Session 3:punctuation , capitilizaion and indentation

(1) Punctuation marks

a- What is meant by punctuation marks?

      Punctuation is the system of signs or symbols given to a reader to show how a sentence is constructed and how it should be read.
Sentences are the building blocks used to construct written accounts.  They are complete statements.  Punctuation shows how the sentence should be read and makes the meaning clear.
 Punctuation marks are symbols that indicate the structure and organization of written language. There are many punctuation marks in the English language. Punctuation marks help guide your writing and sentences. They can show pauses, strong feeling of expression, statement, command, questioning and much more. Some common punctuation marks include; periods, question marks, quotation marks, exclamation marks, colons, semi-colons, apostrophes, dashes, and much more.

b-Importance of punctuation

Some believe that punctuation is there to complicate matters. In fact, when talking aloud, we are able to convey meaning using intonation, voice patterns and body language also – along with answering any questions which might come from listeners, to explain anything which is unclear. When reading, we do not have these handy tools – and rely completely on a set of established marks (punctuation) to help us to know what was meant, so that texts can be interpreted only in the way which was intended by the writer.

       When we speak, we can pause or emphasize certain words and phrases to help people understand what we are saying. In our writing,

We use punctuation to show pauses and emphasis. Punctuation marks help the reader understand what we mean.
A punctuation mark is a mark, or sign, used in writing to divide texts into phrases and sentences and make the meaning clear.
In this session, we will look at some common punctuation marks and mistakes. You will see examples of what happens if you omit or misuse some common punctuation marks.

Missing punctuation leads to much ambiguity, meaning that we have to ask the writer what was meant, rather than it being crystal clear in the first place. We can say that punctuation helps avoid confusion. Get the punctuation right and the message will be clear.

Here is a classic illustration of altering punctuation to change meaning:

A woman without her man is nothing.

A woman: without her, man is nothing.

Another example is:

The man dropped the bullet in his mouth.

The man dropped, the bullet in his mouth.

Here is another funny example:

1. It is time to eat David!

2. It is time to eat, David!
1. In the first sentence, it sounds like we are going to eat David for lunch!

2. The  comma  in the second  sentence  shows the writer  that we  are

 Actually  informing  David  that it is time to eat. Here the comma saves   

 David's life.

Many people do not know the rules which help with punctuation; they simply use ‘feelings’ about what ‘sounds right’.

Why should you use punctuation in your writing? The simple answer is that it helps your reader – who is possibly also your marker – to understand your message easily. When you speak, you frequently pause, your voice rises or drops and often your face and hands add non-verbal information through “body language”; all this assists in communicating your message clearly. In writing you have to remember that the readers have only what is on the paper or screen in order to understand your message. Punctuation basically helps to indicate the pauses, rises and falls etc. which are important for understanding.

Different punctuation marks are used in different situations but all help with conveying your message with clarity. It is therefore essential, in academic writing in particular, to use punctuation accurately. Your tutors will expect this and you will lose marks for not doing so. On the other hand, correctly used punctuation can help to strengthen your arguments

and improve marks. The alphabetic list below will introduce the main punctuation marks used in writing in general, not just academic writing .  All punctuation marks, “Apostrophes” , commas, colons , semi-colons,….etc are covered in greater depth in the following section.) 

c-Types of punctuation marks:

Punctuation  mark	When to use it	For example
Apostrophe ’	i) to show that something belongs to someone or something (possession) ii) to show letters are missing in words (omission)	The boy’s book. This is Alec’s pen. The students’ names. The children’s toys. That means you use ’s for singular and  s’ for plural unless the plural does not end in an s, as in the case of ‘children’.  you’re = you are;  I’m = I am; it’s = it is; who’s = who is; don’t = do not                  BUT remember that you don’t use short forms like ‘don’t’ in academic writing. Always use the full forms such as do not, who is, it is  etc.
Brackets ( )	used in pairs around groups of words introducing an extra idea e.g. an explanation or afterthought to be kept separate from the rest of the sentence. A sentence should still make complete sense without the words in brackets.	He always hands in his work on time (he is a well organised student) after carefully checking it.
Capital letter  A	i) at the beginning of a sentence ii) for names	Snow continued to fall. Finally a decision was taken to shut the campus. Alice Smith; Hull; The Bible; The Thames; The Midwifery Council
Colon   :	i) to introduce something that is to follow, which may be a list ii) to introduce the second half of a sentence when it explains or expands on the first half	Students are expected to carry out a range of activities: attend lectures, take part in tutorials, produce written work, meet deadlines for assignments and sit examinations. Mediterranean cookery is considered healthy: it uses olive oil, fresh vegetables and fish.
Comma    ,	i) to mark a brief pause within a sentence, such as where you would naturally pause if you were speaking  ii) to separate words in a list in a sentence (but do not put a comma before “and” or “or”)	We cannot help him, unless he comes to see us. The picnic included sandwiches, salad, crisps, cakes and fruit.
Dash   –	i) to create a pause for dramatic effect, introducing something surprising or unexpected ii)used in pairs in a similar way to brackets	I looked at the mark for my last essay and it was – a first. I hear she’s a good pianist – I myself have never heard her – but she’s shy about playing in public.
Exclamation  Mark    !	at the end of an exclamation – an expression of emotion such as surprise, anger, delight etc.	It’s just amazing! Hurry up!  BUT since academic writing should be impersonal and objective, not emotional, you will not be likely to use exclamation marks in your academic work
Full stop  .	i) at the end of a sentence ii) to show an abbreviation  (shortening)	She finally found the correct book.  etc.  e.g.  Mr.   B.B.C.
Hyphen -	to join two words together to make a compound word	Take-away, full-time
Question mark  ?	at the end of a sentence which asks a direct question.	How did this happen? Where is the Language Learning Centre?
Quotation  marks (also called speech marks or  inverted commas)  “ ”  or ‘ ’	i)to show that you are using someone else’s words  ii) around words actually spoken iii) around titles of books, films etc.	Brown (2009) says “This indicates that the data should not be trusted.” “Hello”, she said. “The Tempest” is a play by William Shakespeare.
Semi-colon  ;	i)  to link two sentences and turn them into a single sentence when a full stop would be too abrupt	He never took any exercise; consequently he became very unfit.  The door burst open; a stranger walked in.

End Punctuation

End Punctuation is the most common punctuation in the English language. You  must use end punctuation at  the end of  every sentence to

avoid confusion.
The three most common ways to end a sentence are
-period ( . )
The elephant is big.

-question mark ( ? )

Where is the man?

-exclamation mark ( ! )

The huge elephant sat on the man!

End punctuation tells the reader where each sentence ends. It also helps the reader understand the writer's emotions about the subject. For example, an exclamation mark ( ! ) tells the reader that I am excited or yelling.

Here is a paragraph without end punctuation:

Do you like to sing My mom and I sing in a choir that meets every Tuesday Last week we sang Christmas carols at a nursing home The residents of the nursing home enjoyed our visit It was fun Would you like to join us next Tuesday

You can see that it is very difficult to read and make sense of the paragraph. Every sentence runs straight into the next sentence.

Here is the same paragraph with end punctuation:

Do you like to sing? My mom and I sing in a choir that meets every Tuesday. Last week, we sang Christmas carols at a nursing home. The residents of the nursing home enjoyed our visit! It was fun! Would you like to join us next Tuesday?

Now, you can see questions, statements, and exclamations in the paragraph. You can see that the writer is excited about singing and enjoyed singing for the residents of the nursing home. The writer also asks if you like singing and would like to join their choir.

 Incorrect uses of end punctuation

Using the wrong end punctuation can cause confusion for the reader.

Consider these three sentences:

1. Richard wants to marry Rose.
2. Richard wants to marry Rose!
3. Richard wants to marry Rose?

The words of each sentence are the same, but the end punctuation greatly changes the meaning:

1. Richard wants to marry Rose.

By using a period, the writer is simply stating a fact. The writer does not show any feelings about the situation.

2. Richard wants to marry Rose!

With an exclamation mark, the writer shows emotion about the situation. The writer is probably excited.

3. Richard wants to marry Rose?

By using a question mark, the writer has turned the sentence into a question. The writer seems surprised and is asking for clarification.

A final note about punctuation

These were just a few examples of the importance of using punctuation in our writing. It is important to use punctuation correctly to help the reader understand our writing. Without punctuation, our writing would be a confusing mess!
These were examples of the importance of punctuation. Now that you know them, it is time to practice! Read and do exercises.

(2)-Capitalization  marks 

Capitalization  means using capital letters at the beginning of certain words.In this handout, you will study and review the main rules for using capital letters. Study the following rules:

CAPITALIZATION REVIEW

In this exercise you  will review the main rules for using capital letters. 

Study the rules and examples; then work the “TRY IT’ section. The answer key is at the back of this packet.

 The first word of every sentence begins with a capital letter.

  They soared above the earth like birds.

                       Names of persons are capitalized.

  We shall meet Juan and Mi Hye.

               Initials used in names and abbreviations of

               well known organizations are capitalized.

 

  Does this belong to T.R. Johnson?

  The P.T.A. meeting is tonight.

 

                         The word "I" is always capitalized.

Mostafa and I will do the job.

                       The names of the months are capitalized.

He was born on January 1, 1951.

                 The names of the days of the week are capitalized.

This class will meet on Tuesday and Thursday.

                            The names of holidays are capitalized

                           .

  Thanksgiving Day comes in November.

             The names of countries, states, and cities are capitalized.

-The doctor was a native of Mexico.

-I have visited in Indiana, and Chicago, Illinois.

 

                 The names of streets and avenues are capitalized.

-There are no business buildings on Temple Street.

 -Meet me at 212 Fifth Avenue.

 

                        The names of particular buildings, mountains,

                          parks and bodies of  water are capitalized.

-We camped in the Yellowstone National Park.

-The Mississippi River enters the Gulf of Mexico at New Orleans.

                         Titles with names and titles of books, songs

                           and newspapers are capitalized.

Dr. and Mrs. Hill had dinner with Captain Smith.

    The name of the book is The Old Man and the Sea.

    Our national anthem is “The Star Spangled Banner.”

  Do you read The Washington Post advertisements?

 

                     All the words in the greeting and the first

                   word of the closing of letters are capitalized.

Dear Mr. Arnaz,                                    Dear Aunt Faye,

To Whom It May Concern                    Dear Sir:

Sincerely,                                              Love,

*Examples of names, titles or words which are not capitalized:

    Titles:     There are three presidents at the conference.

  Seasons:  winter, spring, summer, autumn

  General studies:  history, art, science, etc.  (except specific 

        studies or languages:  Latin, Algebra II)

 (3) - Indentation

      In the written form of many languages, an indentation is an empty space at the beginning of a line to signal the start of a new paragraph.

Here is an example of a letter that is not punctuated, capitalized or indented.

dear parents,

you are invited by our local p.t.a. to attend a picnic at goldhead park.  it is the annual oakwood elementary school get-together.

 the picnic will be on saturday, june 6.  please bring food for your family. drinks may be bought at the park.

at three o’clock, superintendent james l. hanna will discuss the building program.

please come!

                                                                         sincerely,

                                                              ms. laverne howard

                                                        president, p.t.a.

 Here is the same letter again, but with the right, punctuation, capitalization and indentation:

 Dear Parents,

          You are invited by our local P.T.A. to attend a picnic at

Goldhead Park.  It is the annual Oakwood Elementary School

get together.  

           The picnic will be on Saturday, June 6.  Please bring

food for your family.  Drinks may be bought at the park.

          At three o’clock, Superintendent James L. Hanna will

discuss the building program.

Please come!

                                                                              Sincerely,

                                                                               Ms. Laverne Howard

                                                                                 President, P.T.A