3.2: Grammar Practice
3.2.1: Semicolon and Colon
Throughout the course, you have been learning about creating complete, grammatically sound sentences to communicate your ideas clearly and effectively. In Subunit 1.3, you learned about the basic elements of complete sentences. In Subunit 2.2, you learned how to use punctuation to avoid fragments and run-on sentences. It may be helpful to review your notes from these subunits before continuing, because these next activities will be most useful to you if you are actively building on what you already know. When you’re ready, read this web resource about using semi-colons, colons, and dashes. Remember to apply your active reading strategies and take notes to help you remember key points.
3.2.2: Advanced Comma Rules
There are many rules governing punctuation, but using appropriate punctuation isn’t about following rules just for the sake of it. Rather, the rules for using punctuation act as a shared set of expectations between writers and readers. As a reader, you look to punctuation for signals about what the author intended to say. In your own writing, you will want to use punctuation appropriately to express your ideas as clearly as possible. In this way, punctuation is a tool that helps you inform, persuade, or entertain your audience.
Read this information about comma rules and complete the practice activities. When you are finished, check your answers against the "Advanced Comma Rules" Answer Key.
3.2.3: Subject and Verb Agreement
As you know, there's more to constructing a grammatical sentence than just punctuation. Read this article to learn about subject-verb agreement and why it is important for communicating effectively in writing.
3.2.4: Proofreading
After reviewing the materials in this subunit, you should be able to understand and apply grammatical principles to ensure subject-verb agreement and effective use of commas, colons, semicolons, and dashes. Even writers who understand grammatical principles very well make some errors while they write. That’s why it’s important to proofread your writing. In this article you will learn about proofreading, including tips for proofreading your writing. Once you have completed the reading, go back through the handout. There were several errors, including spelling, punctuation and grammar errors. Try to find and correct them. Click on the link at the bottom of the page for the answer key.