Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS):
8.10.D
edit drafts using standard English conventions, including:
complete complex sentences with subject-verb agreement and avoidance of splices, run-ons, and fragments;
consistent, appropriate use of verb tenses and active and passive voice;
prepositions and prepositional phrases and their influence on subject-verb agreement;
pronoun-antecedent agremment;
correct capitalization;
punctuation, including commas in nonrestrictive phrases and clauses, semicolons, colons, and parentheses; and
correct spelling, including commonly confused terms such as its/it's, affect/effect, there/their/they're, and to/two/too;
Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS):
8.10.D
edit drafts using standard English conventions, including:
complete complex sentences with subject-verb agreement and avoidance of splices, run-ons, and fragments;
consistent, appropriate use of verb tenses and active and passive voice;
prepositions and prepositional phrases and their influence on subject-verb agreement;
pronoun-antecedent agremment;
correct capitalization;
punctuation, including commas in nonrestrictive phrases and clauses, semicolons, colons, and parentheses; and
correct spelling, including commonly confused terms such as its/it's, affect/effect, there/their/they're, and to/two/too;
8th Grade Writing - Punctuation Lesson
PUNCTUATION
Correct punctuation enhances readers' understanding and enjoyment of writing.
Elizabeth said Adriana is the fastest sprinter on the team.
"Elizabeth," said Adriana, "is the fastest sprinter on the team."
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I found this pretty inexpensive wallet on the clearance table.
I found this pretty, inexpensive wallet on the clearance table.
Punctuation Review
⚜ TOPIC #1: Commas in Non-restrictive Phrases and Clauses
Restrictive vs. Non-restrictive
A restrictive phrase or clause is essential to the meaning of a sentence. If it is eliminated, the meaning changes or becomes unclear. Restrictive phrases and clauses are not set off by commas.
The woman who is wearing a blue polka-dotted dress today looks quite chic.
A non-restrictive phrase or clause is nonessential to the meaning of a sentence. It adds extrainformation. The overall meaning of the sentence is not affected by its removal. Non-restrictive phrases and clauses are set off from the rest of the sentence by commas.
I see the same woman walking to work every day. The woman, who is wearing a blue polka-dotted dress today, always looks very chic.
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Enchanted Rock a pink granite mountain in the middle of Texas is actually a batholith, that was formed underground billions of years ago. Batholiths are formed by the underground cooling and solidification of magma intrusions which are the forceful movements of molten rock into existing rock formations, this process forms irregularly shaped, steep-sided rock formations. Over time, erosive and tectonic processes expose the igneous rock, (rock formed through the cooling of magma or lava,) underneath. Batholiths are areas of such exposed rock, that are at least 40 square miles in area. Most batholiths, however, are much larger and include some of the most spectacular rock formations in mountain ranges around the world, including: Half Dome and El Capitan, both in the Sierra Nevadas, Denali, the tallest North American mountain, in the Alaska Range, and, of course, Enchanted Rock in central Texas.
⚜ TOPIC #2: Semicolons
Semicolons can be used to connect two closely related independentclauses.
The Alamo is the most visited historic landmark in the state of Texas. It is located in San Antonio, on the southern end of Texas Hill Country.
The Alamo is an old Spanish mission built in the early 1700s. However, it is most remembered for the 1836 Battle of the Alamo, in which 187 men were killed by General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna’s Mexican army.
Semicolons can be used to separateitemsinaseries when the items already include their own commas.
Among those who perished at the Battle of the Alamo were Davy Crockett, frontiersman and politician; William "Buck" Travis, American lawyer and soldier; and James Bowie, Texas military commander.
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Enchanted Rock, a pink granite mountain in the middle of Texas, is actually a batholith that was formed underground billions of years ago. Batholiths are formed by the underground cooling and solidification of magma intrusions, which are the forceful movements of molten rock into existing rock formations, this process forms irregularly shaped, steep-sided rock formations. Over time, erosive and tectonic processes expose the igneous rock, (rock formed through the cooling of magma or lava,) underneath. Batholiths are areas of such exposed rock that are at least 40 square miles in area. Most batholiths, however, are much larger and include some of the most spectacular rock formations in mountain ranges around the world, including: Half Dome and El Capitan, both in the Sierra Nevadas, Denali, the tallest North American mountain, in the Alaska Range, and, of course, Enchanted Rock in central Texas.
Go to the next page to review two more punctuation topics.
MORE PUNCTUATION
⚜ TOPIC #3: Colons
Like semicolons, colons can join two independentclauses to show a connection between them. When a colon is used, it shows that the second clause expands on the information in the first clause.
Some food establishments cater to those who prefer eating only freshly prepared food:one new ice cream chain is actually using liquid nitrogen to instantly freeze made-to-order ice cream concoctions!
Colons can be used to introduceaseriesorlist, but they only do so when the list comes after a complete sentence.
INCORRECT: To make ice cream, only a few basic ingredients are required, including: heavy cream, sugar, egg yolks, and flavorings.
Colons can be used to introduce a series of related statements or questions.
Customers of the new ice cream establishment just have to make a few decisions:Which of the three ice cream bases—basic, low-fat, or organic—do they want? Which ice cream flavor do they want added to the base? And what mix-ins or toppings do they want to add?
Colons can be used to introduce a rule or principle. When they do so, the rule or principle begins with a capital letter.
As with all food preparation, making great ice cream relies on one basic principle adhered to by all excellent cooks, bakers, and chefs:Start with the freshest ingredients.
Colons can be used to introduce a quotation that is not incorporated into the syntax of the sentence. The quotation must come afteracompletesentence.
INCORRECT: The proprietor of this revolutionary new ice cream says on her website: “We take pride in using only the best, freshest ingredients to produce only the best, made-to-order ice cream for our customers.”
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Enchanted Rock, a pink granite mountain in the middle of Texas, is actually a batholith that was formed underground billions of years ago. Batholiths are formed by the underground cooling and solidification of magma intrusions, which are the forceful movements of molten rock into existing rock formations; this process forms irregularly shaped, steep-sided rock formations. Over time, erosive and tectonic processes expose the igneous rock, (rock formed through the cooling of magma or lava,) underneath. Batholiths are areas of such exposed rock that are at least 40 square miles in area. Most batholiths, however, are much larger and include some of the most spectacular rock formations in mountain ranges around the world, including: Half Dome and El Capitan, both in the Sierra Nevadas; Denali, the tallest North American mountain, in the Alaska Range; and, of course, Enchanted Rock in central Texas.
⚜ TOPIC #4: Parentheses
Parentheses provide supplemental or clarifying information in sentences.
Example:
As stated in the latest article, “The interactions among the giant planets were so violent that one or more may have been ejected beyond the boundary of interstellar space” (Lemonick 37).
Example:
The stated mission of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is “We reach for new heights and reveal the unknown for the benefit of humankind.”
Example:
Eliezer “Elie” Wiesel (1928-2016) was a Holocaust survivor and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1986; the Nobel Committee referred to him as a “messenger to mankind.”
Example:
Mr. Henry (the man with the long beard) is our English literature teacher. He tends to favor classic works of literature (e.g., anything by Shakespeare) to more modern works (e.g., Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury), which Mrs. Hinkleson (last year's English teacher) preferred.
Example:
My new baby brother (my parents named him Oliver) was just born a few days ago, but he already seems to recognize (and like!) me. (He’s such a perceptive baby.)
Parentheticalinformation does not affect subject-verb or pronoun-antecedent agreement. Neither is it separated from the rest of the sentence by commas.
Example:
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Punctuation Rules for Using Parentheses
⚜ Endpunctuation for parenthetical sentences that stand on their own is placed inside the parentheses.
The answer to the question is difficult. (No one has yet answered it correctly.)
⚜ When parenthetical information is within a sentence, the sentence's punctuation is placed outside the
parentheses.
Against the advice of her parents (and of her friends), Ginny followed her dreams of becoming a famous actress (in New York City).
⚜ When parenthetical information is within a sentence, punctuation that belongs to the parenthetical phrase itself is placed inside the parentheses.
One of the latest supersonic flight concepts to be introduced is the Skreemr; its developers say that it could travel 10 times the speed of sound (nearly 8,000 miles per hour!), allowing passengers to travel from New York to London in just 30 minutes.
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Enchanted Rock, a pink granite mountain in the middle of Texas, is actually a batholith that was formed underground billions of years ago. Batholiths are formed by the underground cooling and solidification of magma intrusions, which are the forceful movements of molten rock into existing rock formations; this process forms irregularly shaped, steep-sided rock formations. Over time, erosive and tectonic processes expose the igneous rock, (rock formed through the cooling of magma or lava,) underneath. Batholiths are areas of such exposed rock that are at least 40 square miles in area. Most batholiths, however, are much larger and include some of the most spectacular rock formations in mountain ranges around the world: Half Dome and El Capitan, both in the Sierra Nevadas; Denali, the tallest North American mountain, in the Alaska Range; and, of course, Enchanted Rock in central Texas.
8th Grade Writing - Punctuation Lesson