Punctuation and Spelling

Rebecca Vickers

Description

This handy, engaging, and gently humorous guide tackles the important subjects of punctuation, spelling, and capitalization. It looks at a variety of topics, such as punctuation within words, spelling rules and their exceptions, and homonyms, and shows why punctuation and spelling are so important for conveying meaning in a range of text types and genres.

Sujets

• Lettres et linguistique

Informations

• Publié par: Capstone Global Library
• Date de parution: 20 juin 2013
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781406268966
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 9 Mo

Extrait

Find your way with words

Punctuation and Spel R l ebe i cca Vic n kers g

they’re

their there

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Edited by Andrew Farrow, Laura Hensley, Vaarunika Dharmapala, Helen Cox Cannons Designed by Philippa Jenkins Original illustrations © Capstone Global Library Ltd Illustrated by Capstone Global Library Ltd Picture research by Tracy Cummins Production by Sophia Argyris Printed in China by Leo Paper Products Ltd

ISBN 978 1 406 26162 2 17 16 15 14 13 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data Vickers, Rebecca.  Punctuation and spelling.  (Find your way with words)  1. English languagePunctuationJuvenile literature. 2. English languageOrthography and spellingJuvenile literature.  I. Title II. Series  421.1dc23

Acknowledgements We would like to thank the following for permission to reproduce photographs: Alamy p. 29 top (© Jamie Carstairs); AP Photo p. 13 (Dave Caulkin); Capstone Library p. 16; Getty Images pp. 34 left (Nordic Photos), 45 (JEWEL SAMAD/AFP); Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division p. 23; newscom pp. 19 (KRT PHOTOGRAPH VIA LOUISA MAY ALCOTT MEMORIAL ASSOCIATION), 29 bottom (Clem Murray/Philadelphia Inquirer/MCT); Shutterstock pp. 5 (© AVAVA), 6 (© Aaron Amat), 9 (© Aaron Amat), 11 (© Simone van den Berg), 15 middle (© AlikeYou), 15 bottom (© Glenda M. Powers), 15 top (© kostudio), 17 (© pjhpix), 18 (© dedMazay), 21 (© James Clarke), 24 (© Aaron Amat), 25 (© Dragon Images), 27 (© auremar), 31 (© mkabakov), 33 (© Margot Petrowski), 34 right (© Marcel Mooij), 35 (© Lukich), 36 caribou (© Sylvie Bouchard), 36 sleigh (© 3dfoto), 36 wool (© MARGRIT HIRSCH), 38 (© Fotokostic), 39 (© Yuri Arcurs), 41 (© blewisphotography), 43 deer (© Vishnevskiy Vasily), 43 goose (© E.O), 43 mouse (© Eric Isselée), sheep (© Eric Isselée), 47 (© Gert Johannes Jacobus Very), 49 (© Madlen), 49 (© Hong Vo), 49 (© MilousSK), 50 (© Andrew Ward), 51 (© David Majestic); Superstock p. 30 (© Melvin Longhurst).

Back cover image of the letters in the words ‘fame’ and ‘famous’ reproduced by Capstone Global Library.

We would like to thank Joanna John for her invaluable help in the preparation of this book.

Every effort has been made to contact copyright holders of material reproduced in this book. Any omissions will be rectified in subsequent printings if notice is given to the publisher.

Disclaimer All the internet addresses (URLs) given in this book were valid at the time of going to press. However, due to the dynamic nature of the internet, some addresses may have changed, or sites may have changed or ceased to exist since publication. While the author and publisher regret any inconvenience this may cause readers, no responsibility for any such changes can be accepted by either the author or the publisher.

Contents

Getting it right. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Closure: punctuation at the end of a sentence . . 8 Making it right inside: internal punctuation in a sentence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Word punctuation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Spelling: using rules and memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Homonyms: sound, meaning, and spelling . . . . . . 38 Spelling when you add to words . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 Practice makes perfect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 Get them right! Frequently misspelled words . . . . . 52 Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 Find out more . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

4

Getting it right

Language is about communication. How we write and what we say are both part of this process. Two of the most important aspects of language use and communication are proper punctuation and accurate spelling. Whether your written work is a school essay, a note to a friend, a job application, or instructions for a science experiment, accuracy and attention to detail in your writing will help make your meaning clear.

Why are spelling and punctuation important? It’s not just a matter of making yourself understandable; you need to understand others as well. Reading information that is badly spelled or incorrectly punctuated can be annoying, confusing, or, in the case of technical writing, even dangerous. Here are some other reasons why getting writing right is important: • Correct use of standard spelling and punctuation makes written material easier to read. This is true, both in the sense of easily recognizing the words being used and understanding which words relate to each other. • Poor spelling and punctuation give the reader a bad impression of the writer. It can bring into question how much the writer cares about the material being written. This can really work against you when it comes to school work, CVs, and job applications. • When you make the effort to write something, even if it is just a casual email to a friend, you want the reader to concentrate on the content. If you use poor punctuation, then your reader will pay more attention to your lack of skills rather than the content of the message. • When you are writing something factual and informative, your reader might also wonder if your information is correct if your spelling and punctuation are not accurate.

QUICK TIP Glossary This book has a Glossary on pages 53–54. If you see a word you don’t understand, check the Glossary to see if the word is there. If it isn’t, try a good dictionary (see page 7).