1. DGP: Daily
Grammar Practice
Part D
Punctuation
Anatomy of a Sentence

2. Capitalization First letter in a sentence is always upper case.
Proper Nouns are always capitalized.
Always capitalize the word I.
Capitalize the first word of a quotation.

3. Commas 1 of 3 ,
Use before a coordinating conjunction joining two independent clauses
 FANBOYS: ind cl, cc ind cl
Use after an introductory phrase
adv dep cl ,
adv/adj prep ph,
part ph,
Use between all items in a series
Use between adjectives not joined by and
adj, adj, adj

4. Commas 2 of 3 Use to set off nouns of direct address
nda,
Use with no and yes
No, or Yes,
Use after mild interjections
Well, or Ah,
Use with interrogative words or phrases
I’m hungry, are you? Or Why, are we in trouble?
Use with dates, addresses, titles and numbers.

5. Commas 3 of 3 Use to prevent confusion
Use with expressions to set off quotations
He said, “ or “, said Jesus.
Use to prevent confusion
Can we eat Grandma? Or Can we eat, Grandma? 
Use before and after interrupters
These rules, I think, will help you if you use them.
Use when an appositive in nonessential
We read The Outsiders, a novel, for summer reading.
Note: these are the common comma guidelines. This is, by no means, an exhaustive list.

6. Semicolon ; Joins two clauses without a coordinating conjunction
Can be used in a series of commas for clarity.
Can be used in a compound-complex sentence that already contains other commas

7. Colon : Used primarily to call attention to the words that follow it
Use after an independent clause to draw attention to a list, an appositive, or a quotation

8. Apostrophe ‘ Used to make words possessive and to make contractions
If the word is plural and ends in s, add apostrophe only, at the end.
Treat singular nouns ending in s just like any other noun; add ‘s.
Watch out!
Its as a contraction; add an apostrophe= it’s.
Its as a possessive pronoun; no apostrophe=its.

9. Underline/Italicize These are the same actions in grammar.
Underline or italicize these things:
newspapers
musical compositions
magazines
names of boats, ships, planes, artwork
CDs
foreign expressions
movies
novels
plays
Hint: these are typically long things.

10. Quotation Marks
Use around words directly spoken (dialogue) or written.
Use around titles of: short stories, poems, songs, articles, episodes of TV shows, etc.
Hint: these are typically short things.
Use single quotation marks only to enclose quotes within quotes.
Watch out!
Punctuation at the end of quotations always go inside closing quotation marks.

11. Miscellaneous Marks ( ) [ ] …
Use parentheses to enclose supplemental material, minor digressions and after thoughts.
Use brackets to enclose words or phrases you have inserted into an otherwise word-for-word quotation.
[ ]
Use the ellipsis mark to indicate you have deleted material from an otherwise direct quotation.. …

12. End Marks 1 of 2 .
Use a period to end all sentences except direct questions or genuine exclamations.
Use a period in abbreviations
Dr R.N A.D i.e.
Watch out!
Do not use periods in U.S.P.S. state abbreviations.
Ordinarily, organization abbreviations don’t use periods.
GA VT HI NATO UCLA CDC

13. End Marks 2 of 2 ? ! Use a question mark following a direct question.
Watch out!
Questions in a series may be followed by ? Even when they are not complete sentences.
Use an exclamation point after a word or sentence that expresses exceptional feeling or deserves special emphasis. !

14. Works Cited
Burdett, Dawn. Daily Grammar Practice. 2nd ed. Blairsville, Georgia: DGP Publishing Inc., 2010.
Chapman, James A. Grammar and Composition II. Pensacola, Florida: A Beka Book, 1992.
Grammar and Language Workbook, Grade 8. New York: Glencoe McGraw Hill, 1976.
Hacker, Diana. A Writer’s Reference. 4th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin, 1999.