Search results for 'tag:Semicolons tag:Spelling' matching tags 'Semicolons' and 'Spelling'

Re: How to use dash, colon, semicolon ?

Feebs11 — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 01:16:32 GMT

Pleasecorrectme
Thank you so much ! The website helps a lot ! Hmmm ... but ... the site said that dash can be used to emphasize on a point . Can it be use on any point? Does it have to be a sentence or can it be just a phrase ?

E.g .   But we managed to get out in time - I hoped .    (acceptable?)     <-- is this emphasizing on a point? Acceptable - and indicating a pause for effect when spoken

           She just stood there, not moving - at all - not until we move . (What about this?)      <-- a phrase ? If written as: not moving at all - not until we moved, then it is fine.
I think the use of the dash to emphasize a point is better shown as: There are several things to be considered - correct spelling, correct grammar, correct usage.

And .. and ! Colon and semi-colon . Is it apporiate to use in this way :

E.g . A few excellent ideas were thought out by our committee members: Ashley with the idea on holding an open house; John with the idea on printing booklets; and Jolin with the idea on giving a presentation.

Some website said that   " ; and " cannot be used together, they have to be changed to   " , and " , so I have to change it? And according to the website you suggested, it says that a semi-colon is used to separated sentence with commas . So the above sentence without commas is not acceptable?

That sentence is fine. It could be either semi-colon or comma. I see no reason why you canot use "and" after a semi-colon.

Sorry to ask so many question ! And thanks a lot ! ^^

Re: fix my grammer

Grammar Geek — Wed, 14 Feb 2007 17:20:43 GMT

Okay then:

Here are my comments.

1. Start with a capital letter. You hae a comma splice- you joined two complete thoughts with a comma. You need either a period or a semicolon (Sorry Clive.)

2. Start with a capital letter. The way it's written, the questions felt unprepared. You need to say that SHE felt unprepared.

3. Start with a capital letter. Some may tell you that it reads like the wall have done outstanding work. I think it's prefectly understandable that the executives are who have done great work. However, you can move the "great work" part to be be closer to the executives.

4. Start with a capital letter. Leave a space after you commas. But a comma after oranges. And check your spelling.

5. Start with a capital letter. You use the singular emotion but you list two things. Use a colon instead of a semi-colon. (As an aside, I'm not sure that "not getting what you want" is an emotion. But it's not a grammatical issue.)

Do you want to post them again and we'll take another look?

Re: joining of sentences

J Lewis — Fri, 20 Oct 2006 08:19:26 GMT

On the question of semi-colons, Clive will have noticed that my posts are full of them. This is partly because they are still in fashion in Italian and this probably influences me, although I did learn how to use them at school. It would be fine if in English we just substituted the semi-colon with a period/full stop, but unfortunately it is often substituted by a colon and then both the semicolon and the colon are substituted by a dash, which also takes the place of the three dots and so on. Does it matter? Well, it can; bad punctuation, like bad grammar or even bad spelling, becomes a problem when it reaches a certain level simply because it creates problems of comprehension.
Conclusion: I defend the use (but OK, not the over-use) of the semi-colon, which should not frighten anybody; it's just a lighter version of the period/full stop and is purely a question of style.

Re: proofreading#2

Castellano — Sun, 15 Oct 2006 22:39:22 GMT

Ever since its birth, this dog has been with Larry. Now, the dog was malodorous, old, crippled and blind, but Larry was always with it. (The adj. stinky is too colloquial to be employed in written English.) Larry's roommate, John, wanted to get rid of the dog because he was bothered by the smell. Even though the dog left the room, the smell would still remain in the room. One day, they sat opposite each other at the table, playing cards. John said that his friend's dog herded a lot of pups and that he wanted to get some of them; but Larry paid no attention about what he said.

-----

Couple of things:

- You need to connect your sentences. A good solid sentence will always remind the reader of something and introduce the reader TO something. Connect your sentences with commas, semicolons, hyphens, etc... Use adverbs too, like but, also, because, etc...

- Use spell check; it will pick up or flag spelling and grammatical errors.

Now, try to edit your second paragraph. If you still think you need help, write back!

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A bunk house stood somewhere in the plain. There was about eight beds in it. All labor men who worked in the barley farm lived there. The boss's daughter-in-law lived a miled away. People in the bunk house talked about her. She was a tramp who gave the eye to every one she saw.

Re: Can you please review my autobiographical essay?

Philologist — Thu, 12 Jan 2006 17:22:26 GMT

Hi!

You use both the British and the American spelling. Be consequent: use either the British one or the American one. I've used the British spelling for my corrections as that is what you used in the first paragraphs

Good luck! Judging from your essay, I would say that your chances to be admitted are substantial. You seem to be a very motivated person. I think your friends are not mistaken!

Cheers
Philologist

P.S. I've removed the flawless parts from this quote. That does not mean I think you should leave them out, of course! I just didn't want my post to become too long.

Rubisco wrote:

Inside, two words on a label grabbed my attention and sent chills down my spine: passed away.

on the numerous files of children that we had not been able to save.

Looking through them was akin to reading a story; with a beginning, and end as well as a progressing intrigue.INSERT SPACEAt that moment, as if I had experienced a revelation, I realised that medicine was the only path for me to follow, and that I should commit myself to direct all my endeavours towards the objective of (This seems unnecessary, particularly considering that you have transgressed the word limit) becoming a doctor. I had considered this idea since childhood, comma and my education was already geared towards the domain of life sciences that I deeply enjoy; however comma at that precise instant I knew for certain what my professional career should be.
Through my experiences in this hospital comma I have become well acquainted with the stressful, demanding but also rewarding world of health care. Being a relatively small hospital with a limited number of doctors, patients and staff I managed to develop close bonds with the hospital family. I have come to admire the doctors who, under difficult, even chaotic comma conditions successfully manage their duties while keeping their temper under total control. From keeping company to ill children I learned how to deal with heartbreaking situations; and most importantly how in many cases the patient is not the only person who should be taken care of; but that most of the time the family of the patient suffers as much as he does (and possibly more), and that the key to a successful treatment lies in a strong rapport between the patient, his family and the health care workers based on trust, honesty and understanding. In this hospital I experienced a first eye's view of the hardships of practising medicine. Through my interactions with a cousin who is now a successful surgeon in the United States I have become familiar with the personal difficulties a doctor encounters; specifically when establishing a family and fathering children. Furthermore, from my contacts with McGill medical students during open house events and with several of my close friends who have recently started medical school, I am aware of the demanding course loads and long sleepless nights involved in studying medecine. However, I have yet to meet a person who regrets taking this decision. I have no doubts that I will feel the same.

Second Section:

Born into a family of passionate pedagogues, I quickly learned the importance of working in a team and serving the community the hard way. As a child in the middle of the ruthless Lebanese war, this would concretise (Be constitent: use the British spelling OR the American one, though the British spelling is used in Canada) in our building's bomb shelter during the long days and nights of continuous shelling.
I still remember how I was the youngest volunteer at the Cote des Neiges Community Center (Center is American, but write its name as they do themselves) during the ice storm of 1997, while being an evacuee to the centre at the same time; which earned me the personal praises of then-mayor Bourque. Furthermore, my involvement with the Air Cadet movement during my early highschool years not only reinforced my dedication to community service comma but also allowed the development of strong leadership skills.
Now back in Canada, I take part during the academic year in the organisation of Concordia's Biology Students Association's events, even though I am not an official member. I participate as a staff member or on the organising comittee of social events such as orientation, movie nights and wine and cheese receptions remove semicolon in addition to attending regular meetings and influencing the decision-making process. In this association, the emphasis is on team work and proper distribution of tasks; both of which I am familiar with since my early days. At the same time, I strived hard to accomplish outstanding academic results, and a token of recognition of my good standings was the invitation to join the Golden Key Internation Honours Society Concordia Chapter this fall which I have accepted.

taking part in entertainment activities such as drawing, reading and music. Further, I also tutored teenage patients who were out of school or had trouble studying due to their treatments.

devoted friend who empathised with patients and their families during hard times.
This work took place during the months of July and August; and I reported to duty five days a week for a half-day shift. The first year I volunteered I was simultaneously studying by myself for the MCAT, and thankfully my good results on this exam testify for my ability to cope with demanding, overloaded schedules.

the doctor kindly apologised from the patient and told her a female doctor would come see her shortly.

As mentioned above, he should be peripatetic and urbane comma (no semicolon) especially in a city as multi-cultural as Montreal. Furthermore, he should be a moral beacon, a living model of humanism. A doctor should find inspiration in the works of great luminaries such as Voltaire, Rousseau or Kant whose passion and arguments for humanism have profoundly affected the way I view and interact with my fellow human beings."

English

Guest — Fri, 24 Sep 2004 19:23:01 GMT

I have seen this woord spelled four different ways, What is the correct spelling if any.Isthere any difference between them. Example: semicolon, semi-colon, Semicolon, Semi-colon Thanks for your imput. Jim Reeve reeve@snip.net

Re: Do I use a capital letter if I am writing a list?

wumanfu — Thu, 25 Sep 2003 10:33:46 GMT

Hi, If my child was marked down because she used a capital letter for words in a spelling test, Iâd be angry with the teacher. When I went to school, my spelling exercises tested for spelling not style. However, if your child is a high school student and if the teacher was marking hard, then maybeâ¦ In any case, there is information about how to write words in a list on the internet. It comes from a component of Merriam-Websterâs Unabridged resource called Style Guide. The relevant section is called Lists and Outlines. Iâve dumped more information than you need. I hope the information helps explain issues related to stylistic conventions in the United States.
If you get bored before you reach the end, then maybe the following section is best:
Items that are syntactically dependent on the words that introduce them often begin with a lowercase letter and end with a comma or semicolon just as in
a run-in series in an ordinary sentence.
However, you could argue that a spelling test could be considered to be like an outline. In the case of an outline, then capital letters are appropriate:
Outlines standardly use Roman numerals, capitalized letters, Arabic numerals, and lowercase letters, in that order. Each numeral or letter is followed
by a period, and each item is capitalized.
My own opinion is that the teacherâs style is unhelpful and discouraging.
Sincerely, Wu

Here is a dump from the Merriam-Webster Style Guide
21. Both run-in and vertical lists are often numbered. In run-in numbered listsâthat is, numbered lists that form part of a normal-looking sentenceâeach
item is preceded by a number (or, less often, an italicized letter) enclosed in parentheses. The items are separated by commas if they are brief and unpunctuated;
if they are complex or punctuated, they are separated by semicolons. The entire list is introduced by a colon if it is preceded by a full clause, and often
when it is not.
Among the fastest animals with measured maximum speeds are (1) the cheetah, clocked at 70 mph; (2) the pronghorn antelope, at 61 mph; (3) the lion, at 50
mph; (4) the quarter horse, at 47 mph; and (5) the elk, at 45 mph.

The new medical dictionary has several special features: (a) common variant spellings; (b) examples of words used in context; (c) abbreviations, combining
forms, prefixes, and suffixes; and (d) brand names for drugs and their generic equivalents.
22. In vertical lists, each number is followed by a period; the periods align vertically. Runover lines usually align under the item's first word. Each
item may be capitalized, especially if the items are syntactically independent of the words that introduce them.
The English peerage consists of five ranks, listed here in descending order:
Duke (duchess)
Marquess (marchioness)
Earl (countess)
Viscount (viscountess)
Baron (baroness)
The listed items end with periods (or question marks) when they are complete sentences, and also often when they are not.
We require answers to the following questions:
Does the club intend to engage bands to perform in the future?
Will any bands be permitted to play past midnight on weekends?
Are there plans to install proper acoustic insulation?
Items that are syntactically dependent on the words that introduce them often begin with a lowercase letter and end with a comma or semicolon just as in
a run-in series in an ordinary sentence.
Among the courts that are limited to special kinds of cases are
1. probate courts, for the estates of deceased persons;
2. commercial courts, for business cases;
3. juvenile courts, for cases involving children under 18; and
4. traffic courts, for minor cases involving highway and motor vehicle violations.
A vertical list may also be unnumbered, or may use bullets (â¢) in place of numerals, especially where the order of the items is not important.
Chief among the advances in communication were these 19th-century inventions:
Morse's telegraph
Daguerre's camera
Bell's telephone
Edison's phonograph
This book covers in detail:
â¢ Punctuation
â¢ Capitalization and italicization
â¢ Numbers
â¢ Abbreviations
â¢ Grammar and composition
â¢ Word usage
23. Outlines standardly use Roman numerals, capitalized letters, Arabic numerals, and lowercase letters, in that order. Each numeral or letter is followed
by a period, and each item is capitalized.
The United States from 1816 to 1850
Era of mixed feelings
Effects of the War of 1812
National disunity
The economy
Transportation revolution
Waterways
Railroads
Beginnings of industrialization
The Civil War and Reconstruction, 1850-77