Punctuation Tips ALLPPT com Free Power Point Templates

Punctuation Tips ALLPPT. com _ Free Power. Point Templates, Diagrams and Charts

Top tips for proofreading • • Print it off early/ leave it a day Look for one issue at a time Read it aloud slowly Take care with cut and pasting Learn punctuation rules Check your referencing Draft, draft and redraft Get a friend to read and provide feedback

Why improve your understanding of grammar and punctuation? • Grammar checkers on computers are not full proof. • Demonstrating an understanding of grammar and punctuation will impress your tutors. • It will enhance written communication skills – often considered a highly desirable skill be employers.

The colon To introduce an idea • You are left with only one option: practice regularly until you have mastered it • There is only one thing you need to know about colons: the more you practice the better you will become. To introduce a list • Most students have a wide taste in music: commercial, deep house and rock • The soup contained several key ingredients: vegetable stock, large onions, carrots and coriander.

The semi colon In complicated lists In the meeting today we have present Professor Wilson, University of Barnsley: Dr Watson, University of Liverpool; Mr Aaron Kelly; Senior Resident Tutor, Liverpool Hope University and Dr Sarah Deery, Director of Learning Technology, Sunderland University. Separating closely – related independent clauses Liverpool Hope is a great university; the tutors are supportive and the students are super friendly. Students often fear using the semicolon; this is often due to lack of understanding.

The comma splice occurs when a comma is used to connect two independent clauses • Liverpool Hope is a great university, the tutors are supportive and the students are super friendly. • Students often fear using the semicolon, this is often due to lack of understanding.

Using a comma with a conjunction • A comma should always be used BEFORE conjunctions: and, but, for, nor, yet, or, so to separate independent causes. e. g. he hated commas, so he never used them NOT – he hated commas so, he never used them • These are called coordinating conjunctions • There is very often no need to use a comma with the conjunction ‘because’.

Other common errors • Avoid using contractions! e. g. shouldn’t, won’t, it’s. • Avoid using the vernacular and casual everyday words • Always write abbreviations in full the first time you see them e. g. The Department for Education (Df. E) implies that…. • Don’t be tempted to use complex language that isn’t your own just to make your work appear ‘academic’ • Avoid using non – quantifiable descriptions

Subject/ very agreement Plural subject, singular verb • Careful planning and a clear mind is important for writing a good academic essay. • Careful planning and a clear mind are important for writing a good academic essay. In this sentence, careful planning and clear mind are a subject of the verb (writing) and as they are plural the verb has to be plural: are rather than is

Singular subject/ plural verb • Aaron’s taste in books was fantastic (correct) • Aaron’s taste in book were fantastic (incorrect) The subject in this sentence is Aaron’s taste, which is singular. It therefore needs a singular verb: was rather than were Problems can occur with collective nouns such as group of, a collection of, etc. These are singular! For example: • A small group of birds were flying across the midnight sea. (incorrect) • A small group of birds was flying across the midnight sea. (correct)

Quiz Q 1: Which of these sentences uses the colon correctly? a) The jazz band contained the following instruments: trumpets, trombones and saxophones. b) The jazz band contained: trumpets, trombones and trumpets. c) The jazz band contained: trumpets, trombones, trumpets. Q 2: Which of these sentences uses the semicolon correctly? a) Greece is a beautiful country; lovely beaches and friendly people. b) Greece is a beautiful country; the beaches are lovely and the people are friendly. c) Greece is a beautiful country; people are so friendly. http: //www. bristol. ac. uk/arts/exercises/grammar_tutorial/page_04. htm

Answers Q 1: Which of these sentences uses the colon correctly? a) The jazz band contained the following instruments: trumpets, trombones and saxophones. b) The jazz band contained: trumpets, trombones and trumpets. Incorrect – the phrase before the colon cannot stand alone. c) The jazz band contained: trumpets: trombones: trumpets. Incorrect – you cannot use colons to separate elements in a list. Q 2: Which of these sentences uses the semicolon correctly? a) Greece is a beautiful country; lovely beaches and friendly people. Incorrect - the two clauses connected by a semi-colon have to be able to stand alone and make sense. b) Greece is a beautiful country; the beaches are lovely and the people are friendly. c) Greece is a beautiful country; people are so friendly. Incorrect - the two clauses connected by a semi-colon have to be related. http: //www. bristol. ac. uk/arts/exercises/grammar_tutorial/page_04. htm

Useful websites • www. thepunctuationguide. com/ • www. grammarly. com/ • www. sussex. ac. uk/informatics/punctuation/ • https: //student. unsw. edu. au/grammar