Conjunctions,

Interjections,
Punctuation, &
Capitalization

The functional and technical aspects

of writing!
Conjunctions
 A conjunction is a word used to connect
words, phrases, or clauses in a sentence.

 A coordinating conjunction is used to connect

similar words or groups of words.

 The most common coordinating conjunctions

are:
 And, But, For, Nor, Or, So, Yet
Coordinating Conjunctions
 Typically connect words that have the same use in a sentence.
 These words may be nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, or

adverbs.

 Examples:
 Do you think he was a greater inventor or statesman?

(nouns)
 He also bought and ran the school newspaper. (verbs)

 She worked repeatedly but consistently to study

electricity. (adverbs)
 The TV show was successful and entertaining.

(adjectives).
Coordinating Conjunctions
 Coordinating conjunctions can also connect prepositional
phrases.
 I will either go to the movies or to the mall.

 Coordinating conjunctions can connect independent clauses or

dependent clauses.
 ***When a conjunction joins independent clauses, a comma

MUST be used before the conjunction.

 He did not have much formal schooling, but he managed to
educate himself. (independent clauses).
 She was patriotic and because she was willing, she served her
country in many ways. (dependent clauses)
Correlative Conjunctions
 Correlative Conjunctions are pairs of conjunctions
that connect similar words or groups of words.
 either ~ or
 neither ~ nor
 whether ~ or
 both ~ and
 not only ~ but also
 Correlative Conjunctions
Correlative Conjunctions Examples:
 Either ~ or I’ll either walk or jog home.
 Neither ~ nor Neither you nor I have blue eyes.
 Not only ~ but also Not only do I like ELA, but I also like science
class.

 Both ~ and Leah earned an A in both math and religion.

 Whether ~ or We need to decide whether to leave or to stay.

 Interjections!!!!!!!
 Interjections are words  Some interjections are
that express sudden followed by commas,
excitement or strong and indicate a mild
feeling. feeling instead or a
 Wow! We won! strong one.
 Ouch! That pan is hot!
 Yes! I got an A!  Well, I better get started.
 Oh, how I dread
Mondays.
Ouch!

He yelled an interjection when the

nurse gave him an injection!
Capitalization
Use a capital letter for the following rules:

 The first word in a sentence

 The pronoun I
 The first word of a direct quotation
 Mr. Lewis said, “This girl is a hero.”
 The first word of every line of most poems
and songs.
Capitalization
Capitalizing Proper Nouns and Proper Adjectives

Proper Noun: names a particular person,

place, or thing.
EX: John, Katie, St. Amelia School,
Christmas
Proper Adjective: adjective formed from a
proper noun.
EX. American, Christian, Chinese,
English
Capitalization
Capitalizing First Words & Titles

 The first word of a sentence is ALWAYS

capitalized.
 Capitalize titles used with names of persons
and abbreviations standing for those titles
 EX. Dr. Smith, Captain Hook, Mr. Metzler
 Do not capitalize titles that are used as
common nouns
 EX. We are going to the doctor today.
 Capitalization
Capitalize the following titles when used before
names, or when used alone to refer to the
current holder of the position:

- The President
- The Vice President

- Queen Elizabeth II

- The Pope
 Capitalization
Capitalizing First Words & Titles

 Capitalize words such as mother, father, aunt, and uncle when

these words are used as names. .
 EX. Mother, can I go to the store?

 EX. We visited Aunt Michelle in Florida.

 If the words mother, father, aunt, uncle, etc. are preceded by a

possessive (our, my, your, his, her) or the words a or the, then
these words are NOT used as names and SHOULD NOT be
capitalized.
 EX. My mother is baking cookies.

 EX. John visited his aunt over the weekend.

 Capitalization
Directions and Sections
 Capitalize names of sections of the USA, but not

the directions of the compass.

 EX. Cowboys lived in the wild West.
 EX. My house is west of Katie’s house, but east of
John’s house.
 Capitalization
Capitalizing Months, Days, and Holidays
 Capitalize the names of months, days, and

holidays, but NOT the names of seasons

 EX. January, September, Monday, Friday
 winter, spring, summer, fall

Capitalize Many Abbreviations

 Capitalize the abbreviations B.C. and A.D., as well

as A.M. and P.M.

 Capitalization
Capitalize the first word of a DIRECT Quotation
Example: Susan asked, “Do you like candy?”

When a quotation is interrupted, it is called a

DIVIDED quotation. DO NOT capitalize the first word
of the second part of a divided quotation unless it
starts a new sentence.
Example: “Absolutely,” replied Mary, “and
these are my favorite!”
 Capitalization
- Capitalize only the first word in each line of an outline.
- EX. I. Modern poetry
- A. Elements of Poetry

-
1. Rhythm and meter
-
2. Sound devices
 Capitalization
Capitalization in Greetings and Closing of Letters

- In the greeting of a letter, capitalize all the

important words.
- EX. Dear Mr. Jones, Dear Sir, To Whom It May
Concern
- In the closing of the letter, capitalize only the
first word.
- EX. Yours truly, Sincerely,
 Capitalization
Capitalizing Titles

- Capitalize the first word, the last word, and all

important words in titles.
- DO NOT capitalize the, of, a, an unless it is the

first word in the title. You will also not want to

capitalize any coordinating conjunctions or
prepositions of more than one word.
- EX. The Cat in the Hat, The Pledge of Allegiance, Gone
with the Wind, To Kill a Mockingbird
 Punctuation
Using End Marks (Periods, Question Marks, & Exclamation Points)
- Use a period at the end of a declarative sentence
- EX. I like movies.

- Use a question mark at the end of an interrogative sentence

- EX. Do you like movies?

- Use an exclamation point at the end of an exclamatory sentence or interjection, to express a strong
emotion or reaction.
- Yes! I love movies!

- Use a period at the end of an imperative sentence (Imperials are kings and queens – they can give
orders)
- Do not eat candy before your dinner.

- Use a period with many common abbreviations

- J.K. Rowling, Dr. Smith, Rd., Blvd., A.M., P.M., Jan., gal., ft., ect.
 Punctuation
Using Commas
- Commas are used to separate ideas in compound sentences.

- Use a comma before the conjunction in a compound sentence (and,

but, for, nor, or, so, yet).
- EX. It was a long day, but we learned many things.

- Commas are used after each item in a series except the last one.
- EX. I like red, orange, blue, and green crayons.

- Use commas to set off parts of dates, addresses, and geographic

names.
- EX. He was born on May 20, 2018. He was born in Buffalo, NY.
 Punctuation
Using Commas
- Commas are used to set off introductory elements, interrupters,
nouns of direct address, and appositives.
- Introductory elements: Yes, rain is the forecast again.
Carrying my umbrella, I am ready for the day.

- Interrupters: It could, however, clear up tomorrow.

- Nouns of direct address: John, will you go with me?

- Appositives: Mrs. Larson, my favorite teacher, is in room 3.

-
**Appositives positively identify the preceding noun in the
sentence.
 Punctuation
Using Commas
- Commas separate 2 independent clauses when placed
before a conjunction

- Independent Clause: part of a sentence that has both a

subject and a predicate, and it can stand on its own as a
complete sentence.
- EX. I baked a cake, and then I ate it. (Correct)

- EX. I baked a cake, and ate it. (Incorrect)

- If there is no conjunction, there should not be a comma!

 Punctuation ;
Using Semi Colons ;
- Used to separate independent clauses in

compound sentences as a substitute for a comma

and a conjunction (Ex. ,and)

 EX. Mary went to the store, and she bought the

necessary groceries.
 Mary went to the store; she bought the necessary
groceries.
 Punctuation ;
Using Semi Colons ;
- Used to join two separate sentences into one

sentence, as long as the two sentences are

closely related.

- EX. Fishing is a sport. It can also be a job.

- Fishing is a sport; it can also be a job.
 Punctuation ;
Using Semi Colons ;
 used to separate independent EX.Mary went to
clauses in compound sentences the store;
joined by conjunctive adverbs therefore, she
 however bought the
therefore
necessary


 consequently
 nevertheless
groceries.
 nonetheless
 still
 otherwise
 finally
 furthermore
 Punctuation ;
Using Semi Colons ;
 used to separate phrases and clauses that contain internal
punctuation (commas)


EX. My three favorite sandwiches are bacon, lettuce, and
tomato; turkey, ham, and swiss; and peanut butter and
jelly.
 Punctuation :
Using Colons :
- Used to introduce or draw attention to information

that follows.

- Used to introduce a list of things.

- EX. Here are the supplies I need: pencils, paper, and ruler.

- Used after a greeting in a business letter

- EX. To Whom It May Concern:
- Colons are NEVER used after a verb!
 Punctuation -
Using Hyphens –
- Used to divide a word at the end of a line when

writing.
- NEVER divide a one-syllable word!
- EX. The religion les-son began today

- Used a hyphen in compound numbers from

twenty-one through ninety-nine, and in
fractions.
- EX. Two-thirds majority EX. Thirty-five pages
 Punctuation -
Using Hyphens –
- Used to separate parts of some compound

terms.
- EX. His all-encompassing devotion to the cause was
recognized when he was promoted at work.
 Punctuation -
Using Hyphens –

- Some compound terms are hyphenated only

when they act as adjectives before the nouns
they modify. Other compound terms, such as
mother-in-law, bright-eyed, and self-respect
are always hyphenated. Check a dictionary if
you are unsure!
AAAWWUBBIS
AS
ALTHOUGH
AFTER
WHILE
WHEN
UNLESS
BECAUSE
BEFORE
IF
SINCE
 AAAWWUBBIS
 If AAAWWUBBIS clause comes first, it is followed
by comma.
 If AAAWWUBBIS clause comes after independent
clause, there is no comma.

I studied. I ate a snack. (Both IND. Clauses)

(DEP. Clause) (IND. Clause) (IND. Clause) (DEP. Clause)

AS I studied, I ate a snack. I ate a snack as I studied.

 AAAWWUBBIS
ALTHOUGH I studied, I ate a snack.
AFTER I studied, I ate a snack. I ate a snack after I studied.
WHILE I studied, I ate a snack. I ate a snack while I studied.
WHEN I studied, I ate a snack. I ate a snack when I studied.
UNLESS I study, I will fail. I will fail unless I study.
Because I studied, I earned an A. I earned an A because I studied.
Before I studied, I played basketball. I played basketball before I studied.
If I study, I can earn an A. I can earn an A if I study.
Since I studied, I earned an A. I earned an A since I studied.
 Comma Splice Review
 a run-on sentence that does have a comma, but it
is missing a coordinating conjunction
Coordinating Conjunctions
and
but
for
nor
or
so
yet
 Comma Splice Practice
1. I went to the zoo, I saw many animals.
2. I like broccoli, I don’t like carrots.
3. I studied for the test, I earned good grades.
4. When I did my homework, I ate a snack.
5. Keep your locker clean, you will feel organized.
6. I love hamburgers, but not hot dogs.
7. During our visit, we enjoyed going to the park and the museum.
8. I enjoyed a large Slurpee, it gave me a brain freeze!
9. When I got home from school, I had a snack before beginning my
homework.