Punctuation - Commas

Sometimes it is difficult to determine when to use a comma, but here are some hints for us to follow every time we are in doubt.

• For separating words in a list of things
• Example: We will sell candy, water, cupcakes and popcorn.

• For setting a pause
• Example: Last Friday, while I was leaving the office, the phone rang. 

• For dividing the details of an address or a city from its country
• Example: Maingate Lane, Galleria Palms Kissimmee Hotel
• Example: Guayaquil, Ecuador

• For separating more than one adjective that modifies a noun or relative clauses from the rest of the sentence
• Example: The little, cute girl was standing right next to you.
• Example: Her mother, who works at the school, is also as pretty as her daughter.

• For mentioning other people's expressions
• Example: She told me, "We cannot allow this to happen."

• For separating the name of the person we are speaking to
• Example: "Ericka, please stop doing that." 

• For dates
• Example: He is leaving on Friday, 1st December.

• For separating expressions or transition words from the rest of the sentence  
• Example: Well, I just cannot understand your attitude.
• Example: We know you bought your ticket. However, there is no space for you at this bus.

• For separating numbers that exceed three digits
• Example: 51,256

The list of recommendations for this punctuation mark is a little bit long, but with practice it will become very easy. The following funny video can help us summarize the different punctuation marks we have reviewed until now. At the end there is a new punctuation mark, leave your thoughts about its use in the comments!

Punctuation - Exclamation Marks

Exclamation marks have two simple rules:

1. Interjections like: "Ouch!"
2. Ending exclamatory sentences (the ones that express emotion), like:  "We won the elections!"

Do not forget to avoid the use of exclamation marks in formal writing. Now let's try some exercises:

Go away I hate you 

Come on

What a fantastic house you have

Good heavens

Help

Oh my god

Stop it

After that is completed, you will think on all those real life situations in which exclamation marks are used and with a list of minimum 10, you will dramatize each context and explain the importance of the use of that punctuation sign.

Punctuation - Question Marks

Continuing with our punctuation tips, today we will talk about question marks.

Question Marks

It is necessary to use a question mark ? after a direct question.

Example

Will you marry me?

Or when a sentence is half statement and half question.

Example

You do care, do you?

Simple as that! Here are some exercises for you to practice:

1. Where is my car
2. Do you love me
3. When did you travel
4. How did you meet her
5. Was that it

In addition, please work on a small editorial of minimum 300 words in which question marks are used 3 times minimum. The topic will be related to current Ecuadorian issues. When you arrive to class, exchange your work with a partner and grade each other. The three best editorials will be presented in front of class and the winner gets to publish its text at the blog. Good luck!

Punctuation - The Period

Punctuation rules can be confusing. That is why we will revise each element on the following posts.

The Period

Every time we end a sentence and without space between the last letter and the period, but leaving just one space between the period and the first letter of the next sentence. 

Example

My name is Albita Flores and I am 25 years old. I study International Business at Universidad Espíritu Santo and I work at Ecuandino Hats.

My name is Albita Flores and I am 25 years oldNO SPACE. SPACE I study International Business at Universidad Espíritu Santo and I work at Ecuandino Hats.

In addition, the Oxford Dictionaries mention other uses:

1.  In both American and British English, if you are using initial letters to represent words, you do not normally need to put a period after them:

NBC

UK

NATO

NAACP

2. In American English, however, it is common to use periods as an alternative style for certain abbreviations, in particular:

USA or U.S.A.

US or U.S.

3. If an abbreviation consists of the first and last letters of a word, the American rule is to include a period at the end:

Mr.

Dr.

St.

4. The British norm, however, is not to use a period at the end:

Mr

Dr

St

5. If the abbreviation consists only of the first part of a word, then you should put a period at the end:

Wed. [= Wednesday]

Dec. [= December]

That will be all for today.

Welcome!

Welcome to the blog where we will travel through the world of writing in English. 

Originally created as a proposal for an undergraduate project for obtaining a Bachelors in Linguistics, the contents can be useful for anybody. From a freshman to a senior, we all need sometimes a revision on those things we were taught about writing; that is why this blog is called Writing English 101.

Whether we are chatting with our boss in Whatsapp or preparing an essay for class, all types of writing have elements in common. The most important are:

Audience: to whom are we writing?

Purpose: why are we writing?

Form: what will the finished product look like?

These three elements are independent, that is, whenever one changes, it has an impact on each of the others. For that reason, it is essential to establish them before start writing. 

Audience

This is vital because it will help us understand what style will be the best to attract our target and how much work needs to be done so that we obtain what we want through our text. Who will be reading? What and how much information does the audience need?

Purpose

Just as life itself, our writing has also a purpose. Do we want to persuade, inform or entertain? What do we need the audience to know or agree with? Do we want the public to take some action on the matter?

Form

This aspect depends on the type of material we are preparing. At University specially, we will always be asked to follow certain formats so that all assignments can be graded at a single standard. In real life, there are also structures we need to respect, like when we want to request vacation to our boss or a pay rise! So formal vs informal writing really makes a difference in how we catch our audience's attention. 

And that is all for this first lesson. I hope you enjoy every piece of advice!

If you are curious about knowing more about the history of the English language we all want to learn, you can watch this video