EOC Cram: Punctuation

ApostrophesQuotation MarksCommasColons

Apostrophes: The comma in the sky!

Use apostrophes to show possession

Singular nouns & indefinite pronouns

somebody’s hat no one’s ticketa child’s toy Peru’s oceanRay Charles’s music lynx’s habitatbus’s muffler Daris’s

cupcake

Apostrophes: No-no’s!

Never use apostrophes with personal possessive pronouns.

its enginewhose mailThe responsibility is theirs.The car is ours.The rewards are yours.

Apostrophes + Plural Words

Plural words that already end in –s, just end with the apostrophe.

the Girl Scouts’ badge teachers’ cars

Add an –s + an apostrophe if the plural word doesn’t have one.

children’s surprise her teeth’s crownwomen’s decision his feet’s arches

Apostrophes + Big Words

Put the apostrophe on the last word in a compound noun.

my sister-in-law’s computerthe foster child’s happinessmy great-grandfather’s watchmy pen pal’s photograph

Apostrophes: Together?

If something is possessed by both people…use the apostrophe for the last name used.

my father and mother’s houseLord and Taylor’s department storeProcter and Gamble’s products

Apostrophes: Separate?

If the people possess something individually, each person gets and apostrophe.

Julie’s and Emma’s test scoresthe Murphy’s and Locklear’s houses

Apostrophes: Contractions Use an apostrophe

to combine two words into one.

TIP: Always break down a contraction on the EOC.

ALWAYS!

You’re You are

Who’s Who isWho has

It’s It isIt has

Can’t cannot

Apostrophes: ‘Twas a good year

Use an apostrophe in the missing numbers of a year.

Class of ’12the summer of ’62the ’08 election

Quotation Marks: QM

Use quotation marks for direct quotes.

Only put QM around what comes out of the person’s mouth.

She says, “You are such a doll!”Use a comma to separate the quote

from the rest of the sentence.