First, a few questions: What are capitalized letters? Why do we use capitalized letters? Importance or emphasis When do we use them? Capitalization 1. First letter in a sentence The students were prepared. They felt calm about taking their tests, since they had been in class.
Rules of Capitalization 2. Proper names and titles Proper titles and names Mrs. Cindy Hayes, President Obama, Dr. Denton Im going to the doctor. lower case Im going to Doctor McMillins office. uppercase Days and months Monday, August Not seasons: spring, winter, summer Proper places Knoxville, the Southeast, Smoky Mountains Book or article titles The Hunt for Red October First word, last word, and important words in book titles
Rules of Capitalization 3. I (when you are referring to yourself) I am going to see if I can climb ten mountains next year. 4. Proper adjectives Ethnicities and languages English, Japanese, French
Rules of Capitalization What does a comma do? Separates When do we use commas? Commas 1. Use a comma + conjunction to separate two complete thoughts. It was raining, but I drove to school anyway. He was running, and she saw him fall. I love to eat pizza, so I decided to order Dominoes.
Conjunctions: And But Or Nor So For Yet Commas 2. Use a comma to separate a dependent clause from an independent clause. When I came home, I saw the wreckage. If you were listening, you would have heard her. Although I like to swim, I thought the water was too cold for a dip. If a dependent clause comes in the middle or at the end of the sentence no commas needed. I saw the wreckage when I came home. You would have heard her if you were listening. Commas 3. Use a comma to separate 3+ items in a series. I had peas, beans, and rice for dinner. Going shopping, drawing pictures, and hiking are three of my favorite activities.
Commas 4. Use a comma to separate day/year and city/state. Knoxville, TN May 14, 2012
Commas 5. Use commas around interrupting or extra words. Melissa, our director, is awesome! Elvis, who lived in Memphis, was the king of rock and roll. Will you help me with this paper, Betty? Hey, come back here! However, this was not a good option. We would love to go with you, of course. Commas What are apostrophes? Why and when do we use them? Apostrophes 1. Possession Students scores Whose scores? The student Students scores Whose scores? The students Whats different between those two? 2. Contraction Are not contract the o Arent Cannot contract n and o Cant You are contract a Youre Apostrophes Its versus Its Apostrophe is a contraction Its a cold day. It IS a cold day. No apostrophe is the possessive The dog was wagging its tail. Whose tail? Whos versus Whose Again, apostrophe is a contraction Whos going to the store? Who IS going No apostrophe is the possessive Whose car are we driving? Whose car? Trickiest Apostrophes Use a semicolon to separate sentences that are closely related. Barbara was retired; however, she still worked from home some. Semicolons