2 L GP BASIC Writing Rules

Teacher:
ZEHANI
«2 L / GP »
22-11-2022
Summary of
Punctuation and
Capitalization
Rules
Period/ Full stop
1. At the end of declarative and imperative sentences:

Declarative (a statement): - The book is on the desk.
Imperative (a command): - Go to the grocery store and buy milk.
2. In abbreviations:
- Ed Wilson, Ph. D. will be lecturing about insects.
- Ms. Audrey Aimes is an award-winning photographer.
3. As elements of ellipses, which indicate omitted words:

- Just before he lost consciousness, the victim whispered, “Help me . . .”
4. Inside quotation marks:

- The determined scientist thought to himself, “I must find a solution.”
Quotation Marks
“ ”
1. Around the exact words of a speaker:

- The teacher said, “We will have an exam next Tuesday.”
2. Around titles of songs, short articles or essays, stories, poems:

- Nancy quoted from the article “Lost Heroes” in her research paper.
3. When using quotation marks within a quotation, use single quotation marks:
- Tony asked Nancy, “Can I read ‘Lost heroes’ when you are finished using it?”
Question Mark
1. At the end of a direct question, but not when the sentence is not a
direct question:
- Do you know the way to San Jose?
- David asked me if I knew the way to San Jose? .
2. With quotation marks: * Inside the quotation marks only when the
question mark is part of the quoted text:
- I asked, “May I borrow a pencil?”
* Outside the quotation marks when the question mark is not
part of the quoted text:
- Do you know the meaning of the word “juxtaposition”?
Comma
1. Between main clauses with a coordinating conjunction (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so):
- The movie was terrible, and the audience was making fun of it.
2. Between individual items in a series or list:

- Remember to buy milk, butter, eggs, bread, and juice.
3. After names in a direct address:

- Joe, will you please pass the butter?
4. After introductory expressions:

- Unfortunately, I only had a 2.5 GPA last semester.
5. Around appositives (a word or phrase that renames or defines a preceding noun):

- Barry Bonds, the best home run hitter in baseball, is left-handed.
6. After an introductory dependent clause:

- After she had worked at the company for six years, she decided she hated her job.
7. Before such as when it is followed by an example or a list:

- Read a good book, such as The Perks of Being a Wallflower.
8. Around a thrown-in interrupting expression (However, I think, After all, etc):

- Bill Clinton is, in my opinion, a terrible role model.
9. Around non-limiting (non-restrictive, non-essential) clauses, phrases, or
information:
- Mulberries, which happen to be my least favorite betty, are expensive this year.
10. With quotations:

- Sigmund Freud asked, “What do women want?”
11. Between elements in locations, dates, or addresses:

- My father was born on December 31, 1953, in the morning.
(Do not use commas if the date is inverted—27 March 2004—or if it does not include the
day.)
12. After introductory verbals or verbal phrases:

- Sleeping soundly, Linda did not wake up when the earthquake hit.
13. Before and after an element that contrasts with a previous element:
- Now that I have a good job, I get paid a better salary, not minimum wage.
Colon
1. Before a series or list that follows a complete sentence:

- To lose weight, you should do the following: exercise regularly, eat healthy foods,
and drink less alcohol.
2. When introducing a quotation after a complete sentence:

- Remember the words of the great Yogi Berra: “It ain’t over until it’s over.”
3. In a salutation of a formal letter:

- To Whom It May Concern: (Salutations in less formal letters tend to have
commas.)
4. Between hours and minutes and between minutes and seconds of time:
- The space shuttle lifted off at exactly 11:40:29 this morning.
5. Before an appositive, explanation, or example that follows a complete sentence:

- In the history of major league baseball, two teams have played in Seattle: the Pilots
(1969 only) and the Mariners (1977-present).
6. Between main clauses when the first signals that the second will provide an answer
or definition:
- Faith is like love: It cannot be forced.
7. In proportions:
- The ratio of students to teachers was 30:2.
Semicolon
1. In place of a comma and a conjunction to join independent clauses:

- I’m not hungry; he wants to eat a big lunch.
2. Before a conjunctive adverb (like however or therefore):

- I want to transfer to UCLA or USC; therefore, I need to get good grades at LBCC.
3. Between items in a list when the list items have commas:

- Three movies I have seen recently are Jaws, about a killer shark off the coast of
New England; K-19, about a Russian submarine; and Pod People, about a little boy who
Makes friends with an alien.
Hyphen
1. In the middle of compound words:

- My great-grandmother’s name was Mary.
2. Between two words functioning as a single adjective before a noun:

- Ross Perot was not a well-known political figure before 1992.
- The game-show contestant missed a terribly obvious question.
3. In the middle of compound numbers and fractions:

- He claims that he caught twenty-four trout while fishing in one day.
- One-third of my paycheck goes to pay for my rent.
4. With some prefixes and suffixes:

- Larry King has several ex-wives.
- The president-elect must wait almost three months to be sworn in.
- Maria is a self-motivated woman.
- Many cultures believe in an all-knowing deity.
Dash (two hyphens together)
1. Around a sudden break in thought:

- In 1991, the Minnesota Twins —what a season Jack Morris had that year!— won
the World Series in seven games.
(When the interrupting thought ends the sentence, the second dash is replaced by end
punctuation, such as a period.)
2. To introduce a summary or explanation:

- The Cincinnati Reds won the 1990 National League pennant by going “wire-to-
wire”— they were in first place for the entire season.
3. To indicate a hesitation or other awkwardness in speech:

- After losing the game, one of the players stammered, “I just—I just cannot believe
it. We tried so hard.”
4. To set of information that deserves emphasis:

Johnny ate the whole jar of peanut butter—the whole jar!
Apostrophe
’s
1. In possessives, between the end of the word and “s” when the word does not end in
“s”; but after the “s” in words ending in “s”:
- That is Andy’s jar of pickes.
- That is the Taylors’ house.
2. In contractions, to signify where letters have been omitted:

- The bad guys in movies sometimes aren’t very smart. (The o in not has been left out.)
3. Before the “s” in plurals of letters, numbers, and words:

Dr. Yenser gave six A’s, three B’s, nince C’s, and two D’s in his literature class.
Exclamation Mark
 Called "exclamation point" in American English.

 An exclamation mark usually shows strong feeling, such as surprise, anger or joy.
 Using an exclamation mark when writing is rather like shouting or raising your
voice when speaking.
 Exclamation marks are most commonly used in writing quoted speech.
 You should avoid using exclamation marks in formal writing; such as an essay or
business letter, unless absolutely necessary.
1. Use an exclamation mark to indicate strong feelings or a raised voice in speech:
- She shouted at him, "Go away! I hate you!"
- He exclaimed: "What a fantastic house you have!"
- "Good heavens!" he said, "Is that true?"
- "Help!" / - "Shut up!" / - "Stop!"
2. Many interjections need an exclamation mark:

- "Hi! What's new?"
- "Oh! When are you going?"
- "Ouch! That hurt."
3. A non-question sentence beginning with "what" or "how" is often an exclamation

and requires an exclamation mark:
- What idiots we are! (We are such idiots.)
- How pretty she looked in that dress! (She looked very pretty in that dress.)
4. In very informal writing (personal letter or email), people sometimes use two or
more exclamation marks together:
- I met John yesterday. He is so handsome!!!
- I'll never understand this language!!!!
Italics
Italics
1. For foreign words not accepted in common usage in English:

- The citizens staged a coup d’etat and overthrew the dictator.
2. For emphasis:
- After Lisa got home, her mother said, “I said not to take the car!”
3. For titles of larger works (books, magazines, movies, albums/CDs):

- Have you ever read The Great Gatsby?
- The Beatles released their album Rubber Soul on December 3, 1965.
4. For words that are mentioned rather than used in normal speech or writing:
- The word egg comes from the Danish language.
06-12-2022
Capitalization
1. For proper nouns and adjectives derived from them:
- Many people from Vietnamese descent live in Los
Angeles.
2. For generic names with a proper noun:

- The college is located on Carson Street.
3. For the first word in a sentence:

- Did you leave the oven on when you left the house?
4. For the pronoun I:

- Even if I wanted to, I could not ski.
5. For the title of a relative when the relative is named:

- That blonde woman is Aunt Delia.
6. For titles that precede a proper name (but not when a name is not given):
- That man in the blue suit is President Barack Obama.
- My doctor is Doctor Moore.
- My friend is a professor of English.
7. For words in titles (except coordinating conjunctions, articles, and prepositions):

- Lord of the Rings is one of my favorite movies.
8. For races and ethnic groups:

- My friend Laurie married a Nigerian last year.
9. For historical, religious, or political groups:

- Many Catholics tend to consider themselves Republicans.
10. For points on the compass:
- The hurricane traveled NW toward the Florida coast.
11. For specific course titles:

- I took Renaissance Literature last semester.
12. For seasons only if they refer to semesters or issues of magazines:

(However, never capitalize seasons)
- Jim plans to enroll at Yale in the Fall 2005 semester.
13. For formal systems, organized departments, etc.:

- Most personal computers have Windows installed on them.
- The English Department has some great instructors.
14. For the first word of a complete sentence in parentheses:

- She was nearly hit in the head. (Of course, she never knew.)
15. For names and abbreviations of associations, clubs, and organizations:

- The Kiwanis Club meets once a month.
16. For sacred names:

- The Holy Quran is a compilation of the verbal revelations given to the Holy Prophet
Muhammad(sa) over a period of twenty three years. The Holy Quran is the Holy Book or
the Scriptures of the Muslims.
17. For directions when they are used as specific geographic places:
- Have you ever visited the Northeast?
- I have only been to New York City and Boston.

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Teacher:

1. At the end of declarative and imperative sentences:

3. As elements of ellipses, which indicate omitted words:

4. Inside quotation marks:

1. Around the exact words of a speaker:

2. Around titles of songs, short articles or essays, stories, poems:

2. Between individual items in a series or list:

3. After names in a direct address:

4. After introductory expressions:

5. Around appositives (a word or phrase that renames or defines a preceding noun):

6. After an introductory dependent clause:

7. Before such as when it is followed by an example or a list:

8. Around a thrown-in interrupting expression (However, I think, After all, etc):

10. With quotations:

11. Between elements in locations, dates, or addresses:

12. After introductory verbals or verbal phrases:

1. Before a series or list that follows a complete sentence:

2. When introducing a quotation after a complete sentence:

3. In a salutation of a formal letter:

5. Before an appositive, explanation, or example that follows a complete sentence:

1. In place of a comma and a conjunction to join independent clauses:

2. Before a conjunctive adverb (like however or therefore):

3. Between items in a list when the list items have commas:

1. In the middle of compound words:

2. Between two words functioning as a single adjective before a noun:

3. In the middle of compound numbers and fractions:

4. With some prefixes and suffixes:

1. Around a sudden break in thought:

2. To introduce a summary or explanation:

3. To indicate a hesitation or other awkwardness in speech:

4. To set of information that deserves emphasis:

2. In contractions, to signify where letters have been omitted:

3. Before the “s” in plurals of letters, numbers, and words:

 Called "exclamation point" in American English.

2. Many interjections need an exclamation mark:

3. A non-question sentence beginning with "what" or "how" is often an exclamation

1. For foreign words not accepted in common usage in English:

3. For titles of larger works (books, magazines, movies, albums/CDs):

2. For generic names with a proper noun:

3. For the first word in a sentence:

4. For the pronoun I:

5. For the title of a relative when the relative is named:

7. For words in titles (except coordinating conjunctions, articles, and prepositions):

8. For races and ethnic groups:

9. For historical, religious, or political groups:

11. For specific course titles:

12. For seasons only if they refer to semesters or issues of magazines:

13. For formal systems, organized departments, etc.:

14. For the first word of a complete sentence in parentheses:

15. For names and abbreviations of associations, clubs, and organizations:

16. For sacred names:

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