Mohammed V University
Faculty of Educational Sciences
Department of Didactics
Course: Composition I
Professor: Dr. Khalid EL ASRI
PUNCTUATION
1. Commas and full stops.
Commas are used to separate parts of a sentence, whereas full stops are used to end a sentence. A
common error in writing is caused by using commas where a full stop should go. This leads to
ungrammatical ‘run-on’ sentences. We can clearly see in the following examples that the comma is not
enough (X means incorrect):
X The policy on the single European currency is not well defined, it confuses many people.
X Terrorism legislation will be discussed alongside the Human Rights Act, this is because they contradict
each other, this is a crucial matter.
To avoid this problem, we need either to use full stops and start a new sentence, or use link words, such
as ‘and’, or ‘which’. In some cases we might use a semi-colon (see 3. below).
The Uses of the Comma
A comma is a piece of punctuation that has a variety of uses, but itspurpose is
mainly to keep words and ideas clear.
Use a comma to separate items in dates and places.
July 1, 1908 Prince George, British Columbia
Use a comma in the openings of friendly letters and in the closings of all letters.
Dear Grandmother, Yours truly,
Use a comma to separate initials from surnames, and to separate titles from
surnames.
Mitchell, W.O. James Brown, B.Sc.
Use a comma between words or groups of words in a series.
My lunch contained sandwiches, an apple, cake, and one raw carrot.
Use a comma to separate adjectives before a noun.
Trilby bought a shiny, new, red, sports car.
They looked out on the choppy, grey sea.
Use a comma before a coordinate conjunction in a compound sentence.
Commas are used to separate independent clauses (clauses that can stand by
themselves) in a compound sentence.
Independent Clause Conjunction Independent Clause
The day felt chilly, but we went to the pool.
The dog licked my hand, and I knew I had to take her home.
Use a comma to set off introductory words and phrases.
Commas are used to set off introductory words or phrases that cannot stand alone asa
sentence.
Introductory Phrase Independent Clause
If I win the lottery, I will move to Fiji.
While waiting for the bus, I fell asleep.
Use a comma to set off words that interrupt the main idea of a sentence.
My boss, for example, donated thousands of dollars to charity last year.It may
not be my place, however, to say this.
Interrupters
by the way however still incidentally
for example furthermore in fact of course
Use a comma to set off appositives.
An appositive is a word or phrase that adds extra information about the noun thatappears
before it in a sentence.
Noun Appositive
Leo, my youngest brother, was born on Canada Day.
The town of Kitchener, once known as Berlin, is in Ontario.
Use a comma to set off non-essential words and phrases.
Example: My dog, who is five-years old today, can sit, shake a paw, and rollover on
command.
Explanation: The clause “who is five-years old today” is extra information and not
essential to understanding the sentence and is, therefore, placedbetween
commas.
Example: My car accident, which happened on Main Avenue and Third Street,
involved a cyclist.
Explanation: The clause “which happened on Main Avenue and Third Street” isalso not
essential to understanding the sentence.
Example: My friend who rides a motorcycle is always trying to get me to ridewith
him.
Explanation: In this case, the clause “who rides a motorcycle” is essential to understanding
the meaning of the sentence; without it, the identity ofthe friend would be
unclear. Therefore, no commas are placed aroundthe phrase.
Example: The book that is on the table is mine.
Explanation: In this sentence “that is on the table” is important because it tells which book
is mine. There might be books in other places, but thissentence is
concerned with the book on the table.
Common mistakes in using the comma
Another common mistake is to separate the subject (who or what) from the verb. The following
sentences are not grammatical and the commas should be taken out:
X A man of his great abilities, would always be successful.
X The number of service enterprises in wealthier free-market economies, has grown rapidly.
Note that commas cannot be used after that.
X Experience indicates that, these problems do not result wholly from our life-style.
Missing commas
Example
X The second exercise which was more difficult took half an hour.
Corrected sentence: The second exercise, which was more difficult, took half an hour.
Two commas are needed to set off the extra information. This extra information is parenthetical
{(which was more difficult)}, i.e., it could be put in brackets.
1. Correct the following sentences by either inserting or deleting commas where appropriate.
1. Skateboarding, which my brother is crazy about is a different experience fordifferent people.
2. For some skaters skateboarding is a sport, where skaters perform tricks or ridethe ramps.
3. For others however the skateboard is used as a mode of transportation.
4. This is a dangerous way to get around town but, many people do it.
5. Some people, take skateboarding very seriously.
6. For example my brother said “For me, skateboarding is like a religion.”
7. Although I’m not an avid skateboarder I understand what he was saying.
8. When I skate my feelings include joy peace excitement and contentment.
9. My friends have taught encouraged pushed and challenged me to be the bestskater I can be.
Challenge Yourself: Comma
4 PUNCTUATION
2. Colon
A colon is a piece of punctuation that has a number of functions.
Use a colon after the greeting in a business letter.
Dear Sir:
To Whom It May Concern:
Use a colon to separate hours and minutes.
They have recess at 10:15.
The plane departs at 14:10.
Use a colon o separate a title from a subtitle.
My new book is called Hot Stuff: One Hundred Ways to Make Chili.
Use a colon to introduce a formal statement or question.
a) The problem was this: how to add taped dialogue to film sequences.
Use a colon to introduce a series or list of examples.
A first-aid kit should contain the following items: cotton wool, sticking plasters, and cream.
Do not use colons in headings, for example,
X Introduction:
Do not use a colon after the verb « to be » or after a preposition
Incorrect: Her favorite subjects are: math and English.
Correct: Her favorite subjects are math and English.
Incorrect: The movie was directed by: Ingmar Bergman.
Correct: The movie was directed by Ingmar Bergman.
Do not use a colon after words or expressions such as, for example, including, or namely.
Incorrect: Ice cream comes in many delicious flavors, such as: bubble gum, vanilla, and chocolate.
Correct: Ice cream comes in many delicious flavors, such as chocolate, vanilla, and bubble gum.
Incorrect: Chocolate includes: milk, dark, and double-double-dark.
Correct: Chocolate includes milk, dark, and double-double-dark.
PUNCTUATION 5
Quiz Yourself: Colon
2. Punctuate each sentence by inserting a colon where appropriate.
1. There is only one reason for this problem he never learned to drive properly.
2. My morning routine looks like this wake up, brush my teeth, and run to school.
3. The car has a number of extras sun roof, tinted windows, heated seats, andwing mirrors.
4. The following creatures are all imaginary vampires, werewolves, zombies, and elves.
5. Her chess advice, I remember, was this “Make sure you plan at least two movesahead.”
6. We have set a house rule do your homework before watching television.
7. Dr. Samuel Barton is the author of a new study titled Video Games The Beginning ofAggression.
8. His study found an increase in the following behaviours verbal attacks and physicalattacks.
9. Dr. Barton states something important “Playing a violent video game fostersaggressive thoughts.”
6 PUNCTUATION
3. Semicolon
A semicolon introduces a longer pause than a comma. It can be tricky to use correctly, so save it for
the following special situations.
Use a semicolon to connect sentences that are closely related.
• Some people work better in the morning; others work better in the evening.
• The sciences search for change; the humanities reflect on what it is.
Use a semicolon to separate a statement from its explanation.
• Be here by three o’clock at the latest; otherwise, we will not wait.
• We suffered many indignities; for example, all of our pockets were turned
inside out.
Use a semicolon before a conjunctive adverb that joins two independent clauses.
• Skiing is dangerous; nevertheless, millions of people ski.
• I have never been to Asia; in fact, I have never been outside the country.
Use a semicolon in place of a coordinate conjunction
The sun was rising; we had to move.
➢ Avoid using a semicolon if short joining words, such as and, but, or or, are used
between complete sentences.
Use a semicolon to separate items in a series.
Like the comma, the semicolon can be used to separate items in a series if the items already
contain commas. The semicolon helps the reader understand where the breaks in the list
should be.
➢ In one afternoon at the beach, the Kids’ Environmental Clean-Up Crew filled ten bags with
aluminum cans, glass, and garbage; cleaned the storm drain; and removed graffiti from the
information kiosk.
➢ When we went on holiday, we visited relatives inDrumheller, Alberta; Regina, Saskatchewan;
Flin Flon, Manitoba; and Thunder Bay, Ontario.
PUNCTUATION 7
3. Punctuate each sentence inserting a semicolon where appropriate.
1. Cycling is excellent exercise I cycle everyday.
2. The air was crisp and clear it was a lovely day.
3. Call me tomorrow I will give you my answer then.
4. I missed the early bus however, I still made it to class on time.
5. I’ve travelled as far away as Paris, France Rome, Italy and Athens, Greece.
6. I needed only two cards to win I needed the ten of hearts and the jack of diamonds.
7. I ordered the CD six weeks ago therefore, I expected it to arrive by now.
8. A cougar was spotted on the hiking trail we couldn’t go on.
9. The computer performs millions of operations in a split second however, it still
breaks down.
10. Three objects lay on the desk: a large book a spiral-bound notepad and a vase
containing flowers.
4. Correct each sentence by either inserting or deleting a semicolon where appropriate.
When necessary, replace the semicolon with correct punctuation.
1. To address the problem of childhood obesity; many schools are prohibiting
thesale of junk food.
2. There are two causes of increased obesity; poor eating habits and a lack of
exercise.
3. Fatty foods would be banned healthy snacks would be in.
4. Canada doesn’t subsidize school meals however, provinces want to get junk food
out of schools.
5. The solution is not just to ban junk food, students must also increase their level of
exercise.
8 PUNCTUATION
Capitalization
Capitalize the first word of a sentence and proper nouns—the namesof people, places, and
things. The following are specific examples.
The first word of a sentence and the personal pronoun “I.”
Do you want me to buy you a sandwich when I stop at the deli?
Capitalize the first word in a direct quotation.
See the tutorial titled “Quotations Marks” for more information.
When Grant overheard his father say, “Let me take the wheel for a while,” he
shuddered.
Capitalize the names of people, their initials, abbreviations, and titles.
Mr. Brown Constable M.R. Davis
Nellie McClung Dr. Raymond Wu
Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson
Capitalize titles that indicate family relationships when these titles are used with
a name or in place of a name.
Family Titles General Relationships
Aunt Gertrude her aunt
Grandfather Stacey our grandfather
Where is Mother? my mother went
PUNCTUATION 9
Capitalize official titles when these titles are used with a name.
Official Titles General Titles
Mayor Jones the mayor
Doctor Jack the doctor
Capitalize regional names (cities, provinces, countries, sections within countries,
continents) and abbreviations derived from them.
Kitimat The West Coast Antarctica British Columbia (BC)
Capitalize names of specific bodies of water, rivers, and streams.
Thompson River East Barrier Lake Pacific Ocean
Capitalize common nouns used as part of a place name.
Common Proper
street Oak Street
mountain Rocky Mountains
river Skeena River
theater Queen Elizabeth Theatre
school Rockridge Secondary School
Do not capitalize compass directions, north, south, east, or west, except when
they are an area or section of the country or part of a street address.
When jobs were scarce on the West Side, the family moved east.
If you walk north on North Street, you will find the correct address.I’m
lost—do we travel north or west to reach the hotel?
Capitalize the names of races, languages, nationalities, and the adjectives
derived from them.
First Nations Italian cooking Aboriginal education
Japanese Spanish music
10 PUNCTUATION
Capitalize the name of languages.
Canadians speak English and French.
Capitalize the names of religions, the adjectives derived from them, the
followers of each religion, and their sacred writings.
Muslims Christians
Koran Buddhist temple
Capitalize the names of organizations, clubs, historical events and periods of
time, and abbreviations derived from them.
Middle Ages Industrial Revolution War of 1812
Tim Hortons United Nations (UN) Edmonton Oilers
Capitalize the names of months, days of the week, and holidays, but not
seasons.
Monday Thanksgiving Day
December summer
Capitalize titles.
Capitalize important words in titles of movies, books, magazines, plays, newspapers, poems, TV
shows, works of art, pieces of music, and named structures. The first and last word of a title
are always capitalized.
Pride and Prejudice TV Guide The Globe and Mail
The Memorial Arena Mona Lisa The Fellowship of the Rings
O Canada The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
articles (a, an, the)
PUNCTUATION 11
Capitalize letter greetings and closings.
Greetings—Capitalize the first letter in all significant words.
To Whom It May Concern:
Dear Mom,
Closings—Capitalize only the first letter of the first word and any proper nouns.
With love,
Yours truly,
Capitalize school subjects and languages.
Capitalize the name of a school subject when it is the name of a specific course,but do not
capitalize general subject areas.
Specific Course General Subject
Physics 12 science
Social Studies 11 geography
Any general subject areas that are also proper nouns should be
capitalized. For example:
12 PUNCTUATION
5. Correct each sentence by using capital letter where necessary.
1. on june 30, 1998, a volcano named korovin erupted on atka island in alaska.
2. my next door neighbor, mrs. brown, has a very large garden.
3. sadly, i dropped my ice cream on the ground before i could eat it.
4. my favorite book is charlotte’s web.
5. did you know that sally was born on march 11th, 1989?
6. my pet rabbit ran all the way down mulberry street.
7. dr. martin luther king jr. worked hard for the cause of equal rights.
8. “let’s go to the park,” said maria.
9. the young man became a citizen of the u.s.a.
10. are dr. owusu and senator jackson members of the p.t.a?
11. the month of march can be very cold, but spring will come soon.
12. Kay enjoys spending time in her home on fifty-third street in minneapolis.
13. elementary school closes early on mondays.
14. there will be a parade on main street in los angeles, california on memorial day.
15. can you see the washington monument from the potomac river?
16. ms fernandez will travel to mexico in september to buy fabric for her company, textiles
international.
17. they asked officer moore to meet them at 212 fifth avenue.
18. charles dickens wrote the classic, oliver twist, about life in england.
19. i like history and science, but I don’t like algebra II or english.
20. Ships use the panama canal to pass between the Caribbean sea and the pacific ocean.
PUNCTUATION 13
6. For each sentence, use commas, semicolons, colon, or no punctuation.
1. The defendant failed to check his rear-view mirror before changing lanes therefore he breached the
law and deserved a ticket.
2. There are two kinds of fruit on the table oranges and apples.
3. I have a lot to do today study for my test do my laundry wash the car and call my mom.
4. Zakaria came to class breathless and overwhelmed he had just come from volleyball practice.
5. The Europe trip will include visits to London England Rome Italy Paris France Munich Germany and
Warsaw Poland.
6. He was very tired however he decided his class was too important to miss.
7. The tables had wonderful decorations flowers balloons confetti ribbons and marble birds.
8. The colors of the banner are blue red yellow and black.
9. The lunchroom was decorated with balloons red yellow and black streamers big and small and glow-
in-the-dark stars.
10. The play was excellent the actors were lively and the set was phenomenal.
11. The first book he cited in his paper was Understanding Comics The Invisible Art.
12. Her purse held many items including chapstick money a cell phone cough drops and some pens.
13. It was the first of May all the spring buds on the trees were starting to open.
14. It rained heavily during the afternoon however we managed to have our picnic anyway.
15. The World Series had begun however we were still stuck in traffic.
16. My favorite leisure-time activities are going to movies especially musicals reading novels especially
stories of love and adventure listening to music both rock and classical and participating in sports
particularly tennis and volleyball.
17. The Smiths' marriage should succeed they share the same interests.
18. Hoping that he would pass the course he stayed up all night studying for the final exam unfortunately
he overslept and missed the test.
1 9. In general I enjoy my English class the amount of homework our teacher assigns is definitely not
enjoyable however.
20. If you are a college student, an average day is filled with these challenges you have to avoid running
into Professor Jones whose class you missed because you overslept you have to race across the
campus at high speed to reach your next class which is always at the other side of the campus and
you have to secretly prepare your homework assignment during class.
14 PUNCTUATION
7. Each sentence contains a punctuation error. On your own sheet of paper, correct each
sentence by adding commas, semicolons, colons, and apostrophes as needed.
1. She has carefully planted several species of roses peonies and irises.
2. I am especially proud of the sunflowers I planted them!
3. You should see the birds that are attracted to the garden hummingbirds, finches, robins,
and sparrows.
4. I like to watch the hummingbirds they are my favorite.
5. We spend a lot of time in the garden planting weeding and just enjoying the view.
6. Each flower has its own personality some seem shy and others seem bold.
8. Read the following paragraph and use the necessary punctuation marks (stops, commas,
semi-colons, colons.
I was a little nervous about the interview it was my first in years I had to borrow my roommates
suit but it fit me well A few days ago I started to research the company’s history and mission I felt
like I was well qualified for the job. When I arrived I shook hands with the interviewer she had a
strong grip! It nearly caught me off guard but I did my best to smile and relax. I was a little
distracted by all the books in the woman’s office she must have had a hundred books in that tiny
room. However, I think my responses to her questions were good I’ll send her an e-mail to thank
her for her time. Hopefully shell call me soon about the position.
PUNCTUATION 15
