1.

Capitalization
Rules governing capitalization reflect conventional practices. Custom and usage have
established them. With this convention, a writer tells a reader what word are important. In
the past, writers capitalized most nouns and adjectives because they thought that they
should be. Few rules in capitalization or punctuation were then consistently observed,
Today, most capitalization follows definite rules that are accepted and practiced. To
develop skill in controlling capitals, study the following rules and examples.

Capitals are used to:

Rule 1: The first word in a complete sentence
A) The holidays are over.
The first word in a complete sentence enclosed in parenthesis is capitalized.
However, the first word of a parenthetical phrase or sentence in enclosed in pa-
renthesis and occurring within another sentence is lower cased.
a. The meeting was held and ended. (The minutes of the previous meeting was
not read)
b. The student attended Business English under Ms. Santos (she wrote the book
used in the subject) at the college.

Rule 2: The first word of a direct quotation is capitalized but a split direct quotation bound
to the rest of the sentence is the lower case at the beginning of its continued
sequent.
a. The President asked," What happened to the economy?"
b. "The President appealed," The media reports," and asked the people to bear
with him."

Rule 3: The first word of a direct quotation within a sentence or a series of questions in a
sentence is capitalized.
a. The chain reiterated: What should our plan be? How are we going to devise it?
Who will be involved?

Rule 4:The first word of run-in or block enumeration that forms complete sentences are
capitalized, as the first word of phrasal lists and enumerations, blocked beneath run-
ning text but phrasal enumerations run-In to the introductory cased are lowercased.

1
 a. Follow this procedure:
1) Turn on the power switch, and then logs in.
2) Dial the net direct numbers.
3) When connected log in the yahoo messenger.
4) Type your username and password.
5) Start your work on the net.

b. Follow this procedure:

1) Turn on the power switch then logs in.
2) Dial the net direct numbers.
3) When connected, log in the yahoo messenger.
4) Type your user name and password and;
5) State your work on the net.

Rule 5: The first letter of the first word in an outline heading in capitalized.
I. Kinds of Pollution
A. Water
1. Causes

Rule 6: The first letter of the first word in a salutation and a complimentary close is
capitalized as in the first letter of each main word following SUBJECT and TO
headings in memoranda.
a. Dear Ms. Deyto
b. Respectfully yours
c. TO: All Teachers
d. SUBJECT: Election of officers

Proper Nouns, Pronouns, and Adjectives

Rule 1: Branches and Units of the armed focus are capitalized including short, recognizable
forms of the full branch and unit designations.
a. Philippine Air Force and contract with the Air Force.
b. Corps of Engineers

Rule 2: Awards and Prices are capitalized.

2
 a. Oscar Award
b. The Famas Award
c. The Noble Prize winners

Rule 3: Words Designating the Deity are capitalized.

a. Jesus Christ is the Emmanuel
b. God, the Almighty sees the universe

Rule 4: Epithets used in place of names or titles are capitalized.

a. Malacañang Palace denied.
b. The Church calls for uniting and reconciliation.

Rule 5: Adjectives derived from compass points and nouns designating the inhabitants of
some geographical regions are capitalized.
a. Members of the Western Police
b. Highlanders
c. Australian Accent

Rule 6: Topographical names are capitalized as well as the generic names (as the ocean,
valley, and lake) that are essential elements of the total names.
a. Atlantic Ocean
b. Mt. Bulusan
c. Batanes Channel
Rule 7: Generic Plural names were written before Topographical names are capitalized
except when the noun-determiner THE precedes them, the generic name is lower
cased.
a. Lakes Sampaloc and bato
b. Mounts banahaw and Pinatubo
c. The river
d. The oceans and seas
Rule 8: Names designating public places are capitalized if they are essential elements of
specific names, but they are lowercased when place after multiple names or written
alone.
a. San Juanico Bridge d. in the park

3
 b. Makati Park Square e. Manila and Makati colleges
c. Maria Orosa Street. f. San Sebastian and San Agustin churches

Governmental, Judicial and Political Bodies

Rule 1: The word administration and government are capitalized when referring to a par-
ticular government in power.
a. The Aquino Government
b. The Administration denies that
c. The Opposition varies from one Administration to another.

Rule 2: Full names of legislative, executive and administrative bodies are capitalized, but a
non-specific noun and adjective reference to them are lowercased.
a. American and United States Congress
b. The Congress
c. Social Security Council
d. The council

Rule 3: Official and full names of the higher court are capitalized, but the single
designation court is lowercased if referred.
a. Quezon City Court of Appeals
b. The Supreme Court
c. The court

Rule 4: The names of political parties are capitalized.

a. Liberal Party
b. Lakas - NUCD Party

Names of Organization

Rule 1: Common nouns use after two or more organization are lowercased.
a. United and Japan Airlines
b. San Miguel and Heinz Corporation

Rule 2: Names of firms, corporation, schools, organizations and other such groups are

4
 capitalized.
a. J.C. Palabay Enterprises, Inc.
b. University of the Philippines
c. San Miguel Corporation

Rule 3: The word Company and Corporation are capitalized when they
organization, but they are lowercased when referring to another organization
a. We have to follow the code of the Company.
b. He was hired by a certain corporation.

Rule 4: Words such as groups, division, department, office or agency that designate
corporate and organizational units are capitalized when used with specific names
a. The Personnel Department ranks the position of the employees.
b. The clearance has to pass a certain division in the city hall.

Names of Persons

Rule 1: The names of persons are capitalized

a. Judith A. Yu
b. Diana Escalona

Rule 2: Words designating peoples and their languages are capitalized

a. French
b. Filipino
c. Japanese

Rule 3: Derivatives of proper names are capitalized when used in their primary sense.
a Spanish language
b. French wire

Numerical Designations
Rule 1: Monetary units spelled in full in legal documents or cheques are capitalized.
a. Pay Twenty Thousand Pesos to

Rule 2: Nouns introducing a set of numbers are capitalized

a. Form 137 and 138

5
 b. Catalog no. 657432
c. Order no. 35

Rule 3: Nouns used with numbers or letter to designate major reference headings at
capitalized, but non reference heading and subheading are lowercased.
a. Appendix II b. line 3 c. Volume d. Figure 8
e. item 5

Scientific Terms
Rule 1: Name of geological eras, periods, epoch and strata of prehistoric age are
capitalized,
but the generic nouns which they modify are lower case except when the generic
nouns appear before the names of eras, periods, epochs, strata or division, and then
they are capitalized.
a. Stone Age
b. Neanderthal Period
c. Age of Dinosaurs

Rule 2: Names of planets, constellations, asteroids, stars and groups of stars are
capitalized,
but the word sun, the moon, and earth are lowercased unless they are written with
other astronomical names.
a. Venus d. The sun is bigger than the moon
b. Marse. e. The spaceship went to the moon, then to Venus.
c. Saturn
.
Rule 3: Meteorological phenomena are lowercased.
a. aurora borealis
b. meteor shower
Rule 4: General in binomial nomenclature in zoology ad botany are capitalized, but species
names are lowercased.
a. Pineapple (Ananas comosess)
b. Bitter ground (Momordica charantia)
Rule 5: Latin names of classes, families and all groups above genera in zoology and botany
are capitalized, but their derivative nouns and adjectives are lowercased in American

6
 English.
a. Molusska (mollusk)
b. Antropoda (antropad)

Rule 6: Proper names forming essential elements of scientific laws, theorems and principle
are capitalized, but the descriptive law, theorem, and theory are lowercased.
a. Darwin's Theory
b. Conservation of Mars Law
c. Duality Principle

Rule 7: Proprietary (brand and trade) names of drugs and other chemicals are capita
a. She takes amoxicillin for injection
b. She was treated with Lamisil

Rule 8: Proper names are forming essential elements of terms, designating diseases.
dromes, signs, tests, and symptoms are capitalized.
a. Alzheimer's Disease d. measles
b. Pregnancy test e. venereal disease
c. German measles

Time, Periods, Zones and Divisions

Rule 1: Names of the seasons are not capitalized unless they are used as names of
persons.
a. Their love story happened in summer.
b. Miss Summer won in the beauty contest.
Rule 2: Days of the week, the month of the year, holidays and holy days are capitalized.
a. Monday d. Easter Sunday
b. December e. Ramadan
c. Christmas
Rule 3: Historical periods are capitalized; latter-day periods are lowercased.
a. Renaissance c. nuclear age
b. Medieval Period d. space age

Rule 4: Historical events and appellations referring to particular periods or events in time
are capitalized.

7
 a. EDSA Revolution
b. The Great Flood

Rule 5: Numerical designation of historical time periods is capitalized when they are essen-
tial elements of proper names, or else they are lowercased.
a. The Roaring Seventies
b. The eighties

Titles of Persons
Rule 1: Words of family relationship preceding names are capitalized.
a. Aunt Liza
b. her uncle, Mr. Ang
Rule 2: Corporate titles are capitalized if referring to specific persons but when used in
general or pluralcontext, they are lowercased,
a. Mr. John D. Ang, General Manager
b. Mrs. Judith A. Yu, Marketing Manager
c. The general manager arrived yesterday

Rule 3: All titles preceding names are capitalized.

a. Cardinal Tagle
b. Princess Diana
c. President George Bush

Rule 4: Specific corporate and government titles are capitalized if they stand alone or when
they are used in place a particular individual.
a. The Secretary's Report
b. The Chairman will see you today.
c. The Budget faced the accusations.

Numerals
Rule 1: Ages are express in figures.
a. A 3-day old baby
b. The 70-year old baby
Rule 2: Numbers that begin a sentence are written in words.

8
 a. Fifty members walked out of the hall
b. Twenty-four sections graduated from the secondary school the last March.

Rule 3: When two numbers comprise one item or unit, the first number is expressed in
words and the second is written in figures but if the second number is lower, it
should be expressed in words.
a. One 5-shelf cabinet
b. 20 three - drawer cabinets

Rule 4: Two sets of figures should not be typed in direct succession in a text unless the
comprise a series.
a. The lady bought 20 bottles of shampoo, ten sachets of coffee, and two packs of
creamer.
b. In the year 2016, ten thousand students will be probably at the grade 11.
Rule 5: Figures are used to express days and years in business datelines as well as in
Running text; ordinal numbers are not used unless the noun determiner THE
precedes the date. In formal writing such as invitations and legal documents
and dates are spelled in full.
a. October 9, 2015
b. The 4th of October 1951

Rule 6: Exact amounts are written in words when they begin a sentence but written in fig-
ures in another part of the sentence.
a. Four hundred thousand pesos went to the winner.
b. The printer printed 6,000 copies of the manual

Rule 7: Common fractions are written out in the running texts. Fractions written with the
whole numbers are expressed in either words or figures in running texts, but
fractions written series and the tabulations are expressed in figures.
a. One-half of the amount was donated to the orphanage.
b. The man weighs about forty-five and a half kilos.
c. She stands 5% feet tall.
d. Pork ---------- 34 kilos
Chicken------ 534 kilos

9
 Beef----------- 72 kilos

Rule 8: Ordinals are expressed in words in running texts, but ordinals higher than a tenth
are expressed in figures and abbreviation combinations unless they begin a
sentence.
a. The fourth of July is marked the Fil-American Day.
b. Rodelle's father will come home on the 15th day of the month
c. The man was granted a second chance.

Rule 9: Legally significant amounts are expressed in words followed by equivalent figures in
parenthesis.
a. Pay to: Mr. Rodolfo Guiron the amount of Twenty Thousand Pesos (P 20,000.00)

Rule 10: If a percentage begins a sentence, the numbers are written in words followed by
the word percent but in the tabulations, they are written as figures especially when
there is a decimal number.
a. Eighty percent of the examinees passed the recent licensure for the teacher.
b. Exactly 25% of the barristers past the bar examination
Rule 11: Time of the day is expressed in words followed by the contraction o'clock, but
when it is followed by a.m. or p.m., it is written in figures.
a. The plane will arrive at twelve o'clock midnight.
b. The classes start at 7:30 am.

II. Abbreviations
Rule 1: Never begin a sentence with an abbreviation unless the said abbreviation
represents a courtesy title.
a. The television channel is blurred.
Note: The t.v. Channel is blurred.
b. Dr. Joffry Ang is at the ER.
Rule 2: Do not abbreviate company names but abbreviations are allowed if they comprise
their official names.
a. JD Food Products

10
 b. Polytech Bags Inc.
c. Philippine Airlines

The following words shall not be abbreviated when part of proper names.
a. Airlines d. Consultants
b. Associate e. Manufacturing
c. Corporation f. Railroad

Rule 3: Compass points are abbreviated and unpunctuated when written in street names.
a. Zero Street, NW
b. 23-b 13th Street, SE
However, when they form essential interval elements of street names, they are typed
in full.
a. Blk.14, Lot 2, East Corinthian Street
b. Blk. 2, Lot 14, South Washington Street

Rule 4: Dates (days and months) are not abbreviated in sentences. Months should
abbreviated in government or military correspondences.
a. The seminar is on Saturday, October 4, 2015,
b. December 16, 2015 (general business-letter dateline)
c. 16 December 2015 (military dateline)
Rule 5: Latin Words and phrases used in general writing are abbreviated,
a. etc. (L. et cetera) and others; and so forth
b. eg. (L. exempli gratia) for example
c. i.e. (L. id est) that is

Rule 6: Latitude and longitude are abbreviated in tabular form, however, typed in full in
running texts.
a. 4 10' East latitude (in a text)
b. Lat. 4 10' (in table)

Rule 7: Laws and by-Laws when first mentioned in a text are typed in full; subsequent
references to them are abbreviated.
a. Article V, section 3 (First sentence)
b. Art. V, sec. 3 (subsequent reference)

11
Rule 8: Measures and weights are abbreviated in figure plus (+) unit combinations, but if
the number is written out the unit must be written out.
a. Five cu. Ft.
b. Five cubic feet
Rule 9: Personal names are not abbreviated. Unspaced initials of famous persons are
sometimes used in place of their names. But when initials are used with a surname,
they are spaced.
a. Kassandra Concepcion
b. FVR or F.V.R.
c. Not: F.V. Ramos

Rule 10: Plural of abbreviations may be formed by adding -s or -'s.

a. PhDs c. Figs. 1 and 2
b. CPA d. Nos. 3 and 4

Rule 11: When time is expressed in figures, the abbreviation that follows may be an
unspaced punctuated lowercase letter; if capitals are used, one space should
separate letter.
a. 8:30 a.m.
b. 8:30 A.M.

Rule 12 : The only titles that are abbreviated are Mr. and Mrs., other titles. (except for
doctor which may either be abbreviated or written out) are written in full in business
letter salutations.
a. Mrs. Escalona
b. Dear Doctor Ang or Dr. Ang
c. Dear Professor Chavez
d. Dear General Ruiz
e. Dear Private Dy
Honourable and Reverend, when used with the noun, determiner THE are typed out.
But without it, they are abbreviated.
a. The Reverend Gaudencio Rosales

12
 b. The Honorable Gaudencio Rosales
c. Rev. Gaudencio R. Rosales

d. Hon. Gaudencio R. Rosales

Rule 13: Versus is abbreviated as the lower cased Roman letter v. in the legal contexts; it is
either typed in full abbreviated in lowercase Roman letter vs. in general contexts.
a. Vizconde V. Webb (in legal documents)
b. Selective logging versus Total logging
c. Selective logging vs. Total logging

Rule 14: Abbreviations and acronyms of government agencies, military units, and corporate
names are capitalized.
a. FBI
b. NSO
c. PAGASA
d. PAGIBIG

Rule 15: Abbreviation of academic degrees professional ratings are capitalized.

a. BSE
b. BA

c. PᏂᎠ

Punctuation Marks
When you talk, you are probably unaware of the "invisible" commas, periods, and other
punctuation marks that you are using. In conversation, your pauses and voice inflection
punctuate your thoughts and clarify your meaning in writing, however, you must use a
conventional set of symbols, punctuation marks to help your reader understand your meaning.
Over the years, we have gradually developed a standardized pattern of usage for all
punctuation marks. This usage has been set into rules that are observed by the writers who
wish to make their writings as precise as possible.
The punctuation guidelines presented in this book will enable you to write with clarity,
consistency, and accuracy.

A. Periods
1. Place a period at the close of every declarative sentence and imperative sentences
A period is also at the close of groups of words that are used to sentences even though
they are not complete

13
 sentences.

a. Please hand me the pen.

b. Oh no, we were near the fire.

2. Place a period after every part of an abbreviation.

a. U.S.A.
b. A.D.
c. Phil.

B. Exclamation Points.
1. Place an exclamation point after an exclamatory sentence and an exclamatory set off
from a
sentence.
a) Great! We can't lose now
b) Hold the line!
c) Wow! I don't believe it!

C. Question Marks
1. Place a question mark arter an interrogative sentence or after a question that is not a
complete sentence.
a) Do you call this a competition?
b) The date? January 28.

D. Commas
1. Introductory words
Introductory words such as yes, no, where, why, and oh are followed by a comma.
a) Oh, no, another detour.
b) Why nobody with any sense would do that.
- Adverbs such as besides, however, anyhow, nonetheless, at the beginning of the
sentence are followed by a comma.

2. Introductory Phrases and Clauses

A participial phrase at the beginning of a sentence is followed by a comma.

14
 A long adverbial clause at the beginning of a sentence is followed by a comma.
succession of prepositional phrase at the beginning of a sentence is followed by a
comma.
a. Watching the trail, we saw the truck approach. (participial phrase)
b. On the ledge at the top of the tower, the princess brushed her long, blond tresses.
(succession of prepositional phrases)
c. When the prince arrived, he scratched his head and looked at the tower. (adverbial
clause)

3. Transposed Words and Phrases

Words and phrases at the beginning of a sentence from their normal position are
usually set off by a comma.
a. He naturally checked the address in the directory. (normal order)
- Naturally he checked the address in the directory. (transposed order)
- It was obviously a case of mistaken identity. (normal order)
- Obviously, it was a case of mistaken identity. (transposed order)

4. Appositives
An appositive is a set off from the rest of the ser
a. Ms. Pangan, an authority on gasti
b. The collector, Mr. Lopez, boug!

5. Words of Direct Address

Words of direct address are set off by commas.
a. Gimmy, did you buy the ticket?
b.my fellow citizens, I ask you to not for me but for the great Philippines.
6. Parenthetical Expressions
Words and phrases used to explain or qualify a statement are called Parenthetical
Expressions. These words may also be used as basic parts of the sentence. It is only
when they are parenthetical that they are set off by commas.
a. Her theory, I understand, is sound.
b. John, of course, knows where it is.

Some Expression often used parenthetically:

Of course As a matter of fact For example
In fact I believe (hope, On the other hand
think)
Indeed I suppose

15
 The following expressions, when used parenthetically within the sentence, are set off by
commas: therefore, moreover, nevertheless, however, consequently.
a. You realize, therefore, that you run a risk.
b. The carnival, however, was a tremendous success.

7. Dates, addresses, Geographical names

a. In Ayala, Makati center, we visited the museum.
b. The package arrived January 28, 2016.
c. The letter was addressed to Blk. 14, lot 2, Corinthian St. Rockaville III, Sta. Rita,
Guiguinto, Bulacan

8. Modifiers
Clauses are set off by commas from the rest of the sentence.
a. The speed limit, which is rigidly enforced, helps decrease traffic accidents.
b. Teachers, who spend their lives educating young people, are rarely remembered
when
their students attain success as adults.
9. Series
Words of three or more items of the same kind are separated by commas.
a. Typewriters, calculators, and Dictaphones were ordered for the business education
rooms.
b. The human rights committee met, discussed, specific proposals, and adopted a new
constitution
c. Lorna piled the luggage on the counters, in the corners, and outside the doors of the
waiting room.

10. Coordinate Adjectives

Commas are placed between coordinate adjectives that modify the same noun.
a. The soaring, majestic spire seemed to reach for the sky.
b. The flashing, blinding, zigzag lightning terrified us.

11. Clarity

16
 Use a comma to separate words or phrases that might be mistakenly joined in reading.
a. No one spoke, but Christine looked hopefully at the doctor.
b. Before attacking, the soldiers checked supply lines.
c. After eating, the survivors renewed strength and hope.
12. Words Omitted
Use a comma when words are omitted from parallel word groups.
a. The riper, the tastier.
b. Pat sewed the seams and Leroy hem.

E. The Semicolon
1. A semicolon is placed between the main clause
joined by a conjunction.
a) You may approve of the measure, we do not.
b) Mr. Go discussed the nature of time; he introduced many new ideas

2. A semicolon is used between clauses joined by conjunctive adverbs or by phrases like

example, in fact, for instance.
a) The problem of the absences has become acute; in fact, it is the first agenda for
faculty consideration.
b) Jill has a genius for leadership as well as many other talents; for example, she can
these musical instruments.

3. A semicolon is used between main clauses joined by a conjunction if the clause before
the conjunction contains commas.
a) Her brother won't clean, cook or do laundry; nor will he do any other chores around
the house.
b) The train stops at the 5th Avenue, Monumento, and Roosevelt; but it does not run at
all after midnight.

4. A semicolon is used between a series of phrases if they contain commas.

a) My ambition is to be a lawyer; Noreen's, a photojournalist; and Jack's, the owner of a
chain store.
c) At the carnival, Rick won a radio; Sandy, a cassette tape recorder; and Emil, a
huge panda bear.

17
F. Colon
1. Colon is used to introduce a list of items.
a) His virtues are patience, wisdom, and understanding of human motives.
b) Information is available in the encyclopedia, atlases, and dictionaries.
2. Colon is used to introduce a formal quotation.
a) The president opened the meeting with these words: "We are beginning a period of
ex-pansion in which all of you will play a key role."
3. Colon is used between two sentences when the second explain the fact. The second
sentence begins with a capital letter.
a) I think I know the cause: I ate six chocolate eclairs and three brownies.
4. Colon is used (a) after the formal salutation of a letter, (b) between the hour and the
figures of clock time, (e) in biblical references, (a) between the title and subtitle of a
and (e) between the numbers referring to volume and pages of books and magazines.
a) Dear Sir/Madam: d) Genesis 2:4-7
b) 6:15 AM e) The wide world: A High School Geography
c) Volume 11: pages 65-72

G. Dash
1. A dash is used to show an abrupt in thought.
a) The trouble is - I suppose he knows it himself - he just can't get along with people.
b) I am firmly convinced - but what might do my opinions carry anymore?

2. A dash is used to set off a long explanatory statement that interrupts the thought.
a) Robert Frost - who had to gain his first recognition abroad - is now considered by
many to be American's most distinguished poet.
b) There was a feeling of curious anticipation - a feeling shared throughout the world -
when communist China first invited the President of the United States to visit Peking.

3. The dash is used after a series to indicate summarizing statements.

a) Old prints, faded manuscripts, the yellow pages of the books long out of print - these
were his special delights.

H. Parentheses

18
 1. Commas, dashes or parentheses are used to set off words that are supplementary or
explanatory. If the material is so distantly related as to require parenthesis, the passage
might better be written to place the parenthetical material in a separate sentence.
a) She speaks French and Arabic (her family has lived in France and the Middle East),
but English is her first language.
I. Brackets
A. Brackets are used to enclose connections or material inserted by a writer who is quoting
someone else's material.
a) "On the 4th (5th) of March, Hayes took office.

J. Ellipses
A. Indicate the omission of unused parts of a quotation by ellipses: three dots (...) to
indicate an omission within a sentence; four dots (....) to indicate an omission at the end
of the sentence.
a) With malice toward none;; with charity for all ... let us strive on to finish the work
are in to bind up the nation's wounds. ... ... Abraham Lincoln
pre i

K. Apostrophe
The apostrophe is used with nouns to show possession or ownership: Susan wardrobe, the
dog's paws, Papa's favorite.
1. The possessive form of a singular noun is usually made by adding an apostrophe and s
('s) to the noun.
a) boy's c) city's
b) John's d) Coco's

2 .If a plural noun does not end in s, add both apostrophe ands ('s) to form the possessive,
a) men's
b) children's
c) alumni's

3. If a plural noun ends in s, add only the apostrophe to form the possessive.
a) horses'
b) actors
c) waiters

19
4. A compound noun is a noun composed of more than one word. Some compound nouns
are written with hyphens between the parts. Only the last part of a hyphenated noun
shows possession.
a) father-in-law
b) editor-in-chief

5. When the names of two or more persons are used to show joint ownership, only the
name of the last person mentioned is given the possessive form. Add an apostrophe or
an apostrophe and s in accord with the spelling of that name.
a) John and Jenny's family
b) father and son's family

6. If the names of two or more persons are used to show separate ownership, each name
given the possessive form.
a) Webster's and Clay's oration
b) Rochelle's and Rodelle's careers

7. Use an apostrophe and s to form the possessive of indefinite pronouns.

a) someone's
b) nobody's
c) anyone's

The apostrophe is not used to form the possessive of personal pronouns.

a. theirs
b. yours
c. hers

8. When used as adjectives, words expressing time and amount are given the possessive
form.
a) a day's wages
b) an hour's time
c) three days' wages

9. An apostrophe is used to show the omission of letters or figures.

a) the class of '85
b) o'clock

20
 c) shouldn't

Think Tank

A. Choose the appropriate answer in order to complete sentence. Encircle the letter of your answer.

1. In order to make you writing precise, an appropriate ____________________is necessary

a. capitalization b. organization c. punctuation mark

2. Anticipating the_________________ which material will be presented helps you put the

facts into perspective.

a. plan b. order c. signal

3.Although key signal words helps in identifying the particular type of pattern, a_________________
paragraph can be a mixture of different pattern.

a. single b. Mixed c. combination

4. A well-written paragraph is ______________________.

a. coherent b. effective c. detailed

5. A paragraph uses a particular __________________that helps connect words, phrases or

paragraph.

a. language b. connector c. transition word

6. There are__________________________ in writing that make the paragraph more effective and
understandable.

a. rules b. practices c. mechanics

7. The first letter of the__________________ word in an outline heading is capitalized.

a. first b. second c. succeeding

8. The word__________________---------and government are capitalized when referring to a particular

government in power.

a. administration b. legislative c. political

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9.____________________guidelines will help writers to write with clarity, consistently and accuracy.

a. Capitalization b. punctuation c. abbreviation

Gear up

Activity 1

Fill in the blank with the appropriate transition word that will complete each sentence. Choose your answer
from the list of transition word or phrases

below:

Not to mention Otherwise Unless In other words Since

Furthermore However Because of Hence At the same time

1. The candidate should seek for the sympathy of the common people________ he will lose in the election.

2. The woman has all the qualities of a beauty queen._________ her impact on the audience when she walks
and moves her face with her fierce - looking eyes:

3. The dean's listener continues to get excellent grades,______________ he also excels in the

extra-curricular activities.

4. The student will be dropped from the subject____________ she does something to improve her standing
and attendance in the class

5. Dieting is good for health,____________ when it is done inappropriately, it may lead to a serious illness.

6. I read from an article that in china, bottles of clean air are already sold.___________ their serious problem
in air problem.

7. In crossing that street, we should use the pedestrian lanes, __________ We should be cautious and vigilant.

8. The man has been alert and careful dealing with people, ______________ he came to the city.

9. He has been very careful with all his decisions, ____________________he will always be a failure.

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10. The student works as a student assistant,____________ serves as an officer in an organization

Activity 2.

Put a check if the words/ phrases or sentences are connected. If incorrect, correct

the

errors. Place your answer in the space provided.

1.___________P.30 in that book has been photocopied.

2.___________San Miguel Corporation

3.___________ ten cu. ft.

4.___________Jop said," he is my patient."

5.___________she experienced scorching heat last summer.

6.____________Noah survived the great flood.

7.____________will I believe you?

8.____________Tom Cruise won the oscar award.

9.____________nbi

10. __________ Honorable George Bush

Capitalization Worksheet 1

With Space Aliens!

Part One: Identifying Capitalization Errors

Circle the words that should be capitalized.

1. zork left the planet zerg in a spaceship.

2. he went to zonky's intergalactic outpost to get eggs and space milk.

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3. strange spacecraft crowded the parking lot at zonky's.

4. zork had to orbit the lot a few times until he found a spot right next to a brand new '71 borg explorer.

5. zork grabbed reusable shopping bags from the back of his spaceship and strolled into zonky's.

6. zonky's was packed with creatures from far away planets: zerg, zorg, and even earth.

7. that's when zork saw his boss, captain orlock, pushing his hovering cart toward the checkout.

8. zork did not want captain orlock to see him so he tried to sneak by him.

9. unfortunately for zork, captain orlock literally has eyes on the back of his head.

10. captain orlock shouted, "oh, zork, so good to see you on a zaturday. let's have a meeting."

Capitalization Worksheet 2

With Space Aliens!

Part One: Identifying Capitalization Errors

Circle the words that should be capitalized.

1. zork left the planet zerg in a spaceship.

2. he went to zonky's intergalactic outpost to get eggs and space milk.

3. strange spacecraft crowded the parking lot at zonky's.

4. zork had to orbit the lot a few times until he found a spot right next to a brand new '71 borg explorer.

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 5. zork grabbed reusable shopping bags from the back of his spaceship and strolled into zonky's.

6. zonky's was packed with creatures from far away planets: zerg, zorg, and even earth.

7. that's when zork saw his boss, captain orlock, pushing his hovering cart toward the checkout.

8. zork did not want captain orlock to see him so he tried to sneak by him.

9. unfortunately for zork, captain orlock literally has eyes on the back of his head.

10. captain orlock shouted, "oh, zork, so good to see you on a zaturday. let's have a meeting."

GLOSSARY TERM.………………………………………………..
………………………………
Abbreviation - A shortened form of a written word or phrase use in place of the whole word or
phrase

Adjective – An adjective modifies (limits or describes) a noun or a pronoun.

Adverb – Similar to adjectives, an adverb modifies a verb, an adjective, or another adverb.

Apostrophe (') - is used to indicate the omission of a letter or figures, the possessive case, or the
plurals of lowercase letters. As a sentence ender

Braces ({}) - are used to contain two or more lines of text or listed items to show that they are
considered as a unit.

Brackets ([]) - are the squared off notations ([]) used for technical explanations or to clarify
meaning. If you remove the information in the brackets, the sentence will still make sense

Bullet point - Each of several items in a list, preceded by a bullet symbol for emphasis.

Capitalization - The act or process of capitalizing

Colon (:) - used to precede a list of items, a quotation, or an expansion or explanation.

Comma (,) - is used to show a separation of ideas or elements within the structure of a sentence.
Additionally, it is used in numbers, dates, and letter writing after the salutation and
closing.

Conjunction – Conjunctions are used to link words or parts of sentences together.

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Dash (-) - is used to separate words into statements. There are two common types of dashes: en
dash and em dash.

Ellipsis - is most commonly represented by three periods (. . . ) although it is occasionally

demonstrated with three asterisks (***).

Exclamation point (!)- is used when a person wants to express a sudden outcry or add emphasis.

Hyphen - is used to join two or more words together into a compound term and is not separated by
spaces. For example, part-time, back-to-back, well-known.

Noun – A noun is generally defined as a person, place, or thing; however, ideas are also nouns.

Parentheses ( () ) - are curved notations used to contain further thoughts or qualifying remarks.
However, parentheses can be replaced by commas without changing the meaning in
most cases.

Period (.) - is placed at the end of declarative sentences, statements thought to be complete and
after many abbreviations.

Preposition – A preposition shows the relationship between a noun or pronoun and some other
word in the sentence.

Pronoun – A pronoun is a word that is used to replace a noun

Question mark (?) - to indicate a direct question when placed at the end of a sentence.

Quotations marks (" ") - are a pair of punctuation marks used primarily to mark the beginning and
end of a passage attributed to another and repeated word for word. They are also used to
indicate meanings and to indicate the unusual or dubious status of a word.

Semicolon (;) - is used to connect independent clauses. It shows a closer relationship between the
clauses than a period would show. The act or process of capitalizing

Verb – A verb is a word that describes action or a state of being. The second part of this definition
is important, as many believe that verbs are always action words that can be visualized

Reference Gallery
Gurrey, Mary Ellen (1999) Business English, South - Western College Publishing, Cincinnati,
Ohio, U.S.A
Litelle, Joy (1991) Building English Skills, Mc Dougal Littell & Company, Evanston, Illinois
Macknish, Cynthia (2011) Academic and Professional Writing for Teachers, McGraw-Hill
Edu-
cation (Asia)
Catalogue. Pearsoned.co.Uk/sample chapter
http://www.cuesta.edu/student/servsclasses/ssc/studyguides/readingcomp./306readparagra
ph.h
tml

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http://www.smartwords.org/linkingwords/transitionword.html

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