A Guide to English punctuation

Exercise 2. Put colons and semicolons where appropriate (based on Jerome K. Jerome “Three men in a Boat”).

1. So I went straight up and saw him, and he said "Well, what's the matter with you?" 2. It is difficult enough to fix a tent in dry weather in wet, the task becomes herculean. 3. I used to sit down and look at him, as he sat on the rug and looked up at me, and think "Oh, that dog will never live. He will be snatched up to the bright skies in a chariot, that is what will happen to him." 4. The barometer is useless it is as misleading as the newspaper forecast. 5. There was only one reputed case in the whole parish that case was young Stivvings. 6. We, in this age, do not see the beauty of that dog. We are too familiar with it. It is like the sunset and the stars we are not awed by their loveliness because they are common to our eyes. 7. We stopped under the willows by Kempton Park, and lunched. It is a pretty little spot there a pleasant grass plateau, running along by the water's edge, and overhung by willows. 8. You took five iron arches, like gigantic croquet hoops, and fitted them up over the boat, and then stretched the canvas over them, and fastened it down it would take quite ten minutes, we thought. 9. In the sitting-room, all was dark and silent there was no fire, no breakfast. 10. George pulled out his watch and looked at it it was five minutes to nine! 11. You see, it was in this way we were sitting in a meadow, about ten yards from the water's edge, and we had just settled down comfortably to feed. 12. And then he added, with a touch of sadness in his voice "I wish he hadn't been carving that pie." 13. For an instant I thought of ghosts it was such a shadowy, mysterious light. 14. I like work it fascinates me. 15. George said "Let's go up the river." 16. I believe that if you met Harris up in Paradise (supposing such a thing likely), he would immediately greet you with "So glad you've come, old fellow I've found a nice place round the corner here, where you can get some really first-class nectar."17. The hotel bill came to fifteen guineas and my friend, after reckoning everything up, found that the cheeses had cost him eight-and-sixpence a pound. 18. After a six weeks' period of

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drought, he would be stricken down with rheumatic fever and he would go out in a November fog and come home with a sunstroke. 19. He was never without a cold, except once for nine weeks while he had scarlet fever and he always had chilblains. 20. He had to stop in bed when he was ill, and eat chicken and custards and hot-house grapes and he would lie there and sob, because they wouldn't let him do Latin exercises, and took his German grammar away from him. 21. "Now, silence, please, everybody" says the hostess, turning round "Mr. Harris is going to sing a comic song!" 22. I woke at six the next morning and found George awake too. 23. We looked at the picture on the tin we thought of the juice. 24. I like cats Montmorency does not. 25. We found ourselves short of water at Hambledon Lock so we took our jar and went up to the lock-keeper's house to beg for some.

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UNIT 4

THE PARENTHESES

	1. Parentheses are used within			Germany (I am not speaking
sentences, around entire sentences, and				about the Nazi Germany) has always
even	around	entire	paragraphs.	been at the forefront of European
Parentheses are used to enclose words,				cultural development.
numbers, or clauses that provide
examples,		personal	comments,
explanations, or supplementary material
that does not essentially alter the
meaning of the sentence.
	2. Parentheses are used to enclose			The check must be made out in
numerals that confirm a written number				the amount	of one hundred pounds
in a text.				(₤100) and must be certified by the bank
				on which it is drawn.
	3. Parentheses are used to enclose			In order to keep fit, one has (1) to
numbers or letters in a series.				have good nutrition, (2) do a lot of
				exercise, (3) refrain from smoking.
	4. Parentheses are used to enclose			The successful acquisition of a
abbreviations that follow the spelled-out				second language (L2) depends on a
forms or spelled-out forms that follow				number of attitudinal factors.
their abbreviations.
	5. Parentheses are used to indicate			Most	researchers	differentiate
alternative terms.				between mental (conscious) grammar,
				descriptive	grammar and	prescriptive
				grammar.

For exercises, see Unit 5.

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UNIT 5

THE BRACKETS

1.	Brackets are used to enclose			From the very date the war began
explanations, corrections, or comments				[June 22, 1941], there was a
we wish to make in material we are				tremendous opposition by the people
quoting.				who took great pains to liberate their
				country.
2.	Brackets are used to enclose			For further reference, see works
parenthetic material		within parenthetic		on affective variables (Krashen S.
material	already	enclosed	in	[Prentice Hall, 1981]).
parentheses.
3.	Brackets are used to set off			The word ‘often’ is sometimes
phonetic symbols and transcriptions.				pronounced as [ ٰo f t ə n].
4.	Brackets are used to help orient			“He [John] stood up next and
the reader.				spoke.”

Exercise 1. Comment on the use of brackets and parentheses.

1. The witness said: ‘He [the policeman] hit me.’2. The two teams in the finals of the first FIFA Football World Cup were both from South America [Uruguay and Argentina]. 3. Mount Everest (in the Himalayas) is the highest mountain in the world. 4. There are several books on the subject (see page 120). 5. Margaret Thatcher (the former British prime minister) resigned from office in 1990. 6. Many people like travelling (I don't). 7. When the anger recedes it has often paved the way for other painful emotions, which tend to linger (anxiety, sadness and guilt). 8. Use percent only with a number (30 percent, 9 percent etc.). 9. But bulling (which is what it sounds like) is unacceptable anywhere. 10. Indicate to which extent each statement applies to you (where 0 = never, 1 = occasionally, 2 = sometimes, 3 = often, and 4 = always). 11. Others tend to put their children down (”your sister was a much better swimmer at your age”), without realizing they are trapping them in self-fulfilling negative beliefs. 12. The flower's common name (name that is used by ordinary people, not its scientific name) is forget-me-not. 13. You need to explore your conflicted feelings (therapy might help you find the space to do this) and make a decision based on what you discover are your priorities in life. 14. ‘Holidays should be guilt-free time out from the worries that plague us at home,’ says psychologist and stress expert Felix Economakis (healththerapy.co.uk). 15. Bruno took charge and was (and still is) the most devoted and outstanding father. 16. For me, food used to be split into two categories. It was either bad (chocolate, coleslaw, pizza) or good (vegetables, low-fat mayo, soup). 17. Critical discourse analysis (CDA) is a type of discourse analytical research that primarily studies the way social power abuse, dominance, and inequality are enacted, reproduced, and resisted by text and talk in

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the social and political context. 18. The building society agreed to lend us sixty thousand pounds (£60,000). 19. Past Simple (Past Indefinite) is used to denote a single action in the past. 20. The holiday costs £7,976 for a family of four (children under 12 from £1,534, adults from £2,454 each) full board, including all flights, transfers and activities (01980 849160, aardvarksafaris.co.uk). 21. Three broad types of representation are found in the ads, which I will examine in turn: (1) the harmonious co-existence of a man’s career with family life; (2) absenteeism of fathers on account of their careers as excusable; and (3) a family as beneficial to men’s own self-interests.

Exercise 2. Insert brackets and parentheses where appropriate.

1. He is the author of 14 novels and nine non-fiction books which might explain why he needed to slow down a little. 2. The problem is, we still want to go shopping, whether for summer basics suntan lotion and swimsuits or frivolous luxuries posh dresses and holidays. But technology should be your friend – it can simplify your life in many ways if you engage with it see page 70. 3. Pay attention to those times when your energy is at its peak for most people it is late morning and those times you are flagging often late afternoon. 4. Although there are 64 rules

‘don’t eat any products containing more than five ingredients’, ‘don’t eat anything your Grandma wouldn’t recognize’, and so on , the basic premise is simple: eat real food, not processes junk. 5. My daughter aged eight and I are going on holiday this year. 6. Participle 2 Past Participle is used to form Present Perfect. 7. The word ‘director’ is sometimes pronounced as daı΄rektə. 8. Many students do not prepare for the TOEFL Test of English as a foreign language before they take the exam. 9. For example, when water evaporates from a glass and disappears, it has changed from a liquid to a gas called water vapor, but in both forms it is water. This is a phase change liquid to gas, which is a physical change. 10. Thank you for your letter of 3 February in which you said that you had received a wrong delivery to your order No.1695. 11. If telegraphed, the transfer is known as a telegraphic transfer TT, and if mailed, a mail transfer MT. 12. I work with a friend Andy Garcia. 13. The Discourse of Egalitarianism in the ads is identifiable in terms of three types of representation: 1 the representation of parenthood as symmetrical for women and men; 2 the depiction of men in the domestic sphere as devoted, nurturing fathers; and 3 the portrayal of women as mothers as well as successful careerists outside the home.

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UNIT 6

THE DASH

Dashes are especially common in informal writing.

1. A dash is used to indicate an	I called to him again and again,
abrupt break in thought within a	‘Please, John, don’t go. Please, John,
sentence.	don’t go. Please, John –’ but I could not
By breaking off at the dash, the	get him back.
writer of these sentences implies there is	What she really meant was – you
much more to be told. The reader may	know what she meant.
fill in the rest.
2. Dashes are used to set off non-	The problems – unemployment
restrictive appositives worthy of greater	and inflation – perplex economists and
emphasis than is achieved with commas.	mystify the public. (Use of dashes gives
	greater emphasis to the non-restrictive
	appositive unemployment and inflation
	than would be achieved through use of
	commas.)
3. A dash can introduce an	We’ll be arriving on Monday
afterthought, or something unexpected	morning – at least, I think so.
and surprising.	And then we met Bob – with Lisa,
	believe it or not!
4. A dash is used to set off a	There are three things I can never
summary, explanation.	remember – names, faces, and I’ve
	forgotten the other.

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Exercise 1. Comment on the use of dashes.

1. Button up your coat, Nina – it’s cold. 2. The view was spectacular – I’ll never forget it. 3. Watch your fingers – I’m closing the door. 4. Dave’s been working really hard – he needs a holiday. 5. It’s cold outside – you’ll need a coat. 6. Nancy is going to the store – do we need any milk? 7. She’s had a lot of personal problems – her mother died when she was 9. 8. Time’s up – stop writing now. 9. There is no need to dress up – come as you are. 10. I’ve put on weight – I can’t get into these jeans any more. 11. I’m warning you – I have a bad cold. 12. I’ve been sneezing and coughing all day – I must be coming down with something. 13. He's expecting us to work on Sunday – without him, believe it or not! 14. No cream for me – I’m on a diet. 15. I don’t want children – I’m married to a child and that’s enough. 16. Milk, cereal, juice

– oh, and put lettuce on the list too. 17. He’s not in the office today – he’s ill. 18. I don’t recognize this part of town – we must have come the wrong way. 19. The bear went that way – you can see its tracks in the snow. 20. Get me a measuring tape – I’ll show you how long I want the skirt. 21. It’s a long flight – 15 hours. 22. Hector – I think that was his name – went on pulling while I unrolled the sail. 23. There’s no point in taking two cars – let’s go together. 24. Rosie’s a really together person – she’ll be great as the coordinator. 25. Don’t be so hard on him – he’s just a kid. 26. We're going to tell her on her birthday – that’s two weeks from today. 27. The dress is lambswool – pure luxury. 28. More commonly shame is a sleeper emotion – painful and subconsciously sunk – invisible, but a powerful influencer of all our other emotions and how we think about our sense of self.

Exercise 2. In the following sentences insert dashes where appropriate and comment on your choice.

1. Three dogs an Irish setter, a Russian wolfhound, and a German shepherd were the scourge of the neighborhood. 2. ‘Can I do anything for you?’ ‘No no, thanks.’ 3. It's nothing serious just a small cut. 4. I'm just finishing my homework it won't take long. 5. Here's your steak enjoy! 6. Mike’s got married to Jennifer, believe it or not! 7. Change your dress that one looks dirty. 8. I can't run around like I used to I must be getting old. 9. Today's date is let me see, March 20th. 10. Wait a minute I’m thinking. 11. It's a good idea I’ll keep it in mind. 12. Nice house, good job, lovely family you’ve got it made! 13. Jazz just isn't my cup of tea I prefer classical music. 14. Don't just stand there do something! 15. We don't have to rush there’s plenty of time. 16. It was a trying situation for us very trying. 17. Don't worry she’ll come round eventually. 18. Her perfume is so strong it makes me gag. 19. My overall health was poor fatigue, allergies, poor digestion. 20. Don’t miss it subscribe today! 21. I made everything perfectly clear or at least I thought I did. 22. There are an estimated 1,354,000 people one in 44 in the UK with disfigurements from various causes. 23. Consider what you want to achieve and the steps to reach this goal. 24. Congratulations on your promotion we must go out and celebrate! 25. He said, ‘Will you marry me?’ The entire room we were at a party applauded. 26. You don’t have to pay for your flights they’re included in the price of your holiday. 27. I'm playing golf this afternoon weather permitting. 28. 'Is something the matter?' 'Just a headache I’ll

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be fine in a minute.' 29. It's a good sign let’s hope it will bring us some luck. 30. The natural phenomena hurricane and earthquake perplex scientists and terrify people.

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UNIT 7

THE HYPHEN

1.	The hyphen is used to indicate	His	pass-
that a long word has been broken off at		port being lost, John could not avoid
the end of a line. (You should avoid		deportation.
such word splitting whenever possible.
If it is unavoidable, try to split the word
into two roughly equal parts, and make
sure you split it at an obvious
boundary).
2.	The hyphen is often used	anti-aircraft
between a prefix and root to avoid		pre-Renaissance
possible confusion.
3.	The hyphen is used in writing	president-elect
some compounds which, without the		over-the-counter
hyphen, would be ambiguous, hard to		sister-in-law
read or overly long, and which contain
prepositions.
4.	The hyphen is used to suspend	a twoor three week holiday
the first element and the hyphenated		preand post-war Berlin
compound or a prefix when the second
element or base word is part of a
following hyphenated compound or
derived form.
5.	The hyphen is used in writing	twenty-four
out compound numbers between 21 and		one hundred and fifty-nine
99 and fractions.		three-fourths
		one-half
6.	The hyphen is used to indicate	Alan earns £ 500-£800 a month.
a range.

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Exercise 1. In the following sentences find out words with a hyphen and translate them into Ukrainian.

1. I do mostly secretarial type work. 2. Chop potatoes into bite sized pieces. 3. The bicycle is an environment friendly form of transport. 4. Just mentioning his ex wife's name was like a red rag to a bull. 5. She is an elderly, pale faced woman. 6. My parents have a five bedroom house. 7. His ex wife had kept him from seeing his children. 8. The temperature of the lake is always below fifty five degrees. 9. The flowers' white petals contrast handsomely with their lemon yellow cups. 10. The first indications were that the life saving operation had gone well. 11. She was once married to a well known football star. 12. This plant likes sun and water as well as a fertile, well draining soil. 13. He was clean shaven and wore glasses. 14. The two leaders chattered together for fifty four minutes. 15. Becoming self employed meant giving up a secure salary, together with sick leave and long vacation time. 16. They retailed around £38 £45, depending on the model. 17. I can’t get these marks out of my T shirt. 18. A full body massage lasts around one hour. 19. Use a matter of fact tone when disciplining your children. 20. The theatre going public are very demanding. 21. It is made in Northumberland with English grown lavender. 22. New born birds stay in their nest while their mother goes out in search of food. 23. He works part time. 24. Over half of the children live in one parent families. 25. She moved to London after the break up of her marriage. 26. In May, the price of cocoa fell to its lowest level since 1975 76. 27. I work a ten hour day. 28. She wears really old fashioned clothes! 29. We ensure that you have a trouble free and enjoyable holiday. 30. I've got two grown up sons. 31. I don't usually wear much make up. 32. All the hotel's bedrooms have a mini bar, telephone and radio. 33. The first petrol driven car was produced as far back as 1883. 34. The X ray showed that her leg was not broken. 35. No other company had the technical know how to deal with the disaster.

Exercise 2. Make up sentences using the following phrases.

The need for low-cost housing; low-alcohol beer; a stress-free life; a fat-free yoghurt; an opportunity to buy duty-free goods; tax-free earnings; twenty-sixth birthday; people suffering from tobacco-related illnesses; reddish-brown lipstick; eco-friendly washing powder; no-smoking areas; her low-heeled blue shoes; oldfashioned; sugar-free colas; brother-in-law; be sea-sick; a true-to-life film; carry a 12month guarantee; to install anti-virus software; a well-known writer on astrology; a fish-and-chip shop; a four-year-old child; go window-shopping.

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