ACT English – Punctuation

Semicolons – We've already gone over these!

Commas – You should know these!

Colon – Colons come before a list, but must come AFTER a                     COMPLETE sentence.

        Incorrect Example

        Maria just purchased all the supplies, including: a map, a                 pair of hiking boots, and a backpack.

Dashes – separate a group of words from the rest of a sentence.             They indicate a break in thought, or an explanation.

    Correct example:

        Just outside the door we heard the howling of wolves—a             sound that made my hair stand on end.

    Where do the dashes belong?

        I tried to express my thanks not that words could be                 enough but she just nodded and walked away.

    *Make sure that you TWO dashes if the 'thought' is in the     middle of the sentence.

Apostrophes – Used in contractions (don't, can't, won't) and for                 possession.

        Singular:  girl's room            Plural:   girls' room

    (the room belongs to the girl)       (the room belongs to the girls)

    It's                Its                    Its'

!(“)”*?  -  The ACT never tests these errors!