Capitalization
Correct the error: the raven by Edgar Allan Poe.
The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe.
True or False: Periods and commas go outside quotation marks.
False—they go inside.
What is a run-on sentence?
Two (or more) sentences jammed together without proper punctuation.
What’s wrong with this sentence?
Due to the fact that the candle went out, we left the room.
It’s wordy → Because the candle went out, we left the room.
Fix the tense: She runs to the door and knocked on it.
She ran to the door and knocked on it.
Which words should always be capitalized in a title?
First word, last word, and all important words (nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs).
Fix this: “I’m not scared”, he said.
“I’m not scared,” he said.
Fix this run-on: The ghost was scary it chased us.
The ghost was scary. It chased us.
True or False: Using “there was” at the start of a sentence is usually wordy.
True
What’s wrong with this sentence?
The thing in the basement scared us.
It uses a vague word (“thing”)—be specific.
Correct this: i saw maria at the park yesterday.
I saw Maria at the park yesterday.
What rule do you follow when a new person starts speaking?
Start a new paragraph.
Name 3 ways to fix a run-on sentence.
Use a period, use a semicolon, or use a comma + conjunction.
Make this sentence less wordy: It is important to note that the hallway was dark.
The hallway was dark.
Correct this: And we ran out of the house because it was haunted.
We ran out of the house because it was haunted. (Don’t start with “And” unless for effect).
Why is this wrong?: Romeo and juliet is my favorite play by shakespeare.
Proper nouns/titles must be capitalized → Romeo and Juliet is my favorite play by Shakespeare.
Correct this passage:
“Let’s go to the attic.” she whispered. “No way.” said her friend.
“Let’s go to the attic,” she whispered.
“No way,” said her friend.
Which of these is correct?
a) The night was quiet, it was also dark.
b) The night was quiet, and it was also dark.
b) The night was quiet, and it was also dark.
Why is this sentence wordy?
The monster that was really scary and terrifying made me scream loudly in fear.
It repeats/uses unnecessary words → The terrifying monster made me scream.
Combine for better flow: The storm was loud. The storm shook the windows. The storm scared the children.
The loud storm shook the windows and scared the children.
Fix all the capitalization errors in this sentence:
my aunt said that unless i study for finals, i won’t get into the University of missouri, but i think she’s overreacting.
My aunt said that unless I study for finals, I won’t get into the University of Missouri, but I think she’s overreacting.
Rewrite this passage with correct punctuation and paragraphing:
“where were you” asked Sam “i thought you were supposed to meet me an hour ago” “I got lost.” said Maria “your directions were terrible”
“Where were you?” asked Sam. “I thought you were supposed to meet me an hour ago.”
“I got lost,” said Maria. “Your directions were terrible.”
This sentence is a run-on. Rewrite it three different correct ways:
The door slammed the candle went out we screamed.
The door slammed. The candle went out. We screamed.
The door slammed; the candle went out; we screamed.
The door slammed, the candle went out, and we screamed.
This sentence is both wordy and repetitive. Rewrite it in the clearest, most concise way:
At this particular point in time, it is important to note that the haunted house was extremely and very scary to all of the people who were there.
At that moment, the haunted house terrified everyone there.
Fix the errors in tense, vagueness, and flow:
He walks into the basement and heard a noise, the thing made him scared, and it was like the most frightening experience ever that he had in his life.
He walked into the basement and heard a noise. The shadow terrified him—it was the most frightening experience of his life.