Notes

Outline

Punctuation and Spelling Customized & Workplace Training Portland Community College Facilitated by George Knox

Punctuation Problems Commas Semicolons Colons Apostrophes Quotes     However he said it didn’t matter you are wrong anyway. She shrugged and left him slowly walking from the office.  Why he didn’t know.

Punctuation Problems Punctuation problems affect flow and readability Punctuation problems MAY affect meaning Punctuation problems may reflect on professionalism and credibility

Punctuation: Commas After an introductory phrase Before you begin, please review the project history. However, don’t spend too much time in review. As we are in a hurry, a quick overview would be fine. Exception: Very short introductions Then we can begin.

Punctuation: Commas Set off transitional phrases at the beginning and middle of sentences Typically w/ “however”, “therefore”, “for example”, “in other words”, etc. The cost, as estimated by our accountant, is well within allowances. However, we may find it difficult to order by the deadline. The problem, therefore, is one of timeliness.

Punctuation: Commas Separate items in horizontal lists w/ the final comma before the conjunction usually optional The manager is responsible for hiring, training, supervision and evaluation. She also interacts with Personnel, Research and Design, and Operations.

Punctuation: Commas Set off non-essential phrases or appositives (but not w/ essential info) The contract, which was signed this week, gives the company full and immediate ownership. We have already had meetings with the Director of Operations, Bob Smith. However, the board’s final decision that was made before the acquisition will have to be addressed immediately.

Punctuation: Commas Use with conjunctions to join independent clauses We received your letter, but I am unclear as to your what you are requesting. Contact me with additional details, and I will address your concerns directly. Exception: Short independent clauses Call me or e-mail me.

Punctuation: Commas Use w/ quotations, dates, addresses and numbers “On October 21, 2004, we will be making a change,” the message read.  “Our new offices will be at 200 South Grant Avenue, Beaverton, Oregon.  We are expecting approximately 20,000 visitors in the first year.”

Punctuation: Semicolons Join independent clauses w/out a conjunction It seemed it would last forever; it didn’t. Some do; some don’t. Use to separate items in a series that already includes punctuation Several world leaders participated including George Bush, President of the U.S.; Tony Blair, Prime Minister of England; and Xiao Ping, Chairman of the National Party in China. The witness heard various people shout: “Hey!”; “Stop!”; and “Don’t do that!”

Punctuation: Colons After an independent clause to introduce one or more directly related ideas, including lists, quotations and directions. This year’s election features three main candidates: Bush, Kerry and Nader. There are a number of potential writing problems: Grammar Punctuation Spelling Diction

Punctuation: Colons After business salutations Dear Ms. Smith: In time of day in numeric form The workshop will begin at 1:30 pm. The operation began at 22:10 on April 5, 2002.

Punctuation: Apostrophes Add ’s for nouns that do not end in s or singular nouns that end in s A car’s convenience does not outweigh a bus’s economy. Add ’ for plural nouns that end in s The drivers’ decision depends on which is more important to them.

Punctuation: Apostrophes Add ’ or ’s with the last element in joint possession or compound nouns John and Mary’s house should bring a good price. Exception: To show individual possession, make all possessive However, John’s and Mary’s willingness to sell is a big question.

Punctuation: Apostrophes Use ’s with indefinite pronouns, but not with definite pronouns While it was anyone’s guess, his intuition turned out to be accurate.

Punctuation: Quotations Quotation marks set off direct quotes Commas and periods go inside quotation marks Colons and semicolons go outside quotation marks Question and exclamation marks go inside if part of the quoted material. Capitalize beginnings of quotes UNLESS the quote is blended into the sentence.

Punctuation: Quotations “Hey!” the man shouted. “Where is my car?” The attendant smiled and said, “I don’t know. I just got on shift.” “That shouldn’t matter,” argued the customer, “since you’ve given all cars a numbered parking space.” Later, the man admitted that using that parking lot “…wasn’t the best choice I’ve ever made.”

Punctuation: Quotations Use the ellipsis mark to indicate material not included According to Smith, “The results of the study … were surprising and unexpected.” Use the bracket to indicate material added Smith attributes this to “the varying methods [used by three different research teams] to gather and analyze the data.” “The next project,” the director stated, “will not have such varience [sic] as new controls are in place.”

Spelling Problems Spelling errors affect meaning, readability, credibility and professionalism.  They also may demonstrate a lack of care and concern for the document.

Spelling: I before E I before E … Achievement, patient, chief Except after C … Perceive, receipt, receive And in the sound “ay” as in hay Neighbor, weigh, freight Exceptions Either, neither, height, foreign, leisure, seize, weird

Spelling: Plurals Add s to most words (computers, cats) Add es to words ending in s, ch, sh and x (tosses, catches, mashes, boxes) Add s to words ending in y after a vowel or in proper names (trays, Kennedys) Add ies to words ending in y after a consonant (companies, pennies) Add s to words ending in o after a vowel (videos, radios) Add es to words ending in o after a consonant (heroes, zeroes)

Spelling: Plurals For compound words, add s or es as appropriate to the major word in the compound  (sisters-in-law, border collies) Use ‘s to pluralize numbers, letters and abbreviations (8’s, p’s and q’s, I.D.’s)

Spelling: Prefixes Adding a prefix does not change the root spelling Misspent, unnecessary,disappointed

Spelling: Suffixes Silent e Drop the silent e when adding a suffix beginning with a vowel (advancing, believable) Keep the silent e when adding a suffix beginning with a consonant (achievement, likeness) unless the silent e follows a vowel (arguing, truly)

Spelling: Suffixes Double the consonant when adding a suffix beginning with a vowel IF: The final consonant is preceded by a single vowel AND The consonant ends a stressed syllable or one-syllable word (Beginning, committed, occurrence)

Spelling: Exceptions British/Canadian spellings may vary Cancelled, colour, cheque, centre, defence, realise Some other spelling exceptions Changeable, mobile, dying Check dictionary for alternative/difficult spellings