Anthony's Workshop - My Tutorial Second

'Learning is what most adults will do for a living in the 21st century'

- Einstein

If you have
any question regarding me,
my workshop
or grammar, you can always drop in to ask me. To contact me, you will have to click here and send me an e-mail. I am waiting!!!

I have compiled some tips and techniques for you so that you can understand
grammar well. You will be told about the full stop, the comma, the semicolon, the
colon, the end punctuation, the quotation marks, the apostrophe and the dash in the researched material below and I am sure you will like it. It will also help you in solving My Exercises. Bon voyage!

The punctuation marks that signal the end of a sentence are the period, the question mark and the exclamation mark.

You use the period, by far the most common of the end punctuation marks, to terminate a sentence that makes a statement. You may also use periods with imperative

Without a doubt, Lady Emily was much happier after her divorce.

Turn right at the stop sign.

Bring me a cup of coffee and a cheese danish.


When you want to express a sense of urgency or very strong emotion, you may end your imperative sentences and statements with an exclamation mark: Look out below! Leave this house at once! I hate him!

Exclamation marks are, however, rare in formal writing. Use them sparingly, if
at all.

You should use the question mark at the end of a direct question:

Who's on first?

Where is my flowered cape?

Be careful not to use a question mark at the end of an indirect question. Indirect questions are simply statements, and therefore end with a period:

I wonder who was chosen as Harvest King in the county fair.

She asked if she could play pinball.

The teacher asked who was chewing gum.


The exact rules for quotation marks vary greatly from language to language and even from country to country within the English-speaking world. In North American usage, you should place double quotation marks (") before and after directly quoted material and words of dialogue:

One critic ended his glowing review with this superlative: "It is simply the best film ever made about potato farming."

May replied, "This is the last cookie."

You also use quotation marks are used to set off certain titles, usually those of minor or short works -- essays, short stories, short poems, songs, articles in periodicals, etc. For titles of longer works and separate publications, you should use italics (or underlined, if italics are not available). Use italics for titles of books, magazines, periodicals, newspapers, films, plays, long poems, long musical works, and television and radio programs.

One critic ended his glowing review with this superlative: "It is simply the best film ever made about potato farming."
May replied, "This is the last cookie."

Sometimes, you will use quotation marks to set off words specifically referred to as terms, though some publishers prefer italics:

I know you like the word "unique," but do you really have to use it ten times in one essay?

"Well" is sometimes a noun, sometimes an adverb, sometimes an adjective and sometimes a verb.

Quotations Marks with Other Punctuation

One question that frequently arises with quotation marks is where to place other punctuation marks in relation to them. Again, these rules vary from region to region, but North American usage is quite simple:

Commas and periods always go inside the quotation marks.

I know you are fond of the story "Children of the Corn," but is it an appropriate subject for your essay?

"At last," said the old woman, "I can say I am truly happy."

Semicolons and colons always go outside the quotation marks.

She never liked the poem "Dover Beach"; in fact, it was her least favorite piece of Victorian literature.

He clearly states his opinion in the article "Of Human Bondage": he believes that television has enslaved and diminished an entire generation.

Note that in North American usage, you should use single quotation marks (') only to set off quoted material (or a minor title) inside a quotation.

"I think she said ‘I will try,’ not ‘I won’t try,’” explained Sandy.


You should use an apostrophe to form the possessive case of a noun or to show that you have left out letters in a contraction. Note that you should not generally use contractions in formal, academic writing.

The convertible's engine has finally died. (The noun "convertible's" is in the possessive case)

I haven't seen my roommate for two weeks. (The verb "haven't" is a contraction of "have not")

To form the possessive of a plural noun ending in "s," simply place an apostrophe after the "s."

He has his three sons' futures in mind.

In many suburbs, the houses' designs are too much alike.

Possessive pronouns - for example, "hers," "yours," and "theirs" - do not take apostrophes. This is the case for the possessive pronoun "its" as well: when you write "it's" with an apostrophe, you are writing a contraction for "it is."

The spaceship landed hard, damaging its radar receiver. ("its" is the possessive pronoun)

It's your mother on the phone. ("it's" is the contraction of "it is")


As noted in the section on commas, you can use a dash at the beginning and end of parenthetical information. Usually, you will use dashes when you want to emphasize the information, but you might also use them if the parenthetical information is too long or abrupt to be set off with commas.

I think you would look fine wearing either the silk blouse – the one with the blue pattern – or the angora sweater. (abrupt interruption)

The idea of returning to the basics in the classroom – a notion which, incidentally, has been quietly supported for years by many respected teachers – is finally gaining some currency with school administrators. (lengthy interruption containing internal commas)

You can use a dash to conclude a list of elements, focusing them all toward one point.

Chocolate, cream, honey and peanut butter – all go into this fabulously rich dessert.

Dashes also mark sharp turns in thought.

We pored over exotic, mouth-watering menus from Nemo Catering, Menu du Jour, Taste Temptations, and three other reputable caterers – and rejected them all.