Punctuation/Mechanics

Seite 1

Apostrophes - An apostrophe is a punctuation mark used in contractions to replace missing letters. The contraction "we'll" stands for "we will," with the apostrophe replacing "wi." It can also show possession, as in "Mary's car." The apostrophe indicates the car belongs to Mary.

Commas -

1. Use commas to separate independent clauses when they are joined by any of these seven coordinating conjunctions: and, but, for, or, nor, so, yet.

2. Use commas after introductory a) clauses, b) phrases, or c) words that come before the main clause.

3. Use a pair of commas in the middle of a sentence to set off clauses, phrases, and words that are not essential to the meaning of the sentence. Use one comma before to indicate the beginning of the pause and one at the end to indicate the end of the pause.

4. Do not use commas to set off essential elements of the sentence, such as clauses beginning with that (relative clauses). That clauses after nouns are always essential. That clauses following a verb expressing mental action are always essential.

5. Use commas to separate three or more words, phrases, or clauses written in a series.

6. Use commas to separate two or more coordinate adjectives that describe the same noun. Be sure never to add an extra comma between the final adjective and the noun itself or to use commas with non-coordinate adjectives.

7. Use a comma near the end of a sentence to separate contrasted coordinate elements or to indicate a distinct pause or shift.

8. Use commas to set off phrases at the end of the sentence that refer back to the beginning or middle of the sentence. Such phrases are free modifiers that can be placed anywhere in the sentence without causing confusion.

9. Use commas to set off all geographical names, items in dates (except the month and day), addresses (except the street number and name), and titles in names.

10. Use a comma to shift between the main discourse and a quotation.

11. Use commas wherever necessary to prevent possible confusion or misreading.

Possessives - indicating possession, ownership, origin

Direct Object - The direct object of a verb is the thing being acted upon (i.e., the receiver of the action).

Indirect Object - The indirect object of a sentence is the recipient of the direct object.

Object of the Preposition - The object of a preposition is the noun or pronoun governed by a preposition. The object of a preposition is usually (but not always) the noun or pronoun immediately to the right of the preposition.

Complements - Complement is the term used for a word (or words) which are needed to complete the meaning of an expression.

Predicate Nominatives - A predicate nominative (also called a predicate noun) is a word or group of words that completes a linking verb and renames the subject.

Predicate Adjectives - A predicate adjective is an adjective that follows a linking verb and modifies(i.e., refers back to) the subject of the linking verb.

Possessive Pronoun - Possessive pronouns show ownership.

Antecedent - An antecedent is the word (or words) that a pronoun refers to.

Adverb - a word or phrase that modifies or qualifies an adjective, verb, or other adverb or a word group

Conjunction - Conjunctions join words or groups of words together.

Coordination Conjunction - Coordinate conjunctions (or coordinating conjunctions) most commonly join like with like. This means, for example, they join an adjective with an adjective, a noun with a noun, or a clause with a clause. (FANBOYS)

Verb Phrase - the part of a sentence containing the verb and any direct or indirect object, but not the subject.

Verb Types - Action Verbs - Action verbs are words that express action

Transitive Verbs - A transitive verb always has a noun that receives the action of the verb, called the direct object.

Intransitive Verbs - An intransitive verb never has a direct or indirect object.

Linking Verbs - A linking verb connects the subject of a sentence to a noun or adjective that renames or describes the

subject. This

noun or adjective is called the subject complement.

Helping Verbs (Auxiliary Verbs)

Helping verbs are used before action or linking verbs to convey additional information regarding

aspects of possibility (can, could, etc.) or time (was, did, has, etc.). The main verb with its accompanying helping verb is called a verb

phrase.