Today we are going to look and a few things:
- Punctuation: how to use the semi-colon and where to put punctuation when using speech marks
- Share experiences of finding your place in the word: What do you need to feel accepted by your community?
- Research into Tania Major: Who is she? Where does she come from? How has she found her place in the world?
Use a semicolon to join related independent clauses in compound sentences. For example:
Jim worked hard to earn his degree; consequently, he was certain to achieve a distinction.
Jane overslept by three hours; she was going to be late for work again.
Punctuating quotations marks
Quotation marks are used to quote another person’s words exactly, whether they be spoken, or written. For example:
John said, “We are going shopping.” – note the capitalization of “We”. You should do this unless you are quoting in a run-on sentence:
John said “we are going shopping” because they had no milk. Note the omission of the comma in this case also.
If you are quoting a person who is quoting another person, use a single quotation mark like this:
John said, “My neighbor yelled at me today! He said ‘get off my lawn!’”
When introducing a quotation after an independent clause, use a colon and not a comma to begin:
As D. H. Nachas explains, “The gestures used for greeting others differ greatly from one culture to another.” (not an independent clause)
D. H. Nachas explains cultural differences in greeting customs: “Touching is not a universal sign of greeting. (this is an independent clause)
Quotation marks can also be used to denote irony or sarcasm, or to note something unusual about it:
The great march of “progress” has left millions impoverished and hungry.
Punctuation that belongs to the original quote should be inside the quote marks. Punctuation relating to the entire sentence should be outside.
Philip asked, “Do you need this book?”
Does Dr. Lim always say to her students, “You must work harder”?
Put commas and periods inside quotations unless followed by parenthesis:
He said, “I may forget your name, but I never remember a face.”
Mullen, criticizing the apparent inaction, writes, “Donahue’s policy was to do nothing” (27).
Shared Experiences of Finding Your Place in the World
With the person next to you, come up with a list of things that you both agree are essential to feeling part of your community.
You have five minutes to complete this task before you have to feed your answers back to the rest of the class.
Tania Major
Who is she? Where does she come from? How has she found her place in the world?