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Name______Hour______

MUG Shot Concepts

  • Abbreviations: Never use abbreviations, signs, or symbols in formal writing. An abbreviation is the shortened form of a word or phrase.

Abbreviations / H2O (water)

Signs & Symbols

/ % (percent) & (and)
  • In Amer., 53.9% of high school students attend college. (incorrect)
  • In America, 53.9 percent of high school students attend college. (correct)
  • Articles: Use the correct form of the adjectives a, an, the. See the rules in the chart below.

a / before consonant sounds (h)
an / before vowels (e)
  • Anhuman heart beats about 100,000 times a day. (incorrect)
  • A human heart beats about 100,000 times a day. (correct)
  • Adjectives & Adverbs Comparative/Superlative: Use the correct comparative or superlative form for adjectives and adverbs. For example, you will never use –er and more; it is always be either –er or more.

Comparative (2) / Superlative (3 or more)
-er / -est
more / most
  • My brother is more better at math than I am. (incorrect)
  • My brother is better at math than I am. (correct)
  • Apostrophe: Use an apostrophe to form contractions or to show possession (ownership).

Contractions / doesn’t (does not)
Singular Possessives / boy’s bike
Plural Possessives / students’ homework
  • Read all contractions out long ways to see if they work in the sentence (it’s would be read it is).
  • My best friendshouse is right across the street. (incorrect)
  • My best friend’s house is right across the street. (correct)
  • Capitalization: Be sure to capitalize the following:

Proper Nouns / Indiana (names a specific state)
Proper Adjectives / Asian (names a specific group of people)
Names of People / Leah Hernandez
Titles Used With Names / Dr. Silvia Vicente
Words Used as Names / “So, Mom, what are you doing here?” I asked.
SpecificSchool Subjects / Modern Literature
Official Names / Old Navy
Races, Languages, Nationalities, Religions / Arab, Spanish, Catholicism
Days, Months, Holidays / Thursday, September, Thanksgiving
Historical Events / World War II
Geographic Names / Europe, Gulf of Mexico, Interstate 80
Particular Sections of the Country / East Coast
First Words / In many families, pets are treated like people.
Titles / Where the Red Fern Grows
Abbreviations / Mrs. UPS
Organizations / the Red Cross
Letters / T-shirt
  • Colon: Use a colon to do the following:

Introduce Lists / Certain items are difficult to recycle: foam cups, car tires, and toxic chemicals.
After Salutations / Dear Mrs. Elliot:
For Emphasis / Here’s one thing that can help save energy: a programmable thermostat.
Between Numbers in Time / 11:00 p.m.
  • Combining Sentences: Combine sentences to make your writing flow smoothly. The following chart shows three different examples of when you should combine sentences.

Key Words or Phrases / Bessie Coleman wanted to open a school for young African Americans. Shewanted to open flight school.
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Bessie Coleman wanted to open a flight school for young African Americans.
Series of Words / When the brothers tested the balloon, a sheep went up in the balloon basket. A duck was on board. A rooster was also on board.
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When the brothers tested the balloon, a sheep, duck, and a rooster went up in the balloon basket.
Subjects & Predicates / Orville Wright was an inventor. So was Wilbur Wright.
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Orville and Wilbur Wright were inventors.
  • Comma (Addresses and Dates):

Addresses: Use a comma to separate the street address from the city, the city from the state, and the entire address from the rest of the sentence.

  • The address of the KingCenter is 449 Auburn Avenue, Atlanta, Georgia 30312.

Dates: Use a comma to separate the day from the year and the year from the rest of the sentence.

  • On August 28, 1963, Martin Luther King, Jr., gave his famous “I Have a Dream” speech.
  • Comma (Appositives): Use a comma to separate a word or group of words that renames (tells who or what) about the subject of a sentence.
  • Mrs. Jewett, my English teacher, is in room 510.
  • Comma (Compound Sentence): Use a comma to combine two complete sentences that are joined by the conjunction and, or, but.
  • Many students enjoy working on computers, so teachers are finding new ways to use them in the classroom.
  • Comma (Dialogue): Use a comma to separate the speaker tag from the direct quote in a sentence.
  • The firefighter said, “When we cannot successfully put out a fire, we try to keep it from spreading.”
  • Comma (Direct Address): Use a comma if you are directly addressing someone in a sentence.
  • Sure, Jack,an architect can use a computer to see how light will fall in different places of a building.
  • Comma (Interjections): Use commas to separate an interjection from the rest of the sentence.
  • Uh-huh, and that teacher has other classes that size.
  • Comma (Items in a Series): Use a comma to separate lists of three or more things in a sentence.
  • Chinese, English, and Hindi are the three most widely used languages in the world.
  • Comma (Nonrestrictive Phrases): Use commas to separate phrase that are not needed to complete the meaning of a sentence.
  • People get drinking water from surface water or groundwater, which makes up only 1 percent of the earth’s water supply.
  • Comma (Numbers): Use commas to separate the hundreds, from the thousands, from the millions, and so on.
  • More than 104,000 people live in Kingston, the capital of Jamaica.
  • Comma (Titles and Initials): Use a comma to separate a title or initials that come after a person’s last name.
  • Melanie Prokat, M.D., is our family’s doctor. However, she is listed in the phone book only as Prokat, M.
  • Comma (To Separate Adjectives): Use a comma to separate two or more adjectives that come before the noun they are describing.
  • Comfortable, efficient cars are becoming more important to drivers.
  • Comma (To Separate Introductory Phrases): Use a comma to separate a phrase that starts off a sentence.
  • According to some experts, solar-powered cars will soon be common.
  • Comma (Unnecessary): Remove commas that are not needed.
  • A deaf husband,and a blind wife,are always a happy couple. (incorrect)
  • A deaf husband and a blind wife are always a happy couple. (correct)
  • Comma Splice: Avoid comma splices. They result when two sentences are spliced together with only a comma—and no conjunction.
  • I am going to the store, then I need to go home. (incorrect)
  • I am going to the store, and then I need to go home. (correct)
  • Dash: Use a dash to indicate a sudden break, for emphasis, or to indicate interrupted speech.

Sudden Break / The three of us came down with colds, lost our voices, and missed the football game—all because we had practiced in the rain.
Emphasis / Vitamins and minerals—important dietary supplements—can improve your diet.
Interrupted Speech / Well—yes, I understand.
  • Double Negative: Avoid double negatives. A double negative happens when two negative words are used together in the same sentence. Fix double negatives by removing one of the negative words.
  • I don’t never want to hear you say you cannot do something. (incorrect)
  • I never want to hear you say you cannot do something. (correct)
  • Double Subject: Avoid double subjects. A double subject happens when there are two subjects used in one sentence unnecessarily. Fix double subjects by removing the less detailed subject.
  • A man he was laughing. (incorrect)
  • A man was laughing. (correct)
  • End Punctuation: Always end a sentence with a period, question mark, or exclamation point.

Period / Use a period if the sentence makes a statement or request.
Question Mark / Use a question mark if the sentence asks a question.
Exclamation Point / Use an exclamation point if the sentence shows emotion.
  • Hyphen: Use a hyphen to divide words, in compound words, to create new words, between numbers in a fraction, to form adjectives, to join letters to words, and to avoid confusion.

Divide Words / If you run out of room at the end of a line. epi-sode
Compound Words / Thirty-three
New Words / Self-cleaning
Numbers in Fraction / Four-tenths
Form Adjectives / Dress-up clothes
Join Letters / U-turn
Avoid Confusion / Re-collect the reports we handed back last week.
  • Interjection: Use a comma or exclamation point and capital letter after an interjection in a sentence.An interjection is a word (set off by commas or an exclamation point) that shows strong emotion.
  • Stop! There is a car heading your way!
  • Hey, how are you?
  • Italics and Underlining: The following list needs to be underlined or written in italics. Use italics (slightly slanted type) when typing on a computer and underline when writing by hand.

Titles / books, plays, book-length poems, magazines, newspapers, radio and television programs, movies, videos, cassettes, CD’s, and the names of aircrafts, and ships.
Scientific & Foreign Words / Many store owners who can help Spanish-speaking customers display an Hablamos Espanol sign in their windows.
Special Uses / Matt’s hat has a bright red A on it.
  • Misplaced Modifier: Correct misplaced modifiers. A modifier is a word or group of words that is describing something that is incorrectly placed in the sentence.
  • The girl was walking the dog in red shorts. (incorrect)
  • The girl in red shorts was walking the dog. (correct)
  • Nonstandard Language: Slang that should never be used in formal writing.
  • I would of taken the bus, but I overslept. (incorrect)
  • I would have taken the bus, but I overslept. (correct)
  • Numbers: Follow the rules listed below when writing numbers.

Numbers Under 10 /
  • Numbers from one to nine write out in word form (four)
  • Numbers 10 and over write out in number form (23)

Numerals Only

/
  • Use numerals to express the following: money, decimals, percentages, chapters, pages, time, telephone numbers, dates, identification numbers, addresses, ZIP codes, statistics, and when abbreviations and symbols are used (7%).

Very Large Numbers

/
  • Use a combination of numerals and words for very large numbers (17 million)
  • Spell out large numbers that can be written as two words. (nine thousand)
  • If more than two words are needed, use the numeral. (3,500 instead of three thousand five hundred)

Comparing Numbers /
  • If you are comparing two or more numbers in a sentence, write all of them the same way: as numerals or words.
Students from 9 to fourteen years old are invited. (incorrect)
Students from 9 to 14 years old are invited. (correct)
Numbers in Compound Modifiers /
  • A compound modifier may include a numeral.
The floorboards come in 10-foot lengths.
  • When a number comes before a compound modifier that includes a numeral, use words instead of numerals.
We need eleven 10-foot lengths to finish the floor.

Sentence Beginnings

/
  • Use words, not numerals, to begin a sentence.
9 students had turned in their homework. (incorrect)
Nine students had turned in their homework. (correct)
Time & Money /
  • When time or money is expressed with an abbreviation, use numerals. (6:00 a.m. or $25)
  • When either is expressed with words, spell out the number. (six o’clock or twenty-five dollars)

  • Parallelism: Repeating similar words, phrases, or sentences to give writing rhythm.
  • I would enjoy eating a hamburger, a steak, or the taco. (incorrect)
  • I would enjoy eating a hamburger, a steak, or a taco. (correct)
  • Parentheses: Use parentheses when adding information or clarifying an idea.
  • Cures for diseases (from arthritis to AIDS) may be found in plants in the rain forest.
  • Only about 10 percent (27,000) of the plant species in the world have been studied.
  • Period:Use a period to end a sentence, after initials, after abbreviations, and as a decimal point.

End of Sentence / The Southern Ocean surrounds Antarctica.
After Initials / J.K. Rowling
After Abbreviations / Mrs. Hernandez
As Decimal Points / $1.54
  • Plurals: Follow the rules listed below when forming plurals.
Most Nouns /
  • The plurals of most nouns are formed by adding –s to the singular.
cheerleader—cheerleaders wheel—wheels
Nouns Ending in ch, sh, s, x, and z /
  • The plural form of nouns ending in ch, sh, s, x, and z is made by adding –es to the singular.
lunch—lunches fox—foxes buzz-buzzes
Nouns Ending in o /
  • The plurals of nouns ending in o with a vowel just before the o are formed by adding -s.
radio—radios studio—studios rodeo—rodeos
  • The plural of most nouns ending in o with a consonant just before the o are formed by adding –es.
echo—echoes hero—heroes tomato--tomatoes
Nouns ending in ful /
  • The plurals of nouns that end with ful are formed by adding an s at the end of the word.
three platefuls four cupfuls five pailfuls
Nouns Ending in f or fe /
  • The plurals of nouns that end in f or fe are formed in one of two ways: If the final f sound is still heard in the plural form of the word, simply add –s.
roof—roofs chief—chiefs belief—beliefs
  • If the final sound is a v sound, change the f to ve and add s.
wife—wives loaf—loaves leaf—leaves
Nouns ending in y /
  • The plurals of common nouns that end in y with a consonant letter just before the y are formed by changing the y to I and adding –es.
fly—flies baby—babies cavity—cavities
  • The plurals of common nouns that end in y with a vowel before the y are formed by adding only –s.
key—keys holiday—holidays attorney--attorneys
Compound Nouns /
  • The plurals of some compound nouns are formed by adding –s or –es to the main word in the compound.
brothers-in-law maids of honor secretaries of state
Plurals That Do Not Change /
  • The plurals of some words are the same in singular and plural form.
deer sheep trout aircraft
Irregular Spelling /
  • Some words (including many foreign words) form a plural by taking on an irregular spelling
child—children mouse—mice goose—geese
Adding an ‘s /
  • The plurals of letters, figures, symbols, and words discussed as words are formed by adding an apostrophe and an –s.
B’s 2’s Ph.D’s
  • Pronoun (Reflexive): Make sure the reflexive pronoun agrees with the subject in number and gender. Itself, myself, himself, herself, and yourself are some example reflexive pronouns
  • A chameleon protects himself from danger by changing colors. (Incorrect)
  • A chameleon protects itself from danger by changing colors.(Correct)
  • Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement: An antecedent is the noun that the pronoun refers to. Make sure the pronoun agrees with the antecedent in numberand gender.
  • Every student needs to take out their book. (incorrect)
  • Every student needs to take out his or her book. (correct)
  • Quotation Marks: Use quotation marks to set off the exact words of a speaker.

To Set Off a Speaker’s Exact Words /
  • Place quotation marks before and after a speaker’s exact words in dialoge. Only the exact words of the speaker are placed within quotation marks.
Maria said, “ I’ve decided to become a firefighter.”
Placement of Punctuation /
  • Always place periods and commas inside quotation marks.
“I don’t know,” said Lac.
Lac said, “I don’t know.”
  • Place an exclamation point or a question mark inside the quotation marks when it punctuates the quotation.
Ms. Wiley asked, “Can you actually tour the Smithsonian on the Internet?”
  • Place it outside when it punctuates the main sentence.
Did I hear you say, “Now we can tour the Smithsonian on the Internet”?
  • Place semicolons outside quotation marks.
First I will read the article “Sonny’s Blues”; then I will read “The Star Café” in my favorite music magazine.
  • Rambling/Wordy Sentence: Be sure to eliminate rambling sentences, which happen when you join too many sentences with the word and.
  • Rambling Sentence: Air traffic controllers work in the control towers at airports and they have very important jobs and they must know where all the planes are, both in the air and on the ground.
  • Corrected: Air traffic controllers work in the control towers at airports, and they have very important jobs. They must know where all the planes are, both in the air and on the ground.
  • Run-On Sentence: To fix a run-on, divide the sentences into two or more complete sentences or add a comma and a conjunction.
  • This year, I learned what flight attendants doI think I might like to be one someday. (Run-On)
  • This year, I learned what flight attendants do. I think I might like to be one someday. (Correct)
  • This year, I learned what flight attendants do, and I think I might like to be one someday. (Correct)
  • Semicolon: Use a semicolon to join two complete sentences or to separate groups that contain commas.
  • The United States has more computers than any other country;its residents own more than 164 million of them.
  • Sentence Fragment: Do not use sentence fragments, which are incomplete sentences. They may be missing a subject, a predicate, or both.
  • Is a place where airplanes take off and land. (Fragment)
  • An airport is a place where airplanes take off and land. (Correct)
  • Spelling: Make sure all words are spelled correctly. You may use a classroom dictionary.
  • Subject-Verb Agreement: Singular subjects need singular verbs, and plural subjects need plural verbs.

Singular Subject / one person, place, thing, or idea
Plural Subject / more than one person, place, thing, or idea
Singular Verb / ends in an –s
Plural Verb / doesn’t end in an –s
  • Luis enjoys airport field trips.
  • My classmates enjoy airport field trips.
  • Using the Right Word: Know the difference between two or more words that are often confused.
  • I went too the store yesterday. (incorrect)
  • I went to the store yesterday. (correct)
  • Verb (Irregular): Irregular verbs do not follow the -ed rule. Instead of adding -ed, the word might change.
  • Yesterday she runned. (incorrect)
  • Yesterday she ran. (correct)
  • Verb (Tense): Use the correct verb tense in all sentences.