1. Semicolons must have independent clauses that are closely related on both sides.
example- The ice cream truck drove by my house today; I asked for chocolate but I got vanilla.
2. Punctuation marks go INSIDE quotation marks, unless there is a parenthetical citation.
example 1- Fred asked Bob, "Will you be my friend?"
example 2- As Wallace observes, "Blah blah blah blah blah" (42).
3. Always check the words you are uncertain of.
example- I commonly mix up letters in the words weird and definitely.
4. Watch out for the misuse of words or phrases- if you're unsure, look them up.
example- The phrase more superior than is incorrect. It should be more superior to.
5. Always keep in mind the rhetorical situation and think of what is appropriate and what is not.
6. Comma splicing: Be careful not to overuse commas. A main clause makes a complete thought, so you should not use a wimpy comma to join two powerful clauses.
BAD example- Fanning the slice of pizza with her napkin, Jane waited for it to cool, she had already burnt the roof of her mouth when she took the first bite.
GOOD example- Fanning the slice of pizza with her napkin, Jane waited for it to cool. She had already burnt the roof of her mouth when she took the first bite.
No comments:
Post a Comment