Grammar
 

As if writing papers about Shakespeare or T.S. Eliot are not enough, we must also remember that grammar is just as important as the context of our papers. By providing correct grammar in our papers we give them the clarity they need so that they flow smoothly.  Correct grammar also helps our readers to understand where our ideas end, separate, or pause. It is important to understand punctuation marks and where they belong in our papers. 

Commas (,)
 

It is easy to misuse the comma when writing papers; therefore, we must understand basic rules for comma usage. 

• Use a comma to separate items in a series.

The girl enjoyed going to Disneyland, Tahoe, and New York. 

• Use a comma to set off conjunctive adverbs, such as however, therefore, moreover, and nevertheless.

The car was totaled in the accident. Therefore, it was considered a loss for the owner. 

• Use a comma after an introduction.

After months of a strict diet regime, Alice was able to fit into her size eight Levi’s. 

Semicolons (;)

 They function like a period, helping to separate independent clauses. 

• Use a semicolon to join a related independent clause that is not connected by a coordinating conjunction.

Take out the dogs; let them run around the yard. 

• Use a semicolon to join independent clauses that are combined with a conjunctive adverb.

He is the cutest person; however, he has a bad attitude.  

Colons (:)

Can help add clarity to your writing and are used to help introduce a list within your paper. 

• Use a colon to introduce a list. An independent clause must precede the clause.

The president traveled to four countries during his term in office: China, Korea, Pakistan, and Africa. 

• Use a colon to emphasize an appositive that comes at the end of a sentence.

Alexander Pope’s poem, “The Rape of the Lock,” uses epic form for the trivial subject: mock epic.

• Use a colon instead of a comma to introduce a long quotation.

Elizabeth I concluded her speech on marriage by stating: “And in the end, this shall be for me sufficient, that a marble stone shall declare that a queen, having reigned such a time, lived and died a virgin.” 

Dashes (-)

   They can be used for a variety of purposes when punctuating sentences. 

• Use a dash to set off a series that introduces or concludes a sentence.

Marlowe, Spenser, Sidney, and Shakespeare – these are poets that wrote during the Elizabethan Period. 

• Use dashes to set off appositives that have commas in mid sentence.

Three celebrities – Michael Meyers, Heather Graham, and Will Ferrell – are in the Austin Powers movie.  
 

We have seen how punctuation can help the clarity of our sentences and papers as a whole. But there are also two common mistakes that some students make when writing their papers – these are comma splices and run-on sentences. In order to fix these mistakes we must punctuate our sentences correctly.  
 

Comma Splices

They can occur when two or more sentences are mistakenly joined by a comma. 

• The child slept well, the child was tired.
• Shakespeare was a famous poet, Shakespeare wrote comedies and tragedies

A way to fix these sentences can be done by: 

·       Adding a subordinating conjunction.

The child slept well because he was tired.

• Forming two sentences by adding a period to separate the independent clause.

Shakespeare was a famous poet. He wrote comedies and tragedies.

Run-on sentences

These sentences happen when two or more sentences form a single sentence without the use of punctuation or a conjunction. 

• The dog ran home he looked for his bone.
• I was sick therefore I went home early.

A way to fix these sentences can be done by: 

• Adding a coordinating conjunction.

The dog ran home and he looked for his bone. 

• Adding a semicolon.

I was sick; therefore, I went home early.