Problems in Sentence Punctuation

Placing appropriate punctuation at the end of a sentence signals that it is com­plete. Your reader becomes confused if a period is placed after part of a sen­tence (fragment), a comma joins two sentences (comma splice), or a period is absent at the end of one sentence and the capital letter missing at the beginning of the next (fused sentence).

Exercise 1. Punctuate the following letters with appropriate end punctuation. Reminder: too many exclamation points will spoil a dramatic effect.

Dear Joanna,

This is just a note to thank you for your cards and calls I'm back at school, hobbling around on crutches but doing okay How do I feel Pretty good, actually The cast comes off next week Wish me luck

Thanks again,

Dear Belinda,

I just got the brownies in the mail and ate about six of them They were delicious You've really helped me get through this broken-leg business with a minimum of the blues I wonder how you learned to be such a great cook I'm also wondering when I'll get to see you again How about the weekend of the twenty-fifth If that's not possible, will you please call me this week.

See you soon,

Exercise 2. Place a question mark at the end of the direct questions below. Change all direct questions into indirect questions and write the revised sentences on the lines below. Reminder: indirect questions end with a period.

1. (Joe to Marcia) Did you ever sail in one of those thirty-foot sailboats__

2. (Marcia to Joe) Do you mean the kind that sleeps six and costs about twenty thousand dollars__

3. (Barbara to Denise) How would you feel if your best friend got the job you wanted__

4. (Denise to Barbara) How would you feel if it happened to you__

5. (Daughter to mother) Do you regret getting married so young__

Exercise 3. The following sentences contain transitional words and phrases. Insert com­mas in order to separate the phrases from the rest of the sentence. Circle the commas.

1. I knew all along however that I would make it to the top.

2. The group is my favorite in the first place because of the lead singer.

3. The last question on the other hand is obscure.

4. The answer in fact is surprisingly clear.

5. Why then is it marked "incorrect"?

Exercise 4. Combine each of the sentence groups to create one sentence composed of two independent clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction, and underline the comma.

1. I was sent up to my room.

I wasn't allowed to keep my presents.

2. Skipping breakfast didn't bother me.

Skipping lunch and supper made me ravenous.

3. The man ahead of me ordered enough food for three people.

It took a long time for his order to be filled.

4. Time and time again I find myself with the perfect noun, adjective, or verb on the tip of my tongue.

I bite it back and spit out cliches instead.

5. The babysitter had to feed and burp the twins.

He had to change them and do the laundry.

Exercise 5. The following sentences contain introductory materials that need separation from the main clauses by commas. Place a comma where needed, and circle it.

1. Near the car tires are piled in three stacks.

2. If I were a typical listener I would own dozens of tapes.

3. Finally I will discuss the implications of the research.

4. Because he tramples the flower beds Spot must be banished from the yard.

5. Running at full speed Donny charged the squirrel.

Exercise 6. The following sentences contain nonrestrictive clauses and phrases. Place com­mas in order to separate them from the rest of the sentence. Circle the commas.

1. Genevieve who is an underweight thin-faced woman watched tensely.

2. The teacher who is also our counselor spoke on the subject of racing.

3. I must have rattled my adversary whom I have now beaten three times.

4. One of the first things I learned about this college which my older brothers also attended is that there are dozens of clubs that hold open house. I go to all the open houses which of course serve munchies and eat enough for supper.

5. My old computer one of the first on the market continues to do its job.

Exercise 7. The following sentences contain words of direct address or interjections. Place commas in order to separate these from the rest of the sentence. Circle the commas.

1. I want to compliment you Beatrice on how well you played.

2. James your socks don't match.

3. Yes they do match.

4. You must be I am sorry to say colorblind!

5. How important is the color of my socks Beatrice?

Exercise 8. The following sentences contain quotations. Place commas needed to separate the quoted matter from the sentence. Circle the commas.

1. She began with a question "Who is your best friend?"

2. According to Joanne "The corpulent bureaucrats are eating our rations."

3. "No" said Peter's father "I will never agree to go."

4. "He was only twenty-three" the report said.

5. "You do not understand, Bill" she said "I am not coming back."

Exercise 9. In the following sentences, the commas are missing. Place them where they belong, and circle them.

1. Mrs. Phillips is staying at the Carlton Hotel between May 15 1985 and January 2 1986.

2. Claire Tree Ph.D. has an office in the Fisher Towers at 3011 Grand Street Detroit Michigan 48202.

3. The expiration date of the contest is May 1986. Send in your poems and stories on or before April 30 1986 to Contest at 154 Wayne Avenue Moab Utah 84532.

4. Holley Martin Sr. came from Florida for the birthday party.

5. Dear Holley

103 West Ave. Dearborn MI 48226

January 12 1986

Thank you for the birthday gift.

Yours truly Bill Jr.