Conventions of Writing

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What is punctuation?

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Punctuation refers to the marks used in writing that help clarify meaning and separate linguistic units. Examples include periods, commas, question marks, and exclamation points.

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What is the purpose of a period?

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A period is used to indicate the end of a declarative sentence.

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What is a question mark used for?

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A question mark is used at the end of a sentence to indicate that it is a question.

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What is an exclamation point?

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An exclamation point is used to express strong emotion or emphasis at the end of a sentence.

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When should you capitalize the first word of a sentence?

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You should capitalize the first word of a sentence to indicate the beginning of a new thought.

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What are proper nouns?

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Proper nouns are specific names of people, places, or organizations that are always capitalized.

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What is the rule for capitalizing titles?

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In titles, capitalize the first word, the last word, and all major words in between.

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What is the correct way to write a dialogue?

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In dialogue, the spoken words should be enclosed in quotation marks, and punctuation should be placed inside the quotation marks.

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What is a common mistake in writing dialogue?

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A common mistake is forgetting to place punctuation inside the quotation marks or not capitalizing the first word of the spoken sentence.

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What is subject-verb agreement?

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Subject-verb agreement means that the subject and verb in a sentence must agree in number (singular or plural).