Transcript Slide 1
Wales Skills and Explanations Day 1
Punctuation with Parentheses
When parentheses are around a complete sentence, the period goes inside the parentheses. When they are around a word or phrase--not a complete sentence--the period goes outside the parentheses.
Compound Sentence
A compound sentence is a sentence comprised of two complete independent clauses joined with a comma and a coordinating conjunction.
Coordinating Conjunctions
A coordinating conjunction is a word which joins together two independent clauses (has both a subject and predicate) that are equally important. A comma comes before the conjunction. The most common coordinating conjunctions are the following: and--joins two similar ideas meaning
but
but--joins two contrasting ideas meaning
because
or--joins two alternative ideas joins two negative alternatives so--shows the second idea is the result of the first nor yet- for- nor--
Possession of Nouns
Form the possessive of singular nouns by adding
's
. For a plural noun ending in
-s
, just add an apostrophe after the
-s
. For nouns ending in
s
, add an
's
. Some grammarians suggest that you should only add an apostrophe (without an
s
) if a proper noun would sound awkward if pronounced with
-iz
as in
Jesusiz
(
Jesus's
).
Day 2
Subjects joined by And
When singular subjects are joined by
and
, the verb that follows should be plural.
Capitalization: Names of Languages
Capitalize the names of languages (
Latin, Spanish
not
latin, spanish
).
Antecedent
The antecedent is the noun to which a pronoun refers. The pronoun should be in the same person and number as its antecedent.
Possessive Pronouns--His or Her for Singular
When there is a singular antecedent to a pronoun and the gender of the antecedent is not known, use
his or her
rather than the plural
they
.
Day 3
The Present Perfect Tense
The present perfect tense is used to show that one ongoing action in the present occured before another action in the present. It is formed by adding the auxilary verb
has
before the main verb.
Apostrophes in Contractions
Use apostrophes in contractions to indicate where the letter (or letters) has been omitted.
Capitalization: Names of Countries
The names of countries are proper nouns and are thus capitalized.
Day 4
Possession of Nouns
Form the possessive of singular nouns by adding
's
. For a plural noun ending in
-s
, just add an apostrophe after the
-s
. For nouns ending in
s
, add an
's
. Some grammarians suggest that you should only add an apostrophe (without an
s
) if a proper noun would sound awkward if pronounced with
-iz
as in
Jesusiz
(
Jesus's
).
Comparative and Superlative Forms of Adjectives
Comparative Form and Superlative Form (-er/-est) one-syllable adjectives two-syllable adjectives ending in
-y
or
-er
Comparative Form and Superlative Form (more/most) adjectives of three or more syllables (and two-syllable adjectives
not
ending in
-y/-er
) Do not double up (use both the
-er/-est
form with
more
or
most
)
Use of Hyphens in Fractions Written as Words
Use a hyphen between parts of fractions written as words.
two-thirds
not
two thirds
Day 5
Adverb: Hopefully
The word
hopefully
is an adverb and thus modifies the verb of a sentence. It is not a synonym for the phrase
I hope
. Only use
hopefully
if you mean that the action of the verb is done in a hopeful manner. If you mean
I hope
, use
I hope
.
Punctuation of an Indirect Question
An indirect question is when you write down what someone has said or written in your own words--not writing down exactly what the person wrote or said. These types of quotations are usually introduced by that (
Steven said that
he was angry), and you do not put quotation marks around what is being restated. If you are writing down a question indirectly, do not end the sentence in a question mark unless the entire sentence is a question.
Did Myra ask if the doctor was still alive?
Myra asked if the doctor was still alive.
Use of Colon after Verb or Preposition
Do not use a colon after a verb or a preposition. Add the words
the following
to the sentence if you really want to use a colon.
Sally ate: the potatoes, the tomatoes and the petunia. Incorrect Sally ate the following: the potatoes, the tomatoes and the petunia. Correct Sally ate the potatoes, the tomatoes and the petunia. Correct Milo went under: the bridge and the highway. Incorrect Milo went under the following: the bridge and the highway. Correct Milo went under the bridge and the highway. Correct .