Personal Point of View
 Neither do I.
We use these words and phrases to express
a personal point of view:
 In my experience…
 As far as I'm concerned…
 Speaking for myself…
 In my opinion…
 Personally, I think…
 I'd say that…
 I'd suggest that…
 I'd like to point out that…
 I believe that…
 What I mean is…
General Point of View
We use these words and phrases to express
a point of view that is generally thought by
people:
 It is thought that...
 Some people say that...
 It is considered...
 It is generally accepted that...
Agreeing with an
opinion
We use these words and phrases to agree
with someone else's point of view:
 Of course.
 You're absolutely right.
 Yes, I agree.
 I think so too.
 That's a good point.
 Exactly.
 I don't think so either.
 So do I.
 I'd go along with that.
 That's true.
 I agree with you entirely.
 That's just what I was thinking.
 I couldn't agree more.
Disagreeing with an
opinion
We use these words and phrases to
disagree with someone else's point of view:
 That's different.
 I don't agree with you.
 However…
 That's not entirely true.
 On the contrary…
 I'm sorry to disagree with you, but…
 Yes, but don't you think…
 That's not the same thing at all.
 I'm afraid I have to disagree.
 I'm not so sure about that.
 I must take issue with you on that.
 It's unjustifiable to say that...
Stating an opinion
In my opinion...
The way I see it...
If you want my honest opinion....
According to Lisa...
As far as I'm concerned...
If you ask me...
Asking for an opinon
What's your idea?
What are your thoughts on all of this?
How do you feel about that?
Do you have anything to say about this?
What do you think?
Do you agree?
Wouldn't you say?
Expressing agreement
I agree with you 100 percent.
I couldn't agree with you more.
That's so true.
That's for sure.
(slang) Tell me about it!
You're absolutely right.
Absolutely.
That's exactly how I feel.
Exactly.
I'm afraid I agree with James.
I have to side with Dad on this one.
No doubt about it.
(agree with negative statement) Me neither.
(weak) I suppose so./I guess so.
You have a point there.
I was just going to say that.
Expressing disagreement
I don't think so.
(strong) No way.
I'm afraid I disagree.
(strong) I totally disagree.
I beg to differ.
(strong) I'd say the exact opposite.
Not necessarily.
That's not always true.
That's not always the case.
No, I'm not so sure about that.
Interruptions
Can I add something here?
Is it okay if I jump in for a second?
If I might add something...
Can I throw my two cents in?
Sorry to interrupt, but...
(after accidentally interrupting someone)
Sorry, go ahead. OR Sorry, you were saying...
(after being interrupted) You didn't let me
finish.
Settling an argument
Let's just move on, shall we?
Let's drop it.
I think we're going to have to agree to
disagree.
(sarcastic) Whatever you say./If you say so.
Breakfast is the most important meal of the
day.
Swimming in the ocean is better than
swimming in a public pool.
Alcohol should be illegal.
Children should provide room and board for
their aging parents.
Studying grammar is more important than
practising conversation skills.
Television is the leading cause of violence in
today's society.
Dogs make better companions than cats.
Smoking should be permitted in public places.
Females are better students than males.
A parent shouldn't pierce a baby's ears.
Women should be allowed to go topless in
public.
Lawyers should make a higher salary than
nurses.
Everyone should plan their own funeral.
Reading English is more difficult than writing
English.
Summer is the best season of the year.
Children under 13 should not be allowed to
babysit.
High school students should wear uniforms.
21 should be the legal driving age around the
world.
Rock and Roll is the best kind of music.
The government should pay for post
secondary education.
Postive Agreement
If you agree with someone about an opinion,
you can simply say "I agree" or "You're right."
For example,
A: I think we need more time.
B: I agree. / You're right.
The words "so" and "too" are often used in
expressions of positive agreement.
Note that "too" usually comes at the end of
the sentence, and "so" at the beginning.
Remember to use "question order" with so.
For example,
A: I'm in a hurry.
B: So am I. / I am too. / Me too.
A: I need to go to the bathroom.
B: So do I. / I do too. / Me too.
Negative Agreeement
For negative agreement, use neither in place
of "so," and either in place of "too."
For example,
A: I'm not hungry.
B: Neither am I. / I'm not either.*
A: I don't have enough money anyway.
B: Neither do I. / I don't either.*
These expressions can also be used in the
second or third person:
They're from Luxembourg.
So are we. / We are too.
Todd doesn't like spaghetti.
Neither does Louise. / Louise doesn't either.*
*Note that neither is used with "positive"
verbs and either is used with "negative" verbs.
When no verb is used in negative agreements,
"neither" is more common:
Neither do I.
I don't either.
Me neither.
Disagreeing
To express disagreement, you may simply say
"I disagree" or "I don't think so." For example,
A: I think John Doe would make a great
President.
B: I disagree. / I don't think so.
You may also disagree by stating the opposite
opinion, sometimes stressing a word for
emphasis.
A: I don't like chocolate ice cream.
B: Well, I do. / Well, I do.
Conversation practice
Make simple statements about the following
and have a
partner agree or disagree with you. Then
switch roles.
1. Talk about today's weather.
2. Say what foods you like best.
3. Tell what you think about smoking.
4. Give an opinion about a current politician.
5. State your ideas about a controversial topic.
STUDENT OBJECTIVES
Students will:
learn the appropriate uses of, and practice
using, the semicolon, comma, colon, and
exclamation point.
examine the opinions and attitudes that
various published authors hold concerning
punctuation choices.
become familiar with the punctuation choices
found in published texts.
add meaning, style, and voice to their own
writing through deliberately placed and
chosen punctuation marks.
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SESSION ONE
Distribute the Writing with Passion printout
and ask students to pick an emoticon they like
and would be likely to use while emailing or
texting friends, as well as one they don’t like
or would be unlikely to use. Then, using the
emoticon they like, ask students to write a
sentence that occurs before the emoticon (a
sentence that illustrates its appropriate use.)
Ask several students to write their sentences
and draw their emoticons on the board (or on
an overhead transparency or chart paper) and
ask the class to discuss what the emoticon
adds to the message or how it changes the
way in which the sentence is read and
understood. As well, consider with students
how the choice of a different emoticon might
alter the sentence and its meaning.
Discuss with students the varieties of writing
that do not allow for the use of emoticons
(this may include handwritten pieces or texts
composed in electronic formats that do not
offer emoticons to choose from, as well as
texts that are composed for more formal
writing situations). Ask students to identify
other ways of expressing tone or mood in
writing (possible answers include the use of
capital letters; spelled-out emotions, such as
“heeheehee”; and punctuation).
Tell students that while punctuation choices
might not seem as engaging as emoticons,
many writers and readers care deeply about
punctuation, and so in these lessons, we’re
going to examine options for punctuation, the
effects of those choices, authors’ likes and
dislikes for specific marks of punctuation, and
the ways in which students can more
confidently use punctuation to develop their
own written voice and style.
Distribute Marks of Punctuation Attitudes
Chart to students and explain that this
handout provides a chart for them to record
attitudes towards punctuation they will be
exploring; instruct them to use the chart to
note likes and dislikes, as well as writers’ and
readers’ reasons for their views about specific
marks of punctuation. Begin with two video
clips for the class to view. Have a brief
discussion reviewing attitudes towards
punctuation, as well as inferring reasons for
these views after the videos have been
viewed.
Seinfeld video on exclamation points, Elaine
and Jake (2:13) [The video is accompanied by
Swedish subtitles; these can be ignored, or
students can be asked to attend to the
punctuation choices of the subtitles.]
Cormac McCarthy video on Oprah (3:17)
[Videos found on commercial sites such as the
Oprah site may contain advertisements; these
can be avoided if the teacher loads the video
before class and allows the advertisement to
run before sharing the material]
Divide the students into small groups (two to
four students per group), and explain that
they will be given 10 - 15 minutes to read an
additional author’s views on punctuation and
to answer the accompanying questions on the
handout Proselytizing Punctuation. Half the
class will complete the exercise with the Lewis
Thomas essay “Notes on Punctuation,” and
the other half of the class will complete the
exercise with excerpts from Helen DeWitt’s
punctuation blog post. Each student should
complete the questions because at the end of
the group work time, students will be asked to
share their responses in small groups (two to
four students per group) with students who
responded to the other essay (Lewis and
DeWitt students will be grouped together for
a five-minute discussion). During group work
time, the teacher will circulate among groups
to answer questions and gather feedback on
students’ understanding.
Again, ask students to form small groups (two
to four students per group) to examine
punctuation choices in two short prose
excerpts. Students will be given 10 minutes to
read a short passage and to answer the
accompanying questions on the handout
Practicing Punctuation. Half the class will
complete the exercise with the Harry Potter
excerpt by J.K. Rowling, and the other half of
the class will complete the exercise with an
excerpt from Cormac McCarthy’s The Road.
Each student should complete the questions
because at the end of the group work time,
students will be asked to share their
responses in small groups (two to four
students per group) with students who
responded to the other excerpt (Rowling and
McCarthy students will be grouped together
for a five-minute discussion).
During group work time, the teacher will
circulate among groups to answer questions
and gather feedback on students’
understanding.
If time allows, come together as a class and
review the different authors’ opinions and the
different uses of punctuation in non-fiction
and fiction. Teachers may also choose to
allow students to finish this work for
homework if there is not sufficient time left in
the class session.
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SESSION TWO
Distribute the handout, A Wink to the
Semicolon. As a class, read Sam Robert’s New
York Times piece “Celebrating the Semicolon
in a Most Unlikely Location” so that most
students are given the opportunity to read a
paragraph aloud.
After reading the article, ask a student to
draw a large semicolon in the middle of the
board. Before discussing the content of the
piece, ask the students if they can describe
how a semicolon is used (semicolons separate
two independent clauses that are closely
related to each other but could stand alone as
sentences if you wanted them to). Make sure
to emphasize that semicolons are never a
required piece of punctuation; they are a
stylistic choice. When added to a text
appropriately, the semicolon has the ability to
add a subtle connection between two
sentences.
Once the class has agreed upon a definition,
return to the New York Times piece and invite
students’ reactions to the content. Be sure to
reflect on the last sentence, “The semicolon,
befittingly, symbolizes a wink.” Ask the
students to explain in their own words this
allusion (to the wink emoticon).
Have the students write their own definition
of an independent clause in the printout, and
come together as a class to review these
definitions.
An independent clause is a group of words
that contains a subject and verb and
expresses a complete thought.
An independent clause is a sentence. You can
put “I realize” in front of nearly all
independent clauses and they will make
sense.
Point the students toward their printout,
which contains an example of a sentence that
correctly uses a semicolon and a sentence
that incorrectly uses a semicolon. Allow the
students to explain which sentence is correct
and why.
Have each student write an independent
clause on a half sheet of paper. Ask the
students to stand and arrange themselves in
some arbitrary order against a wall of the
classroom (by age, height, number of siblings,
etc.). Once students are standing, ask each
student to search for a member of the class
who has an independent clause that could be
linked to their own sentence with a
semicolon. Once all students are paired (or as
many as possible), the groups should stand on
either side of the semicolon drawn on the
board and read their new sentences aloud.
The class as a whole can debate whether or
not the semicolon is being used properly
Distribute the John Henley “An Elegant Pause
—Or Merely a Pretentious Comma?” printout.
To show students that semicolons are one of
the most hotly debated pieces of punctuation,
use the excerpts from John Henley’s piece in
The Guardian. Ask for volunteers to read the
opinions aloud, and encourage the class to
record viewpoints on the Marks of
Punctuation Attitudes Chart printout
distributed in Session One. Once all the
excerpts have been read, ask the class which
opinions they most agree and disagree with.
For graded homework, ask that students write
three original sentences that appropriately
use the semicolon. You may also ask that the
students find at least one example of the use
of a semicolon in any text they happen to
read. The students will describe how the
author uses the semicolon and whether they
agree with the author’s choice.
If students need more practice using the
semicolon, see the Semicolons: An Extension
printout. Here, students will have the
opportunity to explore the various
frequencies in which Stephen Chbosky, Sir
Arthur Conan Doyle, and John Steinbeck use
the semicolon.
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SESSION THREE
Distribute the Commas and Coordinating
Conjunctions: A Quick Review printout. Begin
the class by reading this piece on commas
from The Onion aloud. Students will have a
copy of the passage in their printouts. Allow
students to respond briefly to the piece and
point out what they notice, like, or dislike.
Explain to students that one of the top 10
most common grammar errors is comma
usage and that today they’ll work together to
master just one of its uses: Commas that join
two independent clauses connected by a
coordinating conjunction. If you feel the need
to review the other uses of commas (e.g., to
set off nonrestrictive clauses, to set off an
introductory dependent clause, to separate a
series of items), do so briefly.
Ask students to work in pairs and respond to
the prompts found in the printout. The
prompt about independent clauses should be
a review from yesterday’s lesson on
semicolons.
Once the students have had time to read
through and respond to the prompts, come
together as a class and briefly review
independent clauses and coordinating
conjunctions. Ask that a few students write
their sentences from the printout on the
board. Come together as a class and guide the
students through the sentences. Be sure to
methodically explain why sentences are
correct or incorrect.
Distribute the Right or Wrong? It’s my choice.
Right? printout and read the Mignon Fogarty
(Grammar Girl) passage aloud. Complete the
questions that immediately follow the excerpt
as a class.
Return to Fogarty’s passage and ask students
whether or not they understand the comma
splice. Once you have helped students reach
an appropriate definition (a comma splice
occurs when a writer has connected two
independent clauses with a comma alone),
explain to the students that while commas
should be used correctly—as Grammar Girl
suggests—authors are still given autonomy
over how they choose to correct the comma
splice. Comma splices, specifically, can be
fixed in three ways (These choices allow
authors to infuse voice, meaning, and style
into their writing through punctuation alone.
Allow students to practice making these
stylistic choices in the next section of the
printout):
with a period that replaces the comma,
with the addition of a coordinating
conjunction after the comma, or
with a semicolon that replaces the comma.
Once students have inserted the punctuation
of their choosing to correct the inserted
comma splices in the John Steinbeck passage,
go through each of the seven corrections as a
class. Have students defend their position on
why they chose to insert a specific mark. After
exploring each comma splice and its
corrections, share the authors’ actual choices
with the class. (See the Right or wrong? It’s
my choice. Right? – Answer Key printout.)
After seeing which punctuation Steinbeck had
actually included, allow students to agree or
disagree with his decisions. Ask students to
indicate by a show of hands who made
choices similar to those of Steinbeck, and
discuss how these decisions contribute to the
meaning, style, and voice of the piece.
If students need more practice with commas
and coordinating conjunctions, see the
Commas and Coordinating Conjunctions: An
Extension printout. Here, the students will
have the opportunity to correct inserted
commas splices in a David Sedaris passage.
The answer key is on page two of this
printout.
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SESSION FOUR
Ask students to draw a colon in their notes,
and ask for a volunteer to draw a colon on the
board (some students may draw the human
intestine – you can use this as an opportunity
to share a bad pun and explain that colons ask
readers to prepare to “digest” what is about
to follow).
Ask students to explain when or how colons
are used. Possible answers include the
following: to indicate ratios, to separate the
hours and minutes in expressions of time, to
follow the greeting of a business letter, to
follow the name of the speaker in a play or in
legal transcripts of court testimony, to
introduce lists). Remind students that this
unit is focusing on punctuation as end stops –
punctuation that follows a complete sentence
or independent clause– and ask students
which of the answers they’ve volunteered is
an example of end stop usage (introducing a
list or elaborating on the complete sentence
that has come before).
On the board, write several sample sentences
that model the appropriate and effective use
of the colon. Here are some suggestions:
I am allergic to nearly anything green: plants,
grass, mold, and broccoli.
Shivering and alone, she could see only one
thing: darkness.
Distribute the Let’s Talk About Colons printout
and ask student volunteers to read the rules
and opinions about colon use. Remind
students to record the information in the
Marks of Punctuation Attitudes Chart
(distributed in Session One). You may also
wish to remind students of Cormac
McCarthy’s comments on colons (in the Oprah
interview shown on the first day of the unit):
“You can use a colon if you’re going to give a
list that follows from what you said.”
After reviewing the opinions, ask students to
give examples of how colons can be used to
do more than to just introduce a list. Ask
students to work in pairs to write a sentence
that illustrates the correct use of the colon
and to reflect on how the colon affects the
tone and meaning of the sentence (the
printout provides directions for this work).
Ask for several volunteers to write their
sentences on the board. Discuss not only the
correctness of the usage, but also what the
colon adds to the sentence’s meaning.
What kind of feeling or tone does the use of
the colon create?
In these sentences, does the colon act more
like a drum roll? A command or order? A
mark of emphasis?
What does the colon add to the tone of the
sentence? Anticipation? Sophistication?
Clinical objectivity?
Invite students to think of metaphors or
similes that characterize the marks of
punctuation that have been studied (the
printout provides a place for this work): "A
period stop is like ________________; a
comma is like ________________; a semi-
colon is like __________________; and a
colon is like _________________________."
Teachers may wish to assign students a single
mark of punctuation by row or invite
volunteers to complete the comparisons in a
class discussion. If students need an example
to get them started, teachers may wish to
remind students of the metaphor used in
Session Two (a semi-colon is like a wink) or
share this metaphor from The Capital
Community College Foundation’s web site: a
colon is a gate, inviting one to go on.
Conclude with a discussion of students’
metaphors and similes.
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SESSION FIVE
View the Seinfeld video (1:07) in which Elaine,
in her job as an editor, adds exclamation
points to a book that she finds lacking in
“emotion and intensity.” Distribute the
printout Getting Excited about Exclamation
Points. Ask students about their own views
on the use of exclamation points: are they
more like Elaine’s or her boss’s? (Students
can record Elaine and her boss’s attitudes on
the Marks of Punctuation Attitudes Chart
distributed in Session One; they can record
their own views on the Getting Excited
printout.)
Share with students the following research
findings on use of the exclamation point (this
appears on the Getting Excited printout):
Women use exclamation points more than
men do (numerous research studies support
this finding and also conclude that women are
more likely than men to use multiple
exclamation points). Students can be asked to
consider the use of multiple exclamation
points: Do they use them? How do they read
and interpret them?
Scholars have debated why women use
exclamation points. Previously characterized
as “markers of excitability,” exclamation
points may not be used primarily by women
to indicate excitement. A recent study by
Carol Waseleski, “Gender and the Use of
Exclamation Points in Computer-Mediated
Communication: An Analysis of Exclamations
Posted to Two Electronic Discussion Lists,”
suggests, “exclamation points do more than
function as markers of excitability; they can
also function as markers of friendliness.”
Students can be asked to consider how they
use and interpret exclamation points: do they
indicate excitement? Friendliness?
Something else?
Tell students that at exclamation points (or
exclamation marks, as they are called in the
United Kingdom) are also known as “bangs.”
Invite students to think of metaphors or
similes that characterize the exclamation
point (this appears on the Getting Excited
printout). Either before or after this exercise,
teachers may share with students others’
metaphors and similes for exclamation points:
Lewis Thomas compares the exclamation
point to “someone else's small child jumping
up and down crazily in the center of the living
room shouting to attract attention.”
Writer Merlin Mann calls them “the fire alarm
of prose fiction.”
Explain to students that, unlike other marks of
punctuation we’ve considered, exclamation
points are often viewed as a mark of poor
writing.
H.W. Fowler has written, “An excessive use of
exclamation marks is a certain indication of an
unpractised writer or of one who wants to
add a spurious dash of sensation to something
unsensational.”
F. Scott Fitzgerald advised, “Cut out all those
exclamation points. An exclamation point is
like laughing at your own jokes.”
Ask students why they think exclamation
points are often viewed as a mark of poor
writing. Possible responses include the
following: the over use of exclamation points
may numb the reader and deaden the
meaning; exclamation points may be
associated with informal writing, youthful
writing, or overly emotional and less objective
writing.
Distribute the printout You’ve Got Style. You
may assign students to work on a specific
passage or allow them to choose one of the
three sample passages included in the
assignment. Ask students to focus on the use
of the colon and the exclamation point
(although they may also edit for the use of the
comma and coordinating conjunction and the
semi-colon). Students should identify specific
instances where they would either add or
remove a colon or exclamation point; this may
entail some re-writing of the original sentence
and replacing the colon or exclamation point
with another stylistic option for punctuation.
Collect completed handouts for assessment,
or assign unfinished work for homework to be
collected the next class session.
If time allows, you may wish to share other
information about exclamation points:
Comic books are a genre of writing in which
exclamation points are used very frequently.
The web site TVTropes notes, “The Donald
Duck comic books have a tendency to not
contain a single speech bubble without at
least one exclamation mark. Yes, even
whispering ends with ‘!’” Students may wish
to find their own examples and compare the
use of exclamation points in comic books,
manga, and graphic novels.
The Video Jug short film (2:36) explains the
use of the exclamation point with clever
examples. The web site also includes a
helpful summary of rules that you can print
and distribute. [Videos found on commercial
sites such as the Video Jug site may contain
advertisements; these can be avoided if the
teacher loads the video before class and
allows the advertisement to run before
sharing the material]
Tom Wolfe, founder of the New Journalism
movement and author of The Right Stuff and
Bonfire of the Vanities, is known for his use of
exclamation points. Students may wish to
compare Wolfe’s journalistic writing with that
of other authors or to compare excerpts from
Wolfe’s novels with excerpts from Cormac
McCarthy’s writings.
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SESSION SIX
Distribute What Mark of Punctuation Are
You? printout and ask for volunteers to read
the descriptions out loud while students listen
and choose which description best fits their
personalities.
After students have indicated on their
printouts which description best fits them, ask
the class to indicate which description
matches each of the four marks of
punctuation we’ve studied. (The correct
answers in the order in which they appear on
the printout are exclamation point, comma,
semicolon, and colon.)
Distribute Practicing Passionate Punctuation
with Postcards. The assignment asks students
to apply what they’ve learned and to compose
short messages that reflect their own voice
and style. Using Postcard Creator, students
will write about a real or imagined place they
have visited, appropriately using at least two
of the marks of punctuation studied in this
unit. Students will also write a paragraph
discussing the punctuation options they chose
for their message (and those they did not). In
these paragraphs, students will comment
upon at least three of the end-stop
punctuation options that were studied in this
unit, explaining the effect of their choices on
the tone, mood, rhythm, and/or meaning of
the message. The teacher will circulate and
answer questions.
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EXTENSIONS
Semicolons: Allow students to analyze
published authors’ use of the semicolon.
Commas: Allow students to practice
correcting comma splices in another
published piece.
Ask students to apply what they are learning
about end punctuation to their own ongoing
compositional writing of poems, essays, and
stories.
Ask students to apply what they are learning
about end punctuation to their academic and
outside readings, bringing in examples for
discussion. Students can also be encouraged
to examine how the use of these punctuation
marks vary as writers move across the genres
of expository to narrative to poetry writing.
For example, how do poets (including e.e.
cummings) use punctuation? Why do they
tend to take more liberties in their
punctuation use?
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STUDENT ASSESSMENT/REFLECTIONS
Semicolon use (Session Two): students write
three original sentences that demonstrate
appropriate use of the semicolon. Directions
and grading detailed in Session Two
instructional plan.
Colon and exclamation point use, revising for
style (Session Five): students examine and
alter specific punctuation options in the
writing of published authors and reflect on
the changes and options. Directions and
grading detailed in the You’ve Got Style
printout.
Composing a message and reflecting on
punctuation choices (Session Six): using
Postcard Creator, students compose a
message demonstrating appropriate use of at
least two of the marks of punctuation studied
and reflect on at least three options possible
in the message they composed. Directions
and rubric included in Practicing Passionate
Punctuation with Postcards printout.
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