Writing Mechanics

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. A Apostrophe Quotation marks Comma Colon Semicolon Dash Parentheses Hyphen

Langan, J. (2011). College writing skills(8th ed.). New York: McGrawHill

1. Apostrophe
Apostrophe in contractions Two words are combined have + not = haven t (the o in not has been omitted) I + am = Im it + is = its I + have = Ive it + has = its I + had = Id who + is = whos
Langan, J. (2011). College writing skills(8th ed.). New York: McGrawHill

 Apostrophe to show ownership or possession To show possession, we can use words such as belongs to, or possessed by. the umbrella that belongs to Mark the tape recorder owned by the school the gentleness of my father
Langan, J. (2011). College writing skills(8th ed.). New York: McGrawHill

 But the apostrophe and s is often the easiest way to do this. Marks umbrella the childrens toys the schools tape recorder my fathers gentleness

Langan, J. (2011). College writing skills(8th ed.). New York: McGrawHill

Points to Remember 1.The s goes with the owner or possessor. What follows is the person or thing possessed. Marks umbrella 2. An apostrophe and s are used to show possession with a singular word even if the word already ends in s Doriss purse
Langan, J. (2011). College writing skills(8th ed.). New York: McGrawHill

 Do not use an apostrophe with possessive pronouns. The The The The

Apostrophe vs Possessive Pronoun

sun warped his albums restored Model T is theirs. decision is yours. lion charged its prey.

Langan, J. (2011). College writing skills(8th ed.). New York: McGrawHill

Apostrophe vs Simple Plurals

To make a word plural, add only s, not an apostrophe. For example: Singular Plural movie movies bag bags pen pens

Langan, J. (2011). College writing skills(8th ed.). New York: McGrawHill

 Apostrophe with Plural Ending in s Plurals that end in s show possession simply by adding the apostrophe, rather than an apostrophe and s (s) the Thompsons porch her parents home the soldiers hat

Langan, J. (2011). College writing skills(8th ed.). New York: McGrawHill

2. Quotation Marks
Quotation marks to show the exact words of a speaker or writer Ben Franklin once wrote, To lengthen thy life, lessen thy meals. Did you know, said the nutrition expert, that its healthier to be ten pounds overweight?
Langan, J. (2011). College writing skills(8th ed.). New York: McGrawHill

 Indirect Quotations an indirect quotation is a rewording of someone elses comments rather than a word-for-word direct quotation. The word that often signals an indirect quotation.
Direct Quotation The nurse said, Some babies cannot tolerate cows milk. Indirect Quotation The nurse said that some babies cannot Langan, J. (2011). College writing skills(8th ed.). New York: McGrawtolerate cows milk. Hill

 Quotation marks to show titles of short works ( articles in books, newspapers or magazines; chapters in a book; short stories; poems; and songs) But you should underline (if writing longhand) or italicized (if writing on a computer) titles of books, newspapers, magazines, plays, movies, CDs., and television shows. the essay My Soul mate in the book In a Relationship the article The Problem of Acid Rain in the newspaper The Star Langan, J. (2011). writing the article Living with Inflation in the CollegeMcGrawskills(8th ed.). New York:
Hill

 Quotation marks are also used to set off special words or phrases from the rest of a sentence What is the difference between its and its? Quotation marks are also used to mark off a quotation within a quotation The physics professor said, For class on Friday, do the problems at the end of the chapter titled Work and Energy. *note that a quotation within a quotation is
Langan, J. (2011). College writing skills(8th ed.). New York: McGrawHill

3.Comma
To separate items in a series The street vendor sold watches, necklaces, and earrings. The exercise instructor told us to inhale, exhale, and relax. To set off introductory material Just in time, Sherry applied the brakes and avoided car accident. Muttering under his breath, Hassan reviewed the terms he had memorized. Langan, J. (2011). College writing
skills(8th ed.). New York: McGrawHill

3. Comma
Use a comma on both sides of words or phrases that interrupt the flow of thought in a sentence. The vinyl car seat, sticky from the heat, clung to my skin. Marty computer, which his wife got him as a birthday gift, occupies all his spare time.

Langan, J. (2011). College writing skills(8th ed.). New York: McGrawHill

3. Comma
Use a comma to set off a direct quotation from the rest of the sentence. The carnival barker cried, Step right up and win a prize. Now is the time to yield to temptation, my horoscope read. For my first writing assignment, said Scott, I have to turn in a five-hundredword description of a stone.
Langan, J. (2011). College writing skills(8th ed.). New York: McGrawHill

4. Colon :
To introduce a list
The store will close at noon on the following dates: November 26, December 24, and December 31.

To introduce a quotation
In his book Life Lines, Forrest Church maintains that people should cry more: Life is difficult. Some people pretend that it is not, that we should be able to breeze through.

To introduce an explanation
Heres a temporary solution to a dripping faucet: Tie a string to it, and let the drops slide down the string to the sink.
Langan, J. (2011). College writing skills(8th ed.). New York: McGrawHill

5. Semicolon ;
To mark a break between two thoughts
Mayas children are named Melantha, which means black flower; Yonina which means dove; and Cynthia which means moon goddess

To mark off items in a series when the items themselves contain commas
My parents favorite albums are Rubber Soul, by the Beatles; Songs in the Key of Life, by Stevie Wonder; and Bridge over Troubled Water, by Simon and Garfunkel
Langan, J. (2011). College writing skills(8th ed.). New York: McGrawHill

6.Dash
Use a dash to set off words for dramatic effect:
I was so exhausted that I fell asleep within seconds standing up The pardon from the governor finally arrived too late

Langan, J. (2011). College writing skills(8th ed.). New York: McGrawHill

7. Parentheses ()
To set off extra or incidental information from the rest of a sentence
In 1913, the tax on an annual income of four thousand dollars (a comfortable wage at that time) was one penny. Arthur C. Clarke, author of science fiction books (including: A Space Odyssey), was inspired as a young man by the magazine Astounding Stories.

Langan, J. (2011). College writing skills(8th ed.). New York: McGrawHill

8. Hyphen Use a hyphen with two or more words that act as a single unit describing a noun
The light-footed burglar silently slipped open the sliding glass door. With a needle, Rich punctured the fluid-filled blister on his toe.

To divide a word at the end of a line of writing or typing. When you need to divide a word, divide it between syllables Langan, J. (2011). College writing
Selenas first year at college was a time filled with
skills(8th ed.). New York: McGrawHill