НОУ Немецкая гимназия  Peterschule

 

Рекомендовано                                                                        Утверждаю

Руководитель методсовета

С.М. Марчукова    

Директор НОУ                   Немецкая гимназия Peterschule                               

 

Протокол №                                                                                        Е.А. Юпатова

От “__” ____      2005 г.                                                           “ __”______       2005 г.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some General Rules of Writing: Capitalization and Punctuation

 

Некоторые общие правила употребления заглавной буквы и правила пунктуации в английском языке

 

(Предметный элективный курс)

 

 

 

И.Н. Каштанова

Учитель английского языка

НОУ Немецкая гимназия PETERSCHULE

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Санкт-Петербург

Ноябрь 2004 - август 2005г.

Пояснительная записка

 

Данный курс является предметным  и направлен на углубление и расширение знаний и умений учащихся в области грамматики английского языка.

 

Продолжительность курса – 16 - 20 часов (2 часа в неделю).

 

Место курса в образовательном процессе

 

Курс рассчитан на учащихся старших классов, в достаточной степени владеющих английским языком и усвоившим основной курс английской грамматики.  Курс представляет интерес для учащихся, избравших гуманитарный профиль обучения. Курс позволит углубить знания и навыки, полученные в процессе обучения как английскому, так и русскому языку, и имеет учебное название “В английском языке в отличие от русского …”, что предполагает  обращение к правилам русской грамматики.

 

Цели и задачи курса

 

Курс позволит подготовить учащихся к сдаче письменных экзаменов по английскому языку,  грамотному написанию резюме и других видов письменных работ, что является все более  и более актуальным в связи с повышение общих критериев оценки знаний  и умений учащихся в области английского языка.

 

Содержание курса

 

Курс представляет собой свод правил английской пунктуации, каждый смысловой раздел которого снабжен упражнением и заключительным тестом.

 

Методика

 

Методика проведения занятий характерна для изучения грамматики как русского, так и английского языка – изучение теории, сравнение с аналогами в русском и немецком языке и выполнение упражнений.  В качестве самостоятельной творческой работы курс предполагает  работу учащихся над неадаптированным текстом, выбор иллюстраций к изученным правилам, самостоятельное составление тестов, обмен ими и их оценка.

Дидактический материал

 

Учебное пособие - I.N. Kashtanova “Some General Rules of Writing: Capitalization and Punctuation”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I. N. Kashtanova

 

 

 

 

Some General Rules of Writing: Capitalization and Punctuation

 

 

 

 

От автора

 

 

Все в большей мере письмо становится не средством, а целью обучения на старших этапах.  Если правописанию и грамматике уделяется достаточно большое внимание, то пунктуация вообще выпадает из поля зрения учителя. Правила пунктуации не рассматриваются отдельно ни в одном из используемых грамматических пособий.  В результате учащиеся вынуждены использовать известные им правила русской пунктуации, которые не всегда совпадают с правилами английской пунктуации.  Так например, ученик выделяет причастные и деепричастные обороты, в чем чаще всего нет необходимости,  ставит запятую в сложноподчиненных предложениях, что в английском языке  необходимо лишь в том случае, если придаточное предложение предшествует главному.  Вместе с тем, не выделяет запятыми  рапространенные обстоятельства времени в начале предложения.  Постоянно приходится оговаривать правила оформления прямой  речи и цитат.  Даже при изучении языка в течение нескольких лет дети делают ошибки в использовании заглавных букв в словах, обозначающих, например, названия месяцев.  Ошибки такого рода особенно часты у детей, изучающих английский язык как второй иностранный после немецкого, где все существительные пишутся с заглавной буквы.

          Одним словом, каждый практикующий учитель английского языка ощущает острую неоходимость в специальном курсе английской пунктуации, равно как и в справочнике по данной проблеме.

          Предлагаемое пособие представляет собой  практический курс английской пунктуации, состоящий из двух разделов – употребление заглавных букв и использование знаков препинания в английском языке.  Каждая группа правил снабжена упражнениями.

Данная книга может использоваться и как справочник и как практическое пособие на всех этапах обучения языку, а также может быть основой отдельного элективного курса для учащихся 10 - 11 классов школ и гимназий с углубленным изучением английского языка.

 

И.Н. Каштанова

         

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Пояснительная записка

 

 

Данный курс является с одной стороны предметно ориентированным, так как позволяет в значительной мере углубить знания и навыки учащихся в области грамматики английского языка – впервые за долгие годы обучения изучить систематически  такой раздел грамматики как  пунктуация и употребление заглавной буквы, с другой – акцент делается на отличие английской системы пунктуации от русской, и, следовательно, курс является межпредметным,  отсюда название курса  «В английском языке в отличие от русского …»

 

Задача курса – дать возможность учащимся реализовать свой интерес к аспекту языка, которому не уделялось достаточного внимания и небходимость изучения которого ощущают как ученики  так и учителя в связи с тем, что письменная речь, считавшаяся средством обучения, становится все в большей степени целью. От современных молодых людей, заявляющих при поступлении на работу о своем знании английского языка, требуется умение не только пройти устное собеседование, но и  написать резюме. Все чаще осуществляются поездки за границу, где зачастую возникают ситуации, когда необходимо сделать письменное заявление. Большинство молодых людей активно пользуется Интернетом, вступает в переписку с иностранными корреспондентами, и оценка их владения языком во многом зависит от их умения грамотно писать.

Цель курса – подготовить к выполнению письменных тестов и экзаменов, в том числе FCE и TOEFL.

Продолжительность – не менее 16 часов.

 

Содержание – 1) углубление многих грамматических тем (притяжательные существительные, причастие и причастные обороты, правописание имен собственных, употребление числительных после существительных и др.)

2)     расширение базовых знаний, системное изучение раздела грамматики 'Пунктуация'.

Методы познания – практические занятия, самостоятельное выполнение серии упражнений, самостоятельное составление  Quiz, заключительный тест.

Итоговая аттестация по совокупности выполненных работ.

Рекомендованная литература методическое пособие И. Н. Каштанова ''Некоторые  общие правила письменной английской речи употребление заглавной буквы и правила пунктуации''.

 

 

 

 

Capitalization

 

 

 

·       Capitalize the first word of a sentence.

·       Capitalize the first word of a direct quotation.

·       Capitalize the first word of a complete line of poetry.

·       Capitalize the first, the last and other important words in the title of any work of art.

·       Do not capitalize  prepositions and conjunctions that have fewer than five letters when they appear in the title.

·       Capitalize the names of  people.

·       Sometimes , capitals occur within a surname:

O’Henry, O’Nan, McGregor

·       Capitalize the title preceding a person’s name or a title replacing a person’s name, as in direct address:

One of the most active senators on the committee is Senator James.

Do you expect, Governor, to run for another term?

·       When the words president and vice president do not precede a person’s name, they may be capitalized only when they refer to the highest officials of the government:

The President is inaugurated in January.

Vice President Ford later became President Ford.

Juan’s goal is to be president of the company.

·      Capitalize the abbreviation for a person’s name or title:

Capt. Wm. Jordan will see you now, Prof. Clarke.

Harry Brown, Sr., and Dr. Bertha Shapp own the building.

·       Capitalize words that show family relationships when they precede a person’s name or when they replace the person’s name:

My sister went to Mexico with Aunt Irene.

I wonder, Father, when you’ll be ready to leave.

·       But: I’m looking forward to meeting my long-lost cousin.

·       Capitalize Miss, Mrs., Ms., and Mr.:

Miss Ella Brown will head the special task force.

In American history Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt is one of the most admired women.

·       Capitalize the names of specific places and proper adjectives formed from the names of the specific places:

The Caribbean islands of Aruba, Bonaire, and Curacao are known as ‘ABC Islands.’

·       Capitalize the names of compass directions only if they refer to a specific region or rare part of address:

Don’t visit the Southwest in August!

if the museum is located at 75 East Huron, it is on the northwest side of the city.

·       Capitalize the names of buildings, institutions, monuments, business, and organizations:

The American Medical Association has one office in the Speidel Building.

In 1912 Juliette Law founded the Girl Scouts of America.

·       Capitalize the names of nationalities, religions, races, and languages.  Also capitalize the proper adjectives formed from these nouns:

Jennie Lee has a French poodle and a Siamese cat.

Because he lived in North Africa, Alan speaks both French and Arabic and is respected scholar in the Moslem faith.

·       Capitalize the names of planets, stars, and other heavenly bodies:

Sailors used the North Star – Polaris – to guide them.

Which planet shines red in the sky – Mars or Venus?

·      Never capitalize the words sun, moon, and earth when they follow the word the.

·      Capitalize the names of months, days of the week, holidays, and special events:

Isn’t Earth Day in April?

·       Capitalize the abbreviations A.D., B.C., A.M., and P.M.

Tomorrow’s sunrise is at 5:14 A.M.

Who won the Battle of Hastings, fought in A.D. 1066?

·       Capitalize the historical events and periods:

As a result of the Spanish-American War, the U.S. annexed Puerto Rico.

Wordsworth was a Romantic poet.

·       Capitalize the names of school subjects that are formed from proper nouns or that name a specific course:

I believe that Literature III focuses on the American short story.

·       Capitalize most nouns followed by a number or letter:

Isn’t Room 422 used on Tuesday afternoon?

·       Capitalize the names of political parties, the name of government agencies, departments, and bureaus or their abbreviations:

If you want information on national parks, you should write to Department of the Interior.

·       Capitalize names of specific ships, trains, planes, and spacecraft:

Who was the commander of the ship ‘Enterprise’?

Agatha Christie wrote a mystery about ‘Orient Express’, the luxurious European train that travelled between Calais and Istanbul.

·       Capitalize brand names of specific products:

·       Capitalize the first word and each noun in the salutation of a letter:

My dear Dr. Kramer,

Dear Mrs. Waller

·       Capitalize the first word in the closing of a letter:

Very truly yours,

·       Capitalize the pronoun  I and the interjection O:

I don’t know where I put my eyeglasses.

Where, oh where, should I go, O Father?

·       Capitalize the first word of each topic of an outline:

I.                   Hollywood idols

A.          Stars of silent films

B.          Stars of ‘talkies’

 

 

 

Exercise 1

 

Use capital letters where necessary

 

1.    My aunt lives in cape may, a town at the southern tip of new jersey.

2.    When asked if she could name all fifty state capitals, aunt kim missed two – augusta, main and sacramento california.

3.    When he visited washington, d.c., paulo morales, jr., who is the president of our student council, met the president and vice president of the united states at a restaurant in georgetown.

4.    Last summer jaimie’s aunt, who is a professor at ohio state, taught a course in florence, italy, and then travelled with her sister,dr. celia ling, to rome and milan, and then across the english channel to london.

5.    The american museum of natural history is across the street from new york historical society.

6.     Which planet is larger – neptune or saturn?

7.    A fine example of japanese carpentry is the golden hall, a buddhist temple built in a.d. 679.

8.    Don’t forget that the league of women voters will sponsor a panel discussion on Tuesday night at 7:30 p.m. at the city centre motor inn.

9.    The chinese have been practicing acupuncture since 3000    b.c.

10.           The exhibition at asia house includes japanese screens, chinese porcelain, chinese ivory, and korean silks.

11.           French, mexican, italian, and canadian diplomats met at the white house to discuss trade agreements; the meetings, which ran from 9:00 p.m., were broadcast over fm radio.

12.           Yes, easter is always on a Sunday, but it is not always the same date; however, usually in april or may.

13.           Jenny wrote,’dear aunt lynn, i’m writing – with my new jackson broth.pen – to let you know that i am coming on Thursday, july 28, and will stay until Saturday, august 15.  i have reserved room 803 at the martin hotel, so i’ll see you then. Oh i can’t wait!  fondest regards jenny.’

14.           “we went to the opening of paulo’s show,’ Muhammad exclaimed. ‘it was wonderful.  my favourite painting was entitled ‘reflections inside a golden eye.’”

15.           Didn’t jack say that he had seen the empire strikes back four times?  after seeing star wars, jack declared, “if there are million sequels to this picture, i’ll see each of them at least four or five times.’

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Punctuation

 

 

 

Punctuation helps show the relationships between groups of written words.  The period, for instance, clearly indicates where a sentence ends.

It causes readers to stop and read a particular group of words as one complete thought.  Other marks of punctuation, such as the semicolon or colon, show there is a relationship between a word or a group of words and those that follow.  A piece of writing without any punctuation is difficult to understand.

 

 

Punctuation marks:

 

.              full stop (Br. E), period (Am. E)

,              comma

;             semi-colon

:              colon

?           question mark

!             exclamation mark (Br. E), exclamation point (Am. E)

( )           brackets, parentheses (Br. E frml; Am. E)

“ “         quotation marks

-              dash - тире

-               hyphen - дефис

o’clock   apostrophe

' italics’   italics – курсив

'bold'      bold type – жирный шрифт

 

 

Usage of punctuation marks

 

I.                  The period.

 

·       The period  marks the end of a sentence or an abbreviation.

·       A declarative sentence ends in period.

·       A mildly imperative sentence ends in period:

          Call home on Sunday.

·       A period follows many abbreviations:

 

Dr. – Doctor, M. D. – Doctor of Medicine, Mr. – mister, Jr. –junior, Sr. – senior, U.S. – United States, P.M. – post meridiem, A.M. – ante meridiem, Ave. – avenue, i.  e. = that is, cf. = compare.

·       Some other abbreviations are not followed by a period:

metric units (10 ml, 2kg), postal abbreviations for states in addresses (PA, NY), most government agencies (NASA, FBI), many large corporations (CBS, NBC, IBM), and some common abbreviations such as TV:

Dr. Carter and MRS. Clark both worked for NASA.

Approximately 4 oz. of flour equals 112 g of flour.

Did you watch last night’s TV special on NBC?

 

 

 

II. The Question Mark.

 

·       A question or interrogative sentence, ends with a question mark:

When is the party?  I can’t be there until 9:00.

Who wrote the book?  Is it someone we know?

·       Note: When a question is part of a declarative sentence, it is an indirect question and ends with a period:

Why aren’t we going? [direct question]

I wondered why we weren’t going. [indirect question]

·       A question mark is placed inside quotation marks only if the quotation is a question:

“Where is Albania?” Noah asked.

·       If the entire sentence is a question, the question mark is placed outside the quotation marks:

Who wrote “The Black Cat”?

·       When an interrogative pronoun or adverb such as who, what, where, when, why, or how is used alone to ask a question, it is followed by a question mark:

You made this yourself?  How?

What?  I didn’t hear the last question.

 

 

 

III. The Exclamation Point.

 

·       A strong imperative sentence is followed by an exclamation point:

Watch out!

Come quickly; we’re late!

·       An exclamation point follows an exclamation:

How late!

What a great idea!

·       A mildly imperative sentence can end with a period. 

·       Interjections showing a strong feeling are followed by an exclamation mark:

Wow! did you see the size of the shark?

Hey!  This is one-way street!

 

·       A polite request can be followed by a question mark, a period, or an exclamation point.  The mark depends on the meaning and emotion you want to convey.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Exercise 1.

 

Write the following sentences and use periods, question marks, and exclamation points as necessary.

 

1.    Ms Allen, Mr Janex, and Dr Cottler are looking for artists for their new gallery Send inquiries to this address:

Modern Space Gallery

4333 E Roosevelt Ave

Reno NV 85305

2.      Help  Where is Dr Lance’s phone number Oh how I hate this disorganized phone book

3.     H J Castillo asked why it was snowing when the CBS 7:00 P M report had predicted fair weather “Who knows” replied MRS Castillo.  “How can anyone really predict the weather”

4.    “When did the SS France take its last voyage”  Capt L Jacobs asked.  “Wow  I would like to have piloted that ocean liner”

5.     Sgt J J Newsome, US Army, barked orders to the new recruits.  “Attention  About face  Forward march”

6.    Did you see the writer P D James interviewed on the PBS show Mystery at 10:00 P M last night

7.    Were you stationed at Ft Riley or at FT Dix, Pvt Singer  Did you, by any chance know Dr W W Barnes  What coincidence

8.     Bravo Bravo  What an exciting performance  Don’t you think that the cast of Players Inc puts on a professional show Prof Cours

9.    How exciting that you’ve won a trip to Europe  Mrs Alonzo When will you go  If you need more information, write to Walton Travel Ltd Ft Lauderdale Florida

10.           Please call as soon as you arrive  That road is so bumpy it could have been built in 1950 B C instead of in A D 1950

 

 

 

 

 

 

IV.         The Comma

 

·       The comma separates words, phrases, or clauses within a sentence. Sometimes, the comma is used where a pause would occur in speech: at other times the comma is used as custom dictates.

·       Use comma to separate words or groups of words in a series:

Ilena sings, dances, and acts.

Walter designed the table, cut wood, and assembled it.

·       When items commonly go together, such as bread and butter, they can be paired as one item:

Jake added scallions, cheese, and salt and pepper to the omelet.

·       When the last two items in a series are joined by coordinating conjunction (and or but), a comma precedes the conjunction.  However, when all the items in a series are joined by conjunctions, do not use commas.

We ate chicken, salad, and carrots.

We ate chicken and salad and carrots.

·       Use comma to separate two or more adjectives preceding a noun:

Six hundred talented, enthusiastic applicants answered the ad.

The high-paying, interesting, rewarding job was available.

·       Note: Use comma if the word and would make sense in its place.

The refreshing, salty air blew from the sea. [An and  makes sense between the adjectives.]

The creaky wooden canoe seemed unsafe. [No commas are necessary between the adjectives.]

·       use comma to separate independent clauses that are joined by the coordinating conjunction -  and, yet, but, or, nor, for, or so:

The house is expensive, but it requires a lot repairs.

Juan is a good tennis player, yet he rarely plays.

I love warm weather, so I applied for a job in Hawaii.

·       use comma to separate the subordinate clause from the main clause when the subordinate clause begins the sentence:

Because California is located on the San Andreas Fault, it has frequent earthquakes

If you don’t wear a seat belt in the car, you increase your chances of being hurt in an accident.

Since Mark was originally from Florida, he didn’t like driving in the Midwest in winter.

·       when the subordinate clause comes at the end of the sentence, a comma is not usually necessary:

California has frequent earthquakes because it is located on the San Andreas Fault.

·       do not use comma to set off an essential clause;

We saw a play that one every award on Broadway.

Every cabbage that we’ve ever  bought from Tudbury’s Market has been wormy.

 

 

 

Exercise2

 

Write each of the following sentences, using commas where necessary.

 

1.        During March April and May the weather became warmer the rains ceased the buds appeared.

2.        Pablo eats neither fish nor meat nor will he even kill an insect.

3.        My sentimental sensitive romantic sister has saved every letter card and note that her husband has ever written to her.

4.        Helen Max and Juan chose green blue and biege fabric for the couch.

5.        John looked under the bed behind the dresser and in the closet for his favourite well-worn sneakers.

6.        Fire is constant hazard in Los Angeles County so the people post signs to warn visitors of the danger.

7.        U.S. national bird is the eagle but Benjamin Franklin wanted the turkey adopted as a national symbol because he felt eagles were nasty predatory birds.

8.        Every day Judy eats half a grapefruit before breakfast and lunch and dinner for she believes the grapefruit are healthful.

9.        Tim and Jim and Kim live in the same apartment building but they work on different schedules and rarely see each other.

10.   Janet designed the patterns bought the fabric and then sewed a skirt two shirts and a dress.

11.   The narrow bumpy dirt road winds into the woods up the hill and around the reservoir: it must lead somewhere.

12.   Because drought continued for so long many cities began to ration water.

13.   Tina bought anew car because she couldn’t afford a new one.

 

 

·       Use comma to separate  introductory participial phrases (that precedes the subject)

Disgusted by the long line at the ticket window, we decided to skip the movie.

Shortly after ringing of the burglar alarm, the police car pulled up to the store.

Running all the way,   Janice reached the train station just in time.

·       Be sure that a word ending in –ing is a participle (not a noun or gerund)

·        Use comma to separate  long introductory prepositional phrases from the rest of the sentence:

·       Use a comma to separate introductory adverb clauses:

When the concert ended, thousands of people jammed the exits.

Before she accepted the job, Mary Anne went on several interview.

·       Use a comma to separate  long introductory prepositional phrases:

In a corner of the yard near the house, a beautiful lilac bush bloomed annually.

Without the benefit of a letter of introduction, Ken felt uncomfortable entering the personnel office of the large company.

·        Use a comma with short introductory prepositional phrases only if comma is necessary to make the meaning clear:

During May the company closes on Fridays.

By the sea, shore birds wade lazily. [Comma needed for clarity. Cf. By the sea shore/ birds wade lazily.]

·       Use a comma with several introductory phrases linked together:

 

·       Use comma to separate some short introductory elements from the rest of the sentence.

·       Use comma after mild interjections and such words as yes, no, well, why, still, and now when you introduce a sentence or an independent clause:

No, I’ve never seen a cobra.

Why, it’s pouring!

Bert lives in Chicago; still, he prefers living in the country.

Well, look at that!

Oh, is this where you live?

Note: When these verbs are used as adverbs, they should not be followed by commas.

Now, I’m sure you’ll enjoy studying in Mexico.

She now studies in Mexico.

·       Use comma after a noun of direct address when it introduces a sentence or an independent clause.  When a noun of direct address occurs at the end of a sentence or clause, comma precedes it:

Marika, please call your brother.

I can’t hear you, Rachel.

Governor, where is your office?

·       Use comma after such introductory expressions as however, accordingly, thus, consequently, therefore, besides, in fact, on the other hand, and by the way.  When these appear at the end of the sentence, they are preceded by a comma:

By the way, Ellen has finished writing her book; however, she has not yet sold it to the publisher.

Therefore, please call before midnight.

I’m moving to Detroit, in fact.

·       In general, use a comma after any introductory expression that would be followed by a pause if you were speaking.

·       Use a comma to separate contrasting words, phrases, and clauses introduced by the word not:

Carmine is a shade of red, not blue.  

Jack starred in the stage production, not the movie

 

 

Exercise 3

 

Use commas where necessary, circle the commas insert.

 

1.    In fact Denise was born in Japan; however she speaks no Japanese.

2.    Waiting for the train to pass the cars blocked the street.

3.    Oh I don’t know whether I go or not.

4.    Slipping from my hands the book dropped to the floor and bounced down the stairs.

5.    The artist sketching with charcoal bent over her pad of paper in absolute concentration.

6.    Grandmother said, ‘Well I suppose we ought to get out and do the chores.’

7.    Straining his tired eyes the pilot could barely see through the very dense fog.

8.    If you have any doubt phone me.

9.    Levi Strauss originally went west to seek gold Mabel.

10.           Having travelled west with canvas to sell for tents and wagons Strauss sold the fabric for pants instead; people needed sturdier pants not sturdier tents.

11.           Called overalls or Levis these pants were durable clothing for the miners and farmers.

12.           Strauss soon stopped using canvas however as a matter of fact he began using denim.

13.           When the Civil War ended Levi shipped his pants to Texas: thus they soon become the standard garb of cowhands.

14.           Well Strauss wanted all of his pants to be the same colour; therefore he dyed the pants with indigo so they would all be blue.

15.           During the early days of Levis people wore the pants into the water and kept them on until they dried; as a result the pants fit perfectly!

16.           Margo the original jeans had copper rivets on the back pocket; however the rivets scratched saddles and furniture.  Consequently the manufacturer eliminated the pocket rivets.

17.           In the collection of the Smithsonian Institute in Washington there is a pair of Levis canvas dungarees I think.

18.           Well Levi Strauss would certainly be surprised to learn that his dungarees had become popular fashion not just sturdy work pants!

 

Paired Commas

 

·       Apposition = appositive (приложение) (in grammar) an arrangement in which one simple sentence contains two or more noun phrases that describe the same person or thing and are used in the same way:

The defendant, woman of 35, denies kicking the policeman.

·       When the sentence is interrupted with words of direct address, phrase, or clause, use paired commas to separate the expression from the rest of the sentence:

          I think, Anita, that your drawing is lovely.

          Why, Doctor, is my neck stiff all the time?

We stayed, nevertheless, until the game had ended and our team won.

Fleming, not Pasteur, discovered penicillin.

Arthur Ashe, I think, has stopped playing tennis.

·       Use paired commas to enclose nonessential phrases (which can be omitted from the sentence without changing its basic meaning).

          Irene Warner, who lives across the street, is a physicist.

We attended the debut performance of Ken’s youngest sister, who is a singer.

·       Note:  Do not separate essential phrases and clause with commas:

The woman who lives across the street just got a job with the Los Angeles Times.

The man standing there just won the Boston marathon.

·       Use paired commas to enclose nonessential appositives that interrupt the sentence:

I.M. Pei, the noted architect, has designed New York’s new Convention Center.

Joanna Perkins, our new accountant, just opened her own firm.

·       Note: A nonessential appositive at the beginning of the sentence is followed by a comma.  A nonessential appositive at the end of a sentence is preceded by a comma:    

          An opera fan, Cara attends every performance she can.

          Martha studies at Reed College, a small school in Oregon.

·       Use comma to separate parts of geographical names and dates:

Jerry was born on Thursday, March 14, 1980, at 5:55 P.M.

Meet me at Martin Luther King High School, 7503 Warwick Road, Detroit, Michigan 48233.

          Otters live off the coast of Monterey, California.

 

Exercise 4

 

1.    The Nile I think is the longest river in the world.

2.    I believe that daffodils not roses are poisonous: I suggest however that you check with the botanical gardens.

3.    You know Mary that Alfred Hitchcock not Anthony Perkins directed Psycho; Perkins on the other hand starred in the picture.

4.    Fares on the London subway Marika vary according to the length of the ride; a long ride costs more than a short one.

5.    All the stores in London by the way will be closed on Thursday; Thursday it seems is the Queen’s birthday.

6.    It is possible I suppose to enjoy a toy poodle.  I wish however that those little poodles would bark not yelp when they get excited.

7.    Alice by the way rarely makes a phone call after 7 o’clock in the evening; I on the other hand could talk on the phone all night.

8.    Have you ever Bernardo visited the Brook’s farm in the winter?  Julio claims that winter not summer is the most beautiful season there.

9.    Last fall’s rains as a matter of fact lasted for weeks; many homes as a result were flooded or washed away.

10.           Silver not gold tarnishes (to tarnish - to make or become dull, discoloured or less bright); gold believe it or not keeps its shine for many years.

 

·       Note: In addresses do not use a comma between the street number and the street name, nor between the state and the ZIP code.

·       In dates a comma is unnecessary when only a month and a year are given in a date (September 4, 1888; September 1888)

·       When these items are joined by prepositions, commas are not necessary;

          The museum is on Main Street in West Chicago, Illinois.

          She was born in November of 1945.

·       Use a comma to separate a person’s name (or a company’s name) from the degree, title, or affiliation that follows it:

          We bought these lamps from Lightoleer, Inc., in New York.

          Connie Clark, M.D., is a pediatrician.

·       Note: when used in a sentence, a degree or title is followed by a comma:

Julio Perez, M.D., just became president of the American Medical Association.

·       Use  a comma after the salutation and the closing of a friendly letter:

          Dear Bert,

          Sincerely yours,

 

Exercise 5

 

Use commas where necessary.

 

1.    That is a photograph of Clara Barton who founded the American Red Cross.

2.    A talented singer and dancer Rita Moreno is now part of the cast of The Electric Company which is a television show for children.

3.    Jack’s dog Ken is a Saluki which is a nervous high-strung dog: however, Jack’s other dog Luch is the sweetest mutt in the world.

4.    The photographs that depict the earthquake were taken in 1886.  The earthquake which occurred in South Caroline on August 31, 1886 was strong enough to derail locomotives!

5.    A hat that has a wide brim offers good protection from the sun; on the other hand a beret brimless cap won’t protect your face from the sun.

6.    Margaret Corbin who fought bravely during the American Revolution is buried at West Point.

7.    Did you know that Duke Ellington the composer and the band leader used to live on West 106th Street in New York?  In 1977 West 106th Street which runs between Riverside Drive and Central Park West was renamed Duke Ellington Boulevard.

8.    Vermeil (позолоченное серебро, бронза, медь) a mixture of gold and silver is frequently used to make jewelry instead of gold which has become very expensive.

9.    In the Old West the chuck wagon a kitchen on wheels was the most popular vehicle on the trails; and the cook who often had to make much out of a little was treated with a great deal of respect!

10.           In famous scene from North by Northwest a film by Hitchcock Cary Grant who starred in the film is chased by a crop-duster which is small two-winged propeller plane.

11.           The woman who owns Kellog Shoe shop just wrote a book which will be published next spring; the book titled Profits is a well-written guide about managing a business.

12.           The Whartons drove from Denver Colorado to San Francisco California and back.

13.           New bus fares will go into effect at 12:00 P.M. Saturday May 15 1991.

14.           World Airlines Inc. announced a sale on flights between Newark New Jersey and Los Angeles California from April 1980 until May 15 1980.

15.           If you are looking for a pet go to Best Pet Shop Ltd. 750 Wabash Road Bismarck North Dakota 58501.

16.           Ann Miller M.D. consulted with Carl Rogers M.D. and Raina Fillipo M.D. regarding the injured patient.

17.           On Thursday June 25 at 1:30 P.M. Colton Industries Inc. will announce the winner of their Employee of the Year Award.

18.           Dear Aunt Helga

I would like to order two plants from your catalogue of April 1981.  Please send them to my friend Jonah Jakes Jr. 140 Walker Road Tampa Florida 31031.

Fondly

Kim

19.           According to their ad the Rivera Hotel at 333 Mission Drive San Diego California will lower its rates from May 15 1980 until February 1981.

20.           Janis signed  her complaint ‘Furiously yours’ and sent it to Lance Lucky Sr. Sturdy Furniture Corp. 77 Park Avenue Jefferson Wisconsin.

21.           The museum n the Parkway in Philadelphia Pennsylvania will have a special showing on Tuesday May 13 from noon until 5:00 and on Thursday May 15 from 1:00 P.M.  until closing.

22.           Carolyn Mendez M.D. will lecture  to medical students in Paris France and London England and Hamburg Germany; her tour will begin on Friday November 12 1982 and continue until January 1983.

 

 

 

 

 

V. The Semicolon

 

·       Use a semicolon to separate independent clauses not joined by coordinating conjunction when the clauses are closely related:

Jose is an expert pianist; he has studied the piano since he was seven.

          Irene never eats fish: she is allergic to it.

·       Use a semicolon between independent clauses when the second clause begins with a transitional expression such as still, moreover, furthermore, otherwise, therefore, however, besides, in fact, and for example:

          The movie has already begun; besides, I’m too tired to go.

Last night’s storm knocked down power lines; as a result, we had no electricity this morning.

·       Use a semicolon to separate items in a series when one or more of the items contain commas:

An Egyptian-Israeli peace settlement was negotiated by Jimmy Carter, President of the U.S.; Menachem Begin, Prime Minister of Israel; and Anwar Sadat, President of Egypt.

·       Use semicolon between the independent clauses when commas appear within the clauses:

Barbara Ling, who has relatives in Shanghai, will visit China next month; in addition to Shanghai, she’ll travel to Peking and Manchuria.

 

Exercise 7

 

Place semicolons where they are needed

 

1.    Bart, a well-known animal handler, trains large animals for television, he is currently training a bear for an insurance company’s commercial.

2.    This book is filled with photographic firsts it includes the first photos ever taken of a dog begging, of the moon, and of the snowflake!

3.    Ramon has just published a best-selling book as a result, he constantly appears as a guest on TV talk shows.

4.    Cats, they say, have nine lives my cat, I am sure, has already used seven of them.

5.    Use comma between independent clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction however, use a semicolon if the clauses contain commas.

6.    Elizabeth Blackwell, the first woman doctor in the United States, founded the New York Infirmary for Women and Children that hospital still functions today.

7.    Early photographers in the American West used portable darkrooms (a dark room in which a photograph can be processed) in horse-drawn wagons there is , in fact, a famous photograph, taken in 1868, of a wagon darkroom travelling across the Nevada desert.

8.    Everyone in the room had seen the UFO no one, however, had taken a picture!

9.    Native Americans often made their canoes from the bark of large birch trees they sewed the pieces of bark together with white spruce roots.

 

V.               The Colon

 

·       Use a colon to separate a list of items from an introductory statement, which often contains the words as follows, the following, these, or a number:

Monique speaks four languages: English, French, Spanish, and Dutch.

Deciduous trees that fill Jake’s yard are as follows: elm,

maple, oak, and chestnut.

·       Use a colon to separate an introductory statement from an explanation, appositive, or quotation:

          The crowd rose and yelled its cheer: ‘Bravo!’

          Martha’s Boston accent rang clear when she read three words: ‘Park your car in Harvard Yard.’

·       Use a colon after the salutation of a business letter:

          Dear Jane Coe:

          Dear Dr. Hart:

·       Use a colon to separate hour and minutes in expressions of time:

          11:30 A.M.

          4:00 this afternoon

 

 

Exercise 8

 

Place colons where necessary

 

1.    Buses depart for Newark at these times 8 30 A.M., 2 15 P.M., and 3 26 P.M.

2.    For her birthday Maureen received tickets to three Broadway shows Barnum, West Side Story, and Children of a Lesser God.

3.    Which of these states has the largest population Texas, Massachusetts, or Illinois?

4.     Before it was ravaged by civil war, Beirut had this nickname ‘Paris of the Middle East.’

5.    Having heard the concert, Julio had one response wonderful.

6.    The movie plays at several times 3 00, 5 00. 7 00, and 9 00.

7.    This sums up Jack’s baby’s vocabulary pa, ma, and hi.

8.    Having travelled around the country, novelist Emmett Grogan said this of the United States ‘Anything anybody can say about America is true.’

 

 

VI.           The Dash

 

The dash – calls attention to the words or group of words that precedes it.

·       Use a dash to separate an introductory series or thought from the explanation:

          Lilacs and roses – those are my favourite flowers.

·       Use a dash to separate a sudden change of thought:

Dinner is ready – oh, I left my hat in the office.

June’s birthday party is on Friday at – oops, I’ve lost the invitation.

·       Use a dash to show the omission of words in dialogue:

It’s thunderi -,’ Jack shouted.

·       Use paired dashes to enclose the word or group of words  separated by a dash within a sentence:

Betty’s dog – it’s an Australian sheepdog – won the first prize!

 

Exercise 9

 

Place dashes where necessary.

 

1.          Elizabeth’s dictionary it’s very old doesn’t list the word astronaut.

2.          Terrified that’s how I felt before the match.

3.          Max was charged with littering throwing papers on the street and fined fifty dollars.

4.          The Martinez’s house a ranch I think has a view of the sea.

5.          Pat, I can’t hear the baby is crying a word you’re saying.

6.          Georgia Coles I think that’s her name just opened a boutique on Columbus Avenue.

7.          Proud and tired mostly tired I think was how I felt after having finished in the marathon last weekend.

8.          Those enormous dogs they are either Great Danes or mastiffs, I believe live across the street.

VII.  Parentheses (brackets)

 

Parentheses, like commas and dashes, are used to enclose elements that interrupt a sentence.

Parentheses indicate a strong break in thought.  Elements in parentheses, in fact, are really additional information.

          Esthelle’s mother (born in 1910) tells wonderful tales.

Dr. Michaels (our dentist) lives in Oakland.

W.C.Handy (the W.C. stands for William Christopher) is known as ‘The Father of the Blues.’

 

 

VIII.   The Hyphen

 

The hyphen is used to link the parts of some compound words. It is also links the parts of a word begun in one line and finished on the next.

 

·       Place the hyphen only between syllables.

·       If a word already contains a hyphen (self-control), divide it only at the hyphen.

·       Use the hyphen to link the parts of compound nouns that begin with the prefixes ex-,self-, great-:

          ex-wife, all-star

·       Use a  hyphen to link prefixes with proper names and adjectives:

          pre-Columbian, anti-American

·       Use a hyphen to link the parts of compound nouns that include a prepositional phrase:

father-in-law, jack-in-the-box

·       Use a hyphen to link the parts of a compound adjective when it precedes a noun:

muscle-building routine, high-paying job, well-known author

·       Use a hyphen to link the parts of fraction used as an adjective:

          one-half acre, two-thirds majority

·       Use a hyphen to link the parts of a compound numbers between twenty-one and ninety-nine:

          sixty-three cents,  forty-seven days

 

 

 

 

 

IX.  The Apostrophe

 

The apostrophe is used to show the omission of letters or numbers, to form the plurals of letters and numbers, and to form possessive nouns.

 

·       Use the apostrophe to show that  letters have been omitted:

cannot = can’t;  do not = don’t;  are not = aren’t;

 they are = they’re

·       Add the apostrophe and ‘s’ to make a singular noun possessive or to make possessive most plural nouns not ending ins’:

John’s house; children’s laughter

·       If a plural noun ends in ‘s’, show the possession by adding only an apostrophe:

chickens’ feed; the candidates’ speeches

·       To show possession in hyphenated words and in words showing joint possessions, add an apostrophe and ‘s’ only to the last word:

brother-in-law’s company; Debora and Bob’s apartment

·       Note: When two or more people each possess something separately, make each of the name possessive:

men’s and women’s shoes;

·       If the second word is a possessive pronoun, then the first is also possessive:

Kendra’s and my idea

·       When words of time, date, and money are used as possessives, they require an apostrophe:

ten-minutes’ worth work

Exercise 11

 

Use hyphens and apostrophes where necessary.

 

1.    I ve eaten so much deep fried chicken I feel like a two to truck.

2.    My daughter in law s house has a twenty one foot wall of windows in its living room.

3.    Barb and Julio s collection of twenty tree post Impressionist paintings hang in a well lit and carefully guarded room.

4.    I m sure that Hector s twenty tree year old cat couldn t possibly scale that forty foot wall, aren t you?

5.    His son in law s restaurant was terrible: its five course dinner consisted of sour tasting soup, day old bread, over cooked meat and half cooked potatoes, dressing soaked salad, his great grandmother s stale cookies, and foul smelling cheese!

6.    When she was in her twentie s, my friend s name was spelled Judee (with two e s); in her thirtie s it was Judee; and by the ’80 s she d settled on the mature sounding Judith.

7.    Carrie s mother in law gave her a mother of pearl necklace from the ’30 s, an old book, and her ex husband s gold filled watch.

 

 

 

 

I.                  Quotation Marks

 

Quotation marks enclose a word or group of words and separate them from the rest of the sentence.

 

·       Use quotation marks to enclose a speaker’s exact words:

Raoul reminded her, ‘Don’t forget your tickets.’

“When I earn my first million,’ Janet dreamed, ‘that’s when I’ll travel around the world.’

·       Use quotation marks to enclose the titles of short stories, essays, poems, songs, television programs, magazine articles, and parts of a book:

“Causes of the Russian Revolution’ was a complicated chapter in the Russian history book.

·       Use quotation marks to enclose nicknames:

‘Lizard’ La Rue is a devious character.

·       Don’t forget to use proper punctuation marks inside the quotation.

·       Remember: two end marks should never appear together:

“When does the shop open?” we wondered.

 

 

Exercise 12

 

 Use quotation marks in the following sentences

 

1.    Please call Jackie said if you’ll late.

2.    Our spirit fell when we read the sign Closed for winter.

3.    What an amazing discovery June exclaimed Would you ever have suspected that a clam was capable of that?

4.    How can I pretend that I know how to ski Don asked when I’ve never ever seen snow?

5.    Paulo Lucky Santos and Paul Mr. Money have opened a disco called Winners; they are sure it will be successful.

6.    Who asked Pete was nicknamed The Phantom?

7.    Juan wrote three episodes for the television series: Caught in the Middle, Out on a Limb, and Long Walk on a Short Pie

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Glossary of Terms

 

 

Clause – a group of words that contains a subject and a predicate and functions as a part of sentence

Main (independent) clause -  a clause that can stand alone in the sentence

Subordinate clause –a clause that cannot stand on its own as a sentence:

We saw the barns (main clause) that tornado damaged.(subordinate clause)

Simple sentence – contains one independent clause and no subordinate clauses:

          I bought myself a new record album.

 Compound sentence – is made up of two or more independent clauses but no subordinate clauses:

          I had to study, but people kept interrupting me.

Complex sentence – is composed of one independent clause and one or more subordinate clauses:

Since I can’t concentrate /while the television set is on,/ I turn it off/ when I study.

Adjective clause – a subordinate clause that modifies a noun or pronoun:

We visited Red Cloud, Nebraska, where Willa Cather lived.

Air pollution is a problem that affects us all.

Adverb clause – modifies a verb, an adjective, or an adverb:

We always fish a lot when we go camping.

          You will fail unless you study.

          As soon as we left, the rain began.

Phrase – a group of words without subject and its verb that functions a single part of speech:

Prepositional phrase – is made up of preposition, its object, and any modifiers the object may have:

          Our mail arrived late in the afternoon.

Participial phrase – consists of a participle and its modifiers and complements:

Buddhism, originating first in India, spread to China, Japan, Vietnam,  and many other Eastern countries.

The vase fell on the floor, shattering into many fragments.

Having studied English at a private school in Hong Kong, the exchange student surprised us with an excellent grasp of grammar.

Note:  participle is a form of the verb that is used as an adjective:

          The river, rising rapidly, threatened to overflow.

A participial phrase always functions as an adjective.  A gerund phrase always functions as a noun.

Appositive phrase

An appositive – is a noun or pronoun that identifies or explains a nearby noun or pronoun:

Irish folklore tells of the pookah, a supernatural

animal.

Edward, Henry’s only son, took the thrown at the age of nine.

Declarative sentence – a sentence that states a fact.

Interrogative sentence – a sentence that asks a question.

Imperative sentence – a sentence that gives a command or makes a request.

Exclamatory sentence – the words that express  sudden strong feeling:

          ‘Good Heavens!’

Quotation – a sentence or phrase taken from a work of literature or other place of writing and repeated esp. in order to prove a point or support an argument.

Quotation mark , inverted commas – either of a pair of marks (“  “) or (‘  ‘) showing the beginning and the end of words quoted

Direct speech – the style used in writing to report someone’s actual words.  This is done by repeating the words without any changes in grammar

Reported speech, indirect speech – the style  used in writing to report what someone said without repeating their actual words. 

 

Bibliography

 

 

W. Ross Winterowd, Patricia Y. Murray  English. Writing and Skills.  Coronado Completed course,  Coronado Publishers.

R. A. Close A Reference Grammar for Students of English. Moscow, Prosveschenie, 1979

Longman Dictionary of  Contemporary English. Русский язык, Москва, 1992

Raymond Murphy English Grammar in Use.  Cambridge University Press, 1997

Virginia Evans Round Up 5. English Grammar Practice. Pearson Education Limited, 1994

 

 

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