Page 142 - Merritt College Student Handbook and Planner 2021-2022

ENGLISISHH
Punctuation
EXAMPLE: I saw Wesley at the store and he told me to say hello.
In a series of three or more items containing a single conjunction, use a comma after every item.
EXAMPLE: I have a cat, a dog, and a hamster.
In a sentence, offset non-essential information by enclosing the information in commas.
EXAMPLE: Judith had a root canal, an operation that removes the tooth’s nerve, yesterday morning. Use commas in between items found in dates and addresses.
EXAMPLES: Saturday, October 5, 1987. Ed McMurphy, 25 Jasper Way, Ashland, MA 01721. When a dependent clause precedes an independent clause, use a comma to separate the two clauses.
EXAMPLE: Even though he was afraid of the dark, he went into the unlit closet.
When an independent clause precedes a dependent clause, a comma between the two clauses is unnecessary.
EXAMPLE: He went into the unlit closet even though he was afraid of the dark.
A comma should be used when combining independent clauses using a coordinating conjunction unless the independent clauses are short and closely related.
EXAMPLE: My grandmother refuses to go to bed early, and I’m afraid she’s going to catch a bad cold.
EXAMPLE: Did you like that?
In a contraction, where two words combine to form a single word and letters from the original words are omitted.
EXAMPLES: can’t, shouldn’t, she’ll, we’ll, they’re
In a singular possessive noun, placed before the -s that typically comes at the end of a possessive noun.
Period
Usage: A period is placed at the end of a sentence to indicate a complete thought.
Comma
There are several rules governing the usage of commas:
Question Mark
Usage: Always place a question mark at the end of an interrogative sentence (asking a direct question).
Apostrophe
Usage: An apostrophe can be used in the following ways:
EXAMPLE: Josh’s automobile
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