1. Rules Apostrophes Examples 1. Use an apostrophe to replace
John doesn't want to wake up; he didn't 
go to sleep until 1:00 AM because he 
stayed up to watch the playoff game.
1. Use an apostrophe to replace
omitted letters in contractions.
2. Use an apostrophe to show ownership,
possession, or relationship.
John's coat was dirty; he had fallen in 
the mud.
The girls' bathroom has just been 
painted.
The children's playroom was too small to 
contain all of the furniture.
Chris's house was under construction last 
summer.
Singular (no s)
Plural (s)
Plural (no s)
Singular (s)
Exception: If adding 's makes the word sound awkward, just add an apostrophe.
Ex. Jesus' story

2. "I love you," John said, "but I don't want to see you anymore."
Quotation Marks Tree Map
Rules
Examples
1. Use quotation marks to set
off direct quotes. (Place carefully!)
"I love you," John said, "but I don't want 
to see you anymore."
John said, " My sister screamed, 'Shut 
up,' and I screamed back."
Mrs. Sprinkle said, "Use quotation marks with 
short works and underlining with long works."
The most interesting short story
that we read was called "The Lady
or the Tiger."
2. Use quotation marks to set off titles of short 
works (stories, poems, essays, newspaper and 
magazine articles, book chapters, and songs) and 
unfamiliar slang or unusual expressions.

3. Quotation Marks Titles of Short Works Direct Quote
(Someone's exact words)
title of book chapter
The student said, "I'll not
be here tomorrow."
title of magazine article
"If I am elected," the candidate
declared, "spending will be
significantly reduced."
title of song
title of short story
"Mikey said, 'Put the
frog in the refrigerator'
and so I did," explained
my little sister.
title of an essay
title of a short poem
title of one-act play
Frank asked, "Who is
that man?"
title of TV episode
Did Mr. Smith say, "Your
assignments are due now"?
title of radio episode
Indirect quote: re-wording or summarizing someone's words
Do not use quotation marks with indirect quotes.
Refer to p GW

4. Hyphen Tree Map Rules Examples
I have thirty-six students in this class.
1. Use a hyphen to form
a compound word.
2. Use a hyphen to join two or more
words that work together and serve
as a single descriptive word before a noun.
I need an up-to-date calendar.
3. Use a hyphen between prefixes and
words such as self-, all-, and ex-.
Her ex-boyfriend sent her a text 
message.

5. Dash Tree Map type two hyphens = dash ex. --
handwritten: draw dash as unbroken line, at 
least twice as long as a hyphen
Dash Tree Map
Rules
Examples
1. Use a dash at the beginning or end of a sentence
to set off added explanation or illustration and to add
emphasis or clarity.
Her acting added an extra touch of
humor to the play -- an added sparkle.
2. Use a dash as an interrupter to 
mark a sudden break
in thought, an abrupt change or 
surprise, or a deliberate
pause and to show in a dialogue 
that the speaker has
been interrupted.
Of course, Everett was 
willing to work hard to get 
good grades -- but not too
hard.
Hilda always finds interesting 
restaurants -- such as 
Outback, that steakhouse, 
and Monte de Rey --to take 
us to after a movie.
3. Use dashes to set off a whole word group when a
phrase/clause already has commas within it.