The Sentence Workout:

1
Youre the Judge!
A REVIEW OF Grammar, Punctuation and Mechanics
2
AgendaGive your sentences a workout!

• Sentence variety Sentences come in all shapes,
  sizes!
• Sentence fragments - Broken, but it can be fixed!
  
• Run-on Take a break!
• Verbs Exercise them correctly!
• Pronouns Dont overdo it!
• Parallelism Keep your balance!
• Punctuation Whew! Oh my!
• Mechanics Yes! Finished! Well for now

But dont get too tired!
3
Sentence variety Sentences come in all shapes,
sizes!
Use a variety of sentence structures
Use a variety of sentence openings
x
Avoid choppy sentences!!!Avoid marathon
sentences!!!!
4
Sentence fragment Broken, but it can be fixed!

• An incomplete sentence

x
When I ran the race
When I ran the race, I had a good time.
5
Run on Sentence Take a break!

• Two sentences joined with no punctuation

x
She ran a good race she had a good time
She ran a good race, and she had a good time
6
Verbs Exercise them correctly!
Prefer the active voice
Stronger A girl caught the ball
The ball was caught by a girl.
Be Consistent! Do not shift!
Subject verb agreement
7
Pronouns the bench warmer!
Make pronoun references clear
Distinguish between who and whom
Replace who with he Replace whom with him
Indefinite Pronouns
Singular indefinite pronouns take singular verbs
or singular personal pronounsPlural indefinite
pronouns take plural verbs or plural personal
pronouns
8
Parallelism keep your balance ! !
Items in a series
BALANCEDI like to walk, bike, and run in the
rain.
UNBALANCEDI like to walk, bike, and running in
the rain.
9
Punctuation Whew! Oh my!
FIVE BASIC rules for using THE COMMA
Use a comma to join a coordinating conjunction
and two independent clauses I have to get a car
seat, and I have to get a stroller in March.
Use a comma to join items in a series I have to
get a car seat, a stroller, and a crib in March.
Use a comma with nonessential information Dr.
Nobody, the pediatrician, has to give the little
boy a needle.
Use a comma with an introductory clause Although
I like the Graco car seat, the Britax is better
for toddlers.
Use a comma before and after dates or geographic
locations I plan to be at Northside Hospital in
Atlanta, Georgia, on July 5, 2006, at 1200 pm.
10
Punctuation Whew! Oh my!
SEMICOLON RULES!
Use a semicolon to join two independent
clauses I saw my friend at the gym she was
exercising.
Use a semicolon between independent clauses
linked with a conjunctive adverb. The gym closes
at 900 pm today however, I can come back
tomorrow.
COLON RULES!
Use a colon to direct attention to a list. Avoid
using a colon after a verb! She must buy the
following items at the grocery store eggs,
butter, and milk.
11
Punctuation Whew! Oh my!
APOSTROPHE RULES!
Use an apostrophe to show possession Tinas
dog Babies toys Lisa and Bobs computer
QUOTATION RULES!
Use quotation marks to set off direct
quotations Someone once said I think, therefore
I am. Use quotation marks with dialogue You
must be well-liked, said Willy Loman.
Use quotation marks around the titles of short
works stories, essay, poems, and songs. Edgar
Allen Poes Annabel Lee
PLACEMENT OF QUOTATION MARKS!
Place periods and commas INSIDE quotation
marksPlace semicolons and colons OUTSIDE
quotation marksPlace question marks and
exclamation point OUTSIDE quotation marks UNLESS
they are part of the quotation.
12
Mechanics Yes! Finished!
CAPITALIZATION RULES!
Capitalize proper nouns, titles of persons, and
first and major words in titles of work of
literature.
ITALICIZE (UNDERLINE)!
Underline or italicize long works books,
magazines, newspapers, plays, films, and Web
sites.
13
(No Transcript)