion, incorporated transitions, and you've made use of textual evidence to support your argument. But you're not done with your first draft yet—you still need to comb through what you've written to make sure that you don't have any grammar mistakes.
Learn about Synonyms and Antonyms. Synonyms Thesaurus with Antonyms & Definitions. Subject Verb Agreement. The subject and verb must agree in number: both must be singular, or both must be plural. Problems occur in the present tense because one must add an -s or -es at the end of the verb when the subjects or the entity performing the action is a singular third person: he, she, it, or words for which these pronouns could substitute.
Notice the difference between singular and plural forms in the following examples: In order to find out if your subject and verb agree, you need to be able to identify the subject of your sentence. Subject-Verb Agreement - FREE Presentations in PowerPoint format, Free Interactives and Games. Overview of Grammar: 14 Rules to Make Writing More Effective. Handbook – grammar rules explained. A Versus An. Today's topic is a versus an.
A lot of people learned the rule that you put a before words that start with consonants and an before words that start with vowels, but it's actually a bit more complicated than that. For example, here's Matthew with a question: I've been wondering if it is actually a hour or an hour. An hour sounds more correct, but a hour reads more correct. Articles - Do you use "a" or "an" before acronyms? : Quick and Dirty Tips ™
Mignon Fogarty is the founder of the Quick and Dirty Tips network and creator of Grammar Girl, which has been named one of Writer's Digest's 101 best websites for writers multiple times. The Grammar Girl podcast has also won Best Education Podcast multiple times in the Podcast Awards, and Mignon is an inductee in the Podcasting Hall of Fame. Mignon is the author of the New York Times best-seller "Grammar Girl's Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing" and six other books on writing. She has appeared as a guest on the "Oprah Winfrey Show" and the "Today Show" and has been featured in the New York Times, Business Week, the Washington Post, USA Today, CNN.com, and more.
She was previously the chair of media entrepreneurship in the Reynolds School of Journalism in Reno, NV. She hates the phrase "grammar nazi" and loves the word "kerfuffle. " Mignon believes that learning is fun, and the vast rules of grammar are wonderful fodder for lifelong study. Awards Media "By the end of that week, Ms. Url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=web&cd=6&ved=0CGsQFjAF&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.lexington1.net%2Ftechnology%2Finstruct%2Fppts%2FLAppts%2F35%2FComon-ProperNouns. Grammar Police.