English Language Writing Skills

By Danso Kwasi Nti Samuel (DAS). Study the complete course source, examine every model and practise alongside Professor Jarvis.

Course printed page 52 PDF page 58 of 505

For tables, matching columns, IPA and original formatting, open the course PDF above.

Jenna: Semicolons are used to separate related independent clauses without conjunctions,

like "Michael seemed preoccupied; he answered our questions abruptly." They also help

avoid confusion in complex lists, like "We travelled to London, England; Paris, France;

Berlin, Germany; and Sofia, Bulgaria."

Michael: Colons introduce lists or explanations, like "Joe has several things on his mind:

his finals, his job, and Linda." But we shouldn't use them directly after a verb.

Lena: Hyphens join compound words or modifiers, like "forty-two applicants" or "a well-

liked author." They’re essential for clarity in writing.

Jenna: Dashes emphasize or connect groups of words, like "Linda Simpson's prescription

for the economy—lower interest rates, higher employment, and less government spending—

was rejected by the president's administration." They help in adding emphasis or additional

information.

Michael: Apostrophes show possession or contractions, like "Susan's wrench" or "I'm."

They’re also used for plural possessive nouns, like "my parents' car."

Lena: Quotation marks enclose direct speech or titles, like "Megan said, 'Kurt has a red hat.'"

They help in distinguishing the exact words of a speaker.

Jenna: Parentheses add nonessential information or enclose figures within a sentence, like

"We visited several European countries (England, France, Spain) on our trip last year."

Michael: Punctuation is truly a toolkit for clear writing. We need to practice these rules to

improve our writing skills.

Lena: Agreed. Let’s keep studying and practicing to master all these punctuation marks!