Writing & Punctuation Tips |
| Writing Tips | Punctuation Tips | |
| Start with an outline or a jot list! Be ready to rewrite; often writing is a way to find out what you want to say. Spending time pre-writing can end up saving much time in getting a final copy ready. | A semicolon is used to link two complete sentences without a conjunction. For example, John went to the party. Mary stayed home. Put them together to read, "John went to the party; Mary stayed home." | |
| Every sentence needs a beginning, a middle, and an end. Every paragraph needs a beginning (a topic sentence), a middle (logic and evidence to show that what you are saying is correct), and an end (which ends up back where you started with a reference to your topic sentence). Every composition needs a beginning (a thesis statement), a middle (this part can be any number of paragraphs--see above), and an end (which should end up where you started with a reference to your thesis sentence). | Semicolons are also used to separate items in a series when the items already have commas. I have driven through Memphis, Tennessee; St. Louis, Missouri; Detroit, Michigan; and New Orleans, Louisiana. | |
| DO NOT use the word alot when writing!! Even when used as two words, do not use it to mean "much" or "more than a few." | Commas and periods almost always go inside quotation marks. Semicolons and colons go outside quotation marks. | |
| The word that should refer to things. The word who should refer to people. "The woman who told me was wearing the dress that I saw in the window." | Unless you are writing for a newspaper, you should put a comma before the final and in a series of things to avoid confusion. Mom asked me to get milk, eggs, peanut butter, and jelly at the store. | |
| The word "this" should not be used as a noun. You should use it as an adjective and follow it with a noun. Example: This tip is one I hope you remember! | Quotation marks are used to show that you are quoting someone or something exactly. For a quote within a quote, use single quotation marks: "The words 'skirt' and 'shirt' once meant identical things." | |
| Before turning in a paper or mailing an important letter, read it aloud to check for sentence fragments and awkward wording, and to HEAR what you have said. | ||