# Punctuation Power-Up: Your Last-Minute SAT Guide Hey there! Punctuation might seem like a small detail, but it's a HUGE deal on the SAT. Think of it as the traffic signals of writing—guiding your reader smoothly through your ideas. Let's get you prepped to ace those questions! 🚦 ## Punctuation Rules for Sentences ### Commas and Semicolons - **Commas:** - Use commas to separate independent clauses when they're linked by a FANBOYS conjunction (**f**or, **a**nd, **n**or, **b**ut, **o**r, **y**et, **s**o). - Use commas to set off nonessential info (nonrestrictive elements), list items, and introductory elements. - Example: *She loves to paint, and she spends hours in her studio.* - **Semicolons:** - Use semicolons to join closely related independent clauses that aren't connected by a FANBOYS conjunction. - Use semicolons to separate items in a list when those items already contain commas. - Example: *She loves cooking, especially baking; reading mystery novels; and hiking in the mountains.* 🏔️ ### Colons and Dashes - **Colons:** - Use colons to introduce lists, explanations, or examples. - Use colons to separate independent clauses when the second explains or illustrates the first. - Example: *There's only one thing I want for my birthday: a new laptop.* 💻 - **Dashes:** - Use dashes to set off parenthetical elements that contain commas, emphasize points, or indicate a sudden shift in thought. - Use dashes to set off appositives. - **Em dashes** (—) replace commas, parentheses, or colons, while **en dashes** (–) show ranges or link compound adjectives. - Example: *The conference attendees came from three countries—the United States, Canada, and Mexico—to discuss climate change.* 🌍 **FANBOYS** mnemonic for coordinating conjunctions: **F**or, **A**nd, **N**or, **B**ut, **O**r, **Y**et, **S**o. Remember these to correctly use commas with independent clauses. ## Punctuation Marks in Writing ### Apostrophes and Quotation Marks - **Apostrophes:** - Use apostrophes to show possession for singular and plural nouns. *Example: the cat's toy, the students' projects.* - Use apostrophes to mark omitted letters in contractions. *Example: can't, it's.* - Use apostrophes to form certain plurals (lowercase letters, abbreviations with periods, and symbols). *Example: p's, M.D.'s, &'s.* - **Quotation Marks:** - Use quotation marks to enclose direct quotations, titles of short works (articles, poems, short stories, episodes), and words used in a special way. - Use single quotation marks for quotations inside quotations. - Example: *She asked, "Did you read 'The Raven' by Edgar Allan Poe?"* 📚 ### Parentheses and Hyphens - **Parentheses:** - Use parentheses to enclose extra info that's not essential to the sentence's meaning. - Example: *The well-known author (born in 1965) wrote a best-selling novel about the Civil War era (1861–1865).* - **Hyphens:** - Use hyphens to join compound words and separate prefixes from proper nouns or adjectives. - Use hyphens to divide words at the end of a line. - Use hyphens to show number ranges or clarify meaning in compound modifiers. - Example: *a well-known author, a pre-Civil War event, a ten-year study.* Remember **POSSESSIONS, CONTRACTIONS, PLURALS** for apostrophes. This will help you remember the three main uses for apostrophes. ## Common Punctuation Errors ### Sentence Structure Errors - **Comma Splices:** - **What it is:** Joining two independent clauses with just a comma (no FANBOYS). - **How to fix it:** Use a period, semicolon, or comma with a FANBOYS conjunction. - Example: *Incorrect: The movie was excellent, the book was even better. Correct: The movie was excellent; however, the book was even better.* - **Run-on Sentences:** - **What it is:** Joining independent clauses without proper punctuation or conjunctions. - **How to fix it:** Use a period, semicolon, comma with a FANBOYS, or subordinate one clause. - Example: *Incorrect: The sun was shining the birds were singing. Correct: The sun was shining, and the birds were singing.* ### Misuse of Punctuation Marks - **Apostrophes:** - Don't use apostrophes to form plural nouns. *Example: Incorrect: The cat's are sleeping. Correct: The cats are sleeping.* - Do include apostrophes in possessive forms. *Example: Incorrect: The cats toy. Correct: The cat's toy.* - **Modifiers:** - Keep modifiers close to the words they describe to avoid confusion. - **Quotation Marks:** - Place punctuation inside quotation marks, except for semicolons and colons. - **Consistency:** - Avoid unnecessary or inconsistent punctuation. *Example: Incorrect: The company's profits increased by 15% in the third quarter—(a significant improvement over previous years). Correct: The company's profits increased by 15% in the third quarter (a significant improvement over previous years).* Avoid using apostrophes to form plural nouns. This is a very common mistake. Remember, use apostrophes for possession and contractions, not for simple plurals. ## Final Exam Focus Okay, you're almost there! Here's what to focus on: - **High-Priority Topics:** - **Commas with FANBOYS:** Make sure you know how to correctly separate independent clauses. - **Semicolons:** Know when to use them to link related ideas. - **Dashes:** Understand how to use them for emphasis and parenthetical information. - **Apostrophes:** Master possessives and contractions. - **Common Question Types:** - **Identifying and correcting comma splices and run-on sentences.** - **Choosing the correct punctuation mark for specific contexts.** - **Placing modifiers correctly to avoid ambiguity.** - **Last-Minute Tips:** - **Read carefully:** Pay close attention to the context of each sentence. - **Eliminate wrong answers:** Use process of elimination to narrow down your choices. - **Trust your ear:** If something sounds off, it probably is. - **Don't overthink it:** Stick to the basic rules you've reviewed. When you're short on time, focus on the core punctuation rules: comma splices, run-ons, and apostrophes. These are often the easiest to spot and fix quickly. ## Practice Questions **Multiple Choice Questions:** 1. The old house stood on a hill overlooking the town its windows were dark and empty. (A) town, its (B) town; its (C) town. Its (D) town its 2. The team's coach a former Olympic athlete gave a motivational speech before the game. (A) coach, a former Olympic athlete, gave (B) coach; a former Olympic athlete gave (C) coach—a former Olympic athlete—gave (D) coach a former Olympic athlete gave 3. She bought apples, bananas, and oranges; she also bought some grapes. (A) oranges, she (B) oranges; she (C) oranges. She (D) oranges she **Free Response Question:** Rewrite the following paragraph, correcting all errors in punctuation and sentence structure. Explain the changes you made. "The book I read last night it was a mystery about a detective solving a case, it was very exciting!" The author's writing style it was very descriptive, I could picture everything in my mind. The main character he was very clever he solved the mystery quickly. The ending was surprising and unexpected, it left me wanting more. I cant wait to read the next book in the series. **Scoring Breakdown:** * **Corrected Paragraph (4 points):** * "The book I read last night was a mystery about a detective solving a case; it was very exciting!" (1 point for correcting the run-on sentence and adding a semicolon) * "The author's writing style was very descriptive; I could picture everything in my mind." (1 point for correcting the run-on sentence and adding a semicolon) * "The main character was very clever; he solved the mystery quickly." (1 point for correcting the run-on sentence and adding a semicolon) * "The ending was surprising and unexpected, and it left me wanting more. I can't wait to read the next book in the series." (1 point for correcting the run-on sentence, adding a coordinating conjunction, and correcting the contraction) * **Explanation of Changes (2 points):** * 1 point for explaining the correction of run-on sentences (using semicolons or FANBOYS conjunctions). * 1 point for explaining the correction of the contraction. You've got this! Remember, punctuation is your friend—it's there to help you communicate clearly and effectively. Now go ace that SAT! 🚀

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Punctuation

Lisa Chen

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