GRAMMAR PACKET #2
PRONOUNS
and
PUNCTUATION
(Chapters 14-16)
English 60
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PRONOUNS
Pronouns are words that ___take the place of_______ nouns.
A pronoun’s __antecedent________ is the word/words that it replaces.
PRACTICE: Identify the pronoun and its antecedent in each of the
following sentences.
1. George is a wonderful father; he is loving and kind.
2. Suzanne wound the clock because it had stopped ticking.
3. Joanne and David know what they want.
4. Chris lost his favorite cap.
5. My dog ran in circles and wagged her tail.
6. Several people at the park were eating their lunches in the fresh
air.
The pronoun must ___agree_____________ with its antecedent.
For example—
1. The dog began to bark wildly; it hated being locked up in the cellar.
2. Maria spent most of her salary on rent.
Indefinite pronouns (such as nobody, everyone, someone, each, etc.) are
always _singular_______________.
For example—
1. Each of the women did her best.
2. Everyone earned his paycheck.
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Collective nouns refer to more than one person or thing.
team
audience
Some examples of collective nouns
class
company
committee
group
crowd
corporation
Most of the time, collective nouns take __singular____________ pronouns.
For example—
1. The jury in the trial announced its verdict.
2. The company I work for has been in business for years; it started in
Atlanta, Georgia.
However, when a collective noun refers to the members of the group
acting as individuals, then the noun takes a singular pronoun.
For example—
1. The team signed their contracts yesterday.
2. My favorite team began to suffer many losses when the players
began to quarrel among themselves.
Always be sure that the pronoun clearly refers to the noun you want it to
refer to.
PRACTICE: Change the following sentences to make the pronoun
reference clear.
1. Yolanda told Melissa she worried too much about little things.
Yolanda told Melissa, “You worry too much about little things.”
2. After my beagles met her cats, they were never the same.
After my beagles met her cats, the cats were never the same.
3. I ordered a salad and a soup, but I didn’t like it.
I ordered a salad and a soup, but I didn’t like the soup.
4. When Jolene picked up her daughter, she began to cry.
When Jolene picked up her daughter, her daughter began to cry.
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You must be consistent in your use of pronouns.
For example—
(not consistent) The last time I went to the movies, the only seat you
could get was in the front row.
(consistent) The last time I went to the movies, the only seat I could
get was in the front row.
(not consistent) The students were wondering where you were
supposed to register for classes.
(consistent) The students were wondering where they were
supposed to register for classes.
PRACTICE:
Edit the following sentences for consistent use of pronouns.
1. The first thing that happens when you enter the museum is that a tour
guide greets us.
The first thing that happens when you enter the museum is that a tour
guide greets you.
2. By the time the shoppers got into the store, they were so jammed into
the aisles that you couldn’t get to the sales tables.
By the time the shoppers got into the store, they were so jammed into the
aisles that they couldn’t get to the sales tables.
3. I don’t see why I should give Ellen another chance; every time she
makes a new promise, she always hurts you again.
I don’t see why I should give Ellen another chance; every time she makes
a new promise, she always hurts me again.
4. The first time I worked in the kitchen at the pizza place, the pace of the
workers was so fast that you couldn’t keep up.
The first time I worked in the kitchen at the pizza place, the pace of the
workers was so fast that I couldn’t keep up.
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COMMAS
RULE 1: Use a comma after the coordinating conjunction in a
_compound____________________sentence.
EXAMPLE: Joe is usually late for class, but today he arrived on time.
In the sentence above, label the subject (S) and verb (V) for each
independent clause. Then label each clause (IC).
Why don’t you need a comma after the word for in the example? _______
__it is not between two independent clauses
PRACTICE: Add commas in the sentences below only as needed. (Be sure
to check whether the sentence is compound.)
1. We need to study more, so we can pass the test.
2. Alice made dinner, but no one liked it.
3. We will eat pizza or spaghetti for dinner.
4. Sam is in love with Sally, but she already has a boyfriend.
RULE 2: Use a comma to separate items in a series (or list) AND BEFORE THE
CONJUNCTION (such as and). The items may be nouns, phrases, or
clauses.
EXAMPLES:
1. We had apples, cheese, and wine on our picnic.
2. We ran around the track, up the stadium steps, down the steps, and
across the field.
3. Parents usually care what school their children attend, who their friends
are, and how well they keep up their grades.
PRACTICE: Add commas in the sentences below as needed.
1. Magazines, paperback novels, and textbooks crowded the
shelves.
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2. Sam needs a loan, a good job, and a friend.
3. Pat sat in the office, checked her watch, and flipped nervously
through a magazine.
RULE 3: Use a comma between two adjectives that modify the same
noun.
EXAMPLES:
Joe bit into the ripe, juicy apple.
People entered the crowded, noisy stadium.
NOTE: No comma is needed if you have the word and between the
adjectives.
EXAMPLE: Joe bit into the ripe and juicy apple.
PRACTICE: Add commas where necessary in the following sentences.
1. I have an old but happy-go-lucky dog.
2. Whose shiny, new bike is that?
RULE 4: Use a comma after an introductory phrase, whether the phrase be
• a prepositional phrase
-such as After the game, we went to a party.
• a dependent clause
-such as Because we overslept, our friends left without us.
• a verbal phrase that is not the subject of the sentence
-such as To pass the class, you must attend regularly.
• a transitional word or phrase at the beginning of the sentence
-such as In fact, that was the easiest class I’ve had to take.
• an interjection that starts the sentence.
-such as Yes, I will go to the movies with you.
PRACTICE: Add commas where necessary in the following sentences.
1. Instead, Joe decided to take the summer off.
2. The next morning, the newspaper reported the election results.
3. When Joe is playing video games, he does not answer his phone.
4. Yawning loudly, Eric turned off the alarm clock.
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5. On the other hand, you might want to study more before the test.
6. Before lunch, I started feeling sick.
7. No, I don’t want to go out to eat today.
RULE 5: Put commas around interrupters. An interrupter is a word, phrase,
or clause that is not essential to the meaning of the sentence. If you took
the interrupter out, the sentence would still make perfect sense.
EXAMPLES:
1. The dog, tail wagging, bounded toward its owner.
2. The student, disappointed by her grade, dropped the course.
3. The college, which is located in Bakersfield, offers satellite classes
in Delano.
4. The judge, however, is extremely impatient.
5. I do not know, Sally, whether or not you will be able to pass the
class.
NOTE: Restrictive (or essential) clauses do not need commas. This means
that a clause which is necessary in order for you to understand the
meaning of the sentence does not get set off with commas.
EXAMPLES:
1. The suit that he bought was very expensive.
2. A woman who is the director of a company earns a high salary.
In order to determine if a clause is restrictive (and does not need
commas) or non-restrictive (and does need commas), look at the
sentence and determine whether the clause is necessary to the meaning
of the sentence.
PRACTICE: Add commas where needed in the following sentences.
1. My uncle who speaks perfect Spanish is going to translate for me.
2. Joe, the class clown, made another joke.
3. My aunt, the one who lives in Denver, wants to come for a visit.
4. The dogs that stole our lunch are going to be in big trouble.
NOTE: Appositives may come at the middle or end of a sentence, and
need to be set off by commas if they are not restrictive.
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EXAMPLES:
1. Nipomo, a small town on the central coast, is where my friends
are from.
2. My friends are from Nipomo, a small town on the central coast.
(Only one comma is needed here because the appositive
comes at the end of the sentence.)
RULE 6: In quotations—
• Put a comma after the word says, states, explains, etc., before the
quotation.
EXAMPLE: Helen Toeffler writes, “We can all make a
difference.”
• Put a comma inside the quotation marks if the sentence continues
after the quote.
EXAMPLE: “We can all make a difference,” Toeffler writes.
EXAMPLE: “We can all,” Toeffler writes, “make a difference.”
PRACTICE: Add commas where needed in the sentences below.
1. Karen asked, “Would you mind helping me lift this box?”
2. “If you’re not going to watch TV,” said Pat, “at least let me have the
remote.”
3. “I can never find my keys,” complained Joe.
RULE 7: In dates and addresses—
• Put a comma between the date and the year AND after the year if
the sentence continues.
EXAMPLE: The article appeared on June 12, 2008, in The Los
Angeles Times.
• Put a comma between the city and state or country AND after the
state/country if the sentence continues.
EXAMPLE: She was born in Sydney, Australia, in 1988.
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SEMICOLONS
RULE 1. Semicolons appear between two _independent clauses____.
EXAMPLE:
The storm finally died down; we can relax now.
If you have a conjunctive adverb between the independent clauses,
then you need a semicolon before the conjunctive adverb and a
__comma_______________________ after the conjunctive adverb.
EXAMPLE:
The storm died down; finally, we can relax.
RULE 2. Use semicolons to separate items in a list when the items
themselves contain commas.
EXAMPLE: This summer we are planning to visit Barcelona, Spain; Paris,
France; and Lisbon, Portugal.
PRACTICE: Add semicolons and commas as needed in the following
sentences.
1. The chemistry lab blew up; consequently, the professor was fired.
2. I finished typing the paper; however, I forgot to bring it to class.
3. Joe worked 4 extra hours last night; consequently, he is exhausted
today.
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COLONS
ONLY USE A COLON AFTER AN ___independent clause______________.
IC: ______.
After the colon, you may have another independent clause, a phrase,
or a list.
EXAMPLES:
1. The man had one goal: He wanted to go to college.
2. The man had one goal: to go to college.
3. The man had one goal: college.
4. I need several items from the store: bread, milk, and eggs.
5. I need the following items from the store: bread, milk, and eggs.
END PUNCTUATION
Be sure to put a period, question mark, or exclamation point at the end
of every sentence.
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QUOTATION MARKS
RULE 1. Quotation marks go around a person’s exact words OR around
anything you directly copy from a source.
EXAMPLE:
Debra Saunders writes, “Freedom slips away slowly.”
RULE 2. Commas and periods always go inside the quotation marks.
EXAMPLES:
-Debra Saunders writes, “Freedom slips away slowly.”
-“Freedom slips away slowly,” Debra Saunders writes.
-Beth Taylor complains that the peanut butter and jelly sandwich turns
out to be “one of the children’s very favorite meals.”
RULE 3. A quotation within a quotation gets single quotation marks.
EXAMPLE:
Richard Marosi explains the problem with the peanut butter and jelly
sandwich: “’It turned out to be one of the children’s very favorite
meals,’ said Beth Taylor,” a school cafeteria worker.
RULE 4. Use quotation marks around titles of short works, such as article
titles, poem titles, essay titles, and short story titles.
EXAMPLE:
Richard Marosi explains the problem in his article “The Cheese
Sandwich Punishment,” which appeared in The Los Angeles Times.
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APOSTROPHES
RULE 1. Use an apostrophe to replace the missing letter in a contraction.
EXAMPLES:
can not = can’t
do not = don’t
they are = they’re
RULE 2. Use an apostrophe to show possession.
A. To form the possessive of a singular noun, add an apostrophe + s.
the zebra's stripes
the dean's list
B. To form the possessive of a plural noun ending in s, add only an
apostrophe.
firelighters' trucks
tourists' luggage
C. To form the possessive of an irregular plural noun not ending in s, add
an apostrophe and an s.
children's entertainment
women's studies
D. To form the possessive of any singular proper noun, add an apostrophe
and an s.
Dickens's reputation
Marx's precepts
E. To form the possessive of a plural proper noun, add only an
apostrophe.
the Vanderbilts' estate
the Dickenses' economic woes
For an easy way to figure out if you need an apostrophe—and if so where
to put it—see the flowchart on the following page.
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