Basic Writing Skills

When writing a text, it is not enough to have good ideas or persuasive arguments. It is also important to
express them correctly. Please analyze each strategy and take notes:

1. Keep in mind some basic rules to write clear sentences

a. Write the correct word order in a sentence:

Word order: Subject + Verb + Object + Complements (manner place time)
Example: I found the book easily at the library yesterday.

b. Use time expressions at the beginning or at the end of a sentence.

Example: In 2015, HM King Harald of Norway awarded Boyan the maritime industry's Young Entrepreneur
Award.

c. Adjectives come before the noun and they have no plural form.
Example: She is a hardworking person.

d. Use auxiliaries to write negative sentences or questions (except when using to be= am, is, are, was,
were)
Example: She has not received any award yet.

e. In a simple present sentence where he, she, it or a name is the subject, verbs can end in -s or -es
depending on the way the verb ends.
Example: He studies architecture at Universidad Nacional.

How to use punctuation marks properly

Period [.]
1. Use a period to show the end of a sentence.

Hockey is a popular sport in Canada.

The federal government is based in Ottawa.

2. Use a period after certain abbreviations.

B.C. is the province located on the West Coast.

Dr. Bethune was a Canadian who worked in China.
It is 4:00 p.m. in Halifax right now.

Comma [,]
1. Use a comma to show a pause in a sentence.

Therefore, we should write a letter to the prime minister.

2. Use a comma to separate independent clauses (complete thoughts) when they are
joined by the following conjunctions: and, or, for, nor, so, but.
 Note: The comma should come before the conjunction.

I want to buy the new jacket, but it is too expensive.

3. Use commas for listing three or more different things.

Ontario, Quebec, and B.C. are the three biggest provinces.

4. Use commas around relative clauses that add extra information to a sentence.

Emily Carr, who was born in 1871, was a great painter.

5. Use a comma to separate a dependent clause (incomplete thought) from an independent clause (complete
thought).

When I get older, I will be able to drive. (Dependent), (Independent)

Semicolon [;]

1. Use a semicolon to join related sentences together.

The festival is very popular; people from all over the world visit each year.

2. Use a semicolon in lists that already have commas.

The three biggest cities in Canada are Toronto, Ontario; Montreal, Quebec; and Vancouver, B.C.

How to use capital letters in English

1. Capitalize the first word of a sentence.

The world is round.

2. Capitalize proper nouns.

Pablo Picasso studied at the School of Fine Arts in Barcelona.

3. Capitalize countries, nationalities, and specific languages.

He is from Colombia and he speaks Spanish.

4. Capitalize the single-letter word, first person pronoun ‘I’.

I am a very responsible person.

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Adapted by: Alejandra Jiménez Quintero (September, 2016)