English grammar explained in plain language simple enough to be understood.
In writing, we use italics (slanted writing like this) to designate titles of larger pieces of writing. Use italics for book titles, movie titles, television shows, magazine names, newspaper names. I saw the movie Jaws.My mother has a subscription to… Read more174. Quotation Marks and Italics in Titles
When you make a list of cities, you should place commas between the cities, like this:On my summer vacation, I visited Rome, Paris, and London. However, if you choose to make a list of locations with commas already inside the… Read more413. Use Semicolons in a List of Locations
The semicolon (;) is a form of stop punctuation. We use a semicolon at the end of a complete thought, just as we do with a period. A period comes at the end of a sentence. A semicolon goes in… Read more411. Using the Semi-colon
A colon (:) is a piece of punctuation used to signal that a list is coming. It’s important to remember that the words before the colon must be a complete thought. Look at this example:We need three things for our… Read more406. Using the Colon with a List
When you are addressing a person by name, you need to put a comma after their name.Look at this example:John, I need your help. You are speaking to John, so you must put a comma after his name before saying… Read more388. Use a Comma to Set off a Person’s Name
We know that a simple sentence is one complete thought. A period should go at the end of the complete thought. When a writer uses a comma between two complete thoughts, we end up with a run-on sentence. Here are… Read more208. Avoid Run-On Sentences and the Comma Splice
A simple sentence is one complete thought. A complete thought has a subject doing something. The dog barked.Josh rode a bicycle.We ate pizza for dinner. Each of these complete thoughts has a subject doing something. dog barkedJosh rodeWe ate You… Read more206. The Simple Sentence
Section A: Insert dashes into these sentences.1. Some people my sister, for example are hard to understand.2. The two guys down the hall Jeff and Bill started a new company.3. I heard a noise it was really loud up in… Read more175. Practice Dash, Parentheses, and Quotation Marks
Use a dash to set off a series of items when the sentence might be confusing otherwise.The three boys – Sam, John, and Bill – were eager to get to the beach.My four cousins – ranging in age from 13… Read more414. Using the Dash
When you include a quoted statement inside a sentence, you put quotation marks around the quoted words. Be sure to place a comma before the quotation marks. Here are some examples of what I mean:My teacher always says, “Once begun… Read more389. Use a Comma Before Beginning a Quote