1. The document provides guidelines on capitalization, punctuation, and paragraph structure. It outlines 10 rules for capitalization and punctuation including when to use commas, periods, question marks, quotation marks, colons, hyphens, parentheses, apostrophes, semicolons, and spelling rules. 2. It describes the key components of a paragraph: an introductory topic sentence, supporting body sentences, and a concluding sentence that summarizes or transitions to the next paragraph. Each section should fully develop a central idea. 3. Proper use of capitalization, punctuation, and paragraph structure are fundamental for clear written communication.

1. MECHANICS OF WRITING

2. Rules in
Capitalization
and Punctuation

3. Capitalization
• Capitalize the first word of a quoted sentances
He said, "Treat her as you would your own daughter.“
• Capitalize a proper noun
Golden Gate Bridge
• Capitalize the person's title when it follows the name on the address or signature line.
Sincerely,
Ms. Haines, Chairperson
• Capitalize any title when used as a direct address.
Will you take my temperature, Doctor?
• Always capitalize the first and last words of titles of publications regardless of their parts of speech. Capitalize other
words within titles, including the short verb forms Is, Are, and Be. Do not capitalize little words within titles such
as a, an, the, but, as, if, and, or, nor, or prepositions, regardless of their length.
What Color Is Your Parachute?
• Capitalize the first word of a salutation and the first word of a complimentary close.
Dear Mr. Mathews

4. Top Ten Rules
in
Punctuation

5. COMMA (,)
• Use commas to separate independent clauses in a sentence
Example:
1. The game was over, but the crowd refused to leave.
2. Yesterday was her brother ’s birthday, so she took him out to dinner.
• Use commas after introductory words, phrases, or clauses that come before the main clause
Examples:
1. While I was eating, the cat scratched at the door.
2. If you are ill, you ought to see a doctor.
• Use a pair of commas to separate an aside from the main body of the sentence.
Example:
1. John and Inga, the couple from next door, are coming for dinner tonight.

6. • Use commas to set off all geographical names, items in dates (except the month and dayaddresses (except the street
number and name), and titles in names.
Example:
1. Birmingham, Alabama, got its name fromBirmingham, England.
2. July 22, 2011, was a momentous day in his life.
• Use a comma to shift between the main discourse and a quotation.
Example:
1. John said without emotion, “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
2. “I was able,” she answered, “to complete the assignment.”

7. Period (.)
• The primary use of a period is to end a sentence.
Example:
1. Business English is very important for your professional growth.
• Its second important use is for abbreviations.
Examples:
1. Jesus Christ was born c. 4-6AD
2. Mr. Jose was happy to see his wife.
.
Question Mark (?)
It goes at the end of a sentence which is a question.
Examples:
1. What can you do for the company?
2. How can you be an asset?

8. • are used to quote another person’s words exactly, whether they be spoken, or written
Examples:
1. John said, “We are going shopping.”
2. As D. H. Nachas explains, “The gestures used for greeting others differ greatly from one culture to another.”
6. Quotation marks (“”)
• used to denote irony or sarcasm, or to note something unusual about it
Example:
1. The great march of “progress” has left millions impoverished and hungry.
Colon (:)
used after a complete statement in order to introduce one or more directly related ideas, such as a series of
directions, a list, or a quotation or other comment illustrating or explaining the statement
Example:
1. The daily newspaper contains four sections:news, sports, entertainment, and classified ads

9. Hyphen or dash (-)
• Use the dash to emphasize a point or to set off anexplanatory comment; but don’t overuse dashes, orthey will lose their
impact; typically represented on a computer by two hyphens with no spaces before, after, or between the hyphens
Example:
1. To some of you, my proposals may seem radical --
even revolutionary.
• used for an appositive phrase that already includes commas
Example:
1. The boys–Jim, John, and Jeff–left the party
early.
Parentheses ( )
occasionally and sparingly used for extra, nonessential material included in a sentence
Example:
1. Before arriving at the station, the old train (someone said it was a relic of frontier days)caught fire.

10. Apostrophe ( ’)
• to form plurals
Example:
1. Mind your p’s and q’s.
• to show the omission of letters
Example:
1. He’ll go = He will go
Semicolon (;)
used to separate items in a series if theelements of the series already include commas
Example:
Members of the band include Harold Rostein, clarinetist; Tony Aluppo, tuba player; and Lee Jefferson, trumpeter.

11. Spelling rules
Spelling Rule 1: Adding Suffixes to Words that End in Y
When you add a suffix that starts with E (such as -ed, -er, or -est) to a word that ends in Y, the Y usually changes to an I.
• Cry – cried – crier
• Baby – babies
• Family – families
Rule 2: The Silent E
Typically, an E after a consonant at the end of a word is silent, but it does affect the way you pronounce the vowel that
comes before the consonant. The E makes the vowel sound of the word (or syllable) long (like the I sound in kite)
instead of short (like the I sound in kitten). It’s important to get the silent E right, because its presence or absence can
change the meaning of a word.
The monkey bit me. Keep your fingers out of the cage: the monkeys bite .
By adding the E to the end of bit, the word is changed from past to present tense.
Don’t cut yourself on the sharp knives. The kitten is really cute .
In this case, the silent E creates a completely different word.
When adding a suffix like -ed, -er or -est, the silent E is usually dropped from the end of the root word.
The dog bared his teeth at the mail carrier. The baby’s eyes were the bluest I’d ever seen.
Spelling Rule 3: Plural Suffixes
When do you add s and when do you add es to make a plural? It’s not quite as arbitrary as it may seem. The rule is
this: if a word ends in s, sh, ch, x, or z, you add es.

12. Paragraphing
Introduction
Paragraphs are the fundamental building blocks to any piece of writing. Each paragraph consists of a particular idea or
theme/topic that is fully developed and explained. It is essential to the unity and coherence of the paragraph that the
theme/topic of the paragraph is reflected all the way through from the topic sentence to the concluding sentence.
What is a paragraph?
A paragraph is one unit of thought that is structured into three (3) sections:
1. Introduction/Topic Sentence
2. Body/Support Sentences
3. Conclusion/Summing up/ Transition sentence
Note the similarity of the overall structure of an academic piece of writing , which also has the introduction, body,
conclusion structure.
What goes in a paragraph?
Each section of the paragraph structure has a purpose. Without this structure, clarity is lost, which generally leaves the
reader confused.

13. The following is a brief outline of the content within the paragraph sections
1. Introduction/Topic Sentence
An introduction or sometimes referred to as a topic sentence is like a mini introduction. It is informative and informs
the reader of the main theme of the paragraph. It is usually the first sentence/s of the paragraph; however, it can be
found in other parts of the paragraph
2. BODY/Support Sentences
These sentences are all the ideas and/or argument that explain and/or prove the topic sentence. This can be done by
either illustrating (and giving examples) or through explanations. Keep in mind that most of the time, your point needs
to be supported by evidence from the reading.
3. CONCLUSION/Summing up/Transition Sentence
This sentence/s is what gives the paragraphs cohesion and flow. Having a concluding sentence/s that either sums up
what is in the paragraph or a concluding sentence/s informs the reader that the topic of the paragraph is finished. A
transition sentence/s, as an alternative to summing up or concluding, is used to create a link to the next paragraph.
Using a transition sentence/s provides the text with a smoother flow between paragraphs.