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1、Real Life English Improving your punctuation Its important to know the rules of punctuation when you write, as using the wrong punctuation may lead to misunderstandings. Using the correct punctuation is especially important when you are writing to impress, such as when you are applying for a new job
2、, or when you are writing to a customer. Here is a guide to the rules for using the more common punctuation marks.When to use capital letters1. At the beginning of the sentenceIts cold today.2. For the personal pronoun “I”I live in a big city.3. For “proper nouns” - names and titles: Sarah, Mr Steve
3、ns, Doctor Roberts- places and countries: London, England,- nationalities and languages: He is French, She speaks Italian- companies, products and brands: Microsoft, Coca Cola- institutions: The Ashmolean Museum, The Department of Trade- religions and religious festivals: Christianity, Ramadan- abbr
4、eviated names: The BBC4. For books, television and radio programmes, newspapers and magazinesThe Simpsons, The Times.5. Days of the week and months of the yearWednesday, August 10th.6. Historical periods or eventsThe Russian Revolution7. Rivers, mountains and lakes and geographical regionsThe Amazon
5、, The Middle East8. In addressesFlat 2, 16 London Road.When to use commas1. To separate items in a listWe need coffee, tea, sugar and milk.British English writers do not normally put a comma before “and”, although in AmericanEnglish, a comma can be used.We need coffee, tea, sugar, and milk.”2. To se
6、parate clauses which are related in meaningDo you know the answer, or should I ask Tony?Where the clauses are short, commas are not used:I was tired so I went home.3. After introductory phrasesUnfortunately, I cannot send you the information.4. Before and after a word or phrase that interrupts the m
7、ain clauseSome children,if they are gifted, attend special schools.5. Before and after non-defining clausesThe factory workers, who were in a meeting, decided to accept the pay offer.= All the factory workers were in a meeting.Compare with a defining clause (which restricts the noun).The factory wor
8、kers who were in a meeting decided to accept the pay offer.= Only the factory workers who were in a meeting decided to accept the offer: those workers who were not in the meeting didnt decide to accept the offer.6. To show millions, thousands and hundreds5, 890, 281110, 050When to use a full stop(or
9、 period in American English)1. At the end of the sentenceThank you for your letter.2. After initials in American EnglishMr. G. Hoover. (The British English version is “Mr G Hoover”)3. As a decimal point2.5%, $9.99.When to use a colon1. To introduce a listYou will need to bring the following: a water
10、proof jacket, a change of clothes, a battery-operated torch and some matches.2. To introduce explanationsThere is one thing to remember: the nights can get cold, so bring a warm jacket.3. To write the timeThe 10:40 train to London is late.4. Between the title and subtitle of a bookShakespeare: The C
11、omplete WorksWhen to use a semi-colonSemi-colons show a pause which is longer than a comma, but not as long as a full stop. Short clauses which are related in meaning can be separated by a semi-colon. However, if the clauses are longer, you will probably need a semi-colon:Well need to hold some meet
12、ings abroad with our suppliers; please could you check your availability in April.1. To separate long items in a listOur writing course includes several components: correspondence, includingletters and emails; style and vocabulary choice; punctuation; layout and planning.2. To give balance to senten
13、ces, or to link parallel sentencesWe went out for the day; they stayed in.When to use an apostrophe1. With an s to show possessionThe companys profits.The s comes after singular nouns and after irregular plural nouns (those which do not end in s).The companys staff, the childrens shoes.But the apost
14、rophe follows the swhen the noun is plural and regular.Compare:The boys school (school of one boy) and the boys school (school of many boys.)With nouns which end in y in the singular, but end in ies in the plural (like company) the apostrophe follows the s when it is plural.The companys profits (pro
15、fits of one company) and the companies profits (profits of more than one company.) With hyphenated nouns, the s comes at the end of the word.My brother-in-laws Ferrar.2. To show abbreviationI dont like smoking. (= do not)3. In time referencesIn two weeks time.Be careful!1. Apostrophes are not used for possessive pronouns.Whose is this pen? (Not Whos this pen as “whos” = who is. That pen is hers. (Not That pen is hers.)Its also exists as a possessive pronoun:Its market has grown. (The market of the company).(Not “Its market” as “its” = it is or it has.)2. Apostrophe
