Name: Student Number:

AIRMAN LEADERSHIP SCHOOL

GRAMMAR PROGRAMMED TEXT Lesson 7: Capitalization and Pun tuation

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INTRODUCTION Youre required to complete this ALS Grammar Programmed Text (PT) dealing with punctuation based on our results !rom the ALS Grammar "iagnostic# This PT is designed to help ou !urther de$elop our communication s%ills ou will need to !ul!ill our responsibilities as a competent Air &orce communicator# 'ompleting this sel!(paced PT will help ou express oursel! correctl and clearl ) thus eliminating con!usion in our writing and oral communications# *hile some o! the material in this PT ma be completel new to ou) other portions ma seem $er !amiliar# +eep in mind) howe$er) that the rules and guidelines contained in this PT are representati$e o! Air &orce organi,ational communication and ma not be consistent with ci$ilian college courses ou$e ta%en or other unique organi,ational grammar expectations# You can maximi,e our learning b !ollowing a !ew simple steps# &irst) ta%e a quic% scan o$er the PTs la out# Youll notice that its di$ided into indi$idual sections starting with a reading assignment) !ollowed b a !ew review questions) and concluding with answers to the review questions in the bac%# -nce oure !amiliar with the la out) complete the reading assignment) then answer the corresponding questions (using pen or pencil) to the best o! our abilit # 'hec% our wor% a!ter answering all the questions# .! ou !ind that ou$e made a mista%e) ma%e the appropriate correction) and tr to determine the reason !or our error be!ore continuing with the lesson# .! ou dont understand the basis !or the correct response to a particular question) consult our !light instructor during normal dut hours# A!ter ou !inish the programmed test) turn it in to our !light instructor !or e$aluation and completion certi!ication#

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READING ASSIGN ENT

!un"tuation Punctuation is a s stem o! s mbols or mar%ings that writers use to clari! relationships among words and groups o! words# The usuall represent stops or pauses# *riters should alwa s use punctuation mar%s properl # The incorrect use o! punctuation can alter the intended meaning o! a word or sentence# .n addition) punctuation mar%s should not be used excessi$el ) since the can decrease reading speed and lead to con!usion# There are two t pes o! punctuation st le/ open and closed# 01 -pen punctuation in$ol$es using onl whats necessar to pre$ent misreading# 2ase in reading is an additional ad$antage o! using this t pe o! punctuation# The trend toda is to use open punctuation# This is the st le recommended !or Air &orce writers# 31 'losed punctuation in$ol$es using what the material grammaticall requires# .ronicall ) this doesnt necessaril ma%e the meaning an clearer# .n !act) more time ma be needed to read the material# There are nearl 40 !requentl used punctuation mar%s# Some o! the more common are listed below# 41 A #eriod $%& is used at the end o! a sentence that ma%es a statement# Ill take the test tomorrow morning. 51 A question mar' $(& is used at the end o! a direct question# Do you know the most direct route to New York City? 61 An e)"*amation mar' $+& is used at the end o! an emphatic declaration# Keep off the grass! 71 A h,#hen $-& is used to separate words at the end o! lines) to create compound words) and to write numbers# For the past twenty-seven years, thirty-six members of an inter-state fly-by-night pa ing business ha e fleeced !ontgomery homeowners"

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A dash $& or two h phens $--& is used to set o!! parenthetical or related elements# *hen writing dialogue) its used to show brea%s in thought) or shi!ts in tone# #he $mith triplets--#om, Dick, and %arryargued constantly" 9:ow o!ten do . ha$e to tell ou not to.); the teacher stopped tal%ing and stared at the !loor#

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A #arentheses $ $ & & is used to include either material that ou want to de(emphasi,e or does not com!ortabl !it with the text !low# $i& years after her retirement, 'sther Franklin (we remember her for deep-dish sweet potato pie) is still spoken of fondly by her co(workers" $i& years after her retirement, 'sther Franklin is still spoken of fondly" (We remember her for her deep-dish sweet potato pie.)

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A bra"'et set $/ 0& is used either to include explanator words within quoted language or to enclose changed letters or words within a quotation# $te e $mith, the )egional Director of !arketing, e&plained that )oger )ight, a new sales manager [at mith!o head"uarters# will be responsible for issuing bonuses" )ight credited his former employer with *guiding [his# career ad ancement"+

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An e**i#sis $1& is used when oure quoting some material and want to omit se$eral words# The dance contest !eatures talented couples !rom :art!ord who are attending classes at :ar$ard# #he dance contest features talented couples $attending classes at %ar ard"

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A s*ash $2& or virgu*e is used to indicate a choice between the words it separates# #he stop%go traffic pattern wrought ha oc with the small communitys business district"

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An asteris' $3& re!ers readers to a !ootnote at the bottom o! a page or replaces words considered unprintable# It was fortunate that the microphone was off when the moderator called the guest an &&& during yesterdays li e news program"

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A dis#*a, dot (at !ar le!t) is used to emphasi,e speci!ic items that are parallel in grammatical structure# The precede either complete or incomplete sentences# #he lieutenants speech followed a tried and true pattern,
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#ell -em what youre going to tell -em #ell -em #ell -em what you told -em

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Ita*i"s (itali!s) are used to distinguish the titles o! whole published wor%s) the names o! ships) submarines) aircra!t) and spacecra!t in printed material# .talici,e the name onl ) not initials or numbers preceding or !ollowing the name# 'ast of 'den the best ideas '7(A .ala&y

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An unders"ore $ 4 & is used in place o! italics to identi! titles o! whole published wor%s and to distinguish the names o! ships) planes) and spacecra!t when italics cannot be used (e#g#) t pewriter) handwritten documents) etc#)# The underscore is also used to denote a word simpl as a word and not !or its meaning# Time maga,ine &(6 Phantom time and th me are homon ms

The remainder o! this PT will !ocus on the !i$e most common punctuation mar%s#
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5uotation mar's $6 7& set o!! material that represents quoted or spo%en language# "ouble quotation mar%s are used to enclose direct quotations# Single quotation mar%s enclose a quotation within a quotation# Alwa s capitali,e the !irst word o! a direct quotation because its the !irst word o! someones sentence# '#he best things in life are free,( said the seasoned shoplifter" '#he purpose of this study,( e&plained the researcher, 'is to analy/e the term )hoorah"*( 0ack said to Diane, '#hat is your third piece of pie"( @uotation mar%s are used around the titles o! wor%s that are part o! larger wor%s# '.rammar( is the first chapter in the book entitled 1etter 'nglish(1etter $alary" @uotation mar%s ma be used to enclose words used in a special sense# #he most famous member of the '%ollywood rat pack( was Frank $inatra" .ts important that other mar%s o! punctuation are placed in the proper position when used with quotation mar%s# An exception occurs when a source re!erence immediatel !ollows a quotation# .n this instance) a comma or period is placed a!ter the re!erence# 'ommas and

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periods are placed inside quotation mar%s) while colons and semicolons are placed outside the quotation mar%s#

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*2ife is sweet++ said the confectioner" #he research assistant termed the find *incredible.+ 3 decade ago, the teams motto was *)efuse to 2ose+, today, howe er, its *4in 3gain.+ "ashes) question mar%s) and exclamation points are placed inside quotation mar%s onl i! the belong to the quotation# -therwise) place them outside the quotation mar%s# *.et out of here!+ said the disgruntled manager to his new employee" %e called me *obtuse+!
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A "o*on $:& is used be!ore a list) a concluding explanation) or a !ormal quotation# %e had three passions- reading, writing, and speaking" 5ublic radio programming is definitely eclectic- it includes music, talk shows, and newscasts" #he historian had a great e&planation, *3 lengthy e&planation would then follow"+ A colon is also used to separate titles) subtitles) and subdi$isions o! time# %annibal- 3 %istory of %is #actics 6,78 5!

A semi"o*on $8& is used to sort out items or to separate closel related independent clauses# #here were delegates from %elsinki, Finland, !oscow, )ussia, 5aris, France, and #urin, Italy" %e rarely goes outside during the hot weather, hes afraid hell get a sunburn"

An a#ostro#he $9& is used to create possessi$e !orms) contractions) and !orm plurals o! certain letters and abbre$iations# Aa%e all indi$idual lowercase letters plural b adding s and ma%e indi$idual capital letters plural b adding s alone unless con!usion would result# #he 3irman*s uniform $he should* e four Cs and two 3*s on her report card heard $9$s o er the radio

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A "omma $:& is used to separate elements in a series o! three or more things) including the last two# A comma ma also be used with a conBunction to connect two independent clauses# *'at+ drink+ and be merry,+ said the !ardi .ras coordinator" $he stole the inbound pass+ but lost the ball while dribbling on a breakaway"

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Cse a comma to set o!! introductor elements# .ts permissible to omit the comma as long as it doesnt lea$e the reader con!used or hinder the sentences readabilit # %olding his eating utensils improperly+ he had the eyes of the dinner guests upon him" For some the day begins before dawn" DThe meaning o! this sentence is !u,, E# For some+ the day begins before dawn" DThe comma pro$ides clari!icationE# Cse a comma to set o!! parenthetical expressions# The comma separates the essential parts o! the sentence !rom the additional (and o!tentimes expendable) parenthetical in!ormation# The non(essential elements are underscored in the pro$ided example# #he )ichford 9ffice #ower+ which houses thirty(three business suites+ occupies a city block" *hen both a cit s name and that cit s state or countr s name are mentioned together) the state or countr s name is treated as a parenthetical element# *hen the state becomes a possessi$e !orm) this rule is not !ollowed# Also) when the state or countr s name becomes part o! a compound structure) the second comma is dropped# %e mo ed here from Cle eland+ 9hio+ last year" %e is Cle eland+ 9hios fa orite son" #he Coca(Cola Corporation+ an 3tlanta+ .eorgia(based company+ became international this week" Cse a comma to separate coordinate adBecti$es# .! ou can put an and or a but between the adBecti$es) a comma will probabl belong there# I dri e a ery old+ run(down ehicle" : I dri e a ery old and run(down ehicle" Cse a comma to set o!! quoted elements# Generall ) a comma will separate the quoted material !rom the rest o! the sentence explaining or introducing the question# 3rguing the minority opinion+ 0ustice 5hilips said+ *#he legal principle here is one of ;uality and not of ;uantity"+

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.! the attribution o! a quoted element comes in the middle o! the quotation) then two commas will be necessar # 'ommas are not necessar i! the quoted element is introduced b the word that or is embedded in a larger structure# *I understand++ said Frank matter(of(factly+ *that you actually en<oy embarrassing others"+ 0ustice 5hilips said that *the legal principle"""+ %e was always heard to say *Cool+ if he en<oyed something"

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.nstead o! a comma) use a colon to set o!! explanator or introductor language !rom a quoted element that is either !ormal or long# 0ustice 5hilips had this to say about the e&ploitation of children in the workplace, *4e must endea or=+ A comma is used to set o!! phrases that contrast# .! the phrase begins with the word but) the comma ma be omitted# #he acation was incredibly en<oyable+ but terribly e&pensi e" A comma should be used between the names o! a cit and state) a date and the ear) a name and a title when the title !ollows the name) and in long numbers# )ichard 2" 1rewster+ Director of !arketing+ earned in e&cess of >?+@AB+6CD in salary and bonuses during ?DDD" #he Den er+ Colorado nati e retired 0uly ?6+ 7EE8" *hen the date o! a month is included) a comma or a set o! commas is necessar # *ithout the date) the comma is omitted# "ates written in international or militar !ormat require no commas# 0uly ?6+ 7EE8+ was the day )ichard 2" 1rewster retired" 0uly 7EE8 was a month filled with retirements" )ichard 2" 1rewster retired ?6 0uly 7EE8" Although we$e pro$ided man instances where the use o! commas is appropriate) there are still others# The single largest problem most writers ha$e with comma usage is a tendenc toward o$eruse# *hen in doubt) comma placement should be decided upon onl i! one o! the abo$e speci!ic rules can be applied#

Ca#ita*i;ation S%illed writing mechanics is important to the success o! an Bob ou ma ha$e throughout our career# 'apital letters add importance to speci!ic words or phrases# Fecause o! this) man people) to include authoritati$e sources) dont agree on words or phrases that the deem important to capitali,e# The %e is to !ind a reliable authoritati$e source (The Tongue and @uill) AC St le Guide) 2nglish 5400) etc#) that supports our st le o! writing) be consistent throughout our writing) and a$oid capitali,ing when oure in doubt# ? 'apitali,e proper nouns and common nouns that name a particular person) place) or thing/ The 'hie! o! Sta!!s Portraits in 'ourage series

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Senior Airman Shea "odson Phoenix Fase in Faghdad Aral Sea the commanding general o! the Aulti(Gational Securit Transition 'ommand) .raq o "ont capitali,e common nouns that are used alone as a substitute !or the name o! a place or thing/ General T# Aichael Aosele ) the general Phoenix Fase in Faghdad) the base in Faghdad Portraits in 'ourage/ Airmen in the &ight) portraits o! airmen in the !ight ? 'apitali,e names o! go$ernment bodies) emplo ees) national and international regions) and documents/ "emocratic Hepublican the &ederal Go$ernment "epartment o! "e!ense) "e!ense "epartment Air &orce 'hie! o! Sta!! General T# Aichael Aosele o "ont capitali,e when used in general sense/ Hepublican Part ) republicanism 'ommunist Part ) communism Air &orce Heser$e) reser$ist armed !orces) armed ser$ices chie! o! sta!! ? 'apitali,e compass directions when re!erring to people in a region) speci!ic regions) when the directions are part o! a name) or political) social or cultural acti$ities/ *est 'oast Aidwesterner Southern :emisphere South Pole the South o "ont capitali,e general directions or locations/ the east side o! base dri$e north !or approximatel 7 miles northwestern states ha$e mild temperatures it ne$er rains in southern 'ali!ornia

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? 'apitali,e the da s o! the wee%) months) holida s) historical and cultural epochs/ Sunda August 'hristmas Iietnam *ar .ce Age o "ont capitali,e seasons or latter(da designations/ summer nuclear age The o$eruse o! capital letters is !requentl seen when people are attempting to stress a point# The appropriate use o! punctuation would achie$e the same e!!ect and be grammaticall correct# This is onl a small sample that co$ers the guidelines regarding capitali,ationJ %eep an authoritati$e source nearb to meet our writing needs# This concludes the reading assignment portion o! the PT on capitali,ation and punctuation# Gow that ou$e re$iewed capitali,ation and punctuation along with its $arious !orms and uses) its time to ta%e it to the next le$el# The !ollowing series o! questions will re$eal whether ou$e achie$ed the desired le$el o! expertise with capitali,ation and punctuation or i! ou need !urther stud in these areas# As explained in the introduction) the correct answer !or each question is located at the bac% !or our read re!erence# 'onsult the answer ban% onl a!ter ou$e completed all questions# .! ou miss a question) read the pro$ided rationale) and go bac% o$er the corresponding section o! the reading assignment i! necessar # "o our best to thoroughl understand this material# .! an thing isnt clear) as% our instructor !or assistance# Good luc%K

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RE<IE= 5UESTIONS Determine i> ea"h senten"e be*ow is "orre"t*, or in"orre"t*, "a#ita*i;ed and #un"tuated% I> "orre"t: write the word 6"orre"t7 on the *ine #rovided% I> in"orre"t: rewrite the senten"e using "orre"t #un"tuation% 3# 9Your dental appointment is !or 3500); said the cler%#

4#

The instructor said) 9Your per!ormance has greatl impro$ed#;

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92at our !ood slowl ) said her Aother) and oull enBo it more#;

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Tom said) 9.ll be home !or 'hristmas#;

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Lac% said) 9 ou can use the car) Ai%e#;

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Pri$ate Smith alwa s said) 9A stitch in time sa$es nine;#

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A decade ago) the teams motto was 9He!use to LoseJ; toda ) howe$er) its 9*in Again#;

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9A blowout at high speed); he said) 9ma pro$e !atal#;

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.m telling ou Lohn that its cool to wear a sweater with %ha%i shorts#

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Greenslee$es is the third cut on the new album) 1est of 3merican Folk#

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Rewrite ea"h o> the senten"es be*ow to ensure the, are #un"tuated "orre"t*,%
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Hichard L# Frewster) "irector o! Aar%eting earned in excess o! M3576<=> in salar and bonuses during 3>>># The "en$er 'olorado nati$e retired Lul 3<) 4008#

34# As a Three(le$el Apprentice she had incredible Bob %nowledge#

35# :e alwa s ate dinner promptl at <)50 PA#

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There were delegates !rom :elsin%i) &inland) Aoscow) Hussia) Paris) &rance) and Turin) .tal "

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:e had three passions(((reading) writing) and spea%ing#

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Lohns wi!e) Lulia) and her brothers !riend) Al) should$e heeded the S-Ss sent b the hi%ers prior to their climbing the pea% during winter

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ANS=ERS TO RE<IE= 5UESTIONS 3# correct 4# correct 5# 92at our !ood slowl ); said her mother) 9and oull enBo it more#; DSince the attribution comes in the middle o! the quotation) two commas are neededJ mother is a common noun used as a substitute !or the name o! her motherE# 6# correct 7# Lac% said) 9You can use the car) Ai%e#; DThe word you needs to be capitali,ed since its the !irst word o! a direct quoteE# 8# Pri$ate Smith alwa s said) 9A stitch in time sa$es nine#; DA period or comma alwa s precedes the quotation mar%sE#
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A decade ago) the teams motto was 9He!use to Lose;J toda ) howe$er) its 9*in Again#; D'olons and semi(colons are alwa s placed outside the quotation mar%sE# correct .m telling ou) Lohn) that its cool to wear a sweater with %ha%i shorts# D.! the name o! an addressed person is used in a sentence) it is parenthetical) and must be set o!! b commasE# 9Greenslee$es; is the third cut on the new album) 1est of 3merican Folk# D@uotation mar%s are used around the titles o! wor%s that are a part o! larger wor%sE# Hichard L# Frewster) "irector o! Aar%eting) earned in excess o! M3)576)<=> in salar and bonuses during 3>>># The "en$er) 'olorado nati$e retired Lul 3<) 4008# DCse a comma to set o!! a title !ollowing a name) separate large numbers) separate the name o! a cit and stateE#

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33#

34# As a three(le$el apprentice) she had incredible Bob %nowledge# DA comma sets o!! an introductor phraseJ three(le$el apprentice is used in a general senseE# 35# :e alwa s ate dinner promptl at </50 PA# DCse a colon to separate the numbers in a time sequenceE#
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There were delegates !rom :elsin%i) &inlandJ Aoscow) HussiaJ Paris) &ranceJ and Turin) .tal # DCse a semi(colon to separate a series o! related itemsE# :e had three passions/ reading) writing) and spea%ing# DCse a colon be!ore a listE# Lohns wi!e) Lulia) and her brothers !riend) Al) should$e heeded the S-Ss sent b the hi%ers prior to their climbing the pea% during winter# DAn apostrophe is used to create possessi$e !orms) contractions) and some plural !ormsE#

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