1. Friday, 30 November 2018
Punctuate for effect
jonathan Peel SGS 2011

2. EXAM BOARDS WANT VARIETY of expression and punctuation.
Move on from . and ,
Find out how to use the flashier punctuation marks…
jonathan Peel SGS 2011

3. SEMI COLONS ;
Easiest, but not always most elegant – to divide items in groups where the items have more than one word. This tends to be a formal usage.
“ He bought a lovely wicker basket with eggs in it; a gorgeous version of the Iliad and a large pork pie.”
Or to divide MAIN clauses without using a full stop – it keeps the sense alive.
“A crocodile is a reptile; a whale is a mammal”.
In this case the two clauses should relate to each other in some way and not be totally separate ideas.
jonathan Peel SGS 2011

4. COLONS :
Introduce a list or an example. Semi colons are NEVER used for this purpose.
Introduce further information or explanation:
“cats only want to eat one thing: that’s fish.”
jonathan Peel SGS 2011

5. THE DASH - Don’t overuse them.
Always remember to close them – they work like brackets – if they are in the middle of a sentence.
They show that additional information is being given to the reader – like an “aside” in a play script.
They draw attention to this information, unlike brackets (which tend to only suggest that we might want to read the information offered).
jonathan Peel SGS 2011

6. The HYPHEN - Looks like a dash. Links two halves of a COMPOUND.
A compound is made of two or more nouns/adverbs/adjectives pushed together to make a single word: brother-in-law, a top-of-the-range sports car, grey-blue eyes.
jonathan Peel SGS 2011

7. Exclamations ! Add emphasis.
Best used in dialogue to indicate passion or volume, or surprise or…
“I’m pregnant!” suggests that the information is a shock. “I’m pregnant.” simply passes on gynaecological information.
If a character shouts, use ! To draw attention to it.
jonathan Peel SGS 2011

8. Any questions ?
Most students write rhetorical questions at the drop of a hat. Many forget to add the ?
Why?
This indicates to the examiner not only a lack of knowledge, but also an inability to proof read and think about what is being written.
Take care!
jonathan Peel SGS 2011