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Punctuation7th Grade |
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Florida - Benchmarks for Excellent Student Thinking: ELA.7.C.3.1 |
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Follow the rules of standard English grammar, punctuation, capitalization, and spelling appropriate to grade level. |
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7th Grade Writing - Punctuation Lesson
COMMAS AFTER INTRODUCTORY ELEMENTS
Commas should be used after introductory words, phrases, and clauses.
Commas should be used after introductory words, phrases, and clauses.
- Interjections are usually one or two words that come at the beginning of a sentence. They are used to express an emotion of some sort. Interjections that show strong emotions are usually punctuated with an exclamation point. Other interjections have a comma after them instead.
- Some examples of interjections are oh, well, yeah, thanks, and hello.
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INTERJECTIONS
- Oh, I'm not sure if the gym can accommodate more than 200 people at once.
- Hello, are you here to pick up the catering order?
- Conjunctive adverbs are adverbs that are used to connect clauses and show relationships. When a conjunctive adverb introduces a clause, then a comma should be used after it.
- Some examples of conjunctive adverbs are also, consequently, indeed, however, and therefore.
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CONJUNCTIVE ADVERBS
- Anyway, the next bus won't be arriving for another hour, so you can wait inside instead of out here.
- Next, the caterpillar forms itself a chrysalis where it will undergo metamorphosis.
- Nouns of direct address are used to refer to a person directly by name or title. When it comes at the beginning of a sentence, a comma should be used after it.
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NOUNS OF DIRECT ADDRESS
- Doctor, should I eat before I take my antibiotics or after?
- Rosa, do you want to join us for an impromptu karaoke party?
- A prepositional phrase that is more than five words or two or more prepositional phrases that build on one another usually have a comma after them when they introduce a sentence.
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PREPOSITIONAL PHRASES
- Over the long Memorial Day weekend, Simon ate two whole watermelons.
- In the classroom at the end of the hall, there was an iguana that slept in a glass enclosure.
- An infinitive phrase consists of the word "to" + a base verb and any modifiers. When an infinitive phrase introduces a sentence, a comma should be used after the infinitive phrase.
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INFINITIVE PHRASES
- To initiate the new members, the club held a welcoming ceremony and party.
- To ensure that they wouldn't run out of supplies, there was a strict limit on what could be used.
- A participle phrase is usually made up of an "-ing" or "-ed" verb and any modifying or descriptive words. Participle phrases act as adjectives. When a participle phrase introduces a sentence, it should have a comma after it.
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PARTICIPLE PHRASES
- Haggling with the seller, Mara was able to buy the iridescent scarf at a discount.
- Choked with overwhelming emotion, Greg cried joyous tears at his son's graduation.
- When a dependent clause is used to introduce a sentence, a comma should be used after the clause.
| Example: |
DEPENDENT CLAUSES
- Because she had a terrible time waking up in the mornings, Casey used five different alarms to help her get up.
- When the ferocious storm finally ended, the streets were flooded with water and debris.
- Semicolons can be used to connect two closely related independent clauses together.
| Example: |
TWO INDEPENDENT CLAUSES
- Lois was undaunted by any obstacles in her way; she usually just plowed right through them with great enthusiasm.
- The small town flourished after the great meteor shower; tourists came from all over to see the leftover rocks.
- When two independent clauses are connected by a conjunctive adverb, a semicolon should be used between the two clauses.
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CONJUNCTIVE ADVERBS
- Joey forgot to set his alarm last night; consequently, he was late to school.
- Saul assumed that his favorite ice cream was sold out; however, a cashier had set aside a pint for him.
- If a series of items already contains commas or other internal punctuation, then semicolons should be used to separate the items.
| Example: |
SERIES OF ITEMS
- The traveler visited London, Arkansas; London, Kentucky; and London, Ohio.
- Haley brought Apple, her iguana; Cherry, her guinea pig; and Cucumber, her cat, to the family reunion.
- Colons should only be used after complete sentences. They are often used to introduce a list or short example.
| Example: |
LISTS/EXAMPLES
- Pick up these groceries from the store: green grapes, broccoli, cilantro, and white bread.
- Kristin's new dress was two of her favorite colors: blue and pink.
- Colons can also be used to connect two independent clauses when the second clause explains or illustrates the first clause in some way.
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EXPLANATIONS/ILLUSTRATIONS
- My dog Scooby is more than a pet to me: he is a crucial part of my family.
- No one can beat Wilma at running: she's held the fastest time for months now.
- Hyphens are often used in compound words
- Certain compound nouns, such as "mother-in-law" or "sign-off," are hyphenated. It's best to check with a dictionary to be sure whether a compound noun should be hyphenated.
- Compound adjectives are made up of a noun + an adjective, noun + a participle, or an adjective + a participle. When compound adjectives come right before a noun, they should be hyphenated.
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COMPOUND WORDS
- The editor-in-chief at the newspaper has to approve all stories before they can be published.
- The ice-cold coffee belongs to that good-looking man over there.
- Mrs. Horner's ten-year-old daughter is in my sister's fifth grade class.
- Certain prefixes should always use a hyphen when combined with a base word.
- The prefixes, self-, ex-, all-, and great-, should always be hyphenated.
- When a prefix is combined with a proper noun, it should always be hyphenated.
| Example: |
PREFIXES
- Tessa, the self-appointed leader, spoke to the teacher on behalf of all the other students.
- Harold's great-grandmother invented the first portable ice cream maker.
- Hyphens should be used when the numbers twenty-one through ninety-nine are written out.
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NUMBERS
- After counting again, Trevor realized he only had forty-nine dollars, not fifty.
- There's still twenty-one mini apple pies left for sale at the bakery.
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