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Punctuation rules for dialogues:

http://www.writing-world.com/fiction/dialogue.shtml

Apostrophes (and plurals):

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/621/01/

On sentence structure:

Your first class, your first day of your first year at University and your comparative literature professor has just announced the first work you will be exploring. The author is unfamiliar but like a good little student, you rush out and purchase the book. It is a large volume, over 500 pages, but your professor was certain you would love it. From his summary, you are revved up and ready to go.

Settling beneath a large shady oak, you open the cover and prepare to be amazed. Your mind fills with horror.

as amazing as the sunrise that crept over the rise of the mountains was it filled him with no joy no levity no sense of peace and serenity as he sat staring blankly at the horizon seeing nothing but the images that tumbled jumbled and bounced around his mind as he sat in the tall overgrown tangle of shrubbery that surrounded the gravestone which he had put in place himself so many years ago to mark the place his life had ended to mark the place his heart his passion his very soul had been laid to rest in the same wooden box that held the remains of the only creature to walk this cursed planet who had ever treated him with anything other than polite disdain or outright hostility no thoughts beyond the stranglehold placed on him by the past were able to penetrate the dense fog that clouded his mind and kept him isolated and alone separated forever from all mankind this lonely figure stood as a living metaphor for the lost soul of a man

There were over 500 pages of this? Worse. As you scan through the book you notice that it is one long continuous flow of text with no breaks for paragraphs or chapters.

Now imagine you have been given a choice of hundreds of stories to examine. Would you choose to read this? Even if the summary sounded cool?

Novice writers and even more experienced scribes often commit basic structural and grammatical errors that can leave their works difficult or confusing. A large number of errors can make a composition inaccessible to the reader. The use of correct sentence structure and internal punctuation seem nitpicky to some. Writers will claim that adherence to grammatical rules stifles creativity and locks a writer into an arbitrary style. For the most part, this is an excuse to disregard the basics. Others will point to professional and even classic authors and cite examples of that persons’ failure to comply with accepted grammar standards as justification. Many authors do break the rules of grammar. The difference is that a master writer knows the rules, can utilize them and therefore knows when it is acceptable to break said rules.

The rules of sentence structure and internal punctuation exist to allow for the accurate written expression of the English language amongst all. These rules are not arbitrary but have been developed and accepted as standard practice through years of evolution of the written form of the language. There is a great deal to be said for following the consensus of generations of writers and scholars.

Sentence Structure

THE BASICS:
The function of a sentence is to express a complete thought. All sentences in the English language are composed of two basic components, a subject and a predicate. Put more simply they must all tell who or what the sentence is about and what action or state of being is taking place. For example: He rubbed the painful scar on his forehead. Who or what is the sentence about? He. What action or state of being is taking place? Rubbed. This is a complete sentence because it includes a subject and a predicate or verb.

There are four basic types of sentences. The declarative makes a statement. The imperative issues a command. The exclamatory expresses high emotions or emphasis. Finally, the interrogative asks a question. Use of all four types of sentences in an assorted length and complexity makes a piece much more interesting.

FRAGMENTS:
Fragments are groups of words that do not express a complete thought. The boy with the red hair is an example of a fragment. It contains a subject, but does not indicate any action or state of being. Fragments are generally to be avoided unless they are being used as emphatical or strategic fragments. Strategic fragments can help establish the rhythm of a piece by providing pauses and clipping the flow of the scene. For example:

Everyone was talking at once as we entered the room. The chattering of female voices rose high above the slow low tones of the male voices. My mother was gesticulating as she spoke, vehemently pressing her point. My Uncle was at the center of a group of laughing young men. “So, you have finally arrived,” the statement cut across the din of voices. Everyone stopped talking. My mother. My father. My Uncle. All stopped.

This particular example uses strategic fragments to break apart the flow of the text by causing the reader to pause. The result is an emphasis on the information provided and an altering of the pace. The conversation grinds to a halt.

RUN-ON SENTENCES:
Run-on sentences are the opposite of the fragment. Run-on sentences actually contain two complete thoughts that can and should be separated into two distinct sentences. An occasional insertion of a run-on sentence can be used stylistically, but used indiscriminately the run-on can confuse the reader and garble the information being expressed. For example:

Tennessee Williams was a playwright he wrote about life in the American South.

There are four basic corrections for a run-on sentence that should be employed with variety and care by the writer. First, the use of a period to make two sentences.

Run-on: Tennessee Williams was a playwright he wrote about life in the American South.

Corrected: Tennessee Williams was a playwright. He wrote about life in the American South.

By separating the ideas presented in the run-on, the information becomes more concise and there by is communicated more clearly to the reader.

The major pitfall to correcting run-ons is the over use of commas and semi colons. The comma should not be seen as the fix all for a convoluted sentence that expresses multiple ideas. The comma, to correct a run-on sentence, should only be used with a conjunction. This could be a standard conjunction like and or but, or a subordinate conjunction such as because or wherein. For example:

Run-on: Tap is a vibrant form of dance the dancers wear special shoes with metal attachments to tap out rhythmic patterns.

Comma misuse: Tap is a vibrant form of dance, the dancers wear special shoes with metal attachments to tap out rhythmic patterns.

Correct: Tap is a vibrant form of dance, wherein the dancers wear special shoes with metal attachments to tap out rhythmic patterns.

Colons, semicolons and commas
The colon, semicolon and comma are the most abused forms of internal punctuation. The misuse of these generally results in confusing sentences structures which compound themselves into disjointed and baffling paragraphs. The author’s meaning can often be lost or distorted when these forms of punctuation are haphazardly applied.

COLONS:
There are four correct uses for a colon.

1. A colon may introduce an example, list or series. For example: Mr. Pruitt’s students were asked to bring the following items to class: their textbooks, pens, pencils, erasers, paper and a novel to read if they finished early.

2. A colon may be used to punctuate the salutation of a business letter as in, Dear Sir: or Dear Mr. Davies:

3. A colon is used to with numerals to indicate time such as 8:30 a.m. or 12:45 p.m.

4. A colon may be used to indicate volume and page numbers as in: Middle Grades Writers Journal 6:52

SEMICOLONS:
The semicolon ranks second in the race for most abused punctuation in the English language. The semicolon is often used almost at random by writers following the axiom that if a comma creates a pause, the semicolon creates a longer pause. There are, however specific occasions when the semicolon may be used correctly.

Semicolons may be used with commas to break a series if the items themselves contain commas. Examples of this would include: Robert’s band was booked to play dates in Garfield, New Jersey; Peoria, Illinois; Leavenworth, Kansas; and Butte, Montana.

Semicolons are also correctly used with conjunctive adverbs that connect two clauses or on its own when it lies between two parts of a compound sentence. Conjunctive adverbs include however, besides, hence, furthermore, also and others.

Examples:

Speed limits can be irritating to drivers; nevertheless, they can prevent serious injuries.

Carol Mosley Braun was elected Senator from Illinois; she was the first African-American
to hold the office of Senator.

COMMAS:
Hands down, with the race not even close, the most outrageously abused internal punctuation is the comma. Some writers will use commas almost as accent décor for the sentence, tossing them here and there with no consistency, no purpose and no plan except that it seems to “look” good there. Commas are correctly used in specific situations within the sentence, and while the result of the comma’s presence is a pause in the flow of the text, it is not the function of the comma to create an aesthetically pleasing rhythm. The following is not, by any means a comprehensive listing of comma use, but does address common situations where the comma can be used effectively.

1. Address - Use a comma to set off the name of a person in a direct address. Let me introduce you to your new neighbor, Mr. Brown.

2. Mild exclamations- Use after an interjection when the emotion is not strong. Oh, was that your sister?

3. In addresses- Use a comma to separate parts of an address. The letter was addressed to Angela at her mother’s address, 44 Edward St, Oshawa, Ontario L1H 4P9, Canada

4. Series- Use commas to separate items in a series. Brian received passing marks in physics, mathematics, French and biology. (The final comma used before the conjunction is currently considered optional and consistency is the important element.)

5. Clarify meaning of a sentence- Use a comma when a short clause changes the meaning of a sentence. He didn’t say that, did he?

6. Parenthetical expressions- set off words not necessary to meaning of a sentence. Children’s books, such as the Harry Potter series, have increased in sales over the past five years.

7. Appositive expressions- set apart words that explain a word they follow. Adam, who lives next door, is in the same year as my sister.

8. Restrictive clauses and phrases- Words not necessary to the meaning of a sentence. The roof, which is twenty years old, has begun to leak. DO NOT use commas if the restrictive clause or phrase is necessary to the meaning. A room that leaks needs immediate repair.

9. Introductory word groups- Use commas to set aside introductory clauses, participial phrases and prepositional phrases.

10. With conjunctions- Use a comma with a conjunction to combine two complete sentences. My bicycle has a flat tire, and I don’t know how to fix it.

11. Formatting letters- Use a comma to format letters such as: Dear Kim, Sincerely yours,

12. In quotations- Commas are used to separate quoted words from the identification of the speaker and should be framed within the quotation marks. “Don’t get mud on the carpet,” my mother warned.

Summary

Effective sentence structure and internal punctuation, when combined with the basic mechanics and conventions of writing the English language, are as much a part of telling a story as is the story itself. Their use clarifies the author’s meaning and allows the reader to integrate themselves into the story by preventing awkward wording or rhythms in the text. Imagine finding the paragraph below in that comparative literature assignment rather than the original.

As amazing as the sunrise that crept over the rise of the mountains was, it filled him with no joy, no levity, no sense of peace and serenity. He sat staring blankly at the horizon seeing nothing but the images that tumbled, jumbled and bounced around his mind. As he sat in the tall, overgrown tangle of shrubbery that surrounded the gravestone that he had put in place himself so many years ago to mark the place his life had ended; marking the place his heart, his passion, his very soul had been laid to rest in the same wooden box that held the remains of the only creature to walk this cursed planet who had ever treated him with anything other than polite disdain or outright hostility, no thoughts beyond the stranglehold placed on him by the past were able to penetrate the dense fog that clouded his mind and kept him isolated and alone, separated forever from all mankind. This lonely figure stood as a living metaphor for the lost soul of a man.

National Punctuation Day (September 24)

Grammar Monster: List of common grammatical errors and FAQs by authors