Run-on Sentence The Monkey's Paw Principles and Skills

Day 1 Run-on sentences happen when there are two independent clauses (units of sentences that could stand on their own as a complete sentence) not separated by any form of punctuation. This error is also known as a fused sentence. The error can sometimes be corrected by adding a period, semicolon, or colon to separate the two sentences.

Titles of Short Stories

The titles of short stories are enclosed in quotation marks since they are not book-length works.

I love the short story "Janus" by Ann Beattie.

Commas in Names of Places

When writing an address, a comma comes between the city and state or between city and country.

Titles before Names

Day 2 Titles that come before a person's name should be capitalized.

When using an abbreviated title before someone's name , put a period after the abbreviation.

Mr. Duckworth, Mrs. Willington or Dr. Benway

Use of a Colon: Never after Verb or Preposition

A colon never comes after a verb or a preposition. One solution is to add the words

the following

after the verb or preposition and then use a colon.

the Frank and Sally went: to the store, to the restaurant and to penitentiary.

Incorrect

Frank and Sally went to the following places: the store, the restaurant and the penitentiary.

Correct

Day 3

Articles

English has two types of articles: definite (

the

) and indefinite (

a, an

). The use of these articles depends mainly on whether you are referring to any member of a group (

a

Sentence fragment

or

an

), or to a specific member of a group (

the

).

A sentence fragment is a group of words punctuated like a sentence that is not a complete thought. Sentences should express complete thoughts. A sentence fragment can also be a sentence missing a subject or predicate.

A versus An

a + singular noun beginning with a consonant: a boy an + singular noun beginning with a vowel: an elephant a + singular noun beginning with a consonant sound: a user (sounds like 'yoo-zer,' i.e. begins with a consonant 'y' sound, so 'a' is used) some + plural noun: some girls If the noun is modified by an adjective, the choice between

a

and

an

depends on the initial sound of the adjective that immediately follows the article: a broken egg an unusual problem a European country (sounds like 'yer-o-pi-an,' i.e. begins with consonant 'y' sound) Note also that in English, the indefinite articles are used to indicate membership in a profession, nation, or religion.

Seiko is a practicing Buddhist.

Punctuation of a quote

Direct quotations are another person's exact words--either spoken or in print- incorporated into your own writing.

Use a set of quotation marks to enclose each direct quotation included in your writing. Put a comma between the tag line (such as

he said

or

she said

) and the quote.

Use a capital letter with the first word of a direct quotation of a whole sentence. Do not use a capital letter with the first word of a direct quotation of part of a sentence. If the quotation is interrupted and then continues in your sentence, do not capitalize the second part of the quotation.

Day 4

Ending a Sentence with a Preposition

In formal writing, it is best not to end sentences with prepositions. This "rule," however, is more of a preference than a rule because it originated with Latin and not English. In Latin, one

must

have a prepostion before its object or the preposition has no specific meaning. In English, this is not the case. So, try to avoid ending sentences with prepositions by revising the sentence. If the result of revision sounds ridiculous, then leave the preposition at the end. Be warned that there are English teachers (at all levels) who will insist that this is a rule that

must

be followed. Winston Churchill on ending a sentence with a preposition: “This is the sort of bloody nonsense up with which I will not put.” (A revision of the sentence: This is the sort of bloody nonsense I will not put up with.)

Numbers at the Beginning of a Sentence

When a number appears at the beginning of a sentence, it must be written out (even if the number is more than one hundred).

Spelling of A lot

A lot

is two words, not one word (

alot

is incorrect).

Comma after Introductory Phrases

Day 5 Use a comma after a phrase that introduces a sentence.

Moods of Verbs: Subjunctive

In English, there are three moods to verbs: the indicative (states something), the imperative (commands someone to do something) and the subjunctive (implies that the sentence is not true--it is the opposite). Some examples of the subjunctive are the following: If he were here... (Implied: ...but he's not.) If I were you...

(Implied: ...but I'm not)

Apostrophes

Apostrophes are used in the following ways: to show possession to show contractions to show plurals of specific lowercase letters.

End Punctuation of Sentences: Question Mark

Sentences must have some form of end punctuation--a period, a question mark or an exclamation point.

When the sentence asks a question, use a question mark.