TABE Level D English: Capitalization and Punctuation

Words to Know

Why Use Capital Letters and End Marks?
Sometimes writers forget how important punctuation and capitalization are for meaning. When we speak, we don’t have to supply the punctuation and capitalization. Our voices fill in all the necessary information.

We pause for commas (,). Our voices drop at the end of a sentence—indicating a period (.). Our voices rise for a question (?). We show emotion and that is the exclamation point (!). Obviously, on paper, we can’t use our voices for end marks or capitals. We need punctuation marks and capital letters.
For the most part, the use of punctuation and capitalization simply makes sense.

As you have read, the period (.), question mark (?), and exclamation mark (!) are all end marks. They are the most common and the most easily used punctuation marks. Without end marks and capital letters, however, there would be nothing but confusion.
Example: would you like to be able to learn something the minute you need to would you like to get information from a reliable source any time anywhere then you should learn to get new information on the Internet

Place capital letters and end marks in the paragraph above. 

Here, you will study end marks and capital letters at the same time. One does, in fact, signal the other. When you see a period or question mark or exclamation point, you know that a capital letter will follow. There are many uses for capital letters.

TIP:
Here is a list of capitalization rules. Look at this list whenever you are unsure about using a capital letter.
 

Capitalize:
- Names, such as place names, people’s names, organization names, and languages. Examples: Arnold J. Green, American Association of Adult Educators, General Electric Company, Italian, The White House, The Declaration of Independence.
- The first word in a sentence.
- The first word of a direct quotation. Example: He asked, “Will you be ready on time?”
- The word I.
- A title, when it is part of someone’s name: Lieutenant George Grant.
- The title of a book, play, magazine, or poem (just the first and important words in each, e.g., The Competent Writer: A Plan of Attack).
- Sections of the country, not compass directions. Examples: I had lived in the East for many years. Go east on 10th Avenue.
- Days of the week, months, and holidays. Example: Christmas falls in the fourth week of December on Monday.

Another Reason for End Marks
You already know that every sentence must finish with an end mark. Did you know that you can avoid run on sentences by using a period? What is wrong with these sentences?
My friend is always hungry she’ll want to eat before we shop.
My friend is always hungry, she’ll want to eat before we shop.
These are both common examples of run-on sentences. A run-on sentence does exactly what its name says; it runs on from thought to thought with no punctuation or with the incorrect use of a comma. Did you notice that each part of this run-on sentence could stand alone? Each part is a complete sentence. How do you correct it?
My friend is always hungry. She’ll want to eat before we shop.
OR
My friend is always hungry, so she’ll want to eat before we shop.

Do you remember using connecting words ? As you can see, in the sentence above, you can correct the run-on by using a connecting word (so) and a comma to combine the two sentences. Now it is a compound sentence, having two equal parts. Each part of the sentence before and after the comma could stand alone as a simple sentence.
You can also use another punctuation mark, a semicolon, to correct the two sentences above. Think of the semicolon as a weak period. The semicolon can be used to bring together two very closely related thoughts.

Examples:
My friend is always hungry; she’ll want to eat before we shop.
The movie starts at 7:30 p.m.; don’t be late.
I’ve bought the ice cream; you bring the cake.

Tip:
Keep this in mind. Thoughts connected by a semicolon might otherwise be connected using a comma plus the words so, for, but, and, or, nor.

When Should I Use a Comma?
For many people, the comma is the most difficult form of punctuation. Just keep in mind that commas are meant to make the meaning of a sentence clear. You need commas for clarity, but you should not overuse them.

Comma Use Checklist
1. Use a comma after a salutation in a friendly letter.
Dear Abby,

Tip:
When you write a business letter, the correct punctuation mark is a colon. Dear Ms. Jacoby:
2. Use a comma when you address someone in writing.
Felix, enjoy the Christmas holiday!
3. Use a comma after the closing in a business or friendly letter.
Sincerely, Ruth
4. Use a comma after the introductory words, yes, no, or well.
Yes, I understand the point you are making.
Well, it was not my decision.
5. Separate items in a series with commas.
Feed the cat, walk the dog, and clean the bird’s cage.
6. Use a comma to separate an introductory phrase from the complete thought.
Before we leave for the store, let’s go over the list one more time.

Take a careful look at this last example.
Writers sometimes make the mistake of thinking that the introductory words (Before we leave for the store) represent a sentence. They do not. When you finish reading those words, you want to ask, “What happens?” That is simply because it is an incomplete thought, a sentence fragment. Don’t fall into the sentence fragment trap!

7. Insert commas to separate words that interrupt the flow of the sentence.
A. calculator, although I don’t own one, is an essential tool today.
If you want to know if words interrupt the flow of a sentence, use this test. Can the words be left out? Leaving out the words will not affect the sentence’s meaning.
A. calculator is an essential tool today
8. A comma separates two complete thoughts that are joined by a connecting word such as but, for, or, and.
We will look at all the available rooms, and we will have to choose the largest one.
9. Insert a comma to separate the name of a city from the name of a state or country.
Juan Moniz
196 Union Street
San Francisco, CA 00000
10. Insert a comma to separate a direct quotation from the rest of the sentence. The comma, period, and the explanation mark are placed inside the quotation mark.
Examples: “I’ll never get to work on time in this traffic,” he complained.
He shouted in his empty car, “I’ll never get to work on time in this traffic!”
“Margie, I know I won’t make it on time,” he said to his friend, “so please take a bus to work.”
11. Insert a comma between the day and the year and between the year and the rest of the sentence.
Mike will graduate on June 14, 2004, from Brightwater Community College.

Quotation Marks
You have had some experience working with commas and quotation marks. You learned that quotation marks are used to set off the exact words said by a person.
Direct quotation: The President of the United States said, “We need to learn to work together to solve problems.”
Indirect quotation: The President of the United States said that we need to learn to work together to solve problems.
What one word changes the direct quotation to an indirect one? The answer, of course, is the word that. The word that turns the statement into a report of what the president said.
In order to use quotation marks correctly, you need to know a number of rules.

Quotation Mark Checklist

1. As you saw above, use quotation marks to indicate the exact words of a speaker. Important: Place the period inside the quotation marks at the end of the sentence. Also note the comma between the speaker and the words spoken.

The policeman said, “Stay right and move along.”

2. Some quotations are called “broken,” because the name of the speaker interrupts the sentence.
“Sure,” shouted Audrey, “now that I’m finished, you want to help me!”
“Now you’re finished.” said Benita, “You don’t need my help,”

In the first example, note the small letter on the first word of the second part of the quotation. In the second example, the second part of the quotation is actually a new sentence and requires a capital letter. Also look at the exclamation point. Just like the period, it is placed inside the quotation marks.

3. Place a semicolon after the closing quotation marks.
I heard, “Pull over to the right”; so I did.

4. Never use two forms of punctuation at the end of a quotation. Use common sense to decide where questions marks and exclamation marks should be placed.
Question Mark: Did Ms. Santos say, “Your final exam is next Thursday”?
Exclamation Point: I was so furious when you said, “I never told you that the reconditioned equipment would work again”!
If the entire sentence is a question, but the quotation is not, place the question mark after the closing quotation marks. If the entire sentence is an exclamation, but the quotation is not, place the exclamation point after the closing quotation mark.

5. Use quotation marks to enclose titles of poems, chapters, articles, or any part of a book or magazine. When the quoted title is followed by a comma, the comma should be placed inside the quotation marks.
“To Brooklyn Bridge,” by Hart Crane, was written in 1930.

The Apostrophe
An apostrophe takes the place of one or more letters in a contraction.

Examples:
Mac isn’t (is not) meeting us until 9 p.m.
I’ll (I will) call you when we’re (we are) ready to leave.
It’s (It is) too hot in here.

You also use an apostrophe to show possession. (a) Place the apostrophe before the s in singular words. (b) Place the apostrophe after the s in plural words. (c) Some words become plural by other spelling changes.

Names follow the same rules.