Writers' Tool: Punctuation by Instinct

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Writers' Workshop

Commas and Periods by Instinct

-- Plus a Little Practice on Recognizing (and Punctuating) Types of Sentences --

Instincts & Punctuation

Read the sentences below.
When you sense a pause, put in a comma or a period.

Use a period if the group of words can stand alone (provide a complete idea all by themselves).
Use a comma if the group of words cannot stand alone.

Below your edited sentence, select a choice from the drop-down menu to indicate what kind of sentence it is.

Types of Sentences

Use these basic definitions in identitying the types of sentences.

Simple Sentence -- One person or thing acts (does something) in some way, or is (has a "state of being") a certain way.
Compound Sentence -- Two-part sentence. Both parts could be sentences on their own.
Complex Sentence -- Two-part sentence, but only one part can stand alone. The other part modifies the stand-alone part.

The Practice Sentences

1. Newspeak limits the use of words such as free the word free cannot be used to explain political freedom.

2. People who make a difference live on they win the preservation of their existence from what they did in their lifetime.

3. He portrays a society living in peace yet their lives have no meaning.

4. Conflicting ideas and opinions are at the very root of human nature they are the source of all of our wisdom, our intellect and our development.

5. If she does not act on her instincts she lets the group think for her.

6. When I started reading the book I thought that a world like this could never happen.
When you've finished the work, turn it in by filling out the form below.
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Press the "Reset" button if you made a mistake in filling in the information.

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"Writers' Workshop: Punctuation by Instinct" created by Andrew Pfouts,
with HTML design by Stevan Kalmon.
For comments on grammar, contact Andrew at <pfouts@robin-nvh.bvsd.k12.co.us>.
For comments on page design and the Writers' Workshop in general,
contact Stevan at <kalmon@bvsd.k12.co.us>.
For more about our school, look at New Vista High School.
Last modified: May 30, 1998