Commas, Punctuation, and Capitalization

Front

What is the purpose of commas in a sentence?

Back

Commas are used to indicate a pause between parts of a sentence, to separate items in a list, to set off introductory elements, and to clarify meaning.

Front

When should you use a comma before 'and' in a list?

Back

A comma should be used before 'and' in a list when it is part of a series of three or more items (Oxford comma), but it is optional depending on style.

Front

What is the difference between 'there', 'their', and 'they're'?

Back

'There' refers to a place, 'their' is a possessive pronoun, and 'they're' is a contraction for 'they are'.

Front

What is the correct punctuation for a compound sentence?

Back

A compound sentence should be punctuated with a comma before the coordinating conjunction (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so) that connects the two independent clauses.

Front

How do you correctly punctuate a direct address in a sentence?

Back

A direct address should be set off by commas. For example: 'Let's eat, Grandma!'.

Front

What is the rule for capitalizing proper nouns?

Back

Proper nouns, which name specific people, places, or organizations, should always be capitalized.

Front

When should you capitalize the first word of a sentence?

Back

The first word of a sentence should always be capitalized.

Front

What is the function of apostrophes in contractions?

Back

Apostrophes are used in contractions to indicate omitted letters, such as in 'don't' (do not) or 'it's' (it is).

Front

What is the correct way to punctuate a quote within a sentence?

Back

Quotes should be enclosed in quotation marks, and punctuation should be placed inside the quotation marks if it is part of the quoted material.

Front

How do you use semicolons correctly?

Back

Semicolons are used to connect closely related independent clauses or to separate items in a complex list.