Academic Writing

1. AcademicWriting Lesson 12 - Punctuation

2. Punctuation Rules • The theory he explained was very impressive. • The theory, he explained, was very impressive. • The members who had not been warned were furious. • The members, who had not been warned, were furious. • Everyone knew, he thought , that she would resign. • Everyone knew he thought that she would resign.

3. Punctuation Rules Commas & semantic unity • Never separate a subject from its verb, nor a verb from its object. • Millions of years ago monsters inhabited, the earth. • The arguments against, are more complicated. • Many doctors appear not to realize that patients are often capable of understanding quite complicated medical treatment. • What is important here, is that we distinguish colons from semicolons. • The assumptions which underline the modernity school, can be seen in the work of Cohen and Till (1977). • What the government does does not matter. • The subjects which the panel wished to discuss were announced in advance.

4. Punctuation Rules Commas (Introducer commas/orientations) AFTER: Words Therefore, I plan to quit smoking. Nervously, I threw away my cigarettes. Phrases As a result, I feel terrible right now. After 16 years of smoking, it is not easy to quit. Having smoked for 16 years, I find it difficult to quit. Dependent clauses/subordinate clauses Because I have a chronic cough, my doctor recommended that I quit immediately. Direct quotations “Stop smoking today,” she advised. Exception: In 2005 Scotland banned all smoking in public areas. In many Dutch cities the ban was not implemented over the last few years.

5. Punctuation Rules Commas • Insertions, separated by 2 commas • Words • My uncle, however, refuses to quit smoking. • Phrases • My father, on the other hand, has never smoked. • There is no point in living, according to my uncle, if you do not do what you enjoy. • Non-restrictive phrases & clauses • My aunt, his wife, died of lung cancer. • My cousins, grieving over their mother’s death, resolved never to smoke. • My mother, who just celebrated her fiftieth birthday, enjoys an occasional cigarette. • Reporting verbs in direct questions • “I have tried to quit dozens of times,” she says, “but I can’t.”

6. Punctuation Rules Commas • Additions preceded by a comma • Words • My uncle believes in drinking a daily glass of wine, too. • He appears to be in good health, however. • Phrases • He swims for an hour every day, for example. • He also plays tennis, beating me most of the time. • I take the game quite seriously, whereas he is always very relaxed. • Exc. : He plays the game so well because he is relaxed. • Tag questions • It is not logical, is it? • Direct quotations • He laughs as he says, “I will outlive all of you.”

7. Punctuation Rules Commas • Coodinator commas • Compound sentences She had a good job, yet she is always broke. They were tired, so they went home early. • Series of three or more words/phrases He does not enjoy skiing, ice-skating, or sledding. Cecile speaks French, English, and Creole. • The serial comma • To my parents, Ayn Rand and God. • To my parents, Ayn Rand, and God.

8. Punctuation Rules Semicolons • Between sentences • Andrew did not accept the job offer; he wants to go to graduate school. • The meeting ended at dawn; nothing had been decided. • Before connectors • Skiing is dangerous; nevertheless, millions of people ski. • I have never been to Asia; in fact, I have never been outside the country. • Between items in a series • I cannot decide which car I like best: the Ferrari, with its quick acceleration and sporty look; the midsize BMW, with its comfortable seats and ease of handling; or the compact Mini, with its economical fuel consumption. • I have 5 sibling: a sister who is married, 32 years old; another sister, who lives in the States,28 years old; an older brother, 33; and two other brothers, twins, who are 26 years old.

9. Punctuation Rules Colons • Before lists • Libraries have two kinds of periodicals: bound periodicals and current periodicals • Not after the verb to be • To me the most important things in life are: good health, a happy home life, and a satisfying occupation. • => To me the most important things in life are good health, a happy home life, and a satisfying occupation. • =>To me the most important things in life are the following: good health, a happy home life, and a satisfying occupation. • Not after a preposition • After a long day at work, I look forward to: enjoying a quiet dinner at home, playing with my children, and watching a little TV. • =>After a long day at work, I look forward to enjoying a quiet dinner at home, playing with my children, and watching a little TV.

10. Punctuation Rules Colons • Before appositives ( a word or word group that renames another word or word group) • He had one great love in his life: himself. • A doctor has two important abilities: the ability to listen and the ability to analyze. • Before long quotations • As Albert C. Baugh and Thomas Cable state in their book The History of the English Language: There is no such thing as uniformity in language. Not only does the speech of one community differ from that of another, but the speech of different individuals of a single community, even different members of the same family, is marked by individual particularities.

11. Punctuation Rules Colons • Before subtitles • A popular book on nonverbal communication is Samovar and Porter’s Intercultural Communication: A Reader. • The title of an article from the New York Times is “Man on Mars: Dream or Reality?” • In expressions of Time of Day (less common in British English) • Helen left the class at 12:30. • After formal salutations of a formal letter (in American business correspondence) • Dear Professor Einstein:

12. Sentence problems Run on sentences and Comma splices • My family went to Australia then they emigrated to Canada. • My family went to Australia, then they emigrated to Canada. • => My family went to Australia. Then they emigrated to Canada. • => My family went to Australia; then they emigrated to Canada. • => My family went to Australia and then they emigrated to Canada. • => My family went to Australia before they emigrated to Canada.

13. Sentence problems Comma splices • The Public are not aware of this, however, they are unconsciously influenced by the newspaper’s opinion. • However, the public are not aware of this; they are unconsciously influenced by the newspaper’s opinion. • Rushdie turns the fictional around, however, he creates fiction out of fiction. • Rushdie turns the fictional around, however, by creating fiction out of fiction. • However, youngsters never have a full sense of security, there is always a threat from other gangs or groups. • However, youngsters never have a full sense of security since there is always a threat from other gangs or groups.

14. Punctuation Rules Quotation Marks • Around direct quotations • The receptionist said, “The doctor is unavailable now; please wait.” • “I thought he was responsible,” he said, “but he isn’t.” • “Give me liberty or give me death”: these are famous words. • “Is it eight o’clock?” she asked. • Did she say, “It is eight o’clock”? • “I thought he was responsible,” he said, “but he isn’t.” • “I think he is responsible,” he said. “Look at his fine work.” • As JFK reminded us, “We should never forget the words of Martin Luther King, Jr., who said ‘I have a dream.’”

15. Punctuation Rules Quotation Marks • Around Unusual words • The “banquet” consisted of hotdogs and soft drinks. • Around titles of short works • In the article “The Future of Manned Space Travel”, published in the July 19, 2004 issue of Space, the authors explore the problems of a manned flight to Mars.

16. Reference & exercises Williams, Joseph M., and Colomb, Gregory G. Style. Longman, 2010 Oshima, Alice, and Hogue, Ann. Writing Academic English. Pearson Education, 2006 Hannay, Mike and Mackenzie, J.Lachlan. Effective Writing in English. Coutinho, 2002 Van Loon, janene,Thüss , Arnaoud, et al Academic Writing in English, Coutinho, 2011 Hamp-Lyon, liz, and Heasley, Ben . Study Writing, CUP, 2006