Post by americaneagle14 on Oct 8, 2007 19:03:17 GMT -5
All right, so some of the people here need a lesson in the general rules of english. Now, since the people who join this site should be at least thirteen, you all should have had english class, and know how to use everything decently. Obviously, this isn't the case, so I've taken it upon myself to restate the simple rules of grammar.
First, a few ideal paragraphs:
Sarah found herself in her favorite hangout spot once again. The Park. This was where Pierce, Aubree, and herself hung out all the time. She loved it here. So, this was where she was right now. She knew it was only a matter of time before Aubree joined her. They always came here in the evening. Always. They had been doing this since they met in freshman year. It was just 'their' territory. She looked at some of the graffiti on the slide. She recognized her own handwriting. Sarah & Aubree, BFFs. How long ago had she wrote that? That was probably the end of freshman year. How lame did it look now?
Sarah walked toward the swings. She sat down on one and began absentmindedly rocking back and forth. It was a beautiful night. A small breeze blew against the girl's body. She felt her long hair blowing behind her. She smiled slightly. She wasn't in the least bit bothered by the cold. She was used to it. That was why she wore a black t-shirt that said, "Haters Make Me Famous" and jean shorts. She wasn't cold. And she couldn't find anything better to wear this morning.
Notice the variety of sentences she has in her paragraphs. She makes the setting and her surroundings interesting, using description and multiple clauses in her sentences. It isn't just plain like:
Mary Sue sat down. She liked the outside. She waited for her friend to come. She felt cold.
Do not write a paragraph like that. It's boring and just sounds unintelligent.
Now, for punctuation and whatnot.
1. Use a period [ . ] at the end of a sentence that makes a statement. There is no space between the last letter and the period. Use one space between the period and the first letter of the next sentence.
Examples:
Mary Sue walked to the store.
Tommy kicked Billy in the crotch.
Mommy and Daddy were wrestling in bed last night. Daddy hurt Mommy really bad because she was really loud.
2. *Use a comma to separate the elements in a series (three or more things), including the last two. "He hit the ball, dropped the bat, and ran to first base."
*Use a comma & a little conjunction (and, but, for, nor, yet, or, so) to connect two independent clauses, as in "He hit the ball well, but he ran toward third base."
*Use a comma to set off introductory elements, as in "Running toward third base, he suddenly realized how stupid he looked."
*Use a comma to set off parenthetical elements, as in "The Founders Bridge, which spans the Connecticut River, is falling down." By "parenthetical element," we mean a part of a sentence that can be removed without changing the essential meaning of that sentence. The parenthetical element is sometimes called "added information." This is the most difficult rule in punctuation because it is sometimes unclear what is "added" or "parenthetical" and what is essential to the meaning of a sentence.
*Use a comma to separate coordinate adjectives. You could think of this as "That tall, distinguished, good looking fellow" rule (as opposed to "the little old lady"). If you can put an and or a but between the adjectives, a comma will probably belong there. For instance, you could say, "He is a tall and distinguished fellow" or "I live in a very old and run-down house." So you would write, "He is a tall, distinguished man" and "I live in a very old, run-down house." But you would probably not say, "She is a little and old lady," or "I live in a little and purple house," so commas would not appear between little and old or between little and purple.
*Use a comma to set off quoted elements. Because we don't use quoted material all the time, even when writing, this is probably the most difficult rule to remember in comma usage.
Examples:
"The question is," said Alice, "whether you can make words mean so many things."
"I should like to buy an egg, please," she said timidly. "How do you sell them?"
*Use commas to set off phrases that express contrast.
Examples:
Some say the world will end in ice, not fire.
Rather than putting heat on his sore muscles, he took an ice bath.
It was her money, not her charm or personality, that first attracted him.
The puppies were cute, but very messy.
*Use a comma to avoid confusion. This is often a matter of consistently applying rule #3.
Examples:
For most the year is already finished.
For most, the year is already finished.
*Grammar English's Famous Rule of Punctuation: Never use only one comma between a subject and its verb. "Believing completely and positively in oneself is essential for success." [Although readers might pause after the word "oneself," there is no reason to put a comma there.]
3. Use a question mark [ ? ] at the end of a direct question.
Examples:
Why won't you be quiet?
Will you be quiet?
Where's the restroom?
4. Use a colon [ : ] before a list or an explanation that is preceded by a clause that can stand by itself. Think of the colon as a gate, inviting one to go on.
Examples:
There is only one thing left to do now: confess while you still have time.
The charter review committee now includes the following people:
the mayor
the chief of police
the fire chief
the chair of the town council
5. Use a semicolon [ ; ]
to help sort out a monster list:
Examples:
There were citizens from Bangor, Maine; Hartford, Connecticut; Boston, Massachusetts; and Newport, Rhode Island.
We had four professors on our committee: Peter Wursthorn, Professor of Mathematics; Ronald Pepin, Professor of English; Cynthia Greenblatt, Professor of Education; and Nada Light, Professor of Nursing.
OR
to separate closely related independent clauses:
My grandmother seldom goes to bed this early; she's afraid she'll miss out on something.
The semicolon allows the writer to imply a relationship between nicely balanced ideas without actually stating that relationship. (Instead of saying because my grandmother is afraid she'll miss out on something, we have implied the because. Thus the reader is involved in the development of an idea—a clever, subliminal way of engaging the reader's attention.)
6. Use quotation marks [ “ ” ] to set off material that represents quoted or spoken language. Quotation marks also set off the titles of things that do not normally stand by themselves: short stories, poems, and articles. Usually, a quotation is set off from the rest of the sentence by a comma.
Examples:
"I don't care," she said. "What do you think?"
My father always said, "Be careful what you wish for."
My mother's favorite quote was from Shakespeare: "This above all, to thine own self be true."
"I don't care what you think anymore," she said, jauntily tossing back her hair and looking askance at Edward.
"What do you mean?" he replied.
"What do you mean, 'What do I mean?'" Alberta sniffed. She was becoming impatient and wished that she were elsewhere.
"You know darn well what I mean!" Edward huffed.
"Have it your way," Alberta added, "if that's how you feel."Credit goes to this site for the majority of the information in this thread. The rest goes to me. :].