Anthology of Ideas

The comma has the most uses of any single punctuation mark making it one of the hardest for people to use properly.

The Basics:

1. They join sentences and ideas.
   • I am going on vacation for the summer, and I hope it doesn’t end up like last year.
   • If you are happy person, life seems much better.
   • However, it is best to just do it.
2. They aid reading and offset less important information.
   • Members, welcome! — If this does not have the comma then literally it is a command to the members to welcome.
   • However, no matter what your excuse is, it doesn’t change the fact that you were late.
3. They separate adjectives and list items.
   • I was attacked by a big, angry dog.
   • Tom, Fredrick, Negussie and Andy play football every day.
   • I am going to the grocer, butcher and florist.
4. They format numbers, dates, titles, and places.
   • 39,552,923
   • I was born on August, 22 1967 in Columbus, Ohio.
   • James Pratt, M.D., won the Nobel prize in medicine.

The apostrophe is one of the easiest punctuation marks to use–assuming that is, that people care enough about their feelings as to not misuse and abuse them. The Basics: The apostrophe has three valid uses: They show possession or ownership John’s apple Class’s books They indicate omitted letters and words. It’s (it is) Ya’ll (You all) They indicate the plurals of numbers, abbreviations, letters and words. 1990’s Ph.D’s f’s Beyond the basics Below are sentences that one may find in normal writing, and not all of the apostrophes are used correctly.

The comma has the most uses of any single punctuation mark making it one of the hardest for people to use properly.

The Basics:

1. They join sentences and ideas.
   • I am going on vacation for the summer, and I hope it doesn’t end up like last year.
   • If you are happy person, life seems much better.
   • However, it is best to just do it.
2. They aid reading and offset less important information.
   • Members, welcome! — If this does not have the comma then literally it is a command to the members to welcome.
   • However, no matter what your excuse is, it doesn’t change the fact that you were late.
3. They separate adjectives and list items.
   • I was attacked by a big, angry dog.
   • Tom, Fredrick, Negussie and Andy play football every day.
   • I am going to the grocer, butcher and florist.
4. They format numbers, dates, titles, and places.
   • 39,552,923
   • I was born on August, 22 1967 in Columbus, Ohio.
   • James Pratt, M.D., won the Nobel prize in medicine.

The apostrophe is one of the easiest punctuation marks to use–assuming that is, that people care enough about their feelings as to not misuse and abuse them. The Basics: The apostrophe has three valid uses: They show possession or ownership John’s apple Class’s books They indicate omitted letters and words. It’s (it is) Ya’ll (You all) They indicate the plurals of numbers, abbreviations, letters and words. 1990’s Ph.D’s f’s Beyond the basics Below are sentences that one may find in normal writing, and not all of the apostrophes are used correctly.