Parallelism: three or more of the same grammatical elements are used in sequence

They stopped, they blinked, they turned, they stared after him, they wondered: Do I know that kid? (Spinelli 9).He would need the touch of a surgeon, the alertness of an owl, the cunning of three foxes, and the foresight of a grand master in chess (Spinelli 73).

The waiter dropped the tray of food. (active) Your request for funding has been denied by the review

committee. (passive) The cookies were eaten by the children. (passive) The gophers dug the tunnels. (active)

Active voice: subject is performing the verb

Passive voice: subject is having something done to it

YOUR-possessionex: Your book is on the table.YOU’RE-You areex: I don't know what you're talking about ACCEPT-to receiveex: He accepts defeat well.EXCEPT-to take or leave outex: Please take all the books off the shelf except for the red one.AFFECT-to influenceex: Lack of sleep affects the quality of your work.EFFECT-n., result, v., to accomplishex: The subtle effect of the lighting made the room look ominous.ALLUSION-an indirect referenceex: The professor made an allusion to Virginia Woolf's work.ILLUSION-a false perception of realityex: They saw a mirage: that is a type of illusion one sees in the desert.WHOSE-possessionex: I know a woman whose kids study there. WHO’S-who isex: Who’s ready for the test?

ITS-of or belonging to itex: The baby will scream as soon as its mother walks out of the room.IT'S-contraction for it isex: It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood.THEIR-possessive form of theyex: Their house is at the end of the block.THERE-indicates location (hint: think of "here and there")ex: The book is over thereTHEY'RE-contraction for "they are"ex: They're in Europe for the summer--again!THROUGH-finished; into or out ofex: He plowed right through the other team's defensive line.THREW-past tense of throwex: She threw away his love love letters.TO-towardex: I went to the University of Richmond.TOO-also, or excessivelyex: He drank too many screwdrivers and was unable to drive home.TWO-a numberex: Only two students did not turn in the assignment.

Commas1. A comma separates items in a series. 2. A comma is used to separate coordinating adjectives.3. A comma precedes the coordinating conjunction joining two independent clauses.4. A comma follows certain introductory elements and modifying phrases. 5. Nonrestrictive clauses and phrases and other parenthetical elements are set off with commas. 6. Items in dates and addresses are set off with commas.Semicolons1. When the elements in a series contain internal punctuation, a semicolon may be used to ensure clarity.2. Combines two sentences about a similar subjectColonsIntroduce a definition, explanation, or listEx. I have three sisters: Catherine, Sarah, and Mary. There was only one possible explanation: the train had never arrived.