Punctuation and Mechanics

Punctuation and Mechanics

As you write papers for submission or make corrections to writing your professor or instructor has returned, you may want to examine the following sections to find out more about punctuation, and mechanics. You will find handbook references and numerous links to interactive web sites that provide instruction and practice for these issues. Important mechanics issues include capitalization, underlining, italicizing, and abbreviation. Many activities are found in print materials which visitors to the Lab may use. Also included are numerous links to interactive web sites that are particularly beneficial for online, evening, and off-campus students who are unable to participate in face-to-face tutoring.

End Punctuation

The period, exclamation point, and question marks indicate the end of a sentence. The following links are intended to help you with end punctuation marks. These links to interactive web sites are particularly beneficial for online, evening, and off-campus students who are unable to participate in face-to-face tutoring. You may also come to the writing lab to use print materials and seek additional help from the tutoring staff.

 

The Comma

Students often find comma usage confusing because many rules govern comma usage. This section attempts to provide links to help you with the different types of comma rules and how to integrate those rules into your writing. The major comma rules have been broken into different sections for this purpose. These links to interactive web sites are particularly beneficial for online, evening, and off-campus students who are unable to participate in face-to-face tutoring. You may also come to the writing lab to use print materials and seek additional help from the tutoring staff.

 

Semicolon

Semicolons are traditionally used to separate main clauses. Many students have problems with semicolons because they misuse them. This section provides links to help you understand the usage of semicolons and how to integrate them in your own writing. These links to interactive web sites are particularly beneficial for online, evening, and off-campus students who are unable to participate in face-to-face tutoring. You may also come to the writing lab to use print materials and seek additional help from the tutoring staff.

 

Apostrophe

The apostrophe is generally used to show possession, ownership, or the omission of letters. This section provides links to help you understand the usage of apostrophes and how to integrate them into your own writing. These links to interactive web sites are particularly beneficial for online, evening, and off-campus students who are unable to participate in face-to-face tutoring. You may also come to the writing lab to use print materials and seek additional help from the tutoring staff.

 

Quotation Marks

Quotations are generally used to show speech or something taken from another source. Many students have problems incorporating correct punctuation marks with quotations. This section provides links to help students understand the correct usage of quotation marks and is particularly beneficial for online, evening, and off-campus students who are unable to participate in face-to-face tutoring. You may also come to the writing lab to use print materials and seek additional help from the tutoring staff.

 

Other Marks

Other marks include the colon, dash, parenthesis, ellipsis, and the slash. These marks are not as commonly used as the above mentioned punctuation; however, understanding their purpose can improve your writing. The following links are designed to help you understand these marks and how to integrate them correctly into your own writing. These links to interactive web sites are particularly beneficial for online, evening, and off-campus students who are unable to participate in face-to-face tutoring. You may also come to the writing lab to use print materials and seek additional help from the tutoring staff.

 

Capitals

Knowing when to capitalize certain words can be confusing for any student. The following links are intended to help you with the capitalization rules. These links to interactive web sites are particularly beneficial for online, evening, and off-campus students who are unable to participate in face-to-face tutoring. You may also come to the writing lab to use print materials and seek additional help from the tutoring staff.

 

Underlining or Italics

The Modern Language Association (MLA) uses italics over underlining for internal and end citations. However, this is not the only usage of italics or underlining. A student may also use them sparingly for emphasis. The following links are intended to help you with italics and underlining. These links to interactive web sites are particularly beneficial for online, evening, and off-campus students who are unable to participate in face-to-face tutoring. You may also come to the writing lab to use print materials and seek additional help from the tutoring staff.

 

Abbreviations

Abbreviations can be difficult to remember and even punctuate. The following links are designed to help you with abbreviations. These links to interactive web sites are particularly beneficial for online, evening, and off-campus students who are unable to participate in face-to-face tutoring. You may also come to the writing lab to use print materials and seek additional help from the tutoring staff.

 

Numbers

Knowing when to spell out numbers is a problem for students. The following links are designed to help you with the number rules. These links to interactive web sites are particularly beneficial for online, evening, and off-campus students who are unable to participate in face-to-face tutoring. You may also come to the writing lab to use print materials and seek additional help from the tutoring staff.

 

 

 

 

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