Buy these things at the store, bread; lemons; and—milk.. Buy these things at the store: bread, lemons, and milk.. Buy these things; at the store, bread, lemons, and milk.. As the saying
Trang 1IF YOUR
PURPOSE
Introduce a colon [:] or comma [,] He said, “This simply won’t do.”
quotation (words
directly spoken).
The American writer Kate Chopin said this
of French short story master Guy de Maupassant: “In a direct, simple way, he told us what he saw.”
Indicate a quotation marks [“ ”] “To be or not to be?” is one of the most
Indicate a question mark [?] Why are so many people fascinated by
that work together
as one object or
modifier.
or phrase
for emphasis.
relevant but not
essential information.
That restaurant, I heard, is going out of business.
Separate a word parentheses [( )] There is an exception to every rule
relevant but
secon-dary information.
or contraction.
Trang 2Practice 5
Choose the correctly punctuated version of each sentence below
1 Where are you going in such a hurry.
a NO CHANGE
b Where are you going, in such a hurry.
c Where are you going in such a hurry?
d Where are you going In such a hurry.
2 Buy these things at the store, bread; lemons; and—milk.
f NO CHANGE
g Buy these things at the store: bread, lemons, and milk.
h Buy these things; at the store, bread, lemons, and milk.
j Buy these things at the store—bread, lemons, and milk.
3 She said: Hello.
a NO CHANGE
b She said, hello.
c She said, “Hello.”
d She said “Hello.”
4 “Can you help me?” she asked.
f NO CHANGE
g Can you help me, she asked?
h “Can you help me? she” asked.
j “Can you help me;” she asked.
5 There are lot’s of accidents on this corner.
a NO CHANGE
b There are lots of accidents on this corner.
c There are lots of accident’s on this corner.
d There are lots of accidents (on this corner).
6 Watch out thats dangerous.
f NO CHANGE
g Watch out, that’s dangerous.
h Watch out—that’s dangerous!
j Watch out; thats dangerous.
Trang 37 That deep-fried dessert is very fattening.
a NO CHANGE
b That deep, fried dessert is very fattening.
c That deep fried dessert; is very fattening.
d That deep fried-dessert is very fattening.
8 She is a high priced consultant.
f NO CHANGE
g She is a high, priced consultant.
h She is a high priced, consultant.
j She is a high-priced consultant.
9 His kids: who are just the same ages as mine are 2 4 and 6 years old.
a NO CHANGE
b His kids, who are just the same ages as mine, are 2, 4, and 6 years old.
c His kids, who are just the same ages as mine: are 2, 4, and 6 years old.
d His kids who are just the same ages as mine are 2, 4, and 6 years old.
10 As the saying goes better late than never.
f NO CHANGE
g As the saying goes; better late than never.
h As the saying goes, “better late than never.”
j “As the saying goes,” better late than never.
Answers
1 c.
2 g.
3 c.
4 f.
5 b.
6 h.
7 a.
8 j.
9 b.
10 h.
Trang 4C OMMA R ULES
Many ACT grammar questions deal with commas, the most common punctuation mark within sentences The presence and placement of commas can dramatically affect meaning and can make the difference between clarity and confusion The chart on pages 48–49 lists four comma uses, but there are several others Next is
a complete list of comma rules
Use a comma:
1 With a coordinating conjunction to separate two complete sentences.
Let’s go home now, and then we can make some dinner.
I’m a little taller, so it will be easier for me to reach that jar.
2 To set off introductory words, phrases, or clauses.
Next Friday, the committee will meet to discuss the proposal.
Once upon a time, there was a brave young girl who lived with her brother in the forest.
Well, it looks like we’ll be staying home after all.
Since it’s going to rain, we should bring our boots.
3 To set off a direct address, interjection, or transitional phrase.
Sammy, please put your toys away now.
You know, Helen, this is the best apple pie I’ve ever tasted!
It was, I think, the best movie I’ve ever seen.
Goodness gracious, that’s a fancy car!
There was, however, one catch.
Jonathan, it turns out, will not be joining us for dinner after all.
Sea horses, for example, are unusual in that the males carry the eggs.
4 Between two modifiers that could be replaced by and.
The cheetah is a fast, dangerous animal.
(Both fast and dangerous modify animal.)
The slow, steady rocking of the train put the baby to sleep.
(Both slow and steady modify rocking.)
Trang 5Incorrect: Denny’s old, stamp collection is priceless.
Correct: Denny’s old stamp collection is priceless.
(You cannot put “and” between old and stamp; old describes stamp and stamp modifies collec-tion They do not modify the same noun.)
5 To set off information that is relevant but not essential (non-restrictive).
Essential, not set off:
The woman who wrote Happy Moon won an award.
(We need this information to know which woman we’re talking about.)
Non-essential, set off by commas:
The children, exhausted by the trip, went to bed early.
(The fact that they were exhausted by the trip is not essential to the sentence.)
Essential, not set off:
People who smoke too much may get cancer.
Non-essential, set off by commas:
Many people, such as those who smoke, are at a high risk for cancer.
6 To separate items in a series.
The price for the cruise includes breakfast, lunch, dinner, and entertainment.
The recipe calls for fresh cilantro, chopped onions, diced tomatoes, and lemon juice.
7 To set off most quotations As a general rule, short quotations are introduced by commas while long
quotations (several sentences or more) are introduced by colons All speech in dialogue should be set off by commas
“Come on,” he said.
Emmanuel Kant is famous for the words, “I think, therefore I am.”
After he ate a slice, Jerry said, “This is the best pie I’ve ever tasted.”
8 To set off parts of dates, numbers, titles, and addresses.
She was born on April 30, 2002.
Please print 3,000 copies.
Edward Wener, Ph.D has been contracted to write the book.
Please deliver the package to me at 30 Willow Road, Trenton, NJ.
Trang 6Practice 6
Part A: Insert commas where necessary.
1 He said “There’s nothing else to say.”
2 I want to change majors but I need to get my advisor’s approval first.
3 Did you notice by the way that she didn’t even say hello?
4 What did you say Louise?
5 There’s one thing however that I forgot to mention.
6 I think he went to Woodson which is a Montessori school last year.
7 The Constitution gives us the right to life liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
8 One July 1 1981 I met the woman who would become my wife.
9 We met in Toledo Ohio where she was born.
10 She was a lonely quiet girl.
Part B: A common problem in writing is superfluous (unnecessary) commas Delete any unnecessary
commas in the sentences below
1 Ken Kesey wrote, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, which is now a classic.
2 Did you know, that Bob Dylan’s real name, is Bob Zimmerman?
3 I usually run, before I eat breakfast, if possible.
4 The roses are blooming, in the yard, again.
5 I went back-to-school shopping and got, notebooks, paper, and blank disks, for us.
6 The man, who called you yesterday, is on the phone again.
7 John, please give me the money, that you owe me, by Friday.