Category: Punctuation

Understanding CP Style

1/29/2013

What you should know about CP Style...

1. Quotations
a. “It’s period/ quote and not quote/ period. “
Look in newspapers and you will always see."

b. Capitalize the first word in a quotation when it forms a complete thought.
Example:
"No matter what you say," he said. ""I will go."

2. Punctuation
a. Understand how to use commas, semi colons, colons and especially apostrophes. Review singular and plurals and possessives.

3. Titles
a. Do not use Mr./Ms. in first or subsequent reference.

4. Spell proper names as they are
a. Bar Harbour, Maine, not Bar Harbour
b. Lincoln Center, New York City, not Lincoln Centre
c. U.S. Secretary of Labor, not Labour
d. Don’t mix Canadian and U.S. spelling in one sentence: one wouldn't say U.S. Defence Secretary met with Canadian Minister of Defense…in this instance, CP style would predominate
e. Also spell common names per the individual’s preference—yes, it ’s k.d. lang and ee cummings and Kim Campbell, not Kimberly

5. Avoid caps where possible
a. Capitalize all proper names, trade names, government departments and agencies, names of associations, clubs, religions, languages, nations, races, places and addresses.
b. For example: white and black are colours, not races; Caucasian and African-Canadian are correct. (This may not be politically correct).
c. Medical references enjoy persistent capitals: Fallopian tube, Achilles tendon
d. Be careful with newspaper names: it ’s the New York Times, the Toronto Star, no initial capitalization
e. Former titles are generally not capitalized: the late governor general Roméo Leblanc, not former Gov. Gen etc.

6. Numbers and figures
a. Check figures very carefully. One decimal point can be disastrous
b. Percentages can throw off copy and be misleading—increases from one number to another may be prefer red. “Sales increased from $100 to $150, or 50 per cent. (Percent is two words).

7. Sports
a. Familiar league names are abbreviated in first reference. NHL or CFL, not National Hockey League (NHL)
b. City names are singular while team names are plural. The Toronto Maple Leafs play in Air Canada Centre, while Toronto “plays” in Air Canada, etc.
c. The series is singular: The Stanley Cup final, not finals

8. Front Loading
a. “The Minister of External Affairs said today in a news conference that he was adding six new consular officials in Iraq” is ghastly.
Correct way is: "Six new consular officials will be added in Iraq, the Minister of External Affairs said today."
b. Bring the news out first.

9. Time
a. Try to make it fall naturally – as it would in speech
b. In the above example, imagine this:
i. The Minister today said
ii. The Minister said today

10. That and Which
a. That is used when the clause is “essential to the noun it defines.” “The movie that played at Square One.”
b. Which clauses give a reason or add a new element and are over used. If it can be set off by a comma, it probably requires “which.”The Hangover, which just opened at the Yorkdale Cinema…

11. Who and Whom
a. Whom is becoming archaic in spoken language and is t rending that way in written speech;when it can’t be avoided, use it correctly
b. Separate sentence to check which is which
i. Who can be replaced by he, she and they
ii. Whom favour s him, her and them
iii. Who is a subject;Whom is an object (to whom)

12. Abbreviations
a. When in doubt, spell it out. Notable acronyms are permissible—GST but not provinces: it ’s B.C., not BC
c. In first reference, use U.S., not U.S.A or USA

13. Everyday words
a. About, not approximately
b. Met, not held a meeting
c. Instructor or teacher , not resource person

14. Canadian Spelling – is also fading away but not entirelya. Programme, tyre and gynaecologist are out but manoeuvre and cheque are in
b. “our”words ar e in: labour, favour and honour etc. Believe it or not , until 1998 “labor”was CP style but the population –and schools – taught ‘our.’
c. Double “ll” is also CP style: counsellor, travelled
d. It’s now criticize and rationalize—one exception is analyse

15. Over vs. More than
a. They are equivalent

16. Commas
a. Not after the final “and” in a series

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Advanced Punctuation (Part 2)

12/24/2012

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This is a continuation of Advanced Punctuation (Part 1). In Part 1, we talked about commas, colons and semicolons.

In Advanced Punctuation (Part 2), we will discuss specific details and rules that you may not know about:

Quotation Marks
Apostrophes
Slashes

Quotation Marks ("")
As you already know, quotation marks surround the words that are being spoken. Here are the rules for using quotation marks:

Begin quotations with a capital letter

Place all ending punctuation after the quote but before the closing quotation mark

Using quotation marks in a split quotation is a bit trickier. A quote separated by the person who spoke is called a split quotation. Begin the first part of a split quotation with a capital letter, and end with a comma. Begin the second part of a split quotation with a lower case letter. Enclose both parts of the split quotation with quotation marks.

For example:
“Okay class,” said the teacher, “tomorrow we will use the computer to learn more about continents.”
“No,” my mother replied, “you cannot go to Alana’s party!”
“Wait,” she interrupted, “how did you do that again?”

Use single quotation marks for quotations within quotations or direct speech within a text. Note that the period goes inside all quotation marks.

Example:
He said, “Karen said, ‘Do not treat me that way.’”
“Have you read ‘The Hunger Games’ yet?” he asked her.

Apostrophes (')
Apostrophes are used in the following circumstances:
1. With contractions. The apostrophe is always placed at the spot where the letter(s) has been removed.
Examples:
don't, isn't
You're right.
She's a great teacher.

2. To show possession. Place the apostrophe before the s to show singular possession.
Examples:
one boy's hat
one woman's hat
one actress's hat
one child's hat
Ms. Chang's house

NOTE: Although names ending in s or an s sound are not required to have the second s added in possessive form, it is preferred.
Examples:
Mr. Jones's golf clubs
Texas's weather
Ms. Straus's daughter
Jose Sanchez's artwork
Dr. Hastings's appointment (name is Hastings)
Mrs. Lees's books (name is Lees)

3. Where the noun that should follow is implied.
Example: This was his father's, not his, jacket.

Rules for using the apostrophe:

To show plural possession, make the noun plural first. Then immediately use the apostrophe.

Examples:
two boys' hats two women's hats
two actresses' hats
two children's hats
the Changs' house
the Joneses' golf clubs
the Strauses' daughter

Do not use an apostrophe for the plural of a name.

Examples:
We visited the Sanchezes in Los Angeles.(name is Sanchez)
The Changs have two cats and a dog.(name is Chang)

With a singular compound noun, show possession with 's at the end of the word.

Example:
my mother-in-law's hat

If the compound noun is plural, form the plural first and then use the apostrophe.

Example:
my two brothers-in-law's hats

Use the apostrophe and s after the second name only if two people possess the same item.

Examples:
Cesar and Maribel's home is constructed of redwood.
Cesar's and Maribel's job contracts will be renewed next year. (Indicates separate ownership)
Cesar and Maribel's job contracts will be renewed next year. (Indicates joint ownership of more than
one contract)

Never use an apostrophe with possessive pronouns: his, hers, its, theirs, ours, yours, whose. They already show possession so they do not require an apostrophe.

Correct: This book is hers, not yours.
Incorrect: Sincerely your's.

The only time an apostrophe is used for it's is when it is a contraction for it is or it has.

Examples:
It's a nice day.
It's your right to refuse the invitation.
It's been great getting to know you.

Use apostrophes with capital letters and numbers when the meaning would be unclear otherwise.

Examples:
Please dot your i's.
You don't mean is.
Ted couldn't distinguish between his 6's and 0's.
You need to use the apostrophe to indicate the plural of zero or it will look like the word Os.To be
consistent within a sentence, you would also use the apostrophe to indicate the plural of 6's.

Slashes (/)
A slash is used to indicate a choice between the words it separates. It is also called a slant, solidus or virgule. It is also used to separate lines in poetry.

Slash rules and usage:

The slash can be translated as or

Examples:
We’ll go to the beach if/when your brother finishes his homework.
When one has to return to the store, he/she must take the receipt.
When the knight shows up, he/she must prove his/her worth to the King.

Slashes should not be used where the word or could not be used in its place

There is no space between the slash and the letters on either side of it when indicating a choice
In poetry, slashes are used to indicate a line-break. In quoted poetry, there are spaces between the slash and letters at both sides of it.

Example:
Whose woods these are I think I know / His house is in the village though;

Using slashes to indicate line breaks in poetry is limited to only four or five lines of verse. If the verse is more than four or five lines, the poem is written out as it appears in its original form, without using line breaks or quotation marks.

Example:
Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.

My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near

(As you can see, there are no slashes or quotation marks and the lines are written like they are in the
original poem)

Slashes are also used in internet URL’s. There are no spaces in this case.

Example: http://www.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/

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Advanced Punctuation (Part 1)

12/20/2012

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There are many different punctuation marks and it can be difficult to distinguish between them all. Here’s a comprehensive list of rules and examples for using various punctuation marks. This list will help those who have already have a general understanding of punctuation but need further guidance when using them. Furthermore, we will expand on things mentioned in Basic Punctuation for Beginners. In Advanced Punctuation (Part 1), we will discuss specific details that you may not know about:

Commas
Colons
Semicolons

Commas (,)
When properly placed, commas clarify meaning by helping readers organize information. Without it, sentence parts can collide into one another and cause confusion. However, too many commas can cause distraction.

Rules for comma usage:

Commas with numbers:

-Use commas to separate off the thousands, millions and billions in numbers.
Example: 2,460,558
- Don’t use commas in decimals.
Example: $4534.79
- Use a comma before the year if the date is given as follows: month, day, year.
Example: January 11, 2004
- Don’t use a comma if only two elements of the date are given (e.g. month and year).
Example: I was born in August 1989.

2. Commas with series (lists):
-Use a comma to separate items in an enumeration.
Example: Mrs. B had a dog, a cat, a fish and a pig.
- Don’t use a comma before and if two items are a unit. Ham and eggs as a dish is a unit and should therefore not be separated by a comma.
Example: Mrs. B had soup, ham and eggs, juice, and an apple pie for lunch.
- Don't use a comma if all items in an enumeration are separated by and, or, nor etc.
Example: Mrs. B had a pig and a dog and a cow and a horse.

3. Commas with Salutations:
- Use a comma if the sentence starts with an address to someone.
Example: John, may I talk to you for a second?
- Use a comma with salutations in private letters.
Example: Dear Alexandria, ...
- After the greeting, the comma is optional.
Example: Sincerely, or Sincerely

4. Commas with "please":
- Use a comma if "please" is at the end of a request.
Example: Send me a letter, please.
- Don't use a comma if "please" is at the beginning of a request.
Example: Please send me a letter.

5. Commas with Affirmatives, Negatives and Question Tags:
- Use a comma after yes and no.
Affirmatives: Yes, I can help you.
Negatives: No, I can't help you.

-Question Tag: Use a comma before question tags.
Positive main clause - Negative question tag
Example: You are Scottish, aren't you?
Negative main clause - Positive question tag
Example: You aren't Scottish, are you?

6. Commas with Adjectives:
- Use a comma if the adjectives are equally important and give similar kinds of information.
Example: It was a cold, windy night.
- Don't use a comma if the adjectives are not equally important or give different kinds of information.
Example: She was a clever young woman.
Note: To check if adjectives give similar kinds of information or not, put and between the adjectives.

Example: It was a cold and windy night.
If adjectives give different kinds of information, the and between the adjectives doesn't sound right. (Example of wrong use: She was a clever and young woman.)

7. Commas with Adverbs:
- Use a comma after certain adverbs: however, in fact, therefore, nevertheless, moreover, furthermore, still, instead, too (meaning 'also').
- If these adverbs appear in the middle of a sentence, they are enclosed in commas.
Example: The boy, however, was very smart.
- The comma is optional for the following adverbs: then, so, yet.
Example: Then, she ran upstairs. Then she ran upstairs.

8. Commas between Main Clauses:
- Use a comma between two main clauses which are separated by and or but.
Example: We ran out of fuel, and the nearest gas station was 5 miles away.
- Use a comma to separate parts of a sentence in a sequence.

Example: She ran down the stairs, opened the door, saw her mom(,) and gave her a hug.
- Don’t use a comma if these parts of the sentence are separated by and or but.
Example: She ran down the stairs and opened the door and saw her mom and gave her a hug.

9. Commas with Conditional Sentences
- Use a comma if the if clause is at the beginning of a sentence.
Example: If I go to London, I will visit the Tower.
- Don’t use a comma if the if clause is at the end of the sentence.
Example: I will visit the Tower if I go to London.

10. Commas with Introductory Clauses:
-Use a comma after introductory infinitive clauses.
Example: To improve her Math, she practiced kwizNET Worksheets every day.
- Use a comma after introductory prepositional clauses.
Example: Before he went to New York, he had spent a year in Australia.
- Use a comma after introductory participle clauses.
Example: Having said this, he left the room.

11. Commas with Direct Speech:
- Use a comma after the introductory clause.
Example: She said, ''I was in England last year.''
- If the direct speech is at the beginning of the sentence, put the comma before the final quotation mark. (Don’t use a period here.)
Example: ''I was in England last year,'' she said.
- Don’t use a comma after direct speech if the direct speech ends with a question mark or exclamation mark.
Example: “Were you in England last year?” he asked. (The question mark replaces the comma because it is a question)

12.   Commas with interjections:
- Use a comma to separate an interjection or weak exclamation from the rest of the sentence.
Examples:
Wow, you really did it this time! (Wow is an interjection)
Hey, will you do me a favor? (Hey is a weak exclamation)

13.   Commas with Additional Information:
- Use a comma if the additional information is not part of the main statement.
Example: Thank you, ladies and gentlemen, for giving me the opportunity to speak to you today.
- Use a comma in relative clauses before who and which if the information is not essential for the understanding of the sentence.
Example: Her brother, who lives in Chicago, came to see her. She has only one brother. He lives in Chicago and came to see her.
- Don’t use a comma in relative clauses if the information is essential for the understanding of the sentence.
Example: Her brother who lives in Chicago came to see her. She has more than one brother. But she was visited by only one of them–the brother who lives in Chicago.
- Don’t use a comma if the relative clause starts with that.
Example: The book that I’m reading now is interesting.

14.   Commas with Opposites:
- Use a comma with opposites, even if they are separated by and or but.
Example: It was the father, and not the son, who went to the disco every Friday.

Colons (:)
Colons have a number of functions:

1.   To introduce an idea.
The colon is used to introduce an idea that is an explanation or continuation of the one that comes before the colon. The colon can be considered as a gateway inviting the reader to go on.

Examples:
You are left with only one option: Press on until you have mastered it.
There is one thing you need to know about coleslaw: it looks and tastes like slurry.

In the above examples you have some idea of what will come after the colon. It is important to note that the clause that comes before the colon can stand alone and make complete sense on its own.

If the initial clause cannot stand alone and make complete sense, you should not use a colon.

2.   To introduce a list.
The second main use of the colon is to introduce a list. You need to take care; many people assume that a colon always precedes a list. This is not the case. Again it is important to remember that the clause that precedes the colon must make complete sense on its own.

Examples:
The potion contained some exotic ingredients: snails’ eyes, bats’ tongues and garlic.
The magic potion contained sesame seeds, bran flakes and coleslaw.

In the first sentence, the clause preceding the colon has a subject and a predicate and makes complete sense on its own 'The potion contained some exotic ingredients.' In the second sentence a colon should not be used, as the clause that would precede it would not make sense alone 'The magic potion contained'.

3.   To introduce quoted material.
The colon has other uses: it can also be used after a clause introducing quoted material.
Example: The girl often used her favourite quotation from Romeo and Juliet: “Oh Romeo, Romeo, where art thou Romeo?”

If the colon precedes a quotation, you should begin the language of that quote with a capital letter.

4.   For style.
Having mastered the correct use of the colon, it is useful to make it work for you in your writing. Using a colon can add emphasis to an idea. For example, consider the following two sentences:
Examples:
The one thing mankind cannot live without is hope.
There is one thing that mankind cannot live without: hope.

Both sentences are grammatically correct, but the second makes the point a little more forcefully. Now we are in the realms of style, it is important to emphasize that you, as the writer, have to decide how to make your newfound expertise with punctuation work for you. Do not be tempted to overuse colons. They are powerful but should be used with precision and care.

Semicolons (;)

Use a semicolon to join two independent clauses. (This eliminates the need for a comma and a conjunction.)

Examples:
With a comma and conjunction: My grandmother seldom goes to bed this early, because she’s afraid she’ll miss out on something.
With a semicolon: My grandmother seldom goes to be this early; she’s afraid she’ll miss out on something.

2. Use a semicolon to separate items in a series when those items contain punctuation such as a comma.
Example: We went on field trips to Topeka, Kansas; Freedom, Oklahoma; and Amarillo, Texas.

Topeka, Kansas is one place, Freedom, Oklahoma is another place, and Amarillo, Texas is another. The semicolon just makes it easier to tell that these are not all separate places.

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HE SAID SHE SAID - WRITING DIALOGUE

12/18/2012

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Here are 5 useful tips for writing dialogue

*Every new speaker gets their own paragraph

“Okay, I think can remember that.” William said.

“Great, just keep reading and you will learn a lot more!”
responded Diana.

*Also, when two people are talking, you don’t need to attribute everything that is said. The reader should be able to remember who said what.

“I guess that makes sense.” William said, then opened his notebook and started writing. “So, what’s
next?”

*Remember to put quotations (“ “) around words that are spoken aloud and italicize words that are thoughts.

“That’s a great tip!” I better start writing this all down.

*Don’t forget that all punctuation goes INSIDE quotation marks.

“Okay, I will remember that.”

*Finally, if you feel like you have overused the verb SAID you can always try different verbs such as “replied,” “asked” or “responded.” Choose whatever makes the most sense for the dialogue you are writing.

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Basic Punctuation for Beginners

12/12/2012

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Periods, commas, quotation marks... the list goes on and on. It might be a little frightening at first for aspiring young writers to be faced with all these different forms of punctuation. At Voice K, we want to make learning and writing as painless as possible. So I put together a list of different punctuation exercises and examples to put your mind at ease.

Let’s start with the basics:

Basic Capitalization Rules
To capitalize a letter means to make it an upper-case letter. Capitalization is a very important part of grammar and punctuation.

The first letter of a sentence always needs to be in capital.
The first letter of a proper noun (name of a person , place, days of the week, months of the year, holidays) always needs to be in capital. For example:
a. My name is Elena.
b. My favourite day is Friday.
c. Last year, I went to England for the summer.
d. I wonder what I am getting for Christmas this year.
The first letter of each word in a title has to be capitalized. For example:
a. My favourite book is Warriors by Erin Hunters
The first letter of a quote should be capitalized.
a. He said, "I love ice cream!"

However, if you divide a sentence in two, the second part would not be capitalized. For example:
b. "But no," said the mother, "that is not true."

The T in "that" is not capitalized because it is not the beginning of the sentence that she is saying.

The Period (.)
Also known as a full stop, a period marks the end of a sentence. It is the most common form of punctuation that is used to conclude a sentence. Here are some examples:

I took a walk through the forest.
It was snowing this evening.

Exclamation Mark (!)
Similar to a period, the exclamation mark is also used to conclude a sentence. However, it is only used when the sentence is said in an urgent, surprised, or excited tone. When you want to express an urgent or strong emotion, you use an exclamation mark. Here are some examples:

Watch out!
I love chocolate!

You can also end those same sentences with a period.

Watch out.
I love chocolate.

But as you can see, it doesn't have the same tone as it would if you had placed an exclamation mark. It sounds calm and dull. The exclamation mark shows that you are feeling a strong emotion.

Question Mark (?)
A question mark is used at the end of a direct question. It is only used when asking a question. For example:

How are you?
What is your favourite animal?

Be careful not to confuse direct questions with indirect questions. An indirect question is a statement, thus you would not put a question mark at the end of it.

He asked if he could borrow my pencil.
I wonder if the library has the book I want.

These are indirect questions.

The Comma (,)
A comma indicates a pause between parts of a sentence. There are several ways to use a comma

Use a comma to separate three or more items in a sentence.
a. Rather than saying “I have been to Italy and France and Slovenia”, you would say “I have been to Italy, France and Slovenia.”
b. Rather than saying “I have a cat and dog and parrot and hamster”, you would say “I have a cat, dog, parrot and hamster.”
Use a comma to separate two adjectives (words that describe something) in a sentence.
a. Rather than saying “It was a cute and fluffy cat”, you would say “It was a cute, fluffy cat.”
b. Rather than saying “The sweet and red apple was hand-picked from a tree”, you would say “The sweet, red apple was hand-picked from a tree.”
When you are introducing a person, for example My older brother and you want to introduce their name, you have to use a comma before and after their name.
a. My older brother, Vincent, is 19 years old.
b. My dog, Koga, likes to play outside.

Likewise, when you introduce someone's name and you want to describe them, you have to use a comma before and after the description.
a. Vincent, my older brother, is 19 years old.
b. Koga, my dog, likes to play outside.
Use a comma to separate the day of the month from the year
a. I was born on October 25th, 2001
Use a comma when you start the sentence with a word that indicates time, such as “Today” or “Last week”. Separate the time from the sentence. For example:
a. Today, I went to the doctor.
b. Next week, I am going to Wonderland.
c. Whenever I come back home, my dog greets me at the door.
Always put a comma before a quotation, unless you are starting the sentence with a quote.
a. She said, "I love animals!"

Quotation Marks (“ ”)
Quotation marks are put around dialogue, or things that people say. For example:

He said, “I love to play soccer with my friends.”

All end punctuation goes before the closing quotation mark. For example, “I love to play soccer with my friends”. is wrong because the period is after the closing quotation mark.

Now that you have a better understanding of the different punctuation marks, try this exercise to see how well you remember what you've learned.

Correct the following sentences

I went swimming with my friends today
I can't wait until christmas!
I play the guitar and drums and flute.
Today I met my friend Matt at the mall
When I gave my sister a present, she said thank you!
My best friend Tyler loves wolves.
When I grow up I want to be a journalist.
my friend caroline is in the same class as me
What's your name
Today, I saw an adorable and brown dog
Watch out, you almost hit me
Why is the grass green and the sky blue

Click through to see how well you did!

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Understanding CP Style

Advanced Punctuation (Part 2)

Advanced Punctuation (Part 1)

HE SAID SHE SAID - WRITING DIALOGUE

Basic Punctuation for Beginners

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