se TOM ses Semicolons ‘You can join two independent clauses by placing a semicolon betwveen them, ‘The semicolon takes the place of a conjunctiot 1. She hopes to receive good grades this semester; her scholarship depends on her maintaining a 3.5 index. 2, Tony is a careless driver; he has hed three minor accidents this year alone. Bach of the sentences above could also be made into two separate sen- tences by replacing the semicolon with a period. = Note that the first word after a semicolon is not capitalized. PRACTICE 6 Combine each pair of independent clauses by placing a semicolon between them. 1, Rush-hour traffic was worse than usual no one seemed to mind, 2, The senator appeared ill at ease at the news conference he seemed afraid of saying the wrong thing. 3, The new seed catalogue, a fifteen-hundred-page volume, was misplaced the volume weighed ten pounds. 4, On Thursday evening, Stuart deeided to go camping on Friday morning, he packed his bags and left.PRACTICE 7 Unit 6 Reviewing the Basics 5. In the early 1960s, the Beatles burst on the rock seene rock musie has never been the same. 6. Ron Jackson has been promoted he will be an effective manager. 7. This stream is full of trout every spring men and women with waders and fly rods arrive on its banks. 8. Not a single store was open at that hour not a soul walked the streets. Each independent clause that follows is the first half of a sentence, Add a semicolon and a second independent clause. Make sure your second thought. is also independent and can stand alone. 1. At2 Amt, I stumbled toward the ringing telephone 2, Toby rented a VCR on Thursday 3. The police officer lobbed tear gas through the warehouse window —__ 4, -Faulkner’s stories often depict life in the South 5. His mud-covered boots looked like antiques 6. During the Great Depression, millions of workers were unemployed —___ 7. Cameras are not permitted in the museum, 8. Employees objected to the drug testsPART A Commas for Items in a Series PARTB Commas with Introductory Phrases, Transitional Expressions, and Parentheticals PART C Commas for Appositives PART D Commas with Nonrestrictive and Restrictive Clauses PARTE Commas for Dates and Addresses i PARTF Minor Uses of the Comma Lea Commas for Items in a Series Use commas to separate the items in a series:* 1, You need bolts, nuts, and screws, 2, Twill be happy to read your poem, comment on it, and return it |) to you. ie 3. Mary paints pictures, Robert plays the trumpet, but Sam just sits and dreams, Do not use commas when all three items are joined by and or or: 4, Lenjoy biking and skating and swimming. For work on parallelism, see Chapter 1 tevising for Consistoney andl Parallelism,” Part C.Chapter 32 The Comma 429 PRACTICE 1 Punctuate the following sentences. 1. At the banquet, Ed served a salad of juicy red tomatoes erunchy green lettuce and stringless snap beans, 2. As a nursing assistant, Reva dispensed medieation disinfected wounds and took blood samples. = Alivisited Santa Barbara Concord and Berkeley. 4. Our new gym is located in a modern air-conditioned glass skyscraper. 5. The police found TV sets blenders and blow dryers stacked to the ceiling in the abandoned house, 6. forgot to pack some important items for the trip to the tropies: insect repellent sunsereen and antihistamine tablets. 7. Don’t eat strange mushrooms walk near the water or feed the squirrels. 8. Everyone in class had to present an oral report write a term paper and take a final . We brought 2 Ouija board a Scrabble set and a Boggle game to the party. 10. To earn a decent wage make a comfortable home and edueate my ehildren—that is my hope. Commas with Introductory Phrases, nal Expressions, and Parentheticals Use a comma after most introductory phrases of more than two words:* 1, By four in the afternoon, everybody wanted to go home, 2. Afler the game on Saturday, we all went dancing, “ For more work on introduetory phrases, see Chapter 14, “Revising for Sentence Variety” Part ¢.430 Unit 6 Reviewing the Basics Use commas to set off transitional expressions: 4. Instructors, on the other hand, receive a lower salary than assis- tant professors. | Hh i | 3. Ferns, for exanple, need less sunlight than flowering plants. Use commas to set off parenthetical elements: 5, By the way, where is the judge's umbrella? 6. Nobody, it seems, wants to eat the three-beun salad, = By the way and it seems are called parenthetical expressions because they appear to be asides, words not really crucial to the meaning of the sen- tence. They could almost appear in parentheses: (By the way) where is the judge's umbrelia? » Other common parenthetical expressions are after all, actually, as a matter of fact, and to tell the truth. PRACTICE 2 Punctuate the following sentences: 1, Frankly T always suspected that you were a born saleswoman. j 2. General Marsh it seems to me trusted only one or two of his advisers. 8. At two o'clock in the morning we were awakened by garbage cans clanging. 4. All twelve jurors by the way felt that the defendant was innocent. ». On every April Fool's Day he tries out a new, dumb practical joke. }. In fact Lucinda should never have written that poison-pen letter, . Close to the top of Mt. Everest the climbers paused for a tea breaks. 1 8. To tell the truth that usher needs a lesson in courtesy. 9. My CD player I'm sorry to say gives me a shock every time I touch it 10. ‘These apples to tell the truth were organically grown in his back yard 11, During the power blackout people tried to help one another,| Chapter 32. The Comma 431 | 12, Near the end of the driveway a large lilac bush bloomed and brightened i the yard. 18, He prefers as a rule serious news programs to the lighter sitcoms, 14, To sum up Mr: Choi will handle all the details, 15. During my three years in Minnesota I learned how to deal with snow. Commas for Appositives ‘Use commas to set off appositives:* 1, Yoko, our new classmate, is our best fielder, 2. A nemorous and charming man, he was a great hit. with my parents. 3. This is her favorite food, ketchup sandwiches. = Appositive phrases like our new classmate, a humorous and charming ‘man, and ketchup sandwiches rename or describe nouns and pronouns— Yoko, he, favorite food, 4, Henry the Fat was a great king, 5. My friend Bill owns two stereos. = One-word appositives are generally not set off by commas. PRACTICE 3 Punctuate the following sentences. 1. Hulk Hogan the popular wrestler and actor advises his fans to drink ‘milk and say their prayers, 2. Long novels especially ones with complicated plots foree me to read slowly. “ For more work on appositives, see Chapter 14, “Revising for Sentence Variety” Part D.432 Unit 6 Reviewing the Basics 8. David a resident nurse hopes to become a pediatrician, 4, I don’t trust that tire the one with the yellow patch on the side. | 5. Tanzania a small African nation exports cashew nuts. 6. Wateh out for Phil a man whose ambition rules him. 7. Sheila a well-known nutritionist lectures at publie schools. 8. Areal flying ace Helen will teach a course in sky diving. 9. We support the Center for Science in the Public Interest a consumer education and protection group. 10. The voters mostly blue-collar workers elected the new mayor by a wide margin, Commas with Nonrestrictive and Restrictive Clauses A relative clause is a clause that begins with who, which, or that and modifies a noun or pronoun. There are two kinds of relative claus restrictive and restrictive.” A nonrestrictive relative clause is not essential to the meaning of the sentence: none 1, Raj, who is a part-time aviator loves to tinker with machines of ‘me wviator is a relative clause describing Raj. Itis a non- lative clause because it is not essential to the meaning of the sentence. The point is that Raj loves to tinker with machines of all kinds. = Commas set off the nonrestrietive relative clause. Arestrictive relative clause is essential to the meaning of the sentence: | 2 People who do their work efficiently make good students. * For more work on nontestrictive and restrictive clauses, see Chapter 14, “Revising: for Sentence Variety.” Part D.Chapter 32. The Comma 433 PRACTICE 4 " Who do their work efficiently is a relative clause deseribing people, It is a restrictive relative clause because it is essential to the meaning of the sentence, Without it, sentence 2 would read, People make good students. But the point is that certain people make good students—those who do their work efficiently. ™ Restrictive relative clauses do not require commas. Set off the nonrestrictive relative clauses in the following sentences with commas. Note that zhich usually begins a nonrestrietive relative clause and that usually begins a restrictive clause, Remember: Restrietive relative clauses are not set off by eommas, 1, Olive who always wanted to go into law enforcement is a detective in the Righth Precinct. Employees who learn to use the new computers may soon qualify for a merit raise, 8. Polo which is not played much in the United States is very popular in England. 4. A person who always insists upon telling you the truth is sometimes a pain in the neck. 5. Statisties 101 which is required for the business curriculum demands concentration and perseverance. 6. Robin who is usually shy at large parties spent the evening dancing with Arsenio who is everybody's favorite dance partner, 7. This small shop sells furniture that is locally handerafted. 8. His uncle who rarely eats meat consumes enormous quantities of vegetables, fruits, and grains. 9. Pens that slowly leak ink ean be very messy. 10. Valley Forge which is the site of Washington's winter quarters draws many tourists every spring and summer.Chapter 33 Mechanics 445 Minor Marks of Punctuation 1. The Colon ‘Use a colon to show that a direct quotation will follow or to introduce a list: 1, This is the opening line of his essay: “The airplane is humanity's greatest invention,” 2, There are four things T can't resist in warm weather: fresh mangoes, a sandy beach, cold drinks, and a hammock. Use a colon to separate the chapter and verse in a reference to the Bible or to separate the hour and minute: 8. This quotation comes from Genesis 1:1. 4, Ttis now exactly 4:15 pM, 2. Parentheses Use parentheses to enclose a phrase or word that is not essential to the meaning of the sentence: 5. Herpetology (the study of snakes) is a fascinating area of zoology. 6. She left her home town (Plunkville) to go to the big city (Fair- mount) in seareh of suecess, 3. The Dash Use a dash to emphasize a portion of a sentence or to interrupt the sentence with an added clement: * Avold using a colon after any form of the verb fo be or after a preposition.446 Unit 6 Reviewing the Basics | 7, This is the right method—the only one—so we are stuck with it. = The colon, parentheses, and the dash should be used sparingly. PRACTICE 5 Punctuate these sentences with colons, dashes, or parentheses, 1. Calvin asked for the following two light bulbs, a pack of matches, a lead pencil, and a pound of grapes. 2. They should leave by 1130 rm. 3. The designer’s newest fashions magnificent leather creations were 1 generally too expensive for the small chain of clothing stores, ' 4, Harvey the only Missourian in the group remains unconvinced A 5. She replied, “This rock group The Woogies sounds like all of the others T've heard this yeai:” ' 6. Ifyou eat a heavy lunch as you always do remember not to go swimming immediately afterward. 7. By 9:30 RM,, the zoo veterinarian a Dr: Smittens had operated on the elephant. ; 8, Note these three tips for hammering in a nail hold the hammer at the Ho end of the handle, position the nail carefully, and wateh your thumb. 9, Whenever Harold Garvey does his birdealls at parties as he is sure to do everyone begins to yawn. 10, Please purchase these things at the hardware store masking tape, ‘thumbtacks, a small hammer, and some sandpaper. ARTETA PRACTICE 6 Proofread the following essay for errors in capitalization, quotation Review marks, colons, parentheses, and dashes. Correct the errors by writing above the lines.