The two main uses of quotation marks are:
1. To set off the exact words of a speaker or a writer.
2. To set off the titles of short works (titles of short stories, poems, magazine articles, or a chapter within a book).

Quotation marks indicate where a speaker’s exact words begin and end.
Celine said, “I don’t want to go.”

NOTE: You do not need to set off words that aren’t the speaker’s exact words.
Celine said that she didn’t want to go.

How to punctuate using quotation marks:

1. Always put commas inside quotation marks.
“My sister is wearing my sweater,” said Janine.
2. A quotation must begin with a capital letter.
Janine screamed, “Get that sweater off before I rip it off!”
3. When you split a quotation, the second part doesn’t start with a capital letter unless it is a new sentence.
“You always make a big deal if I’m wearing your stuff,” Jennifer rebutted, “even though you wear my clothes all of the time.”
4. Place quotation marks before the first quoted word of a speech and after the last word. The speech may consist of more than one sentence, but only one set of quotation marks is required.
Janine replied, “That’s because I wash your clothes before I give them back. You, on the other hand, think nothing of the ketchup stain you leave on my pants. I’m sick of going to put something on only to find it dirty.”
5. When a quotation mark ends a sentence, the period falls inside of the quotation marks.
Jennifer said, “Just throw it in the hamper and wear something else.”
6. Exclamation points and question marks fall inside only if they are part of the quotation.
Janine asked, “Do you understand the point I’m trying to make?”
7. Remember to begin a new paragraph for each new speaker’s words.
“I understand,” said Jennifer, “exactly what you’re talking about.”
“I don’t think you do,” replied Janine.
“What is your problem?” Jennifer asked sharply. “You really need some help.”
8. A quotation within a quotation requires single quotation marks.
Janine said, “I can’t believe that you just said, ‘What is your problem’.”

THE PROBLEM:
Two or more sentences are joined together by a comma or written as one sentence.

Examples

The skiing industry in British Columbia is booming, both skiers and snowboarders are flocking to their local hills to enjoy the rush of cruising the slopes.
or
The skiing industry in British Columbia is booming both skiers and snowboarders flock to their local hills to enjoy the rush of cruising the slopes.

HOW TO FIX IT:

Separate the run-on into two sentences.
The skiing industry in British Columbia is booming. Both skiers and snowboarders are flocking to their local hills to enjoy the rush of cruising the slopes.
Connect the sentences with a comma and a co-ordinating conjunction.
The skiing industry in British Columbia is booming, for both skiers and snowboarders are flocking to their local hills to enjoy the rush of cruising the slopes.
Connect the sentences with a semicolon.
The skiing industry in British Columbia is booming; both skiers and snowboarders are flocking to their local hills to enjoy the rush of cruising the slopes.
Add a subordinating conjunction to one of the sentences and use a comma before the other sentence. (In the following example, the sentences have been inverted.)
Because both skiers and snowboarders are flocking to their local hills to enjoy the rush of cruising the slopes, the skiing industry in British Columbia is booming.

Use a colon before a list of items, especially after expressions like as follows or the following. (This sauce is made of the following ingredients: tomatoes, bay leaves, onions, oregano, and garlic.)

Use a colon before a statement that explains or clarifies a preceding statement. (He could think of but one course of action: He would have to admit he had lied to his father.)

Use a colon to indicate a formal notice or announcement. (The premier stated: “The environment must be saved, and we are committed to cleaning up our act immediately.”)

Use a colon to indicate a formal notice or announcement. (The report stated: All entertainment of overseas visitors should be approved by Ottawa.)

Use a colon between the hour and the minute. (11:30 P.M.)

Use a colon after the salutation of a business letter. (To Whom It May Concern:)

Two or more independent clauses that are very closely related in thought may be joined by a semicolon. (Mr. Pooran takes his vacation in July; Ms. Khan prefers hers in January.)

If the second of two independent clauses begins with a conjuctive adverb such as however, nevertheless, therefore, or consequently, a semicolon is usually used at the end of the first independent clause. (The price of sugar has risen; consequently, the price of candy has also risen.)

If commas have already been used in a long, involved sentence, use a semicolon to separate the independent clauses instead of a comma. (Our order was for staples, paper clips, and thumb tacks; but we received a stapler, pads of paper, and carpet tacks.)

A semicolon is used to separate items in a series or list where commas are already used within the items. (On my trip to the west coast, I visited Selkirk, Manitoba; Red Deer, Alberta; and Penticton, British Columbia, before I reached Vancouver.)

A semicolon is usually used before for example, namely, and that is when these words begin a clause. (Her qualifications are excellent; that is, she meets our prerequisites for the course.)

THE PROBLEM:
The verb tense is not consistent throughout a piece of writing.

Incorrect:
Hot coffee spilled on the table from the Starbucks mug. Shannon pushes back her chair, then jumped out of her seat as steaming coffee drips onto the floor.

HOW TO FIX IT:
If you begin writing a paper in the present tense, don’t shift suddenly to the past. If you begin in the past, don’t shift without reason to the present.

Example:
Hot coffee spills on the table from the Starbucks mug. Shannon pushes back her chair, then jumps out of her seat as steaming coffee drips on the floor.

OR

Hot coffee spilled on the table from the Starbucks mug. Shannon pushed back her chair, then jumped out of her seat as steaming coffee dripped on the floor.

PRACTICE
In each selection one verb must be changed so that it agrees in tense with the other verbs. Cross out the incorrect verb and write the correct form in the space at the left.

Example:
I stopped wearing my red and black polka dot sweater after four people told me I look like a giant lady bug. (looked)

1. Herman peels and eats raw garlic in class; the smell caused other students to transfer to another class.

2. The black-haired girl attracted Sam, but he weighed the pluses and minuses of having a girlfriend and then decides to go to the library and do his homework instead.

3. I grabbed for the last pretzel in the chip bowl. But when I pick it up, I discovered it was soggy.

4. Jessica waits eagerly for the mail each day. Part of her hoped to get a letter in which somone declares she is the winner of a whopping million dollars.

5. The first thing Mandy does every day is eat her cereal. Her breakfast routine determined what the rest of her day would be like.

Answer Key:

1. Herman peels and eats raw garlic in class; the smell caused other students to transfer to another class. (causes)

2. The black-haired girl attracted Sam, but he weighed the pluses and minuses of having a girlfriend and then decides to go to the library and do his homework instead. (decided)

3. I grabbed for the last pretzel in the chip bowl. But when I pick it up, I discovered it was soggy. (picked)

4. Jessica waits eagerly for the mail each day. Part of her hoped to get a letter in which somone declares she is the winner of a whopping million dollars. (hopes)

5. The first thing Mandy does every day is eat her cereal. Her breakfast routine determined what the rest of her day would be like. (did)

Use an apostrophe
• to form a possessive noun
EXAMPLE: Michael’s wallet / the Fosters’ cat

• to indicate that letters have been omitted
EXAMPLE: I can’t talk right now. I’m goin’ home.

• to replace missing numbers in a date
EXAMPLE: Back in ’99, many people were afraid the millennium would bring a world crisis.

• to show the plural of letters, or words used as words
EXAMPLES: How many i’s are there in Mississippi? / Eliminate one of the but’s from the sentence.

Insert commas ( , ) where they are needed in the following sentences.

1. Sylvia will you please get the mail?

2. 2308 Market Avenue Fredericton NB E3A 3Y2

3. Most flutes used by professional musicians are made of sterling silver fourteen carat gold or platinum.

4. We looked at the old faded photographs in the scrapbook.

5. The children must go to bed early or they will be tired in the morning.

6. Some Native people became interpreters for the explorers showed them how to live in the wilderness and stayed with them throughout the journey.

7. Yes the library has that book on Egypt.

8. Herzberg who was born in Hamburg in 1904 attended school in Germany.

9. in Kenora Ontario next week

10. The tennis team however did not win the tournament.

11. When the artists painted they followed several rules.

12. Yours truly

13. from January 2 1998 to January 2 2002

14. The sky was dark and cloudy but the sun was still out.

15. What a lovely haunting melody that song has.

KEY

1. Sylvia, will you please get the mail?

2. 2308 Market Avenue, Fredericton, NB E3A 3Y2

3. Most flutes used by professional musicians are made of sterling silver, fourteen carat gold, or platinum.

4. We looked at the old, faded photographs in the scrapbook.

5. The children must go to bed early, or they will be tired in the morning.

6. Some Native people became interpreters for the explorers, showed them how to live in the wilderness, and stayed with them throughout the journey.

7. Yes, the library has that book on Egypt.

8. Herzberg, who was born in Hamburg in 1904, attended school in Germany.

9. in Kenora, Ontario next week

10. The tennis team, however, did not win the tournament.

11. When the artists painted, they followed several rules.

12. Yours truly,

13. from January 2, 1998, to January 2, 2002

14. The sky was dark and cloudy, but the sun was still out.

15. What a lovely, haunting melody that song has.

The Comma with Two or More Adjectives

I bought a fast, red car.

The Comma in Compound Sentences
fanboys (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so)

Marilyn ran for office, and she won easily.

The Comma in Complex Sentences

When the tide went out, the men dug clams.
The men dug clams when the tide went out. (no comma if independent clause is first)

The Comma for Items in a Series
Use commas to separate items in a series, whether the items are words, phrases, or short clauses.

Alice ordered folders, stationary, and stamps.

The Comma with Interrupters
Commas set off words that are not part of the main structure of the sentence.

You know, of course, that his job is in jeopardy.
Yes, I understand now.

Simple – one independant clause
Matthew took his umbrella.
We ate and slept in the same room.
The teacher spoke kindly but firmly.

Compound – two or more independant clauses joined together.
The thunder rolled; the lightening tore across the sky.
They rang the doorbell, but no one answered.
John has poor eyesight; therefore, the optometrist prescribed glasses.

Complex – independant and dependant clauses joined together.
We took the wrong turn when we reached the place where the road divided.
If you buy a camera, do not choose one that is very complicated.

Compound-Complex
Although he had many possessions, they did not satisfy him, and he longed for the happiness that others had.

Noun
proper or common
names a person (Mrs. Corman/teacher), place (Italy/country), thing (Isfeld/school), quality (honesty), or idea (freedom).

Pronoun
used in place of a noun

Mrs. Corman loves to read. She goes to the library once a week.

Verb
action – ran, jumped, laughed….
linking (state of being) – was, is….

Adjective
modifies (describes) a noun or pronoun

I bought a shiny, red car.

Adverb
modifies a verb, an adjective, or another adverb
tells when, where and how

I walked quietly.

Preposition
shows the relationship between a noun or a pronoun and another word

The package behind the tree is mine.
The police hurried to the scene.

Conjunction
joins words of groups of words.

Coordinating Conjunctions – join equal parts

and, but, or, nor, for, so

The kids feasted on cookies and milk.
Roses need drainage, or their leaves turn yellow.

Correlative Conjunctions – are paired connective words.

both…and
neither…nor
whether…or
either…or
not only…but (also)

She can prepare either an outline or an overview.

A clause is a group of words that contains a verb and its subject.

The subject tells us who or what the sentence is about.

The predicate tells us something about the subject.

The sun (subject) set an hour ago (predicate).

An independent (or main) clause expresses a complete thought and can stand by itself as a sentence.

I went to the movies.

A dependent (or subordinate) clause does not express a complete thought and cannot stand alone as a sentence.

after I finished studying

An adjective clause is a dependent clause that modifies a noun or a pronoun.

the woman (who had blond hair)

An adjective clause usually follows the word it modifies and tells which one or what kind.
An adjective clause is usually introduced by a relative pronoun.

that which who whom whose

An adverb clause is a dependent clause that modifies a verb, an adjective, or an adverb.

You may sit wherever you wish.

An adverb clause tells where, when, how, why to what extent or under what condition.
An adverb clause is introduced by a subordinating conjunction.

Common Subordinating Conjunctions

after
as
though
since
when
although
because
whenever
before
wherever
as long as
if
unless
whether
as soon as
in order that
until
while

When an adverb clause begins a sentence, the clause is followed by a comma.

When you get here, we will begin immediately.