S.J.Budd

What's an apostrophe? An apostrophe is used to either contract words or to illustrate possession within a sentence. What are the functions of an apostrophe? To indicate a word contraction To indicate possession How to use an apostrophe in word contraction? An apostrophe is used in a sentence when one or more letters have been removed from a word. Do not = Don't Have not = Haven't It is = It's Who is = Who's Take care not to overuse apostrophes and remember that they should not be used in academic work. How to use an apostrophe to indicate possession? Apostrophes to show possession are often over used, and is a common mistake to make. If it is a singular noun, proper noun or common noun that does the possessing this is indicated by - 's Tom's magical cat was amazing. The castle's walls were beginning to crumble. Cornwall's pixies were notorious for littering. If using an apostrophe to indicate possession by ...

What is a hyphen? The use of a hyphen is often overlooked but when used properly can give your work a more professional feel. Hyphens are used when combining words in a sentence. What are the functions of a hyphen? To combine the word self with a noun To illustrate adjectives that are formed by combining words How to use a hyphen to combine the word self with a noun? This is really simple. Self-confidence Self-loathing How to use a hyphen to illustrate adjectives that are formed by combining words? The pedlar was a nik-nak man. He was a new-age wizard.

A semicolon is an often misused piece of punctuation but is very simple to use. Take care not to over use a semicolon in your work. What are the functions of a semicolon within a sentence? To help organise a complicated list To separate two closely related  independent clauses How to use a semicolon to organise a complicated list? A semicolon should be used in a sentence to organise complicated lists when one or more of the items contains commas. The witches and wizards at the conference had come from Scotland, Wales; Cardiff, Ireland; Dublin, and Cornwall. Not The witches and wizards at the conference had come from Scotland, Wales, Cardiff, Ireland, Dublin and Cornwall. How to use a semicolon to narrow the gap between two closely related independent clauses? The semicolon is used to separate two independent clauses but also to show that the two clauses are related to one another. Ethel rarely used her broomstick; she was afraid of flying. To use ...

The colon like the comma is a commonly misused piece of punctuation that is usually confused with the semicolon. Quite often it is overused, a colon  should only be used sparingly. What are the functions of a colon? To introduce a list within a sentence To introduce an idea within a sentence To introduce quoted material within a sentence How to use a colon to introduce a list within a sentence A colon can be used to introduce a list of series of items. The first item in the list that appears after a colon does not need to be capitalised, unless it is a proper noun. When using a colon the clause that precedes it must make sense with its corresponding list. Frodo had packed everything he needed: food, drink, maps and sunglasses. The clause, Frodo had packed everything he needed , makes sense on its own and so a colon   can be introduced after it. Avoid using a colon to introduce a list when it directly follows a verb or preposition. I ...

The comma is often misused, and a comma splice is one of the most common mistakes made. A comma splice is when a comma is wrongly used to separate two independent clauses There are many simple methods that can be used to avoid this mistake. The unicorn liked the fairy, she was kind. The two clauses in the above sentence are independent and can form stand alone sentences. They do not need to be connected by a comma. The unicorn liked the fairy. She was kind. The above method of separating two independent clauses using a full stop is the simplest, but there are other ways to do it. A semi colon can be used, but take care to not overuse them in your work. The unicorn liked the fairy; she was kind. A semi colon shows that the two independent clauses are linked. A conjunction can be used to connect two independent clauses. The unicorn likes the fairy as she is nice.

How to use a comma? Most people wrongly assume that the comma is a simple piece of punctuation. The comma is extraordinarily complex.  This is because it has many different functions which have been listed below. The biggest misuse of comma is that many writers believe that a comma should be inserted in every pause and tend to overuse commas in their work. Don't get caught out. Writers wrongly assume a comma is just a pause. It is so much more than that. What are the main functions of a comma? To separate adjectives within a sentence To separate introductory elements within a sentence To separate contrasting clauses within a sentence To separate dates and years, towns and counties within a sentence To separate parenthetical elements within a sentence To separate direct speech or quote elements within a sentence To separate a list of three or more items within a sentence To separate two independent clauses within a sentence How to use...