ENGLISH IIOCTOBER 31, 2011

Warm-up: Write down the following sentences. Then, decide where to insert the punctuation mentioned.

1. (colon) Although Richard tried to give his granny a logical reason for his lack of faith to make her feel better, he ended up doing just the opposite, humiliating her.

2. (semicolon) Richard tries to pray later that night but can’t. Anything he tries to say he finds silly.

3. (parentheses) Richard even tries to write religious songs, hymns to be exact, in hopes of winning forgiveness from his grandmother.

4. (dash) When he is not able to write any hymns, Richard writes about a very different topic instead, the suicide of an Indian woman.

REMINDERS Tutoring= 2nd lunch on Wednesday. Period 5: If you’d like to revise your

autobiographical essays, do so and turn them in on Monday (new copy plus old copy).

Chicano Empowerment Conference…

STANDARDSWriting Conventions 1.3:

Demonstrate an understanding of proper English usage and control of grammar, paragraph and sentence structure, diction, and syntax.

PUNCTUATION RULESIn order to give you a greater range of

expression for your Autobiogrpahical Incident Essays, we will go over how to use four great punctuation marks: the colon, the semicolon, parentheses and dashes!

Take notes on the following slides (andkeep them to possiblyturn in at the end of the semester ).

COLONSUse a colon… …When you want to say “here comes

an example” or “here’s what I’m talking about”. Example: There’s only one sport for me:

extreme ironing. Example: There’s one thing I love more than

you: your mother. …Before some lists

Example: I want to meet the following people: Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Cesar Chavez and Mr. T.

Example: This is what I put in your sandwich: turkey, pesto, pickles, cheddar cheese and acid.

COLONSUse a colon… … in the greeting part of a formal letter

or business letter. Dear President Obama: To Whom It May Concern:

… after words such as caution, wanted or note. Caution: somebody poisoned the

waterhole. Wanted: a strong, handsome,

clean man in his mid-20’s to serve as a part-time boyfriend.

Note: We’re almost finished with colons!

COLONSUse a colon… … before a long, formal quotation.

Example: Governor Smith stated to the press: “I think that children should study grammar for at least six hours a day. Learning to speak and write correctly is far more important than anything else– including eating. In fact, I believe that eating is a complete waste of valuable time.”

SEMICOLONSUse a semicolon… Between two sentences that are very closely

related. Right: My family is Jewish. We celebrate Chanukah

but not Christmas. Better: My family is Jewish; we celebrate Chanukah

but not Christmas.Note: Being Jewish and celebrating Chanukah are

very closely related, and that relationship is emphasized by putting them in the same sentence.

Wrong: My family is Jewish; not Christian.

SEMICOLONSUse a semicolon… Between two sentences that are very

closely related (another example): Right: My sister is a Laker’s cheerleader. I get

free tickets to the Laker’s game. Better: My sister is a Laker’s cheerleader; I get

free tickets to the Laker’s game. Wrong: My sister is a Laker’s cheerleader; I

have a cat named Chubs.Note: being a Laker’s cheerleader and having a cat named Chubs are not closely related.

SEMICOLONSUse a semicolon… …before however and similar words that

show a relationship between two complete sentences. Wrong: I bet you thought you wouldn’t have

to learn another semicolon rule, however, you were wrong.

Right: I bet you thought you wouldn’t have to learn another semicolon rule; however, you were wrong.

Also right: I bet you thought you wouldn’t have to learn another semicolon rule. However, you were wrong.

PARENTHESESUse parentheses… … to set off parenthetical expressions from

the main part of the sentence. Examples of parenthetical expressions include: An explanation: Being a senior (a twelfth grader)

has its perks, but is also very stressful. A clarification: The town where I live

(Riverside) is a lovely city with such clean air.

An opinion: My date (to my dismay) had an onion sandwich during dinner.

A list: Some of my siblings (Pam, Kacey, Brianna, Brilane and Barry) were at my dad’s 75th birthday bash.

A translation: I paid 40 German marks (about $25) for my baby.

DASHESUse dashes… To link two parts of a sentence (similar to a

semicolon, but less formal and more spunky): Example: Do not allow a car without a driver to go

faster than 60 miles per hour– it’s the law. Also correct: Do not allow a car without a driver

to go faster than 60 miles per hour; it’s the law. Also okay: Do not allow a car without a driver to

go faster than 60 miles per hour because it’s the law.

DASHESUse dashes… To emphasize “by-the-way” parenthetical

expressions. Example: I went to visit my friend in Portland–

the one in Oregon, not Maine– this summer. Example: My grandmother bought me a

sweater– a lovely pumpkin sweater– for Halloween.

To set off a description of who or what the subject is. My best friends– Sarah and Aimee– will make their

dogs very happy by dressing them up for Halloween.

PARENTHESIS, COMMAS OR DASHES?

When deciding between with punctuation mark to use, keep in mind:

Parentheses hide or de-emphasize information Example: The tennis team (except for Matt) played great.

Dashes highlight information Example: Erica looked beautiful– incredibly beautiful– in

her prom dress. Commas show required or factual information

If you eat too much ice cream, as I’ve done today, you’ll get fat.

Note: in each of the three examples, you could have used either parentheses, commas or dashes, but some seem more suited for certain sentences. Use your best judgment.