Punctuation and The Period Help

Rules for Using a Period

1. End a sentence with a period.

Correct punctuation promotes comprehension.

2. Put a period after abbreviations.

Jan. 1st, Mr. Letterman, A.M., 97 Main St., e.g.

3. Place a period inside quotation marks.

Mack said, "I'll be back at 9 P.M. to pick you up."

4. Do not end a sentence with a period if it already ends with another end mark such as an exclamation point or question mark.

Will you leave for training soon?

5. Do not use a period at the end of a sentence that is enclosed in parentheses and embedded in another sentence.

When the trainee heard that she was accepted into the program (she had harbored no hope at all), she was very excited.

6. Use a period at the end of a sentence that is enclosed in parentheses but stands alone.

When the trainee heard that she was accepted into the program, she was very excited. (She had harbored no hope at all.)

7. Use only one period at the end of a sentence when the sentence ends in an abbreviation.

After school, I'm going to work for All Things Computer, Inc.

NOTE: Some widely known acronyms (short forms of names or organizations) do not require periods:

NBC, UNICEF, NFL, YWCA, CIA, FBI

This also applies to two-letter state abbreviations in zip codes:

NY, NJ, CA, MA

In the practice that follows, apply what you have just reviewed in the preceding seven rules. If you are in doubt about any answer, return to the rules for guidance.

Period Practice and Answers

Practice

For each of the following sentences, insert periods wherever necessary.

1. When I exercise, I want to see results
2. Ted and Amy enjoy the new bike path in their state
3. Music is an important part of my life (as I'm sure you know)
4. Finally, add 1 tbsp of butter and 1 tsp of salt
5. According to my coach, I need more confidence in order to pitch a good game
6. She said, "Don't run over the bike" (She was thinking of her shrinking budget)
7. I'm going to the YWCA after school, but I'll be home by 6 PM
8. Mr and Mrs Levitt met us for lunch
9. Mike and Mary are known as Capt and Mrs Murphy
10. Go to 77 Long Rd and wait for me

Answers

Practice

Of course, you need to use correct punctuation in paragraph forms. Look carefully as you read from one sentence to the next, and it will be clear where end marks are needed. Read the following paragraphs, and insert periods wherever they are needed.

Paragraph 1

Scientists have reached important conclusions regarding the connection between children's social disadvantages and their health risks Doctors considered three main social disadvantages: poverty, low parental education, and single parent household According to Dr Ruth S Stein, children with all three risk factors were twice as likely as children with none to have a chronic health condition such as diabetes, asthma, or mental retardation

Paragraph 2

Where does chocolate come from? Actually, it does grow on trees It all starts with a small tropical tree, the Theobroma cacao, usually simply called "cacao" (It is pronounced ka-KOW Theobroma is Greek for "food of the gods") Cacao is native to Central America and South America, but it is grown commercially throughout the tropics About 70 percent of the world's cacao is grown in Africa

A cacao tree can produce close to two thousand pods per year The ridged, footballshaped pod, or fruit, of the cacao grows from the branches and, oddly, straight out of the trunk The pods, which mature throughout the year, encase a sticky, white pulp and about thirty or forty seeds The pulp is both sweet and tart; it is eaten and used in making drinks The seeds, were you to bite into one straight out of the pod, are incredibly bitter Not at all like the chocolate that comes from them

It's actually a perfect design The fruit attracts forest animals, like monkeys, who eat the fruit but cast the seeds aside, dispersing them and allowing new trees to sprout up (One of my favorite memories of a recent trip to Costa Rica was watching monkeys eating in a "chocolate" tree) It's hard to imagine why humans ever thought to do anything with the seeds.*

*Adapted with permission from facts-about-chocolate.com.