October 7th-Punctuation and Essay Writing

PUNCTUATION:  COMMA-Use commas to separate items in a series of three or more.------Drive two blocks north of Main, turn left, go past two traffic signals, and turn right.-Use commas to set off any word or phrase that is not essential to the main idea of the sentence.-----Writing a good letter of application is not difficult, if you are careful (Right)-----Writing a letter of application that is clear and concise is a challenge.-Put a comma between independent clauses when they are joined by these connecting words: for, and, nor, but, or yet, and so.-Put a comma after a word or phrase that comes before and independent clause.-----No matter how hard I try, I will never forget you.-Use commas between coordinate adjectives but not between cumulative adjectives.-----Coordinate adjectives are those whose order can be changed, and the word "and" can be inserted between them without changing the meaning.-------Our company is looking for energetic, courteous salespeople.-----Cumulative adjectives modify the word that follows it.-------The bride wore a pale pink silk dress, and the groom wore a navy wool suit. (Do not put commas between words that describe or build on each other)SEMICOLON-Replaces a period-----Between two independent clauses-Before linking phrases-Before introductory expressions-Between items of a complex list-----Incorrect: We invited a number of senior managers including Ann Kung, senior vice-president, Lionel Tiger, director of information technology, and Larry Sells, manager of marketing.-----Correct: COLON-Functions as an introducer for-----a list-----a clarification-----a quotation-Answers "who" or "what"-----Business and industry face a new problem: Canada's low productivity.-Preceded by a complete sentence----Never used after "is" or "are"        DASHES  -Summarize or restate what has just been said-----I still love dried apricots and pickled beets--foods my mother gave me as treats when I was a child.(Two hyphens equals a dash...word will automatically convert it)-Pair of dashes to enclose a series of items  -----Because they were afraid of the police, my so-called friends--Roman, Shane, and Luba--all betrayed me-Emphasize a phrase-----I expect--and so does the college--that students should be self motivatedPARENTHESIS   -Included but not emphasized information-----Giselles teaching schedule (she is in class seven hours a day) gives her little time to meet with student individually.-Explanatory material not part of main sentence-----The Malagasy (people of madagascar) like to eat a kapoaka of rice (enough to fill a can) three times a day.-Reference data-----Isajiw asserts that the twentieth century "has produced more refugees and exiles than any other preceding period since the fall of the Roman Empire" (66).QUOTATIONS-Use comma to separate a reporting expression from a quortation-If there is nor reporting verb, use a colon after and independent clause to introduce a quotation.-If the end punctuation is part of the quote include it inside the quotation marks.      -If the ned punctuation is not part of the quote put it outside the second quotation mark.-Put colons and semicolons outside the second quotation mark    HYPHEN    -Divide a word at the end of the line--More than two syllables-Separate prefice with same vowel-----Re-elect-Compound numbers-----Ninety-eight      -Join two or more words as adjective before noun-----First-born child-Bring clarity-----The mayor will address small business owners (Wrong)-----The mayor will address small-business owners (Right)

ESSAY WRITING   Audience Identification   Prior to writing think of the following:-Readers Knowledge-Readers Attitudes-Readers NeedsAnd then determine:-My purpose of writing-My attitude towards the subject-My readers expectationsLanguage Usage  -Informal, General, Formal(1st or 2nd Person), (1st, 2nd, 3rd, balanced vocab, easy to read), (3rd, abstract, technical, specialized, no contractions)(Personal notes),     (websites, newspapers, novels, magazines),   (academic, textbooks, scientific papers, journal, legal)Subject Selection   Must be:-Significant-Single-Specific-SupportableBottom-Up Approach  -Talking-Freewriting-BrainstormingTop-Down Approach   -Start with subject-Ask identifying questions (who, what, where, why, how, etc. etc.)Identifying Questions-Process------How is your subject made or done?------How does your subject work?-Classification------What are the main kinds of your subject?------What are the component parts of your subject?------What are the significant features, characteristics, or functions of your subject?

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