Blue book of grammar commas sentence

I chose the colors red and green, and blue was his first choice. A revised and updated new edition of the bestselling workbook and grammar guide the blue book of grammar and punctuation is a concise, entertaining workbook and guide to english grammar, punctuation, and usage. Grammar rules the blue book of grammar and punctuation. The blue book of grammar and punctuation 11th edition.

But in writing, the comma only makes the sentence seem stilted. A guide for book publishing and corporate communications by amy einsohn were talking about grammar books today, but i originally got in touch with you because i was editing the word pitmaston pineapple apple tree in one of our interviews. Mind mapping, note mapping, and concept mapping to promote logical thinking, reading comprehension, idea generation, and knowledge analysis. All it takes is the blue book of grammar and punctuation. The blue book of grammar and punctuation jane straus. A ophelia is picking up the food and i am making the centerpieces. He will coach his younger son, and his older son will help tutor the children on the team. If the punctuation marks were placed in a misused position, the meaning of the sentence can be changed radically. With few exceptions, a comma should not separate a subject from its verb. With over 200,000 copies sold, this is one of the most highly trusted english language resources available. A i took angie, the one with the freckles to the movie last night. Question marks and exclamation points replace and eliminate periods at the end of a sentence. The blue book of grammar and punctuation by mark nichol no one writing handbook or grammar guide should suffice for careful writers, and though jane strauss the blue book of grammar and punctuation is less comprehensive than some other resources, its largeformat workbook approach provides a readerfriendly introduction to.

The blue book grammar and structure download pdf in its 11th version right now, the glowing blue book of punctuation and sentence structure will assist you create and talk with disadvantage. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Grammar and punctuation cover many of the rules of language, but not all of them. In the current edition of the blue book of grammar and punctuation and on the website, we have stated a preference for use of the serial, or oxford, comma.

Using commas, semicolons, and colons within sentences. Commas quiz 1 the blue book of grammar and punctuation. To see the entire contents of the blue book of grammar and punctuation online and to take online quizzes, go to. When the last comma in a series comes before and or or after daughterinlaw in theabove example, it is known as the oxford comma. The blue book of punctuation and grammar gives this example. Grammar and punctuation the blue book of grammar and. Quotation marks are used for components, such as chapter titles in a book, individual episodes of a tv series, songs from a broadway show or a music album, titles of articles or essays in print or online, and shorter works such as short stories and poems. If the last item in the sentence is an abbreviation that ends in a period, do not follow it with another period. Parentheses and brackets must never be used interchangeably. Use the comma to separate two sentences if it will help avoid confusion. Writers are often tempted to insert a comma between a subject and verb this way because speakers sometimes pause at that point in a sentence.

If, on the other hand, the sentence begins with an independent. Grammar refers to the ways we put words together in sentences to form meaning. The blue book of grammar and punctuation is filled with easytounderstand rules,realworld examples, dozens of reproducible exercises, and pre and posttests this handy workbook is ideal for teachers, students in middle school through college, esl students, homeschoolers, and professionals. Use parentheses to enclose information that clarifies or is used as an aside. If a sentence begins with a dependent clause, note the comma after this clause. The blue book of grammar and punctuation, eleventh edition.

There are a couple more categories of guidelines that will be helpful in your writing. By the time you reach the section on paragraph development, youve already practiced on almost 300 questions. We all know that english is not an easy language, so the usage of diverse vocabulary and correct grammar. The blue book of grammar and punctuation leans towards usage rules in cms along with other authoritative texts and does not attempt to conform to the ap stylebook, which differs significantly in some aspects. Start studying the blue book of grammar and punctuation ch. Dependent clauses can refer to the subject who, which the sequencetime since, while, or the causal elements because, if of the independent clause. I write for a living and soon after buying this book, i condensed my halfadozen writers reference books into one source, the blue book of grammar and punctuation. Use a comma between two long independent clauses when conjunctions such as and, or, but, for, nor connect them. The blue book of grammar and punctuation is a concise, entertaining workbook and guide to english grammar, punctuation, and usage. A complex sentence contains at least one independent clause and at least one dependent clause. English rules the blue book of grammar and punctuation. In the second sentence, bill is nonessential informationwhom else but bill could i mean.

He finally answered after taking five minutes to think that he did not understand the question. Ive been a technical writer for about 7 years, and jane straus the blue book of grammar and punctuation is the best reference ive found. Because of the commas, that sentence states that twain wrote only one book. Its extremely well organized, ensuring that readers can quickly locate a required topic.

There are more usages of a comma, for example, how adding or removing comma before and after a name changes the meaning of the sentence. Be careful here not to confuse ly adverbs with adjectives as ly adverbs dont necessarily need commas. Commas quiz 2 the blue book of grammar and punctuation. We use commas while combining multiple phrases in one sentence or writing about different items in a list. It doesnt take a lifetime to master english grammar and punctuation. English grammar 101 additional punctuation, lesson 3. Use a period at the end of a complete sentence that is a statement. For dramatic effect, authors sometimes reverse the order of the sentence by placing the series before the colon and the independent clause after the colon. Most newspapers and magazines drop theoxford comma in a simple. But it has done one thing answered each and every one of my grammar and punctuation related questions. Have you either heard or seen in writing a sentence like this, please give it to john or myself. Colons are used before appositives that follow an independent clause.

Pdf the blue book of grammar and punctuation an easyto. Remembering jane straus may 18, 1954february 25, 2011 author of the original blue book of grammar and punctuation. Commas quiz 2 from the blue book of grammar and punctuation. For each of the following, choose the sentence with the correct comma placement.

If material in parentheses ends a sentence, the period goes after the parentheses. You dont have to be an english major to understand punctuation and sentence structure. The blue book of grammar and punctuation is filled with easytounderstand rules, realworld examples, dozens of reproducible exercises, and pre and posttests. This handy workbook is ideal for teachers, students in middle school through college, esl students, homeschoolers, and professionals.

Place a check mark in front ofsentences that are correct. An easytouse guide with clear rules, realworld examples, and reproducible quizzes by jane straus and mignon fogarty dec 14, 2007 4. Punctuation and capitalization mastery test the blue. The correct way to use commas with names and titles grammar. An easytouse guide with clear rules, realworld examples, and reproducible quizzes by jane straus, lester kaufman, et al.