Using Punctuation Correctly

Student’s Name

Institution Affiliation

Course Name and Code

Professor’s Name

Date

Using Punctuation Correctly

Step 1: Add colons and semicolons where needed. Note that a spelling/grammar-checker does not always catch these errors.

One of the most exciting experiences in my life was traveling to Uruguay in South America; in June of 2005, through the end of August. I stayed with a family of four: mama, papa, Guillermo, and baby. They had an older sister, Michelle; she was already married and living with her husband. Papa was a T.V. and radio announcer. The schools were closed at that time; so the young people spent every day walking around the city and talking about everything we could think of: life, relationships, the future, and religion. One of the most interesting features in the city was el Cerro, which means “the hill.” It was the only real hill in Montevideo; at the top we had an amazing view of the city. I brought the following in a picnic for the trip: tortillas, tomatoes, lettuce, and cheese. Someday I hope to take my own family on a trip like this one.

Step 2: Insert or reposition apostrophes as needed and delete any needless apostrophes in the following paragraph. If a sentence is correct as given, mark the number preceding it.

The eastern coast of Belize was once a fisherman’s paradise, but overfishing caused the fishing industry’s sharp decline in this Central American country. 2 The country’s government is now showing the world that leaders’ foresight can turn a problem into an opportunity. Belize is capitalizing on something that can capture tourists’ interest: whale sharks. Huge but harmless to people, whale sharks regularly visit Belize’s coast to feed on smaller fishes’ eggs. The predictable gatherings of the sharks attract large numbers of scuba divers and snorkelers, so that the fish’s fascinating beauty has become an economic treasure. A tourist’s eagerness to spend money for an up-close view of whale sharks is Belize’s renewable and reliable resource.

Step 3: Insert dashes, parentheses, ellipsis marks, brackets, or slashes as needed in the following paragraph. In some cases, two or more different marks could be correct.

1 “Let all the learned say what they can, / ‘Tis ready money makes the man.” 2 These two lines of poetry by the Englishman William Somerville (1645–1742) may apply to a current American economic problem. 3 Non-American investors with “ready money” pour some of it—as much as $1.3 trillion in recent years—into the United States. 4 Stocks and bonds, savings deposits, service companies, factories, artworks, political campaigns—the investments of foreigners are varied and grow more numerous every day. 5 Proponents of foreign investment argue that it revives industry, strengthens the economy, creates jobs (more than 3 million, they say), and encourages free trade among nations. 6 Opponents caution that the risks associated with heavy foreign investment—namely, decreased profits at home and increased political influence from outside—may ultimately weaken the economy. 7 On both sides, it seems, “the learned say . . . / ‘Tis ready money makes the man [or country].” 8 The question is, whose money—theirs or ours?