Apostrophe
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Transcript of Apostrophe
The Punctuation The Punctuation PolicePolice
Strike BackStrike Back(also the spelling and grammar (also the spelling and grammar
police)police)
By EJ WoolastonBy EJ Woolaston
When should you use an apostrophe?
• For contractions e.g. don’t, couldn’t, isn’t, it’s, haven’t
doesn’t
Problem contractions• There’s - there is• They’re - they are (not there or
their)• You’re - you are (not your)• Should’ve ( not should
of!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)
Other exceptions• Apostrophe before s when
plural does not end in s• Women - the women’s dresses• Children - the children’s clothes • Men - the men’s shirts
An English professor wrote the words:
“A woman without her man is nothing”
on the board and asked students to punctuate it.
And another thing …..Punctuating Dialogue
• New line/paragraph for each new speaker.
• Inverted commas around all that is said including full stop.
For example• He said, “You ought to be congratulated.”• Note placement of full stop (and comma).• “Next week,” said the teacher, “you are going
to have an awfully important exam.”• Note placement of commas.
TIP: AVOID USING• Too much dialogue in creative writing,
especially under test conditions because:
• It’s hard to do well.• It means you are not building character
and setting through effective description.
While we’re at it ………• Try not to misuse conjunctions.
• Do not begin sentences with ‘and’, ‘but’ or ‘because’.
• These are joining words - they go in the middle of a sentence.
When is a sentence not a sentence?
When there is no verb (or doing word). E.g. “A tanned body with pool bleached hair, blue eyes with the twinkle of determination in them.”
ASK:
DOES THIS MAKE SENSE BY ITSELF?
When is a sentence not a sentence?
• When it does not contain a complete thought. E.g. “When I asked her.”
When is a sentence not a sentence?
When is begins with a conjunction. E.g.
The man was wet. Because it was raining.
It was raining. So the frogs were happy.
The crocodiles were swimming fast towards them. But the ducks weren’t watching.
WRONG!
How do you know when a sentence ends?
• There is a complete thought.
• The next set of words also expresses a complete thought.
• There is a distinct pause before next set of words if read aloud.
For example:
The boy stood on the burning deck and piteous were his cries. His mother slapped him across the face with a wet fish and that soon shut him up!
HoweverA more common mistake is to continue a
sentence which is complete e.g. The boys were running happily in the rain with
their dogs while their sisters played comfortably inside/ the dogs were also happy but the cats were warm and dry.
How many times has a teacher had to add a full stop to your draft?
CapitalisationAlways capitalise:• the first word of every sentence• days of the week (Sunday) and months of the year
(February)• The names of people (Elizabeth) and places
(Ipswich)• The main words of a title e.g. Indiana Jones and the
Temple of Doom
The comma• Use a comma to separate a series of three items.
e.g. I take my diary, workbook and two pens to class every lesson.
• Use a comma after an introductory cohesive tie. e.g. However, Therefore, For instance, In conclusion,
• Use a comma for names or information added into a sentence. E.g. My brother, Harry, is twelve. His teacher, who is tall, likes to play basketball.
SpellingCommon errors
• Remember the rules such as ‘i’ before ‘e’ except after ‘c’ e.g. believe, receive.
(There are many exceptions!)
• Watch for silent letters e.g. ghost, wrecked, knocked
SpellingCommon errors• Watch out for homophones - words that
sound the same but are spelt differently e.g. your, you’re their they’re there aloud, allowed right write rite sight site would wood
SpellingCommon errorsLook out for words with double letters,
especially more than one set of double letters, and make sure you get them all correct. e.g.
accommodation, necessary, bigger, better, swimming, possible, challenge
Commonly misspelled words
desperate, sentence, thief, February, definitely, doesn’t, coming, library, except, examine, assignment, tonight, beginning, because, thorough, different,a lot (two words!), argument, committed, conscience, conscious
Commonly misspelled words
Embarrass(ment),equipment, existence, foreign, gauge, grateful, guarantee, height, humorous, leisure, lightning, maintenance, miniature, mischievous, neighbour, noticeable, occasionally, possession, principle/principal (the principal is your pal…),recommend, referred, restaurant
Commonly misspelled words
relevant, rhythm, separate, sergeant, twelfth, vacuum, weird.
Note all the obnoxious exceptions to the ‘i’ before ‘e’ rule!
You need to learn these words in preparation for the QCST and for LIFE. Go over them at least 10 times before QCST.
Tips1. Thoroughly edit your own work before the
end of tests and exams.2. Read the work aloud (in your head). Does it
sound OK? 3. Cover everything but the line you are
proofreading with a blank piece of paper. Read slowly.
Tips• Use your finger to point to each word
and punctuation mark one at a time.• Proofread for spelling first then
proofread for punctuation then for grammar.
DON’T just skim read!