Semicolons, em dashes and the Oxford comma trip up even confident writers, and this deck of 20 flashcards is designed to clear up the punctuation rules that don't get taught clearly enough in school. You'll learn exactly when to use a semicolon versus a colon,...
Semicolons, em dashes and the Oxford comma trip up even confident writers, and this deck of 20 flashcards is designed to clear up the punctuation rules that don't get taught clearly enough in school. You'll learn exactly when to use a semicolon versus a colon, how em dashes differ from hyphens, and the correct way to form possessives for singular and plural nouns. The deck also tackles common sentence-level errors like comma splices and dangling modifiers, the difference between restrictive and non-restrictive clauses, and when to use "who" versus "whom" or "which" versus "that." A few cards cover style choices that affect clarity, including active versus passive voice and parallel structure. Ideal for essay writing, editing, standardised test grammar sections, or anyone polishing their professional writing, this deck focuses on the rules that most consistently show up as errors in real writing.
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To join two independent clauses that are closely related in meaning without a conjunction: "I have a big test tomorrow; I can't go out tonight."
To introduce a list, explanation, or elaboration, following a complete independent clause: "She had one goal: to win."
The comma placed before "and" or "or" in a list of three or more items: "red, white, and blue." It helps avoid ambiguity.
To set off a dramatic interruption, aside, or emphasis within a sentence — more emphatic than commas or parentheses: "She was right — as always."
A hyphen (-) joins compound words or word parts ("well-known"). An em dash (—) sets off a break in a sentence and is much longer.
Add apostrophe + s: "the dog's bone," even for names ending in s, like "James's book" (though "James' book" is also accepted).
Add only an apostrophe: "the dogs' bones" (belonging to multiple dogs).
Commas and periods go inside the closing quotation mark: "She said, 'I'm ready.'"
Parentheses de-emphasise the enclosed information as extra; commas treat it as more integrated into the sentence's flow.
Joining two independent clauses with only a comma ("It was raining, we stayed inside"). It's grammatically incorrect; use a period, semicolon, or conjunction instead.
A descriptive phrase that doesn't clearly connect to the word it's meant to modify: "Walking to school, the rain started" (implies the rain was walking).
Set it off with commas, since the information is extra and could be removed: "My brother, who lives in Texas, is visiting."
No commas, since the information is necessary to identify the subject: "The book that I borrowed is overdue."
"Who" is a subject pronoun ("Who called?"). "Whom" is an object pronoun ("To whom should I address this?").
To indicate omitted text within a quotation, or to show a trailing off in speech or thought.
Active voice: the subject performs the action ("The dog chased the ball"). Passive voice: the subject receives the action ("The ball was chased by the dog").
It's typically more direct, concise, and easier to read, though passive voice is useful when the actor is unknown or unimportant.
Using the same grammatical form for items in a list or comparison: "She likes reading, writing, and hiking" (not "to hike").
Capitalize when used as part of a specific name ("President Obama"), but lowercase when used generically ("the president spoke").
"That" introduces restrictive (essential) clauses with no comma. "Which" introduces non-restrictive (extra) clauses, set off by commas.
