Transcript 11 Rules of writing, grammar and punctuation

11 RULES OF
WRITING, GRAMMAR
AND PUNCTUATION
RULE 1: USE A COMMA FOLLOWED BY A
CONJUNCTION AND/OR SEMICOLON WHEN
COMBINING TWO CLAUSES.
 Examples:
 Incorrect: The delivery boy knew he carried strange cargo, but still ventured off
unafraid.
 Correct: The delivery boy knew he carried strange cargo, but he still ventured off unafraid.
 Incorrect: Because the witness was unavailable the judge allowed the introduction of
the testimony pursuant to an exception to the hearsay rule.
 Correct: Because the witness was unavailable, the judge allowed the introduction of the
testimony pursuant to an exception to the hearsay rule.
RULE 2: USE COMMAS TO ENCLOSE NONRESTRICTIVE
CLAUSES OR PHRASES, WHICH HAVE NO
IMPORTANCE TO THE MEANING OF THE SENTENCE.
 Examples:
 Incorrect: The bus driver with her ears tuned to the roar decided to take the
grumbling bus on a detour across the football field.
 Correct: The bus driver, her ears tuned to the roar, decided to take the grumbling bus on a
detour across the football field.
 Incorrect: King and Lucille, his customized black Gibson have electrified audiences all
over the world.
 Correct: King and Lucille, his customized black Gibson, have electrified audiences all over the
world.
RULE 3: ENCLOSE PARENTHETIC INFORMATION
BETWEEN COMMAS.
 Use commas to separate pieces of information that are not essential to
a sentence meaning.
 Examples:
 Incorrect: The audience which was at first indifferent became more and more
interested.
 Correct: The audience, which was at first indifferent, became more and more
interested.
 If the non-essential information is preceded by a conjunction, no
additional comma is needed after the conjunction:
 He saw us coming, and unaware that we had learned of his treachery, greeted us with
a smile.
RULE 4: USE A COMMA TO SEPARATE AN
INTRODUCTORY CLAUSE FROM A DEPENDENT
INTRODUCTORY CLAUSE.
 Examples:
 Incorrect: Although the situation is perilous there is still one chance of escape.
 Correct: Although the situation is perilous, there is still one chance of escape.
 Also use a comma before independent clauses beginning with and or
but:
 The situation is perilous, but there is still one chance of escape.
RULE 5: TO INDICATE POSSESSION, END A SINGULAR
NOUN WITH AN APOSTROPHE FOLLOWED BY AN “S”.
 If there is no apostrophe, the noun’s form would seem plural.
 Examples:

Incorrect: The shoes laces were tattered and torn.

Correct: The shoe’s laces were tattered and torn.
RULE 6: USE PROPER PUNCTUATION TO INTEGRATE A
QUOTATION INTO A SENTENCE.
 If the quotation is an independent clause, add the quotation after a
colon. If it ends with “saying”, “thinks” or another verb indicating, use a
comma.
 Examples:
 Incorrect: As he fell, he thought: “No not again!”
 Correct: As he fell, he thought, “No not again!”
 Incorrect: The notice carried very harsh tones, “You MUST cease and desist.”
 Correct: The notice carried very harsh tones: “You MUST cease and desist.”
RULE 7: USE THE CORRECT VERB TENSE.
 Use a general tense that is consistent with the subject of your sentence.
 Examples:
 Incorrect: I went shopping on Black Friday and seen a long line at my favorite store.
 Correct: I went shopping on Black Friday and saw a long line at my favorite store.
RULE 8: PROPERLY REFER TO THE CORRECT SUBJECT
WHEN USING A PRONOUN, PARTICULAR PHRASE, OR
AN APPOSITIVE.
 Examples:
 Incorrect: Decorated in mistletoe, the couple stayed warm by the fireplace.
 Correct: The couple stayed warm by the fireplace that was decorated in mistletoe.
 Incorrect: Vibrant and festive, my friends decorated their Christmas tree.
 Correct: My friends decorated their Christmas tree so that it looked vibrant and festive.
RULE 9: USE PARALLEL CONSTRUCTION TO MAKE A
STRONG POINT AND CREATE A SMOOTH FLOW.
 Parallel Construction: A sentence construction where equal parts are
expressed using similar grammatical forms. Each part of speech in each idea
has a counterpart in the next idea. There is no limit when it comes to
making your written thought come across clearer.
 Examples:
 Incorrect: The French, the Italian, Spanish and Portuguese.
 Correct: The French, the Italian, the Spanish and the Portuguese.
 Incorrect: I was glad to be departing for Australia but I was nervous when I left my
apartment.
 Correct: I was glad to be departing for Australia but nervous to be leaving my apartment.
RULE 10: USE THE ACTIVE VOICE UNLESS YOU
SPECIFICALLY NEED TO USE THE PASSIVE VOICE.
 Active voice: A sentence style in which the subject performs the action.
Usually preferable to passive voice unless the passive is specifically
called for.
 Passive voice:A sentence style in which the action is performed ON the
subject. Usually inferior to the active voice.
 Subject:The thing in the sentence that is being discussed (usually a noun
or a noun phrase)
RULE 10: USE THE ACTIVE VOICE UNLESS YOU
SPECIFICALLY NEED TO USE THE PASSIVE VOICE.
(CONT.)
 Examples:
 Incorrect: My first visit to Boston will always be remembered by me.
 Correct: I shall always remember my first visit to Boston.
 Incorrect: A survey of this region was taken in 1900.
 Correct: This region was surveyed in 1900.
*What may seem to sound more poetic just makes the writing seem choppy and unclear . This rule provides a
more direct and “to the point” idea, giving more opportunity to express more. Given the broad essay topics
and limited number of pages often assigned in a college setting, applying this rule can be extremely helpful.
RULE 11: OMIT UNNECESSARY WORDS
 Avoid using redundant or excess modifiers that clutter your writing.
 Don’t use phrases when one word will do.
 Examples:
 Incorrect: At this point in time it is already to late to gather a sufficient number
of samples.
 Correct: Now it is to late to gather enough samples.
RULE 11: OMIT UNNECESSARY WORDS (CONT.)
Instead of…
Try…
 A number of
 Several, a few, many
 A sufficient number of
 Enough
 At this point in time
 Now
 Is able to
 Can
 On a monthly basis
 Monthly
 On the grounds that
 Because
 In order to
 To
SOURCES
Bartleby.com - Great Books Online. 27 Nov. 2011
<http://www.bartleby.com/141/strunk.html>
Emory University. Emory Writing Center. 27 Nov. 2011
<http://writingcenter.emory.edu/resources/grammar_resources/verb_tense_and_subjectverb_agreement.html>
IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law, Illinois Institute of Technology. 29 Nov. 2011
<http://www.kentlaw.edu/academics/lrw/grinker/LwtaCommas.htm>
Junketstudies - Study Guides and Resources. 29 Nov. 2011
<http://junketstudies.com/joomla/11-rules-of-writing/the-rules>
Plain Language.gov - Improving Communication from the Federal Government to the
Public. 28 Nov. 2011
<http://www.plainlanguage.gov/howto/guidelines/bigdoc/writeOmitUnnecc.cfm>