- •О.И. Килюшева, и.T. Канева, е.Н. Свирелкина
- •Contents
- •Preface
- •Setting Off Independent Clauses
- •Use a comma before and, but, or, so, nor, yet, for when those words are used to connect two independent clauses.
- •Always use a comma to introduce contrasting information.
- •Setting Off Items in a Series
- •Use commas to separate parts in a series of three or more items.
- •Coordinate attributive adjectives in a series are set off by commas.
- •Insert commas as necessary to separate items in series in the following sentences.
- •Insert commas as necessary to separate items in series in the following sentences.
- •Insert commas in the following sentences:
- •Setting Off Introductory Elements
- •Introductory Adverb Clauses
- •2. Introductory Phrases
- •3. Introductory Transitional Words and Phrases
- •Setting Off Non-Essential Material
- •1. Nonrestrictive modifiers
- •Identify the errors in these sentences. Any sentence that is incorrect contains only one error.
- •Using Comma in Other Conventional Contexts
- •Using Commas Around Direct Quotations
- •Using Commas between Names and Titles or Degrees
- •Using Commas in Dates and Addresses
- •Using Commas with Greetings, Closings, and Large Numbers
- •Insert commas in the following sentences to prevent misreading.
- •1. With Asyndetic Independent Clauses
- •In which of the examples might a semicolon be preferred to the full stop?
- •2. Semicolon with Transitional Phrases
- •3. A Semicolon and a Comma
- •Insert semicolon as needed in each of the following sentences.
- •The colon
- •1. A List of Items
- •2. Introducing Quotes
- •3. Connecting Ideas
- •4. Introducing an Appositive
- •5. Other Uses of Colon
- •2C Write your own proverbs, for example:
- •Use commas and colons where they are appropriate.
- •Add commas and colons where appropriate to these sentences:
- •Insert a colon as needed in each of the following sentences:
- •1. Abrupt Break in Thought.
- •2. Setting Off Parenthetical Material
- •3. Setting Off Explanation
- •1. Quoting Words, Phrases, and Short Passages from Prose
- •2. Using Quotation Marks with Other Punctuation Marks
- •Test Yourself
- •Bibliography
Identify the errors in these sentences. Any sentence that is incorrect contains only one error.
Virginia Woolf’s novel, Mrs. Dalloway, is seldom studied in high schools.
Everyone, who wishes to pass this test, should attend the help session.
When you visit Mystic Seaport, a replica of a 19th century fishing village, you will see interesting nautical relics.
Did you know that London’s Saint Paul’s Cathedral located at the head of Ludgate Hill was designed by Sir Christopher Wren?
Her brother Ted, looking out of the window, noticed the injured animal first.
The city that she loves is San Francisco.
Baker, a biographer of Hemingway, taught at Middlebury College.
Mrs. Malaprop is a famous character in Sheridan’s play, The Rivals.
Any athlete, who participates in the Olympics, should be honoured.
Her cousin Louis who is an enthusiastic lacrosse player attends Temple University.
Dickens' novel, A Tale of Two Cities, is set in London and Paris.
All passengers, who are travelling with United Airlines, should prepare to depart.
Because my sister, Evelyn, is a bright child, my parents sent her to a local Montessori school; my sister Jane is also bright, but she refuses to attend the school.
The old man, watching a television programme, fell asleep in the den.
Everyone who knew him liked him.
All students who plan to attend the track meeting should buy tickets immediately.
Vitus Bering shipwrecked in 1740 on Bering Island was found years later preserved in snow. (Annie Dillard)
Fleas and rats which were in fact the carriers are not mentioned in the plague writings. (Barbara Tuchman)
I took along my son who had never had any fresh water up his nose and who had seen lily pads only from train windows. (E. B. White)
12Com
Punctuate the following sentences:
1. Anyone wishing to join the Biology Club on its field trip should notify the secretary before ten o’clock tomorrow.
2. Alfalfa which returns nitrogen to the soil is used extensively in crop rotation.
3. The symphony that Beethoven called the “Eroica” was composed to celebrate the memory of great man.
4. From other sources we know that the “great man” whom the composer had in mind was Napoleon Bonaparte.
5. Carl Sandburg always interested in folk music was one of the first collectors of American folk songs.
6. That newborn snakes can live for months without food is a fact known to few people.
7. The explorer who discovered Pikes Peak was Zebulon Pike a native of New Jersey.
8. Semantics which is concerned with the meanings of words and their effects on human behavior is a proper study for high school students.
9. Their house which is perched on the bluff is completely modern in design and materials.
10. All young men applying for the position of camp counselor must have had previous experience.
11. The new highway is the one that skirts the city.
12. Latin America covers an area stretching from Mexico to Cape Horn.
13. The Cabinet which includes heads of executive departments advises the President on national and international affairs.
14. Some of the hikers unaccustomed to the fast pace fell behind soon after we started the climb.
15. The new requirements apply to any student who wishes to take an honors course.
16. The new car looking better than ever in the bright sunlight raced down the empty highway.
17. The old man living next door is a retired admiral.
18. The comments printed s footnotes in the second edition make amusing reading.
19. Novels and short stories that attempt to recreate life as it is do not always end happily.
20. Mrs. Peabody who loved the movies always brought her own popcorn.
2. Transitional Words and Phrases
Use a comma after parenthetical expressions: AFTER ALL, AS A MATTER OF FACT, BY THE WAY, FOR EXAMPLE, I BELIEVE, HOWEVER, CONSEQUENTLY, etc.
As a matter of fact, I was just going to call you.
Note: When a transitional word or phrase interrupts a clause, it is set off by a pair of commas.
Gillian, by the way, is my half-sister.
3. Alternative or Contrasting Phrases
A phrase that expresses an alternative or a contrast is usually set off by commas.
It was a special, even magical, evening.
This medication should be taken after a meal, never on an empty stomach.
It was Diana Ivanovna, not Vladimir Mikhailovich, who asked the final question.
4. Absolute Phrases
An absolute phrase, which usually consists of a noun plus a participle, is always set off by commas from the sentence it modifies.
His fear increasing, he waited to enter the haunted house.
The Roanoke colonists vanished in 1591, their bodies never recovered.
5. Other Non-Essential Elements
Use a comma after words such as WELL, WHY, YES, NO, etc., when they begin a sentence.
Well, I will think it over.
Yes, I can join you tomorrow.
Use commas to set off direct addresses and names.
A few weeks ago, Mr. Taplow, I spoke to you on the telephone about the possibility of a summer job.
Helen, did you hear what I said?
Doctor, what is your opinion?
I wonder, Mr. Honeywell, whether Mr.Albright deserves a raise.
13Com
Use commas where they are necessary.
1. Basically there is no problem with your work but you are late for class too often.
2. I know Raymond that you can do better.
3. What is your chief complaint gentlemen?
4. Tuesday’s test was difficult in fact I think I failed.
5. First of all my room is very small.
6. I can’t afford buying the textbook for class anyway the teacher said it is not required.
7. It is in my opinion an interesting book.
8. That’s of course only one opinion.