4TH QUARTER WRITING SLIDES

'IT'S' VERSUS 'IT'

• The word 'it's' is always short for 'it is' or, for informal speech, 'it has'.
• Example: It's raining. It's got six legs.
• The word 'its' means 'belonging to it'.
• Example: The dog chased its tail.

COMMAS

• There are only four common occasions when commas are necessary.
• 1. Using commas in lists. Example: The flag was red, white, and blue.
• 2. Using commas in direct speech. Example: 'That's not fair,' she said.
• 3. Using commas to separate clauses. Example: When we arrived, we were reluctant to wait.
• 4. Using commas to mark off part of a sentence. Example: Her best friend, Elena, sang for a living.

USING CAPITAL LETTERS

• You should use capital letters in the names of people, places, at the beginning of a sentence, titles, and in the first letter of abbreviated words.
• Ex.) African, Shakespeare, Pride and Prejudice, and (United States of America).
• Ex.) The museum has huge potential.

WORDS CONTAINING THE LETTER Q

• The letter q is always followed by the vowel u.
• Examples: queen, quiz, acquaintance, and frequent.
• There are no common exceptions.

DROPPING THE FINAL E

• Drop the final e before a suffix beginning with a vowel, but not before a suffix beginning with a consonant.
• Example: ride + ing = riding
• Common exceptions: truly, noticeable.

CHANGING A FINAL Y TO I

• Change a final y to i before a suffix, unless the suffix begins with i.
• Examples: try + es = tries, try + ing = trying
• Common exception: journey.

Using I Before E

• Always use i before e, except after c.
• Examples: believe, piece, thief, and chief.
• Common exceptions: height, weird, and foreign.

DOUBLING A FINAL CONSONANT

• Double a final single consonant before a suffix beginning with a vowel when a single vowel precedes the consonant and when the consonant ends an accented syllable or a one-syllable word.
• Example: stop + ing = stopping

'I' OR 'ME'?

• Use the pronoun 'I', along with other subjective pronouns, when the pronoun is the subject of a verb.
• Example: Claire and I are going for a coffee.
• Use the pronoun 'me', along with other objective pronouns, when the pronoun is the object of a verb.
• Example: The dog followed John and me to the door.

'TO' OR 'TOO'?

• 'To' can be used as a preposition or used as a verb stem as part of a verb phrase.
• Example: We took the train to London. I would like to see you soon.
• 'Too' can be used to describe something being done excessively or used in place of 'also' or 'as well'.
• Example: You're driving too fast. I would like some dinner too.

WEBSITES USED

• http://grammar.about.com/od/words/tp/spellrules.htm
• http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/words/usage
• http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/words/spelling-rules-and-tips
• http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/words/punctuation