E NGLISH W RITING S TANDARDS

AND PUNCTUATION
Session 2

This session elaborates the usage of article, comma, and period and covers
few other topics in brief.

V Anand
18th Sept. 2017
a/an/the
The choice between ‘a’ and ‘an’ is determined by
sound.

Before a word beginning with a vowel sound, ‘an’ is used.

Example:

An apple

An X-ray

An MBA

An hourly report

Before a word beginning with a consonant sound, ‘a’ is used.

Example:

A horse

A boy

A university

A yard

A union

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A or an is called the Indefinite Article because it usually leaves
indefinite the person or thing spoken of; as,

a doctor – that is, any doctor.

The is called the Definite Article because it normally points out some
particular person or thing; as,

He saw the doctor – meaning some particular doctor.

If ‘the’ comes before a consonant word, in that case ‘the’ will be read
द
as ‘ ’.

Example:

This is the (द) boy.

This is the (द) car.

This was the (द) pen.

If ‘the’ comes before a vowel word, in that case ‘the’ will be read as
‘िद’.

Example:

This is the (िद) ant.

This is the (िद) ox.

This was the (िद) egg.

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If you want to emphasize the word coming after ‘the’ in a sentence in
िद
that case ‘the’ will be read as ‘ ’. No matter the word is starting with
a consonant.

Example:

This is the (िद) boy who broke my window.

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Comma (,)
Commas and periods are the most frequently used
punctuation marks. Commas customarily indicate a
brief pause; they’re not as final as periods.

1. Use commas to separate words and word groups in a simple series

of three or more items.

Example:

The cat, dog and the mouse --------------------------------------------------- British Style

The cat, dog, and the mouse --------------------------------------------------- American Style

Do you want to go to the park, the shops or the cinema? ------------------ British Style

Do you want to go to the park, the shops, or the cinema? ------------------- American Style

2. When the last comma in a series comes before ‘and’ or ‘or’, it is

known as the Oxford comma. Most newspapers and magazines drop
the Oxford comma in a simple series, apparently feeling it's
unnecessary. However, omission of the Oxford comma can sometimes
lead to misunderstandings.

Example:

We had coffee, cheese and crackers and grapes.

Adding a comma after crackers makes it clear that cheese and

crackers represents one dish. In cases like this, clarity demands the
Oxford comma.

We had coffee, cheese and crackers, and grapes.

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3. Use commas between adjectives when you use several of them to
describe something.

Example:

Akshay is a tall, handsome, smart and ambitious young man.

4. Use a comma after yes or no in sentences.

Example:

Yes, this can be deliver in a day.

No, this cannot be deliver in a day.

5. Use a comma before please in sentences.

Example:

Can you share the TAT, please?

Can you update me on this, please?

6. When directly addressing someone, the person’s name or title

should be set off with commas.

Example:

Rahul, please start the work on Renault mobile unit.

We could not have done it without you, Vaibhav.

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7. With Dates:

a). Use a comma between the date and the year when following the American style
for dates:

Example:

June 20, 2015

b). When writing the day as well as the date also use a comma after the day.

Example:

Sunday, June 20, 2015

c). When a date ends a sentence

Example:

My birthday is August 18, 1980.

d). When a date doesn't end a sentence, then use a comma after the year, too.

Example:

My birthday is August 18, 1980, but I usually celebrate it with my family.

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8. When to omit commas with dates:

a). When a date contains the month with only a day:

Example:

The campaign was due on March 17.

b). When a date contains the month with only a year.

Example:

I was born in July 1980.

c). When using an inverted (European style) date.

Example:

20 June 2015.

d). If the parts of the date are connected by a preposition.

Example:

On a Sunday in December 1941, the U.S. found itself in World War II.

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9. Use a comma after certain words that introduce a sentence, such
as well, yes, why, hello, hey, etc.

Example:

Hey, I can't believe this!

Well, this is your responsibility.

10. Use commas to set off expressions that interrupt the sentence
flow (nevertheless, after all, by the way, on the other hand, however,
etc.).

Example:

I am, by the way, very nervous about this.

11. Use a comma to separate a city from its state, and remember to
put one after the state, also.

Example:

I am from Patna, Bihar, in India.

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Period (.)
1. Period is used to mark the end of a sentence that is a complete
statement.

Example:

I know him well.

2. In some abbreviations, for example etc., Dec., or p.m.

Example:

The coffee morning will be held on Thursday 15 Sept. in the Waterfront Restaurant.

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Multiple punctuation
1. If a sentence otherwise ends with a question mark or exclamation
point, the period is omitted.

Example:

Should we start the campaign?

He used to work at Yahoo!

Non-example:

Should we start the campaign?.

He used to work at Yahoo!.

2. If a sentence ends with an abbreviation, the period used for the

abbreviation also serves as the period for the sentence. This is true
even if the abbreviation is contained within a quotation.

Example:

He is a vice president at Apple Inc.

Sandy said, “We will continue this tomorrow at 8:00 a.m.”

Non-example:

He is a vice president at Apple Inc..

Laura said, “We will continue this tomorrow at 8:00 a.m.”.

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3. If a sentence ends with a parenthetical that is only part of a larger
sentence, the period is placed outside the closing parenthesis.

Example:

Hotel rooms are likely to be in short supply throughout August (the peak travel period).

4. If the parenthetical is itself an entire sentence, the period is

placed inside the closing parenthesis.

Example:

Their house was the largest one on the block. (It also happened to be the ugliest.)

5. If the quoted material itself ends with a question mark or

exclamation point, the period is omitted.

Example:

Yesterday he asked, “Why is it so cold on Mars?”

Non-example:

Yesterday he asked, “Why is it so cold on Mars?”.

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Apostrophe ( ’ )
1. Use an apostrophe with an s (’s) to show who owns something.

The ’s is added after singular nouns or names.

Example:

We all like mom’s cooking.

Vikram’s dog is very friendly.

2. Follow the same rule when a name or a singular noun ends in -s.
Write an apostrophe first and then add another s.

Example:

Dad is at his boss’s party.

The princess’s golden ball fell into a well.

3. For plural nouns that end in -s, put the apostrophe after the -s.

Example:

Birds’ beaks are all different shapes and sizes.

A flood has destroyed all the farmers’ crops.

4. Some plural nouns do not end in -s. Just add ’s to these plural
nouns.

Example:

There are slides and swings and seesaws in the children’s playground.

The men’s changing room is occupied.

Doctors look after people’s health.

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Subject Verb Agreement
Basic rule. A singular subject (she, Bill, car) takes a
singular verb (is, goes, shines), whereas a plural
subject takes a plural verb.
Example:

The news of the train accident is shocking.

Mathematics is not easy to learn.

All his money is kept in bank.

Politics is a dirty game.

Note: News, Mathematics, money and Politics are singular

noun. With singular subject, we use singular verb.

Basic chart for your reference:

Many, Both, Several, A few, These,
Those, Many of, Several of, A few of,
Plural Verb
Two of, The majority of, A number of (are, were, have etc.)

Each, Every, Everyone, Someone,

Nobody, Everybody, Somebody, No one,
Singular Verb
each one, The number of (is, was, has etc.)

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It’s vs. Its
It’s
It's is the contraction (abbreviated form) of "it is" and "it has".

It's has no other meanings--only "it is" and "it has".

Example:

It’s a good news.

It’s to be done by Akshay.

It's been raining for a week, and now it's starting to snow.

Its
This mean only one thing: the neutral possessive – something which
indicates belonging to.

Its is like his and her.

Example:

This boat and its sails are painted red.

The cat was walking here. These are its footprints.

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